rom the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a
state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of
divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of
suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and you will find
that the greatest men have suffered most.'

'He who through suffering has attained development, should he fear
happiness?'

'Abdu'l-Baha.--'Through suffering he will attain to an eternal happiness
which nothing can take from him. The apostles of Christ suffered: they
attained eternal happiness.'

'Then it is impossible to attain happiness without suffering?'

'Abdu'l-Baha.--'To attain eternal happiness one must suffer. He who has
reached the state of self-sacrifice has true joy. Temporal joy will
vanish.'

'Can a departed soul converse with someone still on earth?'

'Abdu'l-Baha.--'A conversation can be held, but not as our conversation.
There is no doubt that the forces of the higher worlds interplay with the
forces of this plane. The heart of man is open to inspiration; this is
spiritual communication. As in a dream one talks with a friend while the
mouth is silent, so is it in the conversation of the spirit. A man may
converse with the ego within him saying: "May I do this? Would it be
advisable for me to do this work?" Such as this is conversation with the
higher self.'

THE FOUR KINDS OF LOVE

97 Cadogan Gardens, London,
Saturday, January 4th, 1913

What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living
powers.

Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is
cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the
sorrowful.

In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power
of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is
ready to sacrifice all--even his life. In the Gospel it is said God is
love.

There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that flows from God to
man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the Divine effulgence and
heavenly illumination. Through this love the world of being receives life.
Through this love man is endowed with physical existence, until, through
the breath of the Holy Spirit--this same love--he receives eternal life and
becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the origin of all the
love in the world of creation.

The second is the love that flows from man to