7/07/2010

Divine Manifestation represents God, but not in Essence

Question: Is the Divine Manifestation, God?

'Abdu'l-Baha: Yes, and yet not in Essence. A Divine Manifestation is as a mirror reflecting the light of the Sun. The light is the same and yet the mirror is not the Sun. All the Manifestations of God bring the same Light; they only differ in degree, not in reality. The Truth is one. The light is the same though the lamps may be different; we must look at the Light not at the Lamp. If we accept the Light in one, we must accept the Light in all; all agree, because all are the same. The teaching is ever the same, it is only the outward forms that change. ('Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 66)