…the
transference of the body from one condition to another brings about no change
or alteration in the soul. For instance, the body is young but it grows old,
while the soul remains unaffected; the body becomes weak but the soul does not;
the body becomes diseased or paralyzed but the soul remains unchanged. It has
often come to pass that one of the limbs of the body has been amputated; the
soul, however, remains the same and is not affected at all. Therefore, it is
clear that the changes experienced by the body do not affect the soul. As long
as it is unchanged, it will remain eternal. The pivot of mortality is change
and alteration. (‘Abdu’l-Baha,
excerpt from a talk at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Parsons, August 7, 1912,
Dublin, USA; Mahmud’s Diary)
