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Part of you "is... not subject to sensation;... the spirit of man is not affected by the change or condition of the body. Even though the material body should die, the spirit continues eternally alive... (It) exists and functions in the inert body in the realm of dreams," also. (Pup 300- 1) (43:1) "If the spirit of man belonged to the elemental existence, the eye could see it, the ear hear it, the hand touch. As long as these five senses cannot perceive it, the proof is unquestioned that it does not belong to the elemental (material) world." (Pup 302) (43:2) "The whole physical creation is perishable... The composition of atoms, which constitutes the body or mortal element of any created being, is temporary. When the power of attraction, which holds these atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases to exist. With the soul it is different. The soul is not a combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is of one indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is... out of the order of the physical creation; it is immortal!" (Pt 90- 1) (43:3) "'Abdul- Baha (when asked) in what state the soul exists before it enters the body.. answered: 'In a state of potentiality. It has no consciousness in the sense in which we comprehend this term. Individual consciousness is not born until conception takes place... The Will of God is the determining factor. When God will it, the soul steps into the arena of human life... Yes, every soul has a beginning, but once created, is eternal!'" (Bns no 335 p11) (43:4) "The physical condition will certainly become decomposed, but the condition of the rational soul, though it has a beginning, has no end." (Saq 175) (43:5) "Know that although the human soul existed on the earth for prolonged times and ages, yet it is phenomenal (at its birth). As it is a divine sign, when once it has come into existence it is eternal. The spirit of man has a beginning, but it has no end; it continues eternally." (Saq 173) (43:6) "As the spirit of man is not composed of material elements, it is not subject to decomposition and therefore has no death." (Pup 300) (43:7) "All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees... For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist from the beginning, but not visibly; afterwards little by little they appear... In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all perfections such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste... but they are not visible, and become so only by degrees." (Bwf 312- 3) (43:8) "In the physical creation, evolution is from one degree of perfection to another... (But) the soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a law-- it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of God." (Pt 66) (43:9) "The journey of the soul is necessary. The pathway of life is the road which leads to divine knowledge and attainment." (life 88- 9)
(43:10)
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