Rays and Reflections of God

When the sun sinks, the light disappears too. Therefore it behooves us to become the Sun, so the fear of separation cannot cloud our life.

We don't have to turn away totally from the pleasures and delights of this world, that are the rays and reflections of God. But we must not become content with this much, even though this much exists through God’s grace and the radiance of God’s beauty. Still, it is not eternal. From God’s viewpoint it is eternal, but from our viewpoint it is not. It is like the rays of the sun that shine into our house, for though they are rays of the sun and are light, yet they belong to the sun. When the sun sinks, the light disappears too. Therefore it behooves us to become the Sun, so the fear of separation cannot cloud our life. There is giving, and there is knowingness. Some have generosity and compassion but no true knowledge. Some have knowledge but no selfsacrifice. When both are present, that person is blessed and prosperous. Such a being is truly incomparable. A stranger is going along a road, but does not know where the road begins or ends, or whether they have wandered the wrong way. They go on blindly, hoping that perhaps a cock will crow, or some other sign of habitation will appear. How can such a stranger be compared with those who know the road and travel at ease, not needing sign or waymark? They have their assigned task clearly before them. Therefore, knowing exceeds all else.
Fihi Ma Fihi - Discourse 12