MEDITATION 139

none the less attempts this task it is because there is in
it a spark of the Intellect, and the Intellect does embrace
and really penetrate all things.

The second hadith on meditation quoted above
means that the Essence can never become the object of
thought, for thought is by nature distinctive while the
Essence is one. On the other hand meditation does in
a certain fashion conceive the Divine Qualities though
without directly ° tasting their flavour”’—for that is
something which belongs to the domain of pure in-
tuition.

The proper domain of meditation is discrimination
of the real from the unreal and the chief object of such
discrimination is the “I.” Meditative discrimination
does not directly reach the root of subjective individua-
tion but does grasp its extrinsic aspects which represent
so many elements of disproportion between a quasi-
absolute affirmation, implied in the ego, and the ephe-
meral and fragmentary character of individual human
nature. It must be clearly understood that it is not
this individual nature as such which constitutes the
egocentric illusion ; the “ veil” (al-hijab) which has to
be rent is only the attributing to this individual nature
of an autonomous and ‘‘aprioric” character which
belongs only to the Essence.!

1. The fact that the perfect sage is conscions of his individual nature
does not imply that he is duped by it and so does not prevent him from going
beyond illusion.