44. "When[352] you have conceived of the inexhaustible and infinite
power of existence in itself, and when you begin to realize its
incessant and indefatigable nature, which completely suffices itself,"
which has the privilege of being the purest life, of possessing itself
fully, of being founded upon itself, of neither desiring nor seeking
anything outside of itself, "you should not attribute to it any
special determination," or any relation; for when you limit yourself
by some consideration of space or relation, you doubtlessly do not
limit existence in itself, but you turn away from it, extending the
veil of imagination over your thought. "You can neither transgress,
nor fix, nor determine, nor condense within narrow limits, the
nature of existence in itself, as if it had nothing further to give
beyond (certain limits), exhausting itself gradually." It is the
most inexhaustible spring of which you can form a notion. "When you
will have achieved (?) that nature, and when you will have become
assimilated to eternal existence, seek nothing beyond." Otherwise,
you will be going away from it, you will be directing your glances on
something else. "If you do not seek anything beyond," if you shrink
within yourself and into your own nature, "you will become assimilated
to universal Existence, and you will not halt at anything inferior
to it. Do not say, That is what I am. Forgetting what you are (?),
you will become universal Existence. You were already universal
Existence, but you had something besides; by that mere fact you were
inferior, because that possession of yours that was beyond universal
Existence was derived from nonentity. Nothing can be added to universal
Existence." When we add to it something derived from nonentity, we
fall into poverty and into complete deprivation. "Therefore, abandon
nonentity, and you will fully possess yourself, (in that you will
acquire universal existence by putting all else aside; for, so long as
one remains with the remainder, existence does not manifest; and does
not grant its presence)." Existence is discovered by putting aside
everything that degrades and diminishes it, ceasing to confuse it with
inferior objects, and ceasing to form a false idea of it. Otherwise
one departs both from existence and from oneself. Indeed, when one
is present to oneself, he possesses the existence that is present
everywhere; when one departs from himself, he also departs from it. So
important is it for the soul to acquaint herself with what is in her,
and to withdraw from what is outside of her; for existence is within
us, and nonentity is outside of us. Now existence is present within us,
when we are not distracted from it by other things. "It does not come
near us to make us enjoy its presence. It is we who withdraw from it,
when it is not present with us." Is there anything surprising in this?
To be near existence, you do not need to withdraw from yourselves; for
"you are both far from existence and near it, in this sense that it is
you who come near to it, and you who withdraw from it, when, instead of
considering yourselves, you consider that which is foreign to you." If
then you are near existence while being far from it; if, by the mere
fact of your being ignorant of yourselves, you know all things to which
you are present, and which are distant from you, rather than yourself
who is naturally near you, is there anything surprising in that, that
which is not near you should remain foreign to you, since you withdraw
from it when you withdraw from yourself? Though you should always be
near yourself, and though you cannot withdraw from it, you must be
present with yourself to enjoy the presence of the being from which
you are so substantially inseparable as from yourself. In that way it
is given you to know what exists near existence, and what is distant
from it, though itself be present everywhere and nowhere. He who by
thought can penetrate within his own substance, and can thus acquire
knowledge of it, finds himself in this actualization of knowledge and
consciousness, where the substrate that knows is identical with the
object that is known. Now when a man thus possesses himself, he also
possesses existence. He who goes out of himself to attach himself to
external objects, withdraws also from existence, when withdrawing
also from himself. It is natural to us to establish ourselves within
ourselves, where we enjoy the whole wealth of our own resources, and
not to turn ourselves away from ourselves towards what is foreign to
ourselves, and where we find nothing but the most complete poverty.
Otherwise, we are withdrawing from existence, though it be near us; for
it is neither space, nor "being" (substance), nor any obstacle that
separates us from existence; it is our reversion towards nonentity. Our
alienation from ourselves, and our ignorance are thus a just punishment
of our withdrawal from existence. On the contrary, the love that the
soul has for herself leads her to self-knowledge and communion with the
divinity. Consequently, it has rightly been said that man here below is
in a prison, because he has fled from heaven[353] ... and because he
tries to break his bonds; for, when he turns towards things here below,
he has abandoned himself, and has withdrawn from his divine origin.
It is, (as Empedocles says), "a fugitive who has deserted his heavenly
fatherland."[354] That is why the life of a vicious man is a life that
is servile, impious, and unjust, and his spirit is full of impiety and
injustice.[355] On the contrary, justice, as has been rightly said,
consists in each one fulfilling his function (?). To distribute to each
person his due is genuine justice.