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30: Existence is of two kinds: one is the existence of … |
Existence is of two kinds: one is the existence of
God which is beyond the comprehension of man. He, the
invisible, the lofty and the incomprehensible, is preceded by
no cause but rather is the Originator of the cause of causes.
He, the Ancient, hath had no beginning and is the all-independent.
The second kind of existence is the human
existence. It is a common existence, comprehensible to the
human mind, is not ancient, is dependent and hath a cause
to it. The mortal substance does not become eternal and
vice versa; the human kind does not become a Creator and
vice versa. The transformation of the innate substance is
impossible.
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In the world of existence—that which is comprehensible—there are stages of mortality: the first stage is the mineral
world, next is the vegetable world. In the latter world the
mineral doth exist but with a distinctive feature which is the
vegetable characteristic. Likewise in the animal world, the
mineral and vegetable characteristics are present and in
addition the characteristics of the animal world are to be
found, which are the faculties of hearing and of sight. In the
human world the characteristics of the mineral, vegetable
and animal worlds are found and in addition that of the
human kind, namely the intellectual characteristic, which
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discovereth the realities of things and comprehendeth
universal principles.
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Man, therefore, on the plane of the contingent world is
the most perfect being. By man is meant the perfect individual,
who is like unto a mirror in which the divine perfections
are manifested and reflected. But the sun doth not
descend from the height of its sanctity to enter into the
mirror, but when the latter is purified and turned towards
the Sun of Truth, the perfections of this Sun, consisting of
light and heat, are reflected and manifested in that mirror.
These souls are the Divine Manifestations of God.
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