DISCOURSE FIFTEEN
Those inclined toward Contemplation
Will come to recognize that what has been written
In this work is akin to his own spirit;
Thus a reiteration of the prologue is needed
If it appears to you that this Contemplative work is not suited to your own spirituality or temperament, take leave of it and seek out good spiritual consul that will direct you in a way that is best for your spirit. If that is to be the case I ask you to please excuse all I have written here for your spiritual benefit. Before you take leave of it, read it over again two or three times. In that way you may come to better appreciate it and enlighten you more as to its content. All will unfold as it should when you read it again and again.
It is my fervent hope that you will do this. Remember, too, don’t share this content with anyone else unless you are absolutely sure that they are capable of comprehending its message. For instance, don’t discuss this work with anyone who doesn’t have a contemplative disposition and temperament. Review the discourse wherein I describe the type of person who can benefit from this Contemplative work. If you should share it with another, always impress upon him the absolute importance of reading it through from beginning to end. If it should come to pass that someone reads only one section and not the rest that complements it, then they will experience utmost mental and spiritual confusion. If there’s any part of this work that needs greater clarification, please alert me and I will amend it.
All in all, though, I prefer that you never share this work with gossipers, ne’er-do-wells, excessive fault-finders, and all those with mean-dispositions. It is definitely not for any of them, whether they be educated or not. Yea, some may even come to it with the best of intentions, yet they are so caught up exclusively with the active life that this work could not possibly offer anything to them.
This discourse is essentially a paraphrase of the opening prologue. The author of the cloud is adamant that this work is not meant for just anyone and even for those who begin the work, may in time come to experience no benefit in it. Yea, Authentic Contemplation is no easy endeavor and requires years of painstaking effort and above all, endless patience. Many people come to it because they are intrigued with the subject matter—it all sounds so wonderfully esoteric in nature—but in reality it is all about good plain old-fashioned hard work and forever being spiritually earnest. It’s solemn in nature, but the eventual spiritual rewards are worth the time and effort.
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