Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká, January 1908/Evil Thoughts
| Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká, January 1908 Evil Thoughts |
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EVIL THOUGHTS
[edit]Question: What is the source of evil thoughts that disturb those who do not wish to entertain them?
Answer: They come from other minds; they are reflected. One should not become a mirror for them—to reflect them; neither should one try to control them, for this is impossible; it only aggravates the difficulty, causing more to appear.
One should constantly turn the mirror of his heart squarely toward God so that the Light of the Sun of Truth may be reflected there.
This is the only cure for attacks of evil thoughts. The face of the mirror should be turned toward God, and the back of the mirror toward the evil thoughts.
Question: Are there “earthbound” souls who try to have, and do have, an influence over people, sometimes taking entire possession of their wills?
‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered, “There are no earthbound souls. When the souls that are not good die, they go entirely away from this earth and so cannot influence anyone. They are spiritually dead. Their thoughts can have influence only while they are alive on the earth. Caiaphas had great influence during his life, but as soon as he died, his influence ceased. It was of this kind that Christ said, ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’
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But the good souls are given eternal life, and sometimes God permits their thoughts to reach the earth to help the people.”