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Hazrat Inayat Khan Books

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The Inner Life

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“I have loved in life and I have been loved. I have drunk the bowl of poison from the hands of love as nectar, and have been raised above life's joy and sorrow. My heart, aflame in love, set afire every heart that came in touch with it. My heart has been rent and joined again; My heart has been broken and again made whole; My heart has been wounded and healed again; A thousand deaths my heart has died, and thanks be to love, it lives yet. I went through hell and saw there love's raging fire, and I entered heaven illumined with the light of love. I wept in love and made all weep with me; I mourned in love and pierced the hearts of men; And when my fiery glance fell on the rocks, the rocks burst forth as volcanoes. The whole world sank in the flood caused by my one tear; With my deep sigh the earth trembled, and when I cried aloud the name of my beloved, I shook the throne of God in heaven. I bowed my head low in humility, and on my knees I begged of love, "Disclose to me, I pray thee, O love, thy secret." She took me gently by my arms and lifted me above the earth, and spoke softly in my ear, "My dear one, thou thyself art love, art lover, and thyself art the beloved whom thou hast adored.”

“It would not be an exaggeration if one called the mind a world; it is the world that man makes, in which he will make his life in the hereafter, as a spider weaves its web in which to live. Once a person thinks of this problem he begins to see the value of the spiritual path, the path in which the soul is trained not to be owned by the mind, but to own it; not to become a slave of the mind, but to master it.”

“Life is progress, and stopping from progress is death. Failure does not matter in life for a progressive person, even a thousand failures do not matter. He has before his view success, and success is his even after a thousand failures. The greatest pity in life is the standstill when life does not move further. A sensible person prefers death to such a life. It is as a paralysis of the soul, of the spirit, and is always caused by holding bad impressions in mind. No soul is deprived of happiness in reality. The soul’s very being is happiness. Man brings unhappiness upon himself by holding in his hands the clouds of bad impressions, which fall as a shadow upon his soul. Once a person is able to clear from his mind, by whatever process, the undesirable impressions, a new power begins to spring from his heart, opening a way before him to accomplish all he wishes, attracting to him all he requires, clearing his path of all obstacles, and making his atmosphere clear, for him to live and move and to accomplish all he wishes to accomplish.”

“Sobald ein Mensch seine Bestimmung gefunden hat, beginnt er sich in dieser Welt zuhause zu fühlen, während er zuvor die Welt als fremd empfand. Nicht eher als ein Mensch seinen Weg gefunden hat, wird sich sein Glück erweisen, denn alle Dinge, die er erreichen will, geschehen dann wie von selbst. Auch wenn die ganze Welt gegen ihn ist, er wird derartig viel Kraft bekommen, dass er gegen alle Widerstände an seinem Ziel festhält. Er wird unterwegs ein solches Maß an Geduld aufbringen, dass ihn kein Rückschlag entmutigen kann. (S. 70)”

“Betrachten wir das Leben aus dem Blickwinkel des Philosophen, so erkennen wir, dass jeder Mensch in dieser Symphonie des Lebens wie eine Note ist; dass wir alle dieser Symphonie des Lebens erschaffen, indem jeder die Musik beiträgt, die in dieser Symphonie gebraucht wird. Aber wenn wir unseren eigenen Anteil an der Symphonie des Lebens nicht kennen, dann ist es, als ob eine der vier Saiten einer Violine nicht gestimmt ist, und wenn sie nicht gestimmt ist, kann sie nicht den Ton spielen, den sie spielen sollte. So muss jede/r von uns den Anteil einbringen, für den sie oder er geboren wurde. Wenn wir nicht wie vorgesehen unseren Anteil einbringen, dann befinden wir uns nicht im Einklang mit unserem Schicksal. Nur indem wir die zu uns gehörende, besondere Rolle spielen, erlangen wir Zufriedenheit. (S. 89)”

“What does it mean to become spiritual, or godly? It means to have a higher view of life, to look at life from a higher point of view. It is the high point of view in life which ennobles the soul; it is by a broad outlook on life that spiritual aristocracy is realized.”

“Spiritual knowledge is not in learning something; it is in discovering something, so to speak, in breaking the fetters of the false consciousness and allowing the soul to unfold itself with light and power. What does the word spiritual really mean? Spiritual is spirit-conscious. When a person is conscious of his body, he cannot be spiritual. He is like a king who does not know his kingdom. The moment he is conscious of being a king, he is a king. Every soul is born a king—afterwards he becomes a slave. Every soul is born with kingly possibility—by this wicked world it is taken away. This is told in symbolic stories, as in the story of Rama, from whom his beloved Sita was taken away. Every soul has to conquer this, has to fight for this kingdom. In that fight the spiritual kingdom is attained. No one will fight for you, neither your teacher nor anybody else. Yes, those who are more evolved than you can help you, but you have to fight your battle, your way to that spiritual goal.”

“I have loved in life and I have been loved. I have drunk the bowl of poison from the hands of love as nectar, and have been raised above life’s joy and sorrow. My heart, aflame in love, set afire every heart that came in touch with it. My heart has been rent and joined again; My heart has been broken and again made whole; My heart has been wounded and healed again; A thousand deaths my heart has died, and thanks be to love, it lives yet. I went through hell and saw there love’s raging fire, and I entered heaven illumined with the light of love. I wept in love and made all weep with me; I mourned in love and pierced the hearts of men; And when my fiery glance fell on the rocks, the rocks burst forth as volcanoes. The whole world sank in the flood caused by my one tear; With my deep sigh the earth trembled, and when I cried aloud the name of my beloved, I shook the throne of God in heaven. I bowed my head low in humility, and on my knees I begged of love, “Disclose to me, I pray thee, O love, thy secret.” She took me gently by my arms and lifted me above the earth, and spoke softly in my ear,“My dear one, thou thyself art love, art lover, and thyself art the beloved whom thou hast adored.” COMPLETE SAYINGS , 693”

“I f anybody asks what Sufism is, what kind of religion is it, the answer is that Sufism is the religion of the heart, the religion in which the thing of primary importance is to seek God in the heart of mankind.”

“The symbol of the Sufi Movement, which is a heart with wings, denotes its ideal. The heart is both earthly and heavenly. The heart is a receptacle on earth of the divine Spirit, and when it holds the divine Spirit, it soars heavenward; the wings picture its rising. The crescent in the heart symbolizes responsiveness. It is the heart that responds to the spirit of God which rises. The crescent is a symbol of responsiveness because it grows fuller as the moon grows fuller by responding more and more to the sun as it progresses. The light one sees in the crescent is the light of the sun. As it gets more light with its increasing response, so it becomes fuller of the light of the sun. The star in the heart of the crescent represents the divine spark which is reflected in the human heart as love, and which helps the crescent towards its fullness. The Sufi Message is the message of the day. It does not bring theories or doctrines to add to those already existing and which puzzle the human mind. What the world needs today is the message of love, harmony, and beauty, the absence of which is the only tragedy of life. The Sufi Message does not give a new law; it awakens in humanity the spirit of brotherhood, with tolerance on the part of each for the religion of the other, with forgiveness from each for the fault of the other. It teaches thoughtfulness and consideration, so as to create and maintain harmony in life; it teaches service and usefulness, which alone can make life in the world fruitful, and in this lies the satisfaction of every soul.”

“In reality the Spirit of Guidance may be pictured as one thread; and all the great masters of humanity are like the beads on that thread. One spirit and many individualities; one soul and many personalities; one wisdom and many teachers who have expounded wisdom according to their own personality. But at the same time, wisdom always being one, they cannot be compared with different scientists. For scientists, when they have discovered something new, say they have made a new discovery; but the prophets have never said that they had made a new discovery. They have always said, “What those who came before me perceived I perceive, and those who come after thousands of years will perceive the same.” Yet in spite of that it is always new, for every moment has its new joy. As Hafiz says, “Sing, my soul, a new song that every new moment inspires in you.” Once the soul awakens, it begins to see that truth is always new and renews the soul, giving it perpetual youth. When one finds differences between the teachers of humanity, these are only in the lives they lived. But no matter what their life was, whether they were kings or faqirs, whether they walked or rode on an elephant’s back, whether they were on a throne or in mountain caves or in deserts, they all had the same experience: realization. They might appear to be comfortable and rejoicing, but they heard the same note which others heard in tortures. Those who were kings such as Solomon and David, and those who were sages such as Krishna and Buddha, all these different souls had the same realization, the same philosophy. There could never be an argument if they were all to meet. But they are not meant to meet because they are all one. It was the Spirit of Guidance which manifested through all these different names and forms.”

“The purpose of the Sufi Movement is to work towards unity. Its main object is to bring humanity, divided as it is into so many different sections, closer together in the deeper understanding of life. It is a preparation for a world service, chiefly in three ways. One way is the philosophical understanding of life; another is bringing about brotherhood among races, nations, and creeds; and the third way is the meeting of the world’s greatest need, which is the religion of the day. Its work is to bring to the world that natural religion which has always been the religion of humanity: to respect one another’s belief, scripture, and teacher. The Sufi Message is the echo of the same divine message which has always come and will always come to enlighten humanity. It is not a new religion; it is the same message which is being given to humanity. It is the continuation of the same ancient religion which has always existed and will always exist, a religion which belongs to all teachers and all the scriptures. It is the continuation of all the great religions which have come at various times; and it is a unification of them all, which was the desire of all the prophets.”

“SAUM Praise be to Thee, Most Supreme God, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, All-pervading, the Only Being. Take us in Thy Parental Arms, Raise us from the denseness of the earth. Thy Beauty do we worship, To Thee do we give willing surrender, Most Merciful and Compassionate God, The Idealized Lord of the whole humanity. Thee only do we worship; and towards Thee alone we aspire. Open our hearts towards Thy Beauty, Illuminate our souls with Divine Light, O Thou, the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty! All-powerful Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Forgiver of our shortcomings, Lord God of the East and of the West, of the worlds above and below, And of the seen and unseen beings, Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light, Give sustenance to our bodies, hearts, and souls. Use us for the purpose that Thy Wisdom chooseth, And guide us on the path of Thine Own Goodness. Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life, Until in us be reflected Thy Grace, Thy Glory, Thy Wisdom, Thy Joy, and Thy Peace. Amen.”

“Salat Most gracious Lord, Master, Messiah, and Savior of humanity, We greet Thee with all humility. Thou art the First Cause and the Last Effect, the Divine Light and the Spirit of Guidance, Alpha and Omega. Thy Light is in all forms, Thy Love in all beings: in a loving mother, in a kind father, in an innocent child, in a helpful friend, in an inspiring teacher. Allow us to recognize Thee in all Thy holy names and forms: as Rama, as Krishna, as Shiva, as Buddha. Let us know Thee as Abraham, as Solomon, as Zarathustra, as Moses, as Jesus, as Muhammad, and in many other names and forms, known and unknown to the world. We adore Thy past; Thy presence deeply enlighteneth our being, and we look for Thy blessing in the future. O Messenger, Christ, Nabi, the Rasul of God! Thou Whose heart constantly reacheth upward, Thou comest on earth with a message, as a dove from above when Dharma decayeth, and speakest the Word that is put into Thy mouth, as the light filleth the crescent moon. Let the star of the Divine Light shining in Thy heart be reflected in the hearts of Thy devotees. May the Message of God reach far and wide, illuminating and making the whole humanity as one single Brotherhood in the Fatherhood of God. Amen.”

“Khatum O Thou, Who art the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty, The Lord of heaven and earth, Open our hearts, that we may hear Thy Voice, which constantly cometh from within. Disclose to us Thy Divine Light, which is hidden in our souls, that we may know and understand life better. Most Merciful and Compassionate God, give us Thy great Goodness; Teach us Thy loving Forgiveness; Raise us above the distinctions and differences which divide men; Send us the Peace of Thy Divine Spirit, And unite us all in Thy Perfect Being. Amen.”

“And the day when the soul realizes itself, that day a new life begins, a new birth. It is the self-realized soul which grows, which expands. So long as the soul has not realized itself, it does not develop, it does not grow. Therefore it is at the moment when the soul begins to realize itself that a man really begins to live in the world. But it must be understood that the magnetism of the selfrealized soul is greater than any magnetism one could ever imagine. It is power, it is wisdom, it is peace, it is intelligence, it is all. It is this magnetism that heals, heals bodies and heals minds; and it is this magnetism that raises those fallen into difficulties, in pain and sorrows. It is this magnetism that brings others out of their confusion, their darkness. It is by this magnetism that the illuminated souls spread out their love, thereby attracting all beings. It is of this magnetism that Christ said to the fishermen, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” It is with this magnetism that the great ones, such as Buddha, such as Moses, Christ, Muhammad, came and attracted humanity. And humanity during the ages has not forgotten. It is their magnetism which, after their having left this earth, has held millions and millions of people in one bond of brotherhood, of sympathy, of friendship. The immense power that the soul-magnetism gives shows that it is divine magnetism. It is a proof of something behind the seen world.”

“When the healer thinks he is healing, his power is as small as a drop; when he thinks God is healing, and when owing to this thought his own self is forgotten and he is only conscious of the Self of God, then his power becomes as large as the ocean. (Inayat Khan's advice to healers)”

“What is religion to the mystic? The religion of the mystic is a steady progress towards unity. How does he make this progress? In two ways. In the first way, he sees himself in others, in the good, in the bad, in all; and thus he expands the horizon of his vision. This study goes on throughout his lifetime, and as he progresses he comes closer to the oneness of all things. And the other way of developing is to become conscious of one’s own self in God, and of God in one’s self, which means deepening the consciousness of our innermost being. This process takes place in two directions: outwardly, by being one with all we see, and inwardly, by being in touch with that one Life which is everlasting, by dissolving into it, and by being conscious of that one Spirit being the existence, the only existence.”

“Christ says, “If anyone asks you for your coat, give him your overcoat also.” A worldly man will say, “It is not practical; if someone asked this of me every day, I would be continually buying new coats!” Yet, at the same time, it is more than practical from the point of view of the Master, for according to his view we cannot give anything, in whatever form, without getting it back in some way or other. Pure thought, goodwill, our service, our time— whatever we give—is never lost. It comes back to us according to our willingness to give; it comes back to us a thousandfold. That is why one is never the loser by being generous; one only gains. The mystic sees the law in all things, and this gives him an insight into life. He begins to see why this misery has come upon him, why that pleasure has come; why one person is prospering and another not, why one is progressing and not the other. All these things become clear to him, because he sees the law working in all things. The law of the mystic is not the law of the people. It is the law of nature; it is the real law.”

“The way to perfection for the mystic is by the annihilation of the false ego. He understands that in man there is a real ego, that this ego is divine, but that the divine ego is covered by a false ego […] The mystic on the spiritual path perseveres in wiping out this false ego as much as he can, by meditation, by concentration, by prayer, by study, by everything he does. His one aim is to wipe out so much, that one day reality, which is always there buried under the false ego, may manifest. And by calling on the Name of God, in the form of prayer, or in zikr, or in any other form, what the mystic does is to awaken the spirit of the real ego in order that it may manifest. It is just like a spring which rises out of the rock and which, as soon as the water has gained power and strength, breaks even through stone and becomes a stream. So it is with the divine spark in man. Through concentration, through meditation, it breaks out and manifests; and, where it manifests, it washes away the stains of the false ego and turns into a greater and greater stream, which in turn becomes the source of comfort, consolation, healing, and happiness for all who come into contact with that spirit.”

“There are many things in the life of a Sufi, but the greatest is to have a tendency to friendship; this is expressed in the form of tolerance and forgiveness, in the form of service and trust. In whatever form he may express it, this is the central theme: the constant desire to prove one’s love for humanity, to be the friend of all.”

“Die Frage nach dem Grund, nach dem Sinn für die Erschaffung der Welt taucht im Geist jedes aufmerksamen Menschen auf. Die Antwort ist, um die Monotonie zu durchbrechen. Nenne es Gott, nenne das Einzige Sein, nenne es Quelle und Ziel von allem; da das einzige Wesen allein war, wünschte es, dass es da etwas zu erkennen geben möge. Die Hindus bezeichnen die Schöpfung als Brahmas Traum. Man mag es Traum nennen, aber es ist die grundlegende Absicht. Die Sufis erklären es folgendermaßen: Gott, das Liebende wollte Seine eigene Natur erkennen; daher wurde durch die Schöpfung das Geliebte ins Leben gerufen, damit die Liebe sich offenbaren möge. Wenn wir es in diesem Lichte betrachten, dann ist alles was wir sehen, das Geliebte. Wie Rumi, der größte Schriftsteller Persiens sagt: „Der Geliebte ist alles in Allem, der Liebende aber verschleiert Ihn; der Geliebte ist alles was lebt, der Liebende ist ein totes Ding.“ Sufis nennen daher Gott den Geliebten. Sie erkennen das Geliebte in allen Wesen. Sie denken sich Gott nicht im Himmel, getrennt, von allen Wesen entfernt. In Allem, in allen Formen sehen sie die Schönheit Gottes. Mit dieser Erkenntnis wird der zentrale und grundlegende Sinn des Lebens erfüllt.”

“Betrachten wir das Leben aus dem Blickwinkel des Philosophen, so erkennen wir, dass jeder Mensch in dieser Symphonie des Lebens wie eine Note ist; dass wir alle diese Symphonie des Lebens erschaffen, indem jeder die Musik beiträgt, die in dieser Symphonie gebraucht wird. Aber wenn wir unseren eigenen Anteil an der Symphonie des Lebens nicht kennen, dann ist es, als ob eine der vier Saiten einer Violine nicht gestimmt ist, und wenn sie nicht gestimmt ist, kann sie nicht den Ton spielen, den sie spielen sollte. So muss jede/r von uns den Anteil einbringen, für den sie oder er geboren wurde. Wenn wir nicht wie vorgesehen unseren Anteil einbringen, dann befinden wir uns nicht im Einklang mit unserem Schicksal. Nur indem wir die zu uns gehörende, besondere Rolle spielen, erlangen wir Zufriedenheit.”

“Paramatma, die hohe Seele, ist mit Gott vereint, sie ist gottesbewusst, universal bewusst. Ihr eigenes Selbst umfasst alle. Ob es nun gute oder verschlagene Menschen sind, ob sie recht oder falsch gehen, sie sind deren eigenes Selbst; sie betrachtet all diese Personen als ihr Selbst. (S. 182)”

“Und an dem Tag, an dem die Seele sich selbst erkennt, beginnt ein neues Leben, eine Neugeburt. Solange die Seele sich nicht selbst erkannt hat, entwickelt sie sich nicht, sie wächst nicht. Deshalb beginnen die Menschen in dem Moment, in dem die Seele anfängt, sich selbst zu erkennen, wirklich in der Welt zu leben. Wir sollten aber begreifen, dass der Magnetismus einer selbstverwirklichten Seele größer ist als alle Magnetismen, die man sich jemals vorstellen könnte. Er ist Macht. Er ist Weisheit. Er ist Friede. Er ist Intelligenz. Er ist alles. Dieser Magnetismus heilt. Er heilt Körper und er heilt Herzen. Er erhebt jene, die in Schwierigkeiten, in Leid und Sorgen versunken sind. Er befreit andere aus ihrer Verwirrung, ihrer Dunkelheit. Durch diesen Magnetismus verbreiten die erleuchteten Seelen ihre Liebe und gewinnen dadurch alle Lebewesen. Diesen Magnetismus meinte Christus, als er zu den Fischern sagte: „Folgt mir, und ich werde euch zu Menschenfischern machen.“ Durch diesen Magnetismus kamen die Großen wie Buddha, Moses, Christus, Mohammed und gewannen die Gunst der Menschheit. Und die Menschheit hat das all die Jahrhunderte hindurch nicht vergessen. Es ist deren Magnetismus, der, auch nachdem sie die Erde verlassen hatten, Millionen und Abermillionen Menschen in einem Bund der Geschwisterlichkeit, Sympathie und Freundschaft zusammenhielt. Die immense Kraft, die der Seelenmagnetismus verleiht, beweist, dass er ein göttlicher Magnetismus ist. Er ist ein Beweis für etwas hinter der sichtbaren Welt. (S. 173)”

“Ein mögliches Bild für Gott und die Seelen ist das der Sonne und ihrer Strahlen. Die Strahlen sind nicht von der Sonne verschieden; die Sonne ist nichts anderes als die Strahlen. Und doch gibt es eine Sonne und viele Strahlen. Die Strahlen haben keine eigene Existenz; sie sind nur eine Aktivität der Sonne. Obwohl sie nicht von der Sonne getrennt sind, erscheinen sie doch als verschiedene Strahlen. Die eine Sonne steht für die Idee des einen Zentrums. Und so ist es auch mit Gott und den Menschen. Was ist Gott? Der Geist, der verschiedene Strahlen aussendet. Jeder Strahl ist eine Seele. Also ist der Atem dieser Strom, der wie ein Strahl ist, ein Strahl, der aus der Sonne kommt, die der Geist Gottes ist. Und dieser Strahl bedeutet Leben. (S. 187)”

“Spirituelles Wissen entsteht nicht, indem man etwas lernt, sondern indem man etwas entdeckt, indem man die Fesseln des falschen Bewusstseins zerbricht und der Seele erlaubt, sich mit Licht und Macht zu entfalten. Was ist die wirkliche Bedeutung des Wortes spirituell? Spirituell bedeutet: Geist-Seele-Bewusstsein. Wer sich nur seines Körpers bewusst ist, kann nicht spirituell sein. Solch ein Mensch gleicht einem König, der seine Königswürde nicht kennt. Sobald sich der Mensch bewusst wird, eine Königin oder ein König zu sein, ist er Königin oder König. Jede Seele wird als Königin oder König geboren. Erst danach wird sie zum Sklaven. Jede Seele wird mit königlichen Möglichkeiten geboren, aber sie werden ihr von dieser schlechten Welt fortgenommen. Davon wird in vielen symbolhaften Geschichten erzählt, wie in der von Rama, dem seine geliebte Sita geraubt wurde. Jede Seele muss um dieses Königreich kämpfen, und siegen. Durch diesen Kampf wird das spirituelle Königreich verwirklicht. (S. 11)”

“Das wahre Selbst enthält das Ewige; das falsche Selbst enthält das Sterbliche. Das wahre Selbst besitzt Weisheit; das falsche Selbst besitzt Unwissenheit. Das wahre Selbst kann sich zur Vollkommenheit erheben; das falsche Selbst bringt alles Schlechte hervor. Beides erkennt man in sich selbst: Gott und das Andere. Indem man das Andere besiegt, erkennt man Gott. Diese andere Macht wurde Satan genannt; aber ist es überhaupt eine Macht? Tatsächlich ist es nichts. Wir sollten begreifen, dass dieses falsche Selbst in sich selbst keine Existenz hat. Sobald sich die Seele über das falsche Selbst erhebt, erkennt sie ihren eigenen Adel. (S. 129)”

“Das Ego des Menschen ist das falsche Ego; Gottes Ego ist das wahre Ego. Doch was ist das Ego? Das Ego ist Teil einer Linie: an einem Ende der Linie befindet sich Gottes Ego, am anderen das Ego des Menschen. Letzteres ist falsch, weil der Mensch sein Ego mit seinen Illusionen überdeckt hat, die er Ich-selbst nennt. Daher, wenn das Ego durch Liebe, Weisheit oder Meditation aufgelöst wird verfliegen die Wolken, die es bedeckten und das wahre Ego, Gottes Ego tritt in Erscheinung. (S. 176)”

“Das Ego des Menschen ist das falsche Ego; Gottes Ego ist das wahre Ego. Doch was ist das Ego? Das Ego ist Teil einer Linie: an einem Ende der Linie befindet sich Gottes Ego, am anderen das Ego des Menschen. Letzteres ist falsch, weil der Mensch sein Ego mit seinen Illusionen überdeckt hat, die er Ich-selbst nennt. Daher, wenn das Ego durch Liebe, Weisheit oder Meditation aufgelöst wird verfliegen die Wolken, die es bedeckten und das wahre Ego, Gottes Ego tritt in Erscheinung. Saadi schriebt in seiner Lebensgeschichte, „einmal hatte ich keine Schuhe und musste barfuß durch den heißen Sand laufen und ich dachte, wie elend ich doch dran sei; dann traf ich einen lahmen Mann dem das Gehen sehr schwer fiel. Ich sank sofort auf die Knie und schickte meinen Dank zum Himmel, dass es mir viel besser ging als ihm, der nicht einmal Füße zum Gehen hatte“ Dies zeigt, dass es nicht die Lebenssituation des Menschen ist, sondern seine Einstellung gegenüber dem Leben, die ihn glücklich oder unglücklich sein lässt; und diese Einstellung kann solch einen Unterschied ausmachen, dass ein Mensch in einem Palast unglücklich, während ein anderer in einer einfachen Hütte sehr glücklich sein kann. (S. 176)”

“The soul is life, it never touches death. Death is its illusion, its impression, death comes to something which it holds, not to the soul itself. The soul becomes accustomed to identify itself with the body it adopts, with the environment which surrounds it, with the names by which it is known, with its rank and possessions, which are only the outward signs that belong to the world of illusion. The soul absorbed in its childlike fancies, in things that it values and to which it gives importance, and in the beings to which it attaches itself, blinds itself by the veils of its illusion. Thus it covers its own truth with a thousand veils from its own eyes.”