There are in the world of humanity three degrees; those of
the body, the soul, and spirit. The body is the physical or animal degree of
man. From the bodily point of view man is a sharer of the animal kingdom. The
bodies alike of men and animals are composed of elements held together by the
law of attraction. Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the senses,
is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.; unlike the animal, man has a
rational soul, the human intelligence. This intelligence of man is the
intermediary between his body and his spirit.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk,
November 17, 1911, Paris; ‘Paris Talks’)
