# Nature

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Nature, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Nature
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Universal House of Justice, Research Department
> 
> , compiler
> 
> 1988
> 
> Selections from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Say: Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the
> Creator. Its manifestations are diversified by varying causes, and in this
> diversity there are signs for men of discernment. Nature is God's Will and
> is its expression in and through the contingent world. It is a
> dispensation of Providence ordained by the Ordainer, the All-Wise. Were
> anyone to affirm that it is the Will of God as manifested in the world of
> being, no one should question this assertion. It is endowed with a power
> whose reality men of learning fail to grasp. Indeed a man of insight can
> perceive naught therein save the effulgent splendour of Our Name, the
> Creator. Say: This is an existence which knoweth no decay, and Nature
> itself is lost in bewilderment before its revelations, its compelling
> evidences and its effulgent glory which have encompassed the universe.
> 
> ("Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas"
> (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1988), p.
> 142
> .)
> 
> [l]
> 
> Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct
> evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God,
> inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent
> testimony to the revelation of that Most Great Light. Methinks, but for
> the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How resplendent
> the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans
> of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of
> man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of
> such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction.
> For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to
> a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All these
> names and attributes are applicable to him....
> 
> ...From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in
> their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and
> attributes of God within them. Each according to its capacity, indicateth,
> and is expressive of, the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is
> this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things visible and
> invisible....
> ("Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh"
> (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983), pp.
> 177
> -
> 178
> .)
> 
> [2]
> 
> Extracts from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> As preordained by the Fountain-head of Creation, the temple of the world
> hath been fashioned after the image and likeness of the human body. In
> fact each mirroreth forth the image of the other, wert thou but to observe
> with discerning eyes. By this is meant that even as the human body in this
> world, which is outwardly composed of different limbs and organs, is in
> reality a closely integrated, coherent entity, similarly the structure of
> the physical world is like unto a single being whose limbs and members are
> inseparably linked together.
> 
> Were one to observe with an eye that discovereth the realities of all
> things, it would become clear that the greatest relationship that bindeth
> the world of being together lieth in the range of created things
> themselves, and that co-operation, mutual aid and reciprocity are
> essential characteristics in the unified body of the world of being,
> inasmuch as all created things are closely related together and each is
> influenced by the other or deriveth benefit therefrom, either directly or
> indirectly.
> 
> Consider for instance how one group of created things constituteth the
> vegetable kingdom, and another the animal kingdom. Each of these two
> maketh use of certain elements in the air on which its own life dependeth,
> while each increaseth the quantity of such elements as are essential for
> the life of the other. In other words, the growth and development of the
> vegetable world is impossible without the existence of the animal kingdom,
> and the maintenance of animal life is inconceivable without the
> co-operation of the vegetable kingdom. Of like kind are the relationships
> that exist among all created things. Hence it was stated that co-operation
> and reciprocity are essential properties which are inherent in the unified
> system of the world of existence, and without which the entire creation
> would be reduced to nothingness.
> (From a Tablet recently
> translated from Persian. Also published in "Huququ'llah" (Thornhill:
> National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá'ís of Canada, 1986), p. 21 [Ed. - sel.
> 61
> ].)
> 
> [3]
> 
> Now concerning nature, it is but the essential properties and the
> necessary relations inherent in the realities of things. And though these
> infinite realities are diverse in their character yet they are in the
> utmost harmony and closely connected together. As one's vision is
> broadened and the matter observed carefully, it will be made certain that
> every reality is but an essential requisite of other realities. Thus to
> connect and harmonize these diverse and infinite realities an all-unifying
> Power is necessary, that every part of existent being may in perfect order
> discharge its own function. Consider the body of man, and let the part be
> an indication of the whole. Consider how these diverse parts and members
> of the human body are closely connected and harmoniously united one with
> the other. Every part is the essential requisite of all other parts and
> has a function by itself. It is the mind that is the all-unifying agency
> that so uniteth all the component parts one with the other that each
> dischargeth its specific function in perfect order, and thereby
> co-operation and reaction are made possible. All parts function under
> certain laws that are essential to existence. Should that all-unifying
> agency that directeth all these parts be harmed in any way there is no
> doubt that the constituent parts and members will cease functioning
> properly; and though that all-unifying agency in the temple of man be not
> sensed or seen and the reality thereof be unknown, yet by its effects it
> manifesteth itself with the greatest power.
> 
> Thus it hath been proven and made evident that these infinite beings in
> this wondrous universe will discharge their functions properly only when
> directed and controlled by that Universal Reality, so that order may be
> established in the world. For example, interaction and co-operation
> between the constituent parts of the human body are evident and indisputable, yet
> this does not suffice; an all-unifying agency is necessary that shall
> direct and control the component parts, so that these through interaction
> and co-operation may discharge in perfect order their necessary and
> respective functions.
> (Tablet to Dr. Forel, printed in "The
> Bahá'í World 1968-1973", vol. XV (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1976), pp.
> 41-42. [Ed. - online at pp.
> 20
> -
> 21
> ]
> 
> [4]
> 
> It is obvious that all created things are connected one to another by a
> linkage complete and perfect, even, for example, as are the members of the
> human body. Note how all the members and component parts of the human body
> are connected one to another. In the same way, all the members of this
> endless universe are linked one to another. The foot and the step, for
> example, are connected to the ear and the eye; the eye must look ahead
> before the step is taken. The ear must hear before the eye will carefully
> observe. And whatever member of the human body is deficient, produceth a
> deficiency in the other members. The brain is connected with the heart and
> stomach, the lungs are connected with all the members. So is it with the
> other members of the body.
> 
> And each one of these members hath its own special function. The mind
> force -- whether we call it pre-existent or contingent -- doth direct and
> co-ordinate all the members of the human body, seeing to it that each part
> or member duly performeth its own special function. If, however, there be
> some interruption in the power of the mind, all the members will fail to
> carry out their essential functions, deficiencies will appear in the body
> and the functioning of its members, and the power will prove
> ineffective.
> 
> Likewise, look into this endless universe: a universal power inevitably
> existeth, which encompasseth all, directing and regulating all the parts
> of this infinite creation; and were it not for this Director, the
> Co-ordinator, the universe would be flawed and deficient. It would be even
> as a madman; whereas ye can see that this endless creation carrieth out
> its functions in perfect order, every separate part of it performing its
> own task with complete reliability, nor is there any flaw to be found in
> all its workings. Thus it is clear that a Universal Power existeth,
> directing and regulating this infinite universe. Every rational mind can
> grasp this fact.
> 
> Furthermore, although all created things grow and develop, yet are they
> subjected to influences from without. For instance, the sun giveth heat,
> the rain nourisheth, the wind bringeth life, so that man can develop and
> grow. Thus it is clear that the human body is under influences from the
> outside, and that without those influences man could not grow.  And
> likewise, those outside influences are subjected to other influences in
> their turn. For example, the growth and development of a human being is
> dependent upon the existence of water, and water is dependent upon the
> existence of rain, and rain is dependent upon the existence of clouds, and
> clouds are dependent upon the existence of the sun, which causeth land and
> sea to produce vapour, the condensation of vapour forming the clouds. Thus
> each one of these entities exerteth its influence and is likewise influenced in its turn. Inescapably then, the
> process leadeth to One Who influenceth all, and yet is influenced by none,
> thus severing the chain. The inner reality of that Being, however, is not
> known, although His effects are clear and evident.
> ("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" (Haifa: Bahá'í
> World Centre, 1982), pp.
> 48
> -
> 49
> .)
> 
> [5]
> 
> Reflect upon the inner realities of the universe, the secret wisdoms
> involved, the enigmas, the inter-relationships, the rules that govern all.
> For every part of the universe is connected with every other part by ties
> that are very powerful and admit of no imbalance, nor any slackening
> whatever. In the physical realm of creation, all things are eaters and
> eaten: the plant drinketh in the mineral, the animal doth crop and swallow
> down the plant, man doth feed upon the animal, and the mineral devoureth
> the body of man. Physical bodies are transferred past one barrier after
> another, from one life to another, and all things are subject to
> transformation and change, save only the essence of existence itself --
> since it is constant and immutable, and upon it is founded the life of
> every species and kind, of every contingent reality throughout the whole
> of creation.
> 
> Whensoever thou dost examine, through a microscope, the water man
> drinketh, the air he doth breathe, thou wilt see that with every breath of
> air, man taketh in an abundance of animal life, and with every draught of
> water, he also swalloweth down a great variety of animals. How could it
> ever be possible to put a stop to this process? For all creatures are
> eaters and eaten, and the very fabric of life is reared upon this fact.
> Where it not so, the ties that interlace all created things within the
> universe would be unravelled.
> 
> And further, whensoever a thing is destroyed, and decayeth, and is cut off
> from life, it is promoted into a world that is greater than the world it
> knew before. It leaveth, for example, the life of the mineral and goeth
> forward into the life of the plant; then it departeth out of the vegetable
> life and ascendeth into that of the animal, following which it forsaketh
> the life of the animal and riseth into the realm of human life, and this
> is out of the grace of thy Lord, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
> ("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", pp.
> 
> 157
> -
> 158
> .)
> 
> [6]
> 
> ...consider the phenomenon of composition and decomposition, of existence
> and non-existence. Every created thing in the contingent world is made up
> of many and varied atoms, and its existence is dependent on the
> composition of these. In other words, through the divine creative power a
> conjunction of simple elements taketh place so that from this composition
> a distinct organism is produced. The existence of all things is based upon
> this principle. But when the order is deranged, decomposition is produced
> and disintegration setteth in, then that thing ceaseth to exist. That is,
> the annihilation of all things is caused by decomposition and
> disintegration. Therefore attraction and composition between the various
> elements is the means of life, and discord, decomposition and division
> produce death. Thus the cohesive and attractive forces in all things lead to the appearance of fruitful results and
> effects, while estrangement and alienation of things lead to disturbance
> and annihilation. Through affinity and attraction all living things like
> plants, animals and men come into existence, while division and discord
> bring about decomposition and destruction.
> ("Selections from
> the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá" pp.
> 289
> -
> 290
> .)
> 
> [7]
> 
> Extracts from the Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> When we ponder over the conditions of phenomena, we observe that all
> phenomena are composed of single elements. This singular cell-element
> travels and has its coursings through all the grades of existence. I wish
> you to ponder carefully over this. This cellular element has at some time
> been in the mineral kingdom. While staying in the mineral kingdom it has
> had its coursings and transformations through myriads of images and forms.
> Having perfected its journey in the mineral kingdom, it has ascended to
> the vegetable kingdom; and in the vegetable kingdom it has again had
> journeys and transformations through myriads of conditions. Having
> accomplished its functions in the vegetable kingdom, the cellular element
> ascends to the animal kingdom.
> 
> In the animal kingdom again it goes through the composition of myriads of
> images, and then we have it in the human kingdom. In the human kingdom
> likewise it has its transformations and coursings through multitudes of
> forms. In short, this single primordial atom has had its great journeys
> through every stage of life, and in every stage it was endowed with a
> special and particular virtue or characteristic.
> 
> Consequently, the great divine philosophers have had the following
> epigram: All things are involved in all things. For every single
> phenomenon has enjoyed the postulates of God, and in every form of these
> infinite electrons it has had its characteristics of perfection.
> 
> Thus this flower once upon a time was of the soil. The animal eats the
> flower or its fruit, and it thereby ascends to the animal kingdom. Man
> eats the meat of the animal, and there you have its ascent into the human
> kingdom, because all phenomena are divided into that which eats and that
> which is eaten. Therefore, every primordial atom of these atoms, singly
> and indivisible, has had its coursings throughout all the sentient
> creation, going constantly into the aggregation of the various elements.
> Hence do you have the conservation of energy and the infinity of
> phenomena, the indestructibility of phenomena, changeless and immutable,
> because life cannot suffer annihilation but only change.
> ("Foundations of World Unity" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> 1972), pp.
> 51
> -
> 52
> .)
> 
> [8]
> 
> This Nature is subjected to an absolute organization, to determined laws,
> to a complete order and a finished design, from which it will never depart
> - to such a degree, indeed, that if you look carefully and with keen sight,
> from the smallest invisible atom up to such large bodies of the world of
> existence as the globe of the sun or the other great stars and luminous
> spheres, whether you regard their arrangement, their composition, their
> form or their movement, you will find that all are in the highest degree
> of organization and are under one law from which they will never
> depart.
> 
> But when you look at Nature itself, you see that it has no intelligence,
> no will. For instance, the nature of fire is to burn; it burns without
> will or intelligence. The nature of water is fluidity; it flows without
> will or intelligence. The nature of the sun is radiance; it shines without
> will or intelligence. The nature of vapor is to ascend; it ascends without
> will or intelligence. Thus it is clear that the natural movements of all
> things are compelled;  there are no voluntary movements except those of
> animals and, above all, those of man. Man is able to resist and to oppose
> Nature because he discovers the constitution of things, and through this
> he commands the forces of Nature; all the inventions he has made are due
> to his discovery of the constitution of things. For example, he invented
> the telegraph, which is the means of communication between the East and
> the West. It is evident, then, that man rules over Nature.
> 
> Now, when you behold in existence such organizations, arrangement and
> laws, can you say that all these are the effect of Nature, though Nature
> has neither intelligence nor perception? If not, it becomes evident that
> this Nature, which has neither perception nor intelligence, is in the
> grasp of Almighty God, Who is the Ruler of the world of Nature; whatever
> He wishes, He causes Nature to manifest.
> 
> It is said that Nature in its own essence is in the grasp of the power of
> God, Who is the Eternal Almighty One: He holds Nature within accurate
> regulations and laws, and rules over it.
> ("Some Answered
> Questions" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1984), pp.
> 3
> -
> 4
> .)
> 
> [9]
> 
> If we look with a perceiving eye upon the world of creation, we find that
> all existing things may be classified as follows: first, mineral -- that
> is to say, matter or substance appearing in various forms of composition;
> second, vegetable -- possessing the virtues of the mineral plus the power
> of augmentation or growth, indicating a degree higher and more specialized
> than the mineral; third, animal -- possessing the attributes of the
> mineral and vegetable plus the power of sense perception; fourth, human --
> the highest specialized organism of visible creation, embodying the
> qualities of the mineral, vegetable and animal plus an ideal endowment
> absolutely absent in the lower kingdoms -- the power of intellectual
> investigation into the mysteries of outer phenomena. The outcome of this
> intellectual endowment is science, which is especially characteristic of
> man. This scientific power investigates and apprehends created objects and
> the laws surrounding them. It is the discoverer of the hidden and
> mysterious secrets of the material universe and is peculiar to man alone.
> The most noble and praiseworthy accomplishment of man, therefore, is
> scientific knowledge and attainment.
> 
> Science may be likened to a mirror wherein the images of the mysteries of
> outer phenomena are reflected. It brings forth and exhibits to us in the
> arena of knowledge all the product of the past. It links together past and
> present. The philosophical conclusions of bygone centuries, the teachings
> of the Prophets and wisdom of former sages are crystallized and reproduced
> in the scientific advancement of today. Science is the discoverer of the
> past. From its premises of past and present we deduce conclusions as to
> the future. Science is the governor of nature and its mysteries, the one
> agency by which man explores the institutions of material creation. All
> created things are captive of nature and subject to its laws. They cannot
> transgress the control of these laws in one detail or particular. The
> infinite starry worlds and heavenly bodies are nature's obedient subjects.
> The earth and its myriad organisms, all minerals, plants and animals are
> thralls of its dominion. But man through the exercise of his scientific,
> intellectual power can rise out of this condition, can modify, change and
> control nature according to his own wishes and uses. Science, so to speak,
> is the breaker of the laws of nature.
> 
> Consider, for example, that man according to natural law should dwell upon
> the surface of the earth. By overcoming this law and restriction, however,
> he sails in ships over the ocean, mounts to the zenith in airplanes and
> sinks to the depths of the sea in submarines. This is against the fiat of
> nature and a violation of her sovereignty and dominion. Nature's laws and
> methods, the hidden secrets and mysteries of the universe, human
> inventions and discoveries, all our scientific acquisitions should
> naturally remain concealed and unknown, but man through his intellectual
> acumen searches them out of the plane of the invisible, draws them into
> the plane of the visible, exposes and explains them. For instance, one of
> the mysteries of nature is electricity. According to nature this force,
> this energy, should remain latent and hidden, but man scientifically
> breaks through the very laws of nature, arrests it and even imprisons it
> for his use.
> 
> In brief, man through the possession of this ideal endowment of scientific
> investigation is the most noble product of creation, the governor of
> nature. He takes the sword from nature's hand and uses it upon nature's
> head. According to natural law night is a period of darkness and
> obscurity, but man by utilizing the power of electricity, by wielding this
> electric sword overcomes the darkness and dispels the gloom. Man is
> superior to nature and makes nature do his bidding. Man is a sensitive
> being; nature is without sensation.  Man has memory and reason; nature
> lacks them. Man is nobler than nature. There are powers within him of
> which nature is devoid. It may be claimed that these powers are from
> nature itself and that man is a part of nature. In answer to this
> statement we will say that if nature is the whole and man is a part of
> that whole, how could it be possible for a part to possess qualities and
> virtues which are absent in the whole? Undoubtedly the part must be
> endowed with the same qualities and properties as the whole. For example,
> the hair is a part of the human anatomy. It cannot contain elements which
> are not found in other parts of the body, for in all cases the component
> elements of the body are the same. Therefore, it is manifest and evident
> that man, although in body a part of nature, nevertheless in spirit
> possesses a power transcending nature; for if he were simply a part of
> nature and limited to material laws, he could possess only the things
> which nature embodies. God has conferred upon and added to man a
> distinctive power -- the faculty of intellectual investigation into the secrets of creation, the acquisition
> of higher knowledge -- the greatest virtue of which is scientific
> enlightenment.
> 
> This endowment is the most praiseworthy power of man, for through its
> employment and exercise the betterment of the human race is accomplished,
> the development of the virtues of mankind is made possible and the spirit
> and mysteries of God become manifest....
> ("The Promulgation of
> Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l Baha during His Visit to the
> United States and Canada in 1912" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
> 1982), pp.
> 29
> -
> 31
> .)
> 
> [10]
> 
> Consider how all other phenomenal existence and beings are captives of
> nature. The sun, that colossal center of our solar system, the giant stars
> and planets, the towering mountains, the earth itself and its kingdoms of
> life lower than the human -- all are captives of nature except man. No
> other created thing can deviate in the slightest degree from obedience to
> natural law. The sun in its glory and greatness millions of miles away is
> held prisoner in its orbit of universal revolution, captive of universal
> natural control. Man is the ruler of nature. According to natural law and
> limitation he should remain upon the earth, but behold how he violates
> this command and soars above the mountains in airplanes. He sails in ships
> upon the surface of the ocean and dives into its depths in submarines. Man
> makes nature his servant; he harnesses the mighty energy of electricity,
> for instance, and imprisons it in a small lamp for his uses and
> convenience. He speaks from the East to the West through a wire. He is
> able to store and preserve his voice in a phonograph. Though he is a
> dweller upon earth, he penetrates the mysteries of starry worlds
> inconceivably distant. He discovers latent realities within the bosom of
> the earth, uncovers treasures, penetrates secrets and mysteries of the
> phenomenal world and brings to light that which according to nature's
> jealous laws should remain hidden, unknown and unfathomable.  Through an
> ideal inner power man brings these realities forth from the invisible
> plane to the visible. This is contrary to nature's law.
> 
> It is evident, therefore, that man is ruler over nature's sphere and
> province. Nature is inert; man is progressive. Nature has no
> consciousness; man is endowed with it. Nature is without volition and acts
> perforce, whereas man possesses a mighty will. Nature is incapable of
> discovering mysteries or realities, whereas man is especially fitted to do
> so. Nature is not in touch with the realm of God; man is attuned to its
> evidences. Nature is uninformed of God; man is conscious of Him. Man
> acquires divine virtues; nature is denied them. Man can voluntarily
> discontinue vices; nature has no power to modify the influence of its
> instincts. Altogether it is evident that man is more noble and superior,
> that in him there is an ideal power surpassing nature. He has
> consciousness, volition, memory, intelligent power, divine attributes and
> virtues of which nature is completely deprived and bereft; therefore, man
> is higher and nobler by reason of the ideal and heavenly force latent and
> manifest in him.
> ("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks
> Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada
> in 1912" pp.
> 177
> -
> 178
> .)
> 
> [11]
> 
> The elemental atoms which constitute all phenomenal existence and being in
> this illimitable universe are in perpetual motion, undergoing continuous
> degrees of progression. For instance, let us conceive of an atom in the
> mineral kingdom progressing upward to the kingdom of the vegetable by
> entering into the composition and fibre of a tree or plant. From thence it
> is assimilated and transferred into the kingdom of the animal and finally,
> by the law and process of composition, becomes a part of the body of man.
> That is to say, it has traversed the intermediate degrees and stations of
> phenomenal existence, entering into the composition of various organisms
> in its journey. This motion or transference is progressive and perpetual,
> for after disintegration of the human body into which it has entered, it
> returns to the mineral kingdom whence it came and will continue to
> traverse the kingdoms of phenomena as before. This is an illustration
> designed to show that the constituent elemental atoms of phenomena undergo
> progressive transference and motion throughout the material kingdoms.
> 
> In its ceaseless progression and journeyings the atom becomes imbued with
> the virtues and powers of each degree or kingdom it traverses. In the
> degree of the mineral it possessed mineral affinities; in the kingdom of
> the vegetable it manifested the augmentative virtue or power of growth; in
> the animal organism it reflected the intelligence of that degree; and in
> the kingdom of man it was qualified with human attributes or virtues.
> 
> Furthermore, the forms and organisms of phenomenal being and existence in
> each of the kingdoms of the universe are myriad and numberless. The
> vegetable plane or kingdom, for instance, has its infinite variety of
> types and material structures of plant life -- each distinct and different
> within itself, no two exactly alike in composition and detail -- for there
> are no repetitions in nature, and the augmentative virtue cannot be
> confined to any given image or shape. Each leaf has its own particular
> identity -- so to speak, its own individuality as a leaf. Therefore, each
> atom of the innumerable elemental atoms, during its ceaseless motion
> through the kingdoms of existence as a constituent of organic composition,
> not only becomes imbued with the powers and virtues of the kingdoms it
> traverses but also reflects the attributes and qualities of the forms and
> organisms of those kingdoms. As each of these forms has its individual and
> particular virtue, therefore, each elemental atom of the universe has the
> opportunity of expressing an infinite variety of those individual virtues.
> No atom is bereft or deprived of this opportunity or right of expression.
> Nor can it be said of any given atom that it is denied equal opportunities
> with other atoms; nay, all are privileged to possess the virtues existent
> in these kingdoms and to reflect the attributes of their organisms. In the
> various transformations or passages from kingdom to kingdom the virtues
> expressed by the atoms in each degree are peculiar to that degree. For
> example, in the world of the mineral the atom does not express the
> vegetable form and organism, and when through the process of transmutation
> it assumes the virtues of the vegetable degree, it does not reflect the
> attributes of animal organisms, and so on.
> 
> It is evident, then, that each elemental atom of the universe is possessed
> of a capacity to express all the virtues of the universe. This is a subtle
> and abstract realization. Meditate upon it, for within it lies the true
> explanation of pantheism. From this point of view and perception pantheism
> is a truth, for every atom in the universe possesses or reflects all the
> virtues of life, the manifestation of which is effected through change and
> transformation. Therefore, the origin and outcome of phenomena is, verily,
> the omnipresent God; for the reality of all phenomenal existence is
> through Him. There is neither reality nor the manifestation of reality
> without the instrumentality of God. Existence is realized and possible
> through the bounty of God, just as the ray or flame emanating from this
> lamp is realized through the bounty of the lamp, from which it originates.
> Even so, all phenomena are realized through the divine bounty, and the
> explanation of true pantheistic statement and principle is that the
> phenomena of the universe find realization through the one power animating
> and dominating all things, and all things are but manifestations of its
> energy and bounty. The virtue of being and existence is through no other
> agency. Therefore, in the words of Bahá'u'lláh, the first teaching is the
> oneness of the world of humanity.
> ("The Promulgation of
> Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the
> United States and Canada in 1912", pp.
> 284
> -
> 286
> .)
> [12]
> 
> From the fellowship and commingling of the elemental atoms life results.
> In their harmony and blending there is ever newness of existence. It is
> radiance, completeness; it is consummation; it is life itself. Just now
> the physical energies and natural forces which come under our immediate
> observation are all at peace. The sun is at peace with the earth upon
> which it shines. The soft breathing winds are at peace with the trees. All
> the elements are in harmony and equilibrium. A slight disturbance and
> discord among them might bring another San Francisco earthquake and fire.
> A physical clash, a little quarreling among the elements as it were, and a
> violent cataclysm of nature results. This happens in the mineral kingdom.
> Consider, then, the effect of discord and conflict in the kingdom of man,
> so superior to the realm of inanimate existence. How great the attendant
> catastrophe, especially when we realize that man is endowed by God with
> mind and intellect. Verily, mind is the supreme gift of God. Verily,
> intellect is the effulgence of God. This is manifest and self-evident.
> 
> For all created things except man are subjects or captives of nature; they
> cannot deviate in the slightest degree from nature's law and control. The
> colossal sun, center of our planetary system, is nature's captive,
> incapable of the least variation from the law of command. All the orbs and
> luminaries in this illimitable universe are, likewise, obedient to
> nature's regulation. Our planet, the earth, acknowledges nature's
> omnipresent sovereignty.  The kingdoms of the mineral, vegetable and
> animal respond to nature's will and fiat of control. The great bulky
> elephant with its massive strength has no power to disobey the
> restrictions nature has laid upon him; but man, weak and diminutive in
> comparison, empowered by mind which is an effulgence of Divinity itself,
> can resist nature's control and apply natural laws to his own uses.
> 
> According to the limitations of his physical powers man was intended by
> creation to live upon the earth, but through the exercise of his mental
> faculties, he removes the restriction of this law and soars in the air
> like a bird. He penetrates the secrets of the sea in submarines and builds
> fleets to sail at will over the ocean's surface, commanding the laws of
> nature to do his will. All the sciences and arts we now enjoy and utilize
> were once mysteries, and according to the mandates of nature should have
> remained hidden and latent, but the human intellect has broken through the
> laws surrounding them and discovered the underlying realities. The mind of
> man has taken these mysteries out of the plane of invisibility and brought
> them into the plane of the known and visible.
> ("The
> Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His
> Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", pp.
> 350
> -
> 51
> )
> 
> [13]
> 
> The earth has its inhabitants, the water and the air contain many living
> beings and all the elements have their nature spirits, then how is it
> possible to conceive that these stupendous stellar bodies are not
> inhabited? Verily, they are peopled, but let it be known that the dwellers
> accord with the elements of their respective spheres. These living beings
> do not have states of consciousness like unto those who live on the
> surface of this globe: the power of adaptation and environment moulds
> their bodies and states of consciousness, just as our bodies and minds are
> suited to our planet.
> 
> For example, we have birds that live in the air, those that live on the
> earth and those that live in the sea. The sea birds are adapted to their
> elements, likewise the birds which soar in the air, and those which hover
> about the earth's surface. Many animals living on the land have their
> counterparts in the sea. The domestic horse has his counterpart in the
> sea-horse which is half horse and half fish.
> 
> The components of the sun differ from those of this earth, for there are
> certain light and life-giving elements radiating from the sun. Exactly the
> same elements may exist in two bodies, but in varying quantities. For
> instance, there is fire and air in water, but the allotted measure is
> small in proportion.
> 
> They have discovered that there is a great quantity of radium in the sun;
> the same element is found on the earth, but in a much smaller degree.
> Beings who inhabit those distant luminous bodies are attuned to the
> elements that have gone into the composition of their respective spheres.
> 
> (I. F. Chamberlain, comp. "Divine Philosophy" (Boston: The
> Tudor Press, 1918), pp.
> 114
> -
> 15
> .)
> 
> [14]
> 
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