As the range of the outer vision differs with different men, so is it the case with insight, or the inner vision. Some see as far as Heaven, some as far as the Divine Throne. A few have the perfect insight which pierces through all Creation to the Creator.
The end of contemplation is the advancement of knowledge and the acquisition of wisdom. When the heart develops knowledge and wisdom, there is a change in its condition. With that change, there comes a change in conduct as well, and the man turns. With the turning, he begins to tread the Path. Treading attracts him to God. Then a current of Divine attraction may carry him to a stage inaccessible to men and genii by exertion and asceticism....
If thou longest and dost not succeed, be not dejected; for, as the Great Lord has said, "Asking is for men, acceptance for God."—Letter 60.
Renunciation.
The first duty incumbent upon a Seeker is the practice of Tajrîd and Tafrîd. The one is to quit present possessions; the other, to cease to care for the morrow. The second duty is seclusion, outer and inner. Outer seclusion consists in flying from the world and turning thy face to the wall, in order that thou mayest give up thy life on the Divine threshold; inner seclusion consists in cleansing the heart of all thoughts connected with the non-God, whether the non-God be earth or heaven.
The third duty is at-onement in speech and thought, which consists in ceasing to speak and think of the non-God. The fourth duty is the practice of moderation in speech, food and sleep, since this triad supports the desire-nature. Too much speaking is a bar to holy recitations; too much sleep interferes with meditation; too much food brings on inertia and checks the performance of duties.
Purity of body as well as of mind is necessary at all times—purity of body alone is not sufficient—in order that the Divine Attraction may uplift thee to a stage unattainable by all the efforts and ascetic practices of all genii and men put together. Very easy to speak of this, but very hard the practice—since this practice does not lie with the bodily organs or elements, but with the Heart and the Soul which are beyond our control. The gate to the Path is Knowledge and Wisdom. He who avoids this gate has to plod on his way through an endless forest infested by demons, and ends by losing his life and faith....
Eternal Life is the life in Spirit without a body. It is attained by Love, not by obedience. Servants wait for an order and seek remedies for their ailments; Lovers are impelled by Love and invite ailments without asking for a remedy. The Beloved ever cries, "Stay at a distance lest thou shouldst perish." The Lover answers, "I am prepared from the very beginning to give up my life. Death is better than a life without Thee." The life of the body has no value on the Path. Whoso cares for the one has no business with the other. Love says to thee: "Give up a life which must turn into dust, and I shall instal thee on the throne of Glorious At-onement. Now the choice is thine."