Man must take flight from the cage of
the body and become pure spirit, for the body is a cage which causes
difficulties for man and makes him the captive of nature and involves him in
all types of misfortunes. But when a person discards all his physical habits,
he is freed from all fetters. As physical powers attract the world of nature,
so spiritual powers must break these chains. This condition is not realized by
thought alone. The powers of nature are ever alert to allure man. The eye is
fascinated by beautiful scenery; the ear is entranced by music; the heart is
attracted by delights and human passions. A man may be rich but still he wants
more because he is attracted by the world of nature; he has means of livelihood
yet he desires more. Therefore, the spiritual powers must dominate so that he
may be freed from these fetters and attain salvation. Man is like a bird in a
cage. A bird cannot attain freedom merely by knowing that in the free world
there are pure breezes, spacious skies, beautiful gardens, pleasant parks and
fountains; rather, the bird must find a power to break the cage and soar into
the wide firmament.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (From a conversation, 25 September 1912, Denver,
Colorado, USA, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
