The Transcendent Unity of Religions

«Such a distinction may appear unwarrantable to those who are accustomed to regard metaphysic as a branch of philosophy. but the practice of linking the two together in this manner. although it can be traced back to Aristotle and the Scholastic writers who followed him. merely shows that all philosophy suffers from certain limitations that. even in the most favorable instances such as those just quoted exclude a completely adequate appreciation of metaphysic.» — Schuon acota de inmediato la distinción entre metafísica y filosofía: reconoce que emparejarlas viene de Aristóteles y los escolásticos, y sostiene que eso solo muestra los límites de toda filosofía

«In reality. the transcendent character of metaphysic makes it independent of any purely human mode of thought» — la razón que da: el carácter trascendente de la metafísica la hace independiente de todo modo humano de pensamiento

«it may be said that philosophy proceeds from reason (which is a purely individual faculty). whereas metaphysic proceeds exclusively from the Intellect» — la formulación de la diferencia, con la razón como facultad puramente individual frente al Intelecto

«An analogous definition. which is still more concise and even richer in symbolic value. is to be found in Moslem esoterism: "The Sufi [that is to say. man identified with the Intellect] is not created.» — y le empareja una fórmula que atribuye al esoterismo musulmán, con el corchete explicativo suyo dentro de la cita

«Since purely intellectual knowledge is by definition beyond the reach of the individual. being in its essence supraindividual. universal. or divine. and since it proceeds from pure Intelligence. which is direct and not discursive. it follows that this knowledge not only goes infinitely further than reasoning. but even goes further than faith in the ordinary sense of this term.» — la consecuencia que saca: siendo supraindividual por esencia, ese conocimiento va más lejos que el razonamiento y aun que la fe en el sentido ordinario Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *supraindividual* donde la fuente parte *supra-individual*.

«In other words. intellectual knowledge also transcends the specifically theological point of view. which is itself incomparably superior to the philosophical point of view. since. like metaphysical knowledge. it emanates from God and not from man» — Schuon coloca el punto de vista teológico por encima del filosófico, con la razón de que emana de Dios y no del hombre

«but whereas metaphysic proceeds wholly from intellectual intuition. religion proceeds from Revelation.» — y ahí traza la línea: la metafísica procede de la intuición intelectual y la religión de la Revelación

«The latter is the Word of God spoken to His creatures. whereas intellectual intuition is a direct and active participation in divine Knowledge and not an indirect and passive participation. as is faith.» — la diferencia entre las dos participaciones, directa y activa la intuición intelectual, indirecta y pasiva la fe

«Thus metaphysical certitude is absolute because of the identity between the knower and the known in the Intellect.» — de la identidad entre el que conoce y lo conocido en el Intelecto hace derivar el carácter absoluto de la certeza metafísica

«If an example may be drawn from the sensory sphere to illustrate the difference between metaphysical and theological knowledge. it may be said that the former. which can be called "esoteric" when it is manifested through a religious symbolism. is conscious of the colorless essence of light and of its character of pure luminosity~ a given religious belief. on the other hand will assert that light is red and not green. whereas another belief will assert the opposite~ both will be right insofar as they distinguish light from darkness but not insofar as they identify it with a particular color.» — el ejemplo de la luz con que ilustra la diferencia entre el conocimiento metafísico y el teológico, donde las dos creencias tienen razón al distinguir la luz de la oscuridad y no al identificarla con un color

«while metaphysic. which can be compared to a point of view only in a purely provisional sense. will be able to make use of the same symbol or form as a means of expression while at the same time being aware of its relativity.» — el contraste, con la metafísica usando el mismo símbolo mientras permanece consciente de su relatividad

«That is why each of the great and intrinsically orthodox religions can. through its dogmas. rites. and other symbols. serve as a means of expression for every truth known directly by the eye of the Intellect. the spiritual organ that is called in Moslem esoterism the .. eye of the heart.» — de ahí saca que cada una de las grandes religiones intrínsecamente ortodoxas puede servir de expresión a toda verdad conocida por el ojo del corazón

«Now. though dogma is not accessible to all men in its intrinsic truth. which can only be directly attained by the Intellect. it is nonetheless accessible through faith. which is. for the great majority. the only possible mode of participation in the Divine Truths.» — Schuon sostiene que el dogma, inaccesible a todos en su verdad intrínseca, es accesible por la fe, único modo posible de participación para la gran mayoría

«As for intellectual knowledge. which. as we have seen. proceeds neither from belief nor from a process of reasoning. it goes beyond dogma in the sense that. without ever contradicting the latter. it penetrates its internal dimension. that is. the infinite Truth that dominates all forms.» — y sitúa el conocimiento intelectual más allá del dogma sin contradecirlo nunca, penetrando su dimensión interna

«Some may perhaps object that even the purest metaphysic is sometimes hardly distinguishable from philosophy inasmuch as it uses arguments and seems to reach conclusions.» — Schuon se plantea él mismo la objeción de que la metafísica más pura se distinga apenas de la filosofía por usar argumentos

«When philosophy uses reason to resolve a doubt this proves precisely that its starting point is a doubt that it is striving to overcome. whereas we have seen that the starting point of a metaphysical formulation is always essentially something intellectually evident or certain.» — el punto de partida como criterio: la duda en un caso, algo intelectualmente evidente o cierto en el otro

«To illustrate the three modes of thought we have been considering. let us apply them to the idea of God.» — Schuon aplica los tres modos de pensamiento a la idea de Dios

«The philosophical point of view. when it does not purely and simply deny God even if only by ascribing to the word a meaning it does not possess. tries to .. prove .. God by all kinds of argumen~ in other words. this point of view tries to .. prove .. either the ··existence .. or the ··nonexistence" of God as though reason. which is only an intermediary and in no wise a source of transcendent knowledge. could ""prove" no matter what Moreover this pretension of reason to autonomy in realms where only intellectual intuition on the one hand and Revelation on the other can communicate knowledge. is characteristic of the philosophical point of view and shows up all its inadequacy.» — lo que adjudica al punto de vista filosófico: pretender probar la existencia o la inexistencia de Dios con una razón que no es fuente de conocimiento trascendente Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *argumen* donde la fuente parte *argu-men*.

«The theological point of view does not for its part trouble itself about proving God-it is even prepared to admit that such proof is impossible-but bases itself on belief.» — lo que adjudica al teológico: no ocuparse de probar a Dios, aun admitiendo que la prueba sea imposible, y apoyarse en la creencia

«It must be added here that ""faith" cannot be reduced to a simple matter of belief~ otherwise Christ would not have spoken of the "'faith which moves mountains:· for it goes without saying that ordinary religious belief has no such power.» — con la enmienda que añade en seguida sobre la fe, que no se reduce a creencia, apoyada en la frase de Cristo sobre la fe que mueve montañas

«but in the present state of humanity such evidence is only accessible to a spiritual elite that becomes ever more restricted in number.» — y el límite que le pone en el estado presente de la humanidad, donde esa evidencia solo es accesible a una élite espiritual cada vez más restringida

«It may be added that religion. by its very nature and independently of any wish of its representatives. who may be unaware of the fact. contains and transmits this purely intellectual Knowledge beneath the veil of its dogmatic and ritual symbols.» — Schuon atribuye a la religión misma, con independencia de lo que quieran sus representantes, contener y transmitir ese Conocimiento bajo el velo de sus símbolos dogmáticos y rituales

«The truths just expressed are not the exclusive possession of any school or individual: were it otherwise they would not be truths. for these cannot be invented. but must necessarily be known in every integral traditional civilization.» — niega que esas verdades sean posesión exclusiva de escuela o individuo, con el argumento de que no se inventan

«It might. however. reasonably be asked for what human and cosmic reasons truths that may in a very general sense be called ··esoteric" should be brought to light and made explicit at the present time. in an age that is so little inclined to speculation.» — se plantea por qué exponer hoy verdades que llama esotéricas, en una época poco inclinada a la especulación

«There is indeed something abnormal in this. but it lies. not in the fact of the exposition of these truths. but in the general conditions of our age.» — concede la anormalidad y la traslada de la exposición a las condiciones generales de la época

«which marks the end of a great cyclic period of terrestrial humanity-the end of a mahli-yuga according to Hindu cosmology-and so must recapitulate or manifest again in one way or another everything that is included in the cycle.» — que sitúa al final de un gran periodo cíclico, el fin de un maha-yuga según la cosmología hindú, con la obligación de recapitular todo lo contenido en el ciclo; el impreso corrompe la transliteración

«From a more individual point of view. that of mere expediency. it must be admitteck-that the spiritual confusion of our times has reached such a pitch that the harm that might in principle befall certain people from contact with the truths in question is compensated by the advantages other will derive from the self-same truths» — la segunda razón, de mera oportunidad: la confusión espiritual del tiempo es tal que el daño posible queda compensado por la ventaja de otros

«the term ··esoterism" has been so often misused in order to cloak ideas that are as unspiritual as they are dangerous.» — y la tercera, el uso abusivo del término esoterismo para encubrir ideas que llama tan poco espirituales como peligrosas

«it must be emphasized that the unity of the different religions is not only unrealizable on the external level. that of the forms themselves. but ought not to be realized at that level. even were this possible. for in that case the revealed forms would be deprived of their sufficient reason.» — el nudo del libro dicho en el prefacio: la unidad de las religiones no solo es irrealizable en el plano de las formas, sino que no debe realizarse ahí, porque las formas reveladas perderían su razón suficiente

«The very fact that they are revealed shows that they are willed by the Divine Word» — el apoyo que da a eso: el hecho mismo de ser reveladas muestra que son queridas por el Verbo Divino

«The antagonisms between these forms no more affect the one universal Truth than the antagonisms between opposing colors affect the transmission of the one uncolored light» — la analogía con que niega que los antagonismos entre formas afecten la Verdad universal, como los colores opuestos no afectan la luz incolora

«Just as every color. by its negation of darkness and its affirmation of light. provides the possibility of discovering the ray that makes it visible and of tracing this ray back to its luminous source.» — la primera mitad de esa analogía, con el color que permite remontar el rayo hasta su fuente luminosa

«so all forms. all symbols. all religions. all dogmas. by their negation of error and their affirmation of Truth. make it possible to follow the ray of Revelation. which is none other than the ray of the Intellect. back to its Divine Source.» — y la segunda, donde el rayo de la Revelación se identifica con el del Intelecto y se remonta hasta su Fuente Divina

«The latter faculty has been defined by Meister Eckhart-who fully · understood the import of his words-as follows: ••There is something in the soul that is uncreate and uncreatable» — Schuon apoya su definición del Intelecto en Meister Eckhart, de quien dice que entendía plenamente el alcance de sus palabras; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la 31 con *and this is the Intellect*. El impreso rinde las comillas como puntos

«metaphysical from the philosophical proposition is that the former is symbolical and descriptive. in the sense that it makes use of rational modes as symbols to describe or translate knowledge possessing a greater degree of certainty than any knowledge of a sensible order. whereas philosophy -called not without reason. anci/la theologiae-is never anything more than what it expresses.» — la respuesta que da: la proposición metafísica es simbólica y descriptiva, mientras la filosofía, que llama ancilla theologiae, nunca es más que lo que expresa. El tramo empieza a media frase porque la anterior queda en la plana 32

«Finally. from the metaphysical standpoint there is no longer any question either of ··proof' or of ·:belief' but solely of direct evidence.» — el tercer modo, que no es ni prueba ni creencia sino evidencia directa; el renglón sigue en la plana 34 con la evidencia intelectual que implica certeza absoluta

«the outward and readily exaggerated incompatibility of the different religious forms greatly discredits. in the minds of most of our contemporaries.» — la cuarta razón que da: la incompatibilidad exterior y fácilmente exagerada de las formas religiosas desacredita ante los contemporáneos a toda religión, palabra que el troceo deja ya en la plana 35

«This very rudimentary example is designed to show that the th.eological point of view. because it is based» — el rendimiento que Schuon le saca al ejemplo; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y la frase sigue en la 32: *in the minds of believers on a Revelation and not on a knowledge that is accessible to each one of them ... will of necessity confuse the symbol or form with the naked and supraformal Truth*. El impreso escribe th.eological con un punto dentro

«The true and complete understanding of an idea goes far beyond the first apprehension of the idea by the intelligence. although more often than not this apprehension is taken for understanding itself.» — Schuon abre el capítulo primero distinguiendo la comprensión completa de una idea de su primera aprehensión por la inteligencia, que dice que suele tomarse por la comprensión misma

«While it is true that the immediate evidence conveyed to us by any particular idea is. on its own level. a real understanding. there can be no question of its embracing the whole extent of the idea. since it is primarily the sign of an aptitude to understand that idea in its completeness.» — el grado con que lo acota: esa evidencia inmediata sí es comprensión real en su nivel, pero es más bien signo de una aptitud para comprender la idea entera

«Any truth can in fact be understood at different levels and according to different conceptual dimensitlns. that is to say. according to an indefinite number of modalities that correspond to all the possible aspects. likewise indefinite in number. of the truth in question.» — la tesis que da título al capítulo: toda verdad se entiende en niveles y según dimensiones conceptuales, tantas como aspectos indefinidos tenga esa verdad

«This way of regarding ideas accordingly leads to the question of spiritual realization. the doctrinal expressions of which clearly illustrate the dimensional indefinitude of theoretical conceptions.» — y adónde lleva ese modo de mirar las ideas, a la cuestión de la realización espiritual

«Philosophy. considered from the standpoint of its limitations-and it is the limitations of philosophy that confer upon it its specific character-is based on the systematic ignoring of what has been stated above.» — Schuon define la filosofía por sus límites y sostiene que se apoya en ignorar sistemáticamente lo anterior. El renglón sigue en la plana 37

«it concerns itself solely with mental schemes that. with its claim to universality, it likes to regard as absolute, although from the point of view of spiritual realization these schemes are merely so many virtual or potential and unused objects, insofar at least as they refer to true ideas» — lo que le atribuye: ocuparse solo de esquemas mentales que, con su pretensión de universalidad, tiene por absolutos, y que desde la realización espiritual son objetos apenas virtuales

«As for true ideas. those. that is to say, that more or less implicitly suggest aspects of the total Truth, and hence this Truth itself. they become by that very fact intellectual keys and indeed have no other function; this is something that metaphysical thought alone is capable of grasping.» — llama llaves intelectuales a las ideas verdaderas, las que sugieren aspectos de la Verdad total, y dice que solo el pensamiento metafísico alcanza a captarlo

«theoretical understanding is in fact transitory and limited by definition, though its limits can only be more or less approximately defined.» — el límite que pone a toda comprensión teórica, transitoria y limitada por definición, aunque sus límites solo se dejen definir aproximadamente

«The purely "'theoristic" understanding of an idea, which we have so termed because of the limitative tendency that paralyzes it. may justly be characterized by the word» — Schuon acuña el término teorístico para la comprensión que la tendencia limitativa paraliza, y lo empareja con la palabra dogmatismo

«religious dogma in fact. at least to the extent to which it is supposed to exclude other conceptual forms, though certainly not in itself. represents an idea considered in conformity with a theoristic tendency, and this exclusive way of looking at ideas has even become characteristic of the religious point of view as such.» — la acotación con que lo aplica al dogma religioso: en la medida en que se supone que excluye otras formas conceptuales, y ciertamente no en sí mismo

«A religious dogma ceases, however, to be limited in this way once it is understood in the light of its inherent truth. which is of a universal order. and this is the case in all esoterism.» — y la salida que señala: el dogma deja de estar así limitado cuando se lo entiende a la luz de su verdad inherente, de orden universal, que es lo que dice que ocurre en todo esoterismo

«On the other hand the ideas formulated in esoterism and in metaphysical doctrines generally may in their turn be understood according to the dogmatic or theoristic tendency.» — con la simetría que añade en seguida, que también las ideas del esoterismo pueden entenderse según la tendencia dogmática

«we must again point out that a religious dogma is not a dogma in itself but solely by the fact of being considered as such and through a sort of confusion of the idea with the form in which it is clothed» — Schuon sostiene que un dogma religioso no es dogma en sí mismo sino por ser considerado tal, y por una confusión de la idea con la forma que la viste

«the outward dogmatization of universal truths is perfectly justified in view of the fact that these truths or ideas. in having to provide the foundation of a religion. must be capable of being assimilated in some degree by all men.» — y justifica la dogmatización exterior de las verdades universales por la necesidad de que sean asimilables en algún grado por todos los hombres

«Dogmatism as such does not consist in the mere enunciation of an idea. that is to say. in the fact of giving form to a spiritual intuition. but rather in an interpretation that instead of rejoining the formless and total Truth after taking as its starting point one of the forms of that Truth. results in a sort of paralysis of this form by denying its intellectual potentialities and by attributing to it an absoluteness that only the formless and total Truth itself can possess.» — dónde sitúa el dogmatismo: no en enunciar una idea, sino en una interpretación que paraliza la forma negándole sus potencialidades y atribuyéndole una absolutez que solo la Verdad informal y total posee

«Dogmatism reveals itself not only by its inability to conceive the inward or implicit illimitability of the symbol. the universality that resolves all outward oppositions. but also by its inability to recognize. when faced with two apparently contradictory truths. the inward connection that they implicitly affirm. a connection that makes of them complementary aspects of one and the same truth.» — el segundo rasgo que le adjudica: no reconocer, ante dos verdades aparentemente contradictorias, la conexión interna que las vuelve aspectos complementarios de una misma verdad

«whoever participates in universal Knowledge will regard two apparently contradictory truths as he would two points situated on one and the same circumference that links them together by its continuity and so reduces them to unity» — la analogía del círculo con que lo ilustra: dos puntos de una misma circunferencia que la continuidad enlaza y reduce a unidad

«in the measure in which these points are distant from. and thus opposed to. one another. there will be contradiction. and this contradiction will reach its maximum when the two points are situated at the extremities of a diameter of the circle~ but this extreme opposition or contradiction only appears as a result of isolating the points under consideration from the circle and ignoring the existence of the latter.» — y la gradación de la contradicción según la distancia entre los puntos, máxima en los extremos del diámetro y aparente solo si se aísla los puntos del círculo

«a speculative formulation. on the other hand. is comparable to an element of a circle, the very form of which indicates its logical and ontological continuity and therefore the whole circle or, by analogical transposition, the whole Truth~ this comparison wilL perhaps, suggest in the clearest possible way the difference that separates a dogmatic affirmation from a speculative formulation.» — y la formulación especulativa, comparable a un elemento del círculo cuya forma indica su continuidad y por tanto la Verdad entera

«The outward and intentional contradictoriness of speculative formulations may show itself. it goes without saying. not only in a single. logically paradoxical formula such as the VedicAham BrahmasmiCI am Brahma")-the Vedantic definition of the yogi-or the Ana '1-Jfaqq ("I am the Truth") of Al-l:lalUij, or Christ's words concerning His Divinity.» — los tres ejemplos que da de fórmula lógicamente paradójica: el Aham Brahmasmi védico, definición vedántica del yogui, el Ana'l-Haqq de al-Hallach y las palabras de Cristo sobre su Divinidad. Las transliteraciones salen corrompidas por el escaneo y se citan tal cual

«Examples of the latter may be found in all sacred Scriptures, notably in the Koran: we need only recall the apparent contradiction between the affirmations regarding predestination and those regarding free will, affirmations that are contradictory only in the sense that they express opposite aspects of a single reality.» — el ejemplo que toma del Corán, la contradicción aparente entre predestinación y libre albedrío, que declara opuesta solo por expresar aspectos contrarios de una sola realidad

«there also remain certain theories that although expressing the strictest orthodoxy, are nevertheless in outward contradiction one with another. this being due to the diversity of their respective points of view, which are not chosen arbitrarily and artificially but are established spontaneously by virtue of a genuine intellectual originality.» — y el caso que distingue de los anteriores: teorías estrictamente ortodoxas y en contradicción exterior por la diversidad de sus puntos de vista, que dice establecidos espontáneamente y no elegidos

«In the example just given, error corresponds to an inadequate view of the object whereas a dogmatic conception is comparable to the exclusive view of one aspect of the object. a view that supposes the immobility of the seeing subject» — la distinción que saca de ahí entre el error, vista inadecuada del objeto, y la concepción dogmática, vista exclusiva de un aspecto que supone inmóvil al sujeto

«As for a speculative and therefore intellectually unlimited conception. this may be compared to the sum of all possible views of the object in question. views that presuppose in the subject a power of displacement or an ability to alter his viewpoint.» — y la concepción especulativa como suma de todas las vistas posibles, que supone en el sujeto poder de desplazamiento

«Movement in space is in fact an active participation in the possibilities of space. whereas static extension in space. the form of our bodies. for example. is a passive participation in these same possibilities.» — el par que traza entre movimiento y extensión estática como participación activa y pasiva en las posibilidades del espacio

«This may be transposed without difficulty to a higher plane and one may then speak of an .. intellectual space:· namely. the cognitive all-possibility that is fundamentally the same as the Divine Omniscience. and consequently of .. intellectual dimensions .. that are the internal modalities of this Omniscience» — la transposición a un plano superior, con un espacio intelectual que identifica con la omniposibilidad cognitiva y con la Omnisciencia Divina

«In a treatise directed against rationalist philosophy. AI-Ghazzallspeaks of certain blind men who. not having even a theoretical knowledge of an elephant came across this animal one day and started to feel the different parts of its body: as a result each man represented the animal to himself according to the part that he touched: for the first who touched a foot the elephant resembled a column. whereas for the second. who touched one of the tusks. it resembled a stake. and so on.» — en nota al pie, Schuon refiere la parábola de los ciegos y el elefante que atribuye a al-Ghazali en un tratado contra la filosofía racionalista; el impreso pega el nombre a la palabra siguiente

«By this parable Al-Ghazzaliseeks to show the error involved in trying to enclose the universal within a fragmentary notion of it or within isolated and exclusive aspects or points of view. Shri Ramakrishna also uses this parable to demonstrate the inadequacy of dogmatic exclusiveness in its negative aspect» — lo que dice que la parábola muestra, el error de encerrar lo universal en una noción fragmentaria, y añade que Shri Ramakrishna la usa para lo mismo en su aspecto negativo

«The same idea could. however. be expressed by means of an even more adequate example: faced with any object some might say that it "is" a certain shape. while others might say that it .. is" such and such a material: others again might maintain that it "is" such and such a number or such and such a weight» — y el ejemplo que propone como más adecuado, con quienes dicen que un objeto es una forma, o un material, o un número, o un peso

«One may conclude from this that a dogmatic affirmation. that is to say. an affirmation that is inseparable from its form and admits» — la conclusión que saca: la afirmación dogmática, inseparable de su forma, es comparable a un punto que contradice por definición a todos los demás, según sigue el renglón en la plana 39

«a theoretical notion may be compared to the view of an object. Just as this view does not reveal all possible aspects. or in other words. the integral nature of the object the perfect knowledge of which would be nothing less than identity with it so a theoretical notion does not itself correspond to the integral truth. of which it necessarily» — la comparación de la noción teórica con la vista de un objeto, cuyo conocimiento perfecto sería la identidad con él; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y sigue en la 40 con el único aspecto que la noción sugiere

«When speaking. therefore, of the understanding of ideas, we may distinguish between a dogmatic understanding. comparable to the view of an object from a single viewpoint. and an integral or speculative understanding. comparable to the indefinite series of possible views of the object. views that are realized through indefinitely multiple changes of point of view.» — Schuon cierra el capítulo distinguiendo la comprensión dogmática, vista del objeto desde un solo punto, de la especulativa, serie indefinida de vistas realizadas al cambiar de punto de vista

«Just as, when the eye changes its position, the different views of an object are connected by a perfect continuity, which represents. so to speak. the determining reality of the object. so the different aspects of a truth, however contradictory they may appear and notwithstanding their indefinite multiplicity, describe the integral Truth that surpasses and determines them.» — la continuidad entre las vistas de un objeto le sirve de figura de la Verdad integral que sobrepasa y determina los aspectos por contradictorios que parezcan

«It follows from the above that in speculative doctrines it is the point of view on the one hand and the aspect on the other hand that determine the form of the affirmation, whereas in dogmatism the affirmation is confused with a determinate point of view and aspect. thus excluding all others.» — lo que Schuon hace seguir de todo el capítulo: en la doctrina especulativa el punto de vista y el aspecto determinan la forma de la afirmación, y en el dogmatismo la afirmación se confunde con uno solo, excluyendo los demás

«On a lower plane. the "intellectuality" of animals and of the more peripheral species of the terrestrial state. that of plants. for example. corresponds cosmologically to the angelic intellectuality: what differentiates one vegetable species from another is. in reality. simply the mode of its "intelligence": in other words. it is the form or rather the integral nature of a plant that reveals the state-eminently passive. of course--of contemplation or knowledge of its species» — la continuación de esa nota, donde traslada la correspondencia a animales y plantas y hace de la forma de la planta el modo de su inteligencia, con el estado de contemplación que atribuye a la especie y no al ejemplar

«We would recall here that the Intellect. being universal must be discoverable in everything that exists. to whatever order it belongs; the same is not true of reason, which is only a speeifically human faculty and is in no way identical with intelligence. either our own or that of other beings.» — y el cierre de la nota, donde sostiene que el Intelecto, por universal, se descubre en todo lo que existe, y niega lo mismo de la razón, que llama facultad específicamente humana. El impreso escribe speeifically

«The Angels are intelligences that are limited to a particular aspect of» — en nota al pie, Schuon llama a los ángeles inteligencias limitadas a un aspecto particular de la Divinidad; el troceo reemite la plana 41 al abrir chunk y corta ahí el renglón, que sigue con el estado angélico como punto de vista trascendente

«The exoteric point of view is fundamentally the point of view of individual interest considered in its highest sense. that is to say. extended to cover the whole cycle of existence of the individual and not limited solely to terrestrial life.» — Schuon define el punto de vista exotérico por el interés individual en su sentido más alto, extendido al ciclo entero de la existencia y no solo a la vida terrestre

«Exoteric truth is limited by definition. by reason of the very limitation of the end it sets itself. without this restriction. however. affecting the esoteric interpretation of which that same truth is susceptible thanks to the universality of its symbolism. or rather. first and foremost. thanks to the twofold nawre. inward and outward. of Revelation itself» — dice que la verdad exotérica está limitada por definición, por la limitación del fin que se propone, y que eso no afecta la interpretación esotérica de esa misma verdad

«whence it follows that a dogma is both a limited idea and an unlimited symbol at one and the same time.» — la fórmula que saca de ahí: el dogma es a la vez idea limitada y símbolo ilimitado

«we may say that the dogma of the unicity of the Church of God must exclude a truth such as that of the validity of other orthodox religious forms. because the idea of religious universality is of no particular usefulness for the purpose of salvation and may even exert a prejudicial effect on it. since. in the case of persons not possessing the capacity to rise above an individual standpoint. this idea would almost inevitably result in religious indifference and hence in the neglect of those» — el ejemplo con que lo ilustra, la unicidad de la Iglesia excluyendo la validez de otras formas religiosas ortodoxas, con la razón que da: para quien no puede elevarse sobre el punto de vista individual, la universalidad religiosa acabaría en indiferencia. El renglón sigue en la plana 43

«this same idea of religious universality-an idea that is more or less indispensable to the way of total and disinterested Truth-is nonetheless included symbolically and metaphysically in the dogmatic or theological definition of the Church or of the Mystical Body of Christ» — y la contrapartida: esa misma idea de universalidad religiosa está incluida simbólica y metafísicamente en la definición dogmática de la Iglesia o del Cuerpo Místico de Cristo

«It goes without saying that the outward limitation of dogma, which is precisely what confers upon it its dogmatic character. is perfectly legitimate, since the individual viewpoint to which this limitation corresponds is a reality at its own level of existence.» — Schuon declara legítima la limitación exterior del dogma, porque el punto de vista individual al que corresponde es una realidad en su propio nivel

«It is because of this relative reality that the individual viewpoint. except to the extent to which it implies the negation of a higher perspective, that is to say, insofar as it is limited by the mere fact of its nature. can and even must be integrated in one fashion or another in every path possessing a transcendent goal.» — y por esa realidad relativa sostiene que el punto de vista individual puede y aun debe integrarse en toda vía de meta trascendente, con la salvedad de que no niegue una perspectiva superior

«Regarded from this standpoint. exoterism. or rather form as such. will no longer imply an intellectually restricted perspective but will play the part of an accessory spiritual means. without the transcendence of the esoteric doctrine being in any way affected thereby, no limitation being imposed on the latter for reasons of individual expediency.» — visto así, dice, el exoterismo o la forma pasa a ser medio espiritual accesorio, sin que la trascendencia de la doctrina esotérica quede afectada

«One must not therefore confuse the function of the exoteric viewpoint as such with the function of exoterism as a spiritual means: the viewpoint in question is incompatible. in one and the same consciousness. with esoteric knowledge. for the latter dissolves this viewpoint as a preliminary to reabsorbing it into the center from which it came» — la distinción que exige: la función del punto de vista exotérico, incompatible en una misma consciencia con el conocimiento esotérico, no es la del exoterismo como medio espiritual

«but the exoteric means do not for that reason cease to be utilizable. and will. in fact. be used in two ways: on the one hand. by intellectual transposition into the esoteric order-in which case they will act as supports of intellectual» — los dos usos que reconoce a los medios exotéricos, la transposición intelectual al orden esotérico y la acción reguladora sobre la parte individual del ser, que el renglón continúa en la plana 44

«The exoteric aspect of a religion is thus a providential disposition that. far from being blameworthy. is necessary in view ·or the fact that the esoteric way can only concern a minority. especially under the present conditions of terrestrial humanity.» — Schuon llama disposición providencial al aspecto exotérico de una religión, por no poder la vía esotérica concernir sino a una minoría

«What is blameworthy is not the existence of exoterism. but rather its all-invading autocracy-due primarily perhaps. in the Christian world to the narrow precision of the Latin mind-which causes many of those who would be qualified for the way of pure Knowledge not only to stop short at the outward aspect of the religion. but even to reject entirely an esoterism that they know only through a veil of prejudice and deformation. unless indeed not finding anything in exoterism to satisfy their intelligence. they be caused to stray into false and artificial doctrines in an attempt to find something that exoterism does not offer them. and even takes it upon itself to prohibit.» — y dice qué sí es reprochable: la autocracia invasora del exoterismo, que atribuye en parte a la precisión estrecha de la mente latina en el mundo cristiano, y que lleva a algunos a extraviarse en doctrinas falsas

«This recalls the denunciation uttered by Christ: "Woe unto you. lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves. and them that were entering in. ye hindered» — en nota, Schuon apoya esa objeción en la denuncia de Cristo contra los doctores de la ley que se llevaron la llave del conocimiento, que sitúa en Lucas XI, 52

«The exoteric viewpoint is. in fact. doomed to end by negating itself once it is no longer vivified by the presence within it of the esoterism of which it is both the outward radiation and the veil.» — sostiene que el punto de vista exotérico acaba negándose a sí mismo cuando deja de estar vivificado por el esoterismo, del que es radiación exterior y velo

«So it is that religion. according to the measure in which it denies metaphysical and initiatory realities and becomes crystallized in a literalistic dogmatism. inevitably engenders unbelief~ the atrophy that overtakes dogmas when they are deprived of their internal dimension recoils upon them from the outside. in the form of heretical and atheistic negations.» — y la consecuencia que traza: la religión cristalizada en dogmatismo literalista engendra incredulidad, y la atrofia del dogma privado de su dimensión interna vuelve desde fuera como negación herética y atea

«The presence of an esoteric nucleus in a civilization that is specifically exoteric in character guarantees to it a normal development and a maximum of stability» — le atribuye al núcleo esotérico de una civilización exotérica la garantía de un desarrollo normal y un máximo de estabilidad

«Moreover. the most tangible criteria of such a decadence are. on the one hand the failure to recognize. even to the point of denial. metaphysical and initiatory exegesis. that is to say. the mystical sense of the Scriptures-an exegesis that has moreover a close connection with all aspects of the intellectuality of the religious form under consideration; and on the other hand the rejection of sacred art. that is to say. of the inspired and symbolic forms by means of which that intellectuality is radiated and so communicated in an immediate and unrestricted language to all intelligences.» — los dos criterios que da de esa decadencia: desconocer la exégesis metafísica e iniciática, el sentido místico de las Escrituras, y rechazar el arte sagrado

«The fact is that the presence of this transcendent dimension at the center of the religious form provides its exoteric side with a life-giving sap. universal and Paracletic in its essence» — lo que atribuye a la dimensión trascendente en el centro de la forma religiosa: dar al lado exotérico una savia vivificante que llama universal y paraclética

«The majority of non-Moslems.. and even many Moslems who have been brought up in a European cultural environment. are ignorant of this particular element of Islam which is both its marrow and its centre. which gives life and force to its outer forms and activities and which by reason of the universal nature of its content can call to witness the disciples of other religions» — en nota, Schuon cita a un príncipe musulmán indio sobre el elemento del islam que llama su médula y su centro, ignorado por la mayoría de los no musulmanes; nombra la fuente como el prefacio de Nawab A Hydari Hydar Nawaz Jung Bahadur a Studies in Tasawwuf de Khaja Khan

«Hence the increasingly marked predominance of "literature." in the derogatory sense of the word over genuine intellectuality on the one hand and true piety on the other. hence also the exaggerated importance accorded to more or less futile activities of every kind that always carefully avoid the "one thing necessary» — la otra nota de esa plana, donde adjudica al mismo declive el predominio de la literatura en sentido peyorativo sobre la intelectualidad genuina y la piedad verdadera

«Now. if one proceeds from the idea that exoterists do not understand esoterism and that they have in fact a right not to understand it or even to consider it nonexistent. one must also recognize their right to condemn certain manifestations of esoterism that seem to encroach on their own territory and cause "offence» — Schuon concede a los exoteristas el derecho a no entender el esoterismo y aun a tenerlo por inexistente, y a condenar lo que parezca invadir su terreno

«but how is one to explain the fact that in most. if not all. cases of this nature. the accusers divest themselves of this right by the iniquitous manner in which they proceed? It is certainly not their more or less natural incomprehension. nor the defense of their genuine right. but solely the perfidiousness of the means that they employ that constitutes what amounts to a .. sin against the Holy Ghost» — y plantea la objeción que le importa: no la incomprensión ni la defensa de un derecho, sino la perfidia de los medios, que llama pecado contra el Espíritu Santo

«Thus neither lack of understanding on the part of the religious authority concerned nor even a certain basis of truth in the accusations brought by it. can excuse the iniquity of the proceedings instituted against the Sufi Alf:lallaj. any more than the incomprehension of the Jews can excuse tlfe iniquity of their proceedings against Christ» — en nota, Schuon empareja el proceso contra el sufí al-Hallach con el de los judíos contra Cristo, y dice que ni la incomprensión ni un fondo de verdad en las acusaciones excusan la iniquidad del procedimiento Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *Alf* donde la fuente parte *Al-f*.

«No blame can be attached to a person for attacking a foreign religion in the name of his own belief. if it is done purely and simply through ignorance: when. however. this is not the case, the person will be guilty of blasphemy. since. by outraging the Divine Truth in an alien form. he is merely profiting by an opportunity to offend God without having to trouble his own conscience.» — la distinción que traza en esa misma nota entre atacar una religión ajena por pura ignorancia y hacerlo sabiendo, que llama blasfemia por ultrajar la Verdad Divina en forma ajena

«or again. to use the language of the other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam, we may find in the respective conceptions of the .. Chosen People," Yisrii'el, and .. submission," Al-Isliim. a dogmatic symbol of the idea of universal orthodoxy. the Saniitana Dharma of the Hindus.» — el triple emparejamiento que propone: el Pueblo Elegido del judaísmo y la sumisión del islam como símbolos dogmáticos de la ortodoxia universal, que nombra con el Sanatana Dharma de los hindúes. Las transliteraciones salen corrompidas por el escaneo y se citan tal cual

«this nucleus. however. is not in any sense a part. even an inner part. of the» — con el límite dicho en la misma frase: ese núcleo no es parte, ni siquiera interior, del exoterismo, sino que representa una dimensión casi independiente respecto de él, según sigue el renglón en la plana 45. El tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie que el troceo intercala aquí

«Once this dimension or nucleus ceases to exist. which can only happen in quite abnormal. though cosmologically necessary. circumstances. the religious edifice is shaken. or even suffers a partial collapse. and finally becomes reduced to its most external elements. namely. literalism and sentimentality.» — y lo que ocurre si esa dimensión desaparece: el edificio religioso se sacude, sufre un derrumbe parcial y queda reducido a sus elementos más externos, literalismo y sentimentalidad

«to fall back entirely upon itself and, thus left to its own resources, which are limited by definition. will end by becoming a sort of massive and opaque body the very density of which will inevitably produce fissures. as is shown by the modern history of Christianity.» — la continuación de esa idea en la plana siguiente: sin esa savia, el exoterismo se repliega sobre sus recursos limitados y se vuelve cuerpo macizo y opaco cuya densidad produce fisuras, como dice que muestra la historia moderna del cristianismo

«In other words. when exoterism is deprived of the complex and subtle interferences of its transcendent dimension. it finds itself ultimately overwhelmed by the exteriorized consequences of its own limitations. the latter having become, as it were. total.» — y la reformulación que añade: privado de las interferencias de su dimensión trascendente, el exoterismo queda desbordado por las consecuencias exteriorizadas de sus propios límites

«We remember once hearing it said that ··metaphysic is not necessary for salvation"; now this is basically false as a generalization. since a man who is a metaphysician by nature and is aware of it cannot find his salvation by the negation of the very thing that draws him toward God» — Schuon objeta la sentencia de que la metafísica no es necesaria para la salvación, con el argumento de que quien es metafísico por naturaleza no se salva negando lo que lo lleva hacia Dios

«moreover. any spiritual life must of necessity be based on a natural predisposition that determines its mode. and this is what is termed ··vocation"; no spiritual authority would advise a man to follow a way for which he was not made.» — y funda la objeción en la vocación: toda vida espiritual se apoya en una predisposición natural que determina su modo, y nadie aconsejaría una vía para la que no se está hecho

«This is the lesson of the parable of the talents. to mention but one example. and the same meaning is implicit in the following texts from St James: ··For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point. he is guilty of all." and ••therefore. to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not. to him is sin» — los apoyos escriturarios que aduce, la parábola de los talentos y dos textos de Santiago sobre quien guarda toda la ley y ofende en un punto y sobre quien sabe hacer el bien y no lo hace

«since we should love God with all that we are. we should also love Him with our intelligence. which is the best part of us.» — de que el amor a Dios sea con todo el ser saca que también con la inteligencia, que llama la mejor parte del hombre. El tramo arranca ya en la segunda emisión de la plana 47 por el corte de chunk

«No one will contest the fact that intelligence is not a feeling but something infinitely greater; it follows. therefore. that the word "'love" as used in the New Testament to indicate the relationship that exists between man and God. and especially between God and man. cannot be understood in a purely sentimental sense and must mean something more than mere desire.» — y de ahí que el amor del Nuevo Testamento entre Dios y el hombre no pueda entenderse en sentido puramente sentimental

«On the other hand. if love is the inclining of one being toward another. with a view to union. it is Knowledge that. by definition. will bring about the most perfect union between man and God. since it alone appeals to what is alrea'dy divine in man. namely the Intellect» — define el amor como inclinación de un ser hacia otro con vistas a la unión, y adjudica al Conocimiento la unión más perfecta por apelar a lo que ya es divino en el hombre

«To pretend that metaphysic. in itself and for all men. is a superfluous thing and in no case necessary for salvation. amounts not only to misjudging its nature. but also to denying the right to exist to those men who have been endowed by God with the quality of intelligence in a transcendent degree.» — y el precio que le pone a negar la necesidad de la metafísica: negar el derecho a existir a quienes han recibido la inteligencia en grado trascendente

«Salvation is merited by action. in the widest sense of the word. and this explains why certain people can be led into disparaging intelligence. since the latter may render action superfluous. while its wider possibilities show up the relativity of merit and of the perspective attached to it» — Schuon explica por qué algunos desprecian la inteligencia: la salvación se merece por la acción, y la inteligencia puede volverla superflua y relativizar el mérito

«Also the specifically religious point of view has a tendency to consider pure intellectuality. which it hardly ever distinguishes from mere rationality. as being more or less opposed to meritorious action and therefore dangerous for salvation; it is for this reason that there are people who are quite ready to attribute to intelligence a luciferian aspect and who speak without hesitation of "'intellectual pride:· as if this were not a contradiction in terms~ hence also the exaltation of .. childlike" or .. simple" faith. which indeed we are the first to respect when it is spontaneous and natural. but not when it is theoretical and affected.» — le atribuye al punto de vista específicamente religioso confundir intelectualidad pura con racionalidad y hablar de orgullo intelectual, que llama contradicción en los términos; respeta la fe sencilla cuando es espontánea y no cuando es afectada

«It is not uncommon to hear the following view expressed: since salvation implies a state of perfect beatitude and religion insists upon nothing more. why choose the way that has "deification .. for its goal» — se plantea la objeción de por qué elegir la vía que tiene la deificación por meta si la religión promete la beatitud

«To this objection we will reply that the esoteric way. by definition. cannot be the object of a choice by those who follow it. for it is not the man who chooses the way. it is the way that chooses the man. In other words. the question of a choice does not arise. since the finite cannot choose the Infinite» — y la responde negando que la vía esotérica pueda ser objeto de elección: no es el hombre quien elige la vía sino la vía la que elige al hombre, porque lo finito no puede elegir lo Infinito

«rather the question is one of vocation. and those who are .. called ... to use the Gospel expression. cannot ignore the call without committing a .. sin against the Holy Ghost." any more than a man can legitimately ignore the obligations of his religion.» — con lo que pone en su lugar, la vocación, y la falta que adjudica a quien desoye el llamado

«it is equally wrong to speak of a "'desire:· since it is less a desire for Divine Reality that characterizes the initiate than a logical and ontological tendency toward his own transcendent Essence. This definition is of extreme importance.» — descarta también la palabra deseo y define al iniciado por una tendencia lógica y ontológica hacia su propia Esencia trascendente, definición que él mismo llama de extrema importancia

«Theological knowledge cannot by itself shut out the temptations of doubt. even in the case of great mystics; as for the influences of Grace that may intervene in such cases. they are not consubstantial with the intelligence. so that their permanence does not depend on the being who benefits from them.» — y la razón que da: el conocimiento teológico no cierra por sí la puerta a la duda ni aun en los grandes místicos, y las gracias que intervienen no son consustanciales con la inteligencia

«Every exoteric doctrine is in fact characterized by a disproportion between its dogmatic demands and its dialectical guarantees: for its demands are absolute as deriving from the Divine Will and therefore also from Divine Knowledge. whereas its guarantees are relative. because they are independent of this Will and based. not on Divine Knowledge. but on a human point of view. that of reason and sentiment» — la desproporción que adjudica a toda doctrina exotérica: exigencias absolutas por venir de la Voluntad Divina y garantías relativas por descansar en la razón y el sentimiento

«For instance. Brahmins are invited to abandon completely a religion that has lasted for several thousands of years. one that has provided the spiritual support of innumerable generations and has produced flowers of wisdom and holiness down to our times.» — el caso con que lo ejemplifica: se invita a los brahmanes a abandonar una religión de varios miles de años que ha dado flores de sabiduría y santidad hasta hoy

«The disproportion, from the Hindu point of view, between the immense reality of the Brahmanic tradition and the insufficiency of the Christian counterarguments is such as to prove quite sufficiently that had God wished to submit the world to one religion only, the arguments put forward on behalf of this religion would not be so feeble, nor those of certain so-called .. infidels" so powerfut in other words, if God were on the side of one religious form only, the persuasive power of this form would be such that no man of good faith would be able to resist it» — el argumento que saca de esa desproporción: si Dios hubiera querido someter el mundo a una sola religión, sus argumentos no serían tan débiles ni los de los llamados infieles tan poderosos

«Moreover, the application of the term .. infidel" to civilizations that are, with one exception, very much older than Christianity and that have every spiritual and historic right to ignore the latter. provides a further demonstration. by the very illogicality of its naive pretensions, of the perverted nature of the Christian claims with regard to other orthodox traditional forms.» — y objeta el uso mismo de la palabra infiel para civilizaciones más antiguas que el cristianismo, con derecho espiritual e histórico a ignorarlo

«An absolute requirement to believe in one particular religion and not in another cannot in fact be justified save by eminently relative means, as. for example. by attempted philosophico-theological. historical. or sentimental proofs~ in reality. however. no proofs exist in support of such claims to the unique and exclusive truth. and any attempt so made can only concern the individual dispositions of men. which, being ultimately reducible to a question of credulity. are as relative as can be.» — niega que exista prueba alguna de la verdad única y exclusiva de una religión, y reduce los intentos a las disposiciones individuales y a la credulidad

«Every exoteric perspective claims~ by definition, to be the only true and legitimate one. This is because the exoteric point of view, being concerned only with an individual interest. namely. salvation, has no advantage to gain from knowledge of the truth of other religious forms.» — sostiene que toda perspectiva exotérica se declara por definición la única verdadera, porque al interesarle solo la salvación no gana nada con conocer la verdad de otras formas religiosas

«Being uninterested as to its own deepest truth. it is even less interested in the truth of other religions. or rather it denies this truth. since the idea of a plurality of religious forms might be prejudicial to the exclusive pursuit of individual salvation.» — y lleva el argumento un paso más: desinteresada de su propia verdad más honda, niega la de las otras porque la pluralidad de formas estorbaría la busca exclusiva de la salvación individual

«This clearly shows up the relativity of form as such. though the latter is nonetheless an absolute necessity for the salvation of the individual.» — con la doble afirmación que no armoniza: la forma queda mostrada como relativa y sigue siendo necesidad absoluta para la salvación del individuo

«Obviously such a question has no meaning unless it relates to truths, for one cannot prove errors» — el criterio con que responde a por qué las pruebas no vienen de la Voluntad Divina como las exigencias: no se prueban errores

«an idea that has only an extrinsic and negative significance and that. fundamentally. is merely the result of an induction-such. for example. as the idea of the exclusive truth and legitimacy of a particular religion or, which comes to the same thing. of the falsity and illegitimacy of all other possible religions-an idea such as this evidently cannot be the object of proof.» — y de ahí que la idea de la verdad exclusiva de una religión, obtenida por inducción, no pueda ser objeto de prueba ni divina ni humana

«So far as genuine dogmas are concerned-that is to say, dogmas that are not derived by induction but are of a strictly intrinsic characterif God has not given theoretical proofs of their truth it is, in the first place. because such proofs are inconceivable and nonexistent on the exoteric plane. and to demand them as unbelievers do would be a pure and simple contradiction» — distingue los dogmas genuinos, no derivados por inducción, y dice por qué no se dan pruebas teóricas de su verdad: en el plano exotérico son inconcebibles Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *characterif* donde la fuente parte *character-if*.

«secondly. as we shall see later. if such proofs do in fact exist. it is on quite a different plane. and the Divine Revelation most certainly implies them. without any omission.» — con el anuncio de lo que sostendrá después, que tales pruebas existen en otro plano y que la Revelación las implica sin omisión

«the Revelation in its essential aspect is sufficiently intelligible to enable it to serve as a vehicle for the action of Grace.» — y lo que queda en el plano exotérico: la Revelación, bastante inteligible en su aspecto esencial para servir de vehículo a la acción de la Gracia

«A typical example of conversion by spiritual influence or Grace. without any doctrinal argument is afforded by the well-known case of Sundar Singh: this Sikh. who was of noble birth and the possessor of a mystical temperament though lacking in real intellectual qualities. was the sworn enemy. not only of Christians. but of Christianity and Christ Himself» — en nota, Schuon aduce como ejemplo de conversión por influencia espiritual y sin argumento doctrinal el caso del sij Sundar Singh, a quien describe de temperamento místico y sin cualidades intelectuales reales

«Exoteric doctrine as such. considered. that is to say. apart from the .. spiritual influence" that is capable of acting on souls independently of it. by no means possesses absolute certitude.» — niega certeza absoluta a la doctrina exotérica considerada aparte de la influencia espiritual que obra sobre las almas

«The arguments that are produced to justify this extraordinary demand are in no wise logically conclusive. nor do they bear any proportion to the magnitude of the demand~ the reasons that the Brahmins have» — y el juicio que hace de los argumentos, ni lógicamente concluyentes ni proporcionados a la magnitud de la demanda; el renglón sigue en la plana 50 con las razones que atribuye a los brahmanes para seguir fieles a su patrimonio

«However. since this action of Grace only concerns those who do not in fact possess its equivalent under some other revealed form. the dogmas remain without persuasive power-we may say without proofs-for those who do possess this equivalent. Such people are therefore "unconvertible"-leaving aside certain cases of conversion due to the suggestive force of a collective psychism. in which case Grace intervenes only a posteriori.* for the spiritual influence can have no hold over them. just as one light cannot illuminate another.» — Schuon llama inconvertibles a quienes ya poseen el equivalente de esa Gracia bajo otra forma revelada, y lo dice con la imagen de una luz que no puede iluminar a otra

«This is in conformity with the Divine Will. which has distributed the one Truth under different forms or. to express it in another way. between different humanities. each one of which is symbolically the only one.» — adjudica a la Voluntad Divina la distribución de la una Verdad entre formas o humanidades distintas, cada una de las cuales llama simbólicamente la única

«It may be added that if the extrinsic relativity of exoterism is in conformity with the Divine Will. which affirms itself in this way according to the very nature of things. it goes without saying that this relativity cannot be done away with by any human will.» — y el corolario: si esa relatividad extrínseca del exoterismo está conforme con la Voluntad Divina, ninguna voluntad humana puede suprimirla

«Thus. having shown that no rigorous proof exists to support an exoteric claim to the exclusive possession of the truth. must we not now go further and admit that even the orthodoxy of a religious form cannot be proved? Such a conclusion would be highly artificial and. in any case. completely erroneous.» — se plantea si habría que negar también que se pueda probar la ortodoxia de una forma religiosa, y rechaza esa conclusión

«since there is implicit in every religious form an absolute proof of its truth and so of its orthodoxy; what cannot be proved. for want of absolute proof. is not» — con lo que sostiene en cambio: toda forma religiosa lleva implícita una prueba absoluta de su verdad; el renglón sigue en la plana 53 con lo que no se puede probar

«intrinsic truth, hence the traditional legitimacy, of a form of the universal Revelation. but solely the hypothetical fact that any particular form is the only true and legitimate one. and if this cannot be proved it is for the simple reason that it is untrue.» — la continuación en la plana siguiente: lo improbable no es la verdad intrínseca de una forma de la Revelación universal sino que una forma sea la única verdadera, y de ahí concluye que no es cierto

«There are. therefore, irrefutable proofs of the truth of a religion~ but these proofs. which are of a purely spiritual order. while being the only possible proofs in support of a revealed truth. entail at the same time a denial of the pretensions to exclusiveness of the form.» — el giro del argumento: hay pruebas irrefutables de la verdad de una religión, de orden puramente espiritual, y esas mismas pruebas niegan la pretensión de exclusividad de la forma

«In other words, he who sets out to prove the truth of one religion either has no proofs. since such proofs do not exist. or else he has the proofs that affirm all religious truth without exception. whatever the form in which it may have clothed itself.» — la disyuntiva con que lo formula: o no hay pruebas, o las que hay afirman toda verdad religiosa sin excepción

«The exoteric claim to the exclusive possession of a unique truth, or of Truth without epithet. is therefore an error purely and simply~ in reality, every expressed truth necessarily assumes a form. that of its expression. and it is metaphysically impossible that any form should possess a unique value to the exclusion of other forms» — llama error puro y simple a la pretensión exotérica de poseer en exclusiva la verdad, con el argumento de que toda verdad expresada asume una forma y ninguna forma puede tener valor único

«Form implies specification or distinction. and the specific is only conceivable as a modality of a "species," that is to say, of a category that includes a combination of analogous modalities.» — el fundamento que da: la forma implica especificación, y lo específico solo es concebible como modalidad de una especie que reúne modalidades análogas

«Again. that which is limited excludes by definition whatever is not comprised within its own limits and must compensate for this exclusion by a reaffirmation or repetition of itself outside its own boundaries. which amounts to saying that the existence of other limited things is rigorously implied in the very definition of the limited» — y el segundo argumento: lo limitado excluye lo que queda fuera de sus límites, de modo que la existencia de otras cosas limitadas está implicada en la definición misma de lo limitado

«To claim that a limitation. for example, a form considered as such, is unique and incomparable of its kind. and that it excludes the existence of other analogous modalities, is to attribute to it the unicity of Existence itself» — el precio de la pretensión contraria, atribuir a una forma la unicidad de la Existencia misma

«It can never be said too often that a form is always a modality of a category of formal. and therefore distinctive or multiple. manifestation, and is consequently but one modality among others that are equally possible. their supraformal cause alone being unique.» — repite que toda forma es una modalidad entre otras igualmente posibles y que solo su causa supraformal es única

«We will also repeat-for this is metaphysically of great importancethat a form, by the very fact that it is limited. necessarily leaves something outside itself. namely, that which its limits exclude; and this something. if it belongs to the same order. is necessarily analogous to the form under consideration, since the distinction between forms must needs be compensated by an in distinction or relative identity that prevents them from being absolutely distinct from each other, for that would entail the absurd idea of a plurality of unicities or Existences. each form representing a sort of divinity without any relationship to other forms.» — y añade la compensación que exige: la distinción entre formas ha de estar compensada por una relativa identidad, o se caería en la idea absurda de una pluralidad de unicidades Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *importancethat* donde la fuente parte *importance-that*.

«the exoteric claim to the exclusive possession of the truth comes up against the axiomatic objection that there is no such thing in existence as a unique fact. for the simple reason that it is strictly impossible that such a fact should exist. unicity alone being unique and no fact being unicity» — la objeción que llama axiomática: no existe hecho único, porque solo la unicidad es única y ningún hecho es la unicidad

«it is this that is ignored by the ideology of the .. believers." which is fundamentally nothing but an intentional and interested confusion between the formal and the universal.» — y lo que adjudica a la ideología de los creyentes: una confusión intencionada e interesada entre lo formal y lo universal

«The ideas that are affirmed in one religious form (as. for example. the idea ofthe Word orofthe Divine Unity) cannot fail to be affirmed. in one way or another. in all other religious forms» — de ahí deriva que las ideas afirmadas en una forma religiosa, como la del Verbo o la de la Unidad Divina, se afirmen de algún modo en todas las demás

«pure and absolute Truth can only be found beyond all its possible expressions~ these expressions, as such, cannot claim the attributes of this Truth~ their relative remoteness from it is expressed by their differentiation and multiplicity, by which they are strictly limited» — la fórmula con que resume el capítulo: la Verdad pura y absoluta solo se halla más allá de todas sus expresiones posibles, cuya lejanía se expresa en su diferenciación y multiplicidad

«That God should have permitted the decay and consequent decline of certain civilizations after having granted them several thousand years of spiritual prosperity is in no way in contradiction with the nature of Gocl» — el argumento cosmológico que abre a continuación: que Dios haya permitido la decadencia de ciertas civilizaciones tras milenios de prosperidad espiritual no contradice su naturaleza. El impreso corrompe la palabra God al final del renglón

«This nature. as theology is far from being unaware. can be '"terrible .. but not monstrous.» — el límite que pone en la misma línea: esa naturaleza puede ser terrible, no monstruosa

«The Redemption is an eternal act that cannot be situated in either time or space. and the sacrifice of Christ is a particular manifestation or realization of it on the human plane~ men were able to benefit from the Redemption as well before the coming of Jesus Christ as after it. and outside the visible Church as well as within it» — desliga la Redención del tiempo y el espacio y hace del sacrificio de Cristo una manifestación particular suya en el plano humano, con beneficio antes y fuera de la Iglesia visible

«If Christ had been the only manifestation of the Word. supposing such a uniqueness of manifestation to be possible. the effect of His birth would have been the instantaneous reduction of the universe to ashes.» — la fórmula extrema con que lo dice: si Cristo hubiera sido la única manifestación del Verbo, el efecto de su nacimiento habría sido la reducción instantánea del universo a cenizas

«Thus. if it be true that the Eucharist is a means of grace of primordial importance. this is because it emanates from a universal Reality from which it draws all its own reality~ but if this be so. the Eucharist. like all other corresponding means of Grace in other religious fe·rms. cannot be unique. since a universal Reality cannot have only one manifestation to the exclusion of any others. for in that case it would not be universal.» — aplica lo mismo a los medios de gracia: la Eucaristía emana de una Realidad universal y por eso no puede ser única, pues una Realidad universal no tiene una sola manifestación

«It is no use objecting that this rite concerns the whole of humanity. on the ground that it must be taken to .. all nations:· to use the Gospel expression~ for the world in its normal state. at least since the beginning of a particular cyclic period. is composed of several distinct humanities who are more or less ignorant of each other's existence» — y responde a la objeción de que el rito alcance a todas las naciones diciendo que el mundo en su estado normal se compone de varias humanidades distintas que se ignoran entre sí

«Though it is true that some of the great Prophets or Avatiiras. while being aware. in principle. of the universality of religion. have been impelled to deny certain religious forms in a purely outward sense. it is necessary to consider. firstly. the immediate reason for this attitude. and secondly. its symbolic meaning» — concede que algunos grandes Profetas o Avataras negaron ciertas formas religiosas en sentido exterior, y anuncia que va a considerar la razón inmediata y el sentido simbólico de esa actitud

«If Abraham. Moses. and Christ denied the "paganisms" with which they came into contact. the reason is that they were dealing with religions that had outlived their usefulness~ surviving as mere forms without any true spiritual life and sometimes even serving as supports for sinister influences. the reason for their existence had disappeared.» — la razón inmediata que da: las religiones que Abraham, Moisés y Cristo negaron habían sobrevivido a su utilidad y servían a veces de soporte a influencias siniestras

«On the other hand this negative attitude on the part of those who manifest the Divine Word is also symbolic. and it is that which gives to it its deepest and truest meaning~ for while it clearly could not concern such kernels of esoterism as may have survived in the midst of civilizations that were outworn and had been emptied of their meaning. this same attitude is. on the contrary. fully justified when applied to a state of fact. that is to say. to a degeneracy or "paganism" that had become widespread.» — el sentido simbólico que superpone: esa negación no alcanza a los núcleos de esoterismo sobrevivientes y sí a un estado de hecho, una degeneración generalizada

«as for Christianity. not only had it very soon become particularized in a similar way. under the influence of its Western environment and perhaps more especially of the Roman mind. but it had also given birth in Arabia and the adjacent countries to all manner of deviations that threatened to inundate the Near East. and even India. with a multitude of heresies that were far removed from primitive and orthodox Christianity.» — y el del cristianismo, particularizado por su entorno occidental y por lo que llama la mente romana, con desviaciones nacidas en Arabia y los países vecinos

«similarly the means of grace or of spiritual realization at the disposal of one priestly order cannot but possess their equivalent elsewhere; and indeed. the more important and indispensable any particular means of grace may be. the more certain is it that it will be found in all the orthodox forms in a mode appropriate to the environment» — y otro tanto de los medios de gracia, con la gradación que añade: cuanto más importante e indispensable es un medio, más cierto es que se halle en todas las formas ortodoxas en el modo que convenga al entorno

«On the other hand. to suppose that God. while desiring the well-being of humanity. should have seen fit to leave the vast majority of men-including the most giftedto stagnate for thousands of years. practically without hope. in the darkness of mortal ignorance. and that in wishing to save the human race He should have seen fit to choose a means so materially and psychologically ineffective as a new religion that long before it could be brought to the notice of all mankind. had not only acquired an increasingly particularized and local character. but was even. by force of circumstances. partially corrupted in its original environment» — lo que declara contrario a la naturaleza de Dios: dejar a la mayoría de los hombres, incluidos los más dotados, estancados durante milenios casi sin esperanza, y elegir para salvarlos un medio tan ineficaz como una religión nueva que se particulariza antes de alcanzar a todos Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *giftedto* donde la fuente parte *gifted-to*.

«to suppose that God could act in such a manner is highly presumptuous and flagrantly contradicts the nature of Gocl the essence of which is Goodness and Mercy.» — y el juicio con que cierra esa hipótesis, que llama presuntuosa y contraria a una naturaleza cuya esencia dice que son la Bondad y la Misericordia

«Again. that God should have allowed human blindness to create heresies within traditional civilizations is in conformity with the Divine Laws that govern the whole» — la primera mitad de la distinción que traza, con las herejías dentro de las civilizaciones tradicionales declaradas conformes a las Leyes Divinas; el renglón sigue en la plana 56

«but that God could have allowed a religion that was merely the invention of a man to conquer a part of humanity and to maintain itself for more than a thousand years in a quarter of the inhabited world thus betraying the love. fa"ith. and hope of a multitude of sincere and fervent souls-this again is contrary to the Laws of the Divine Mercy. or in other words. to those of Universal Possibility.» — y la segunda mitad en la plana siguiente: que una religión inventada por un hombre conquistara una cuarta parte del mundo habitado por más de mil años lo declara contrario a las Leyes de la Misericordia Divina, o de la Posibilidad Universal

«Certain passages from the New Testament indicate that for the Christian religion the .. world"' is identified with the Roman Empire. which represented the providential sphere of expansion and life for Christian civilization. Thus St. Luke wrote-or rather the Holy Ghost made St Luke writethat .. in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed .. ( tf.Tro-ypaf/J£f18a.& raf1a.v r.r,v olKOVJLEVT/V, ut describeretur universus orbis). to which Dante made allusion in his treatise on the monarchy when he spoke of the .. census of the human race» — en nota, Schuon identifica el mundo del Nuevo Testamento con el Imperio Romano y lo apoya en el censo de Lucas y en la alusión de Dante en su tratado sobre la monarquía; el griego y el latín salen corrompidos por el escaneo y se citan tal cual Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *writethat* donde la fuente parte *write-that*.

«Elsewhere in the same treatise we find the following: .. By these words. we may clearly understand that universal jurisdiction over the worl~ belonged to the Romans:· and also: .. 1 therefore affirm that the Roman people ... has acquired ... dominion over all mortals» — el resto de esa misma nota, con dos frases más del tratado de Dante sobre la jurisdicción universal de los romanos

«if Islam had in some measure to deny the monotheistic forms that preceded it.» — aplica el mismo esquema al islam, cuya negación de las formas monoteístas anteriores atribuye, ya en la plana 58, a los límites formales de esas religiones; el tramo se corta aquí porque el troceo intercala la nota al pie

«no longer capable of serving as a religious basis for the peoples of the Near East. since the Judaic form had become too particularized to be suitable for expansion» — el caso del judaísmo, que declara ya incapaz de servir de base religiosa a los pueblos del Cercano Oriente por haberse vuelto la forma judaica demasiado particularizada para expandirse; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo reemite la plana 58 al abrir chunk

«The Islamic Revelation. by virtue of the Divine authority inherent in every Revelation. clearly had the most indisputable right to reject the Christian dogmas. which. moreover. were all the more liable to give rise to deviations in that they were initiatory truths that had been popularized rather than genuinely adapted.» — Schuon reconoce a la Revelación islámica el derecho a rechazar los dogmas cristianos, y adjudica la propensión de esos dogmas a la desviación a que eran verdades iniciáticas popularizadas y no adaptadas

«the passages in the Koran concerning Christians. Jews. Sabaeans. and pagans have primarily a symbolic meaning that has no bearing on the orthodoxy of the religions. and their mention by name is simply a means of describing certain conditions affecting humanity in general.» — sostiene que los pasajes coránicos sobre cristianos, judíos, sabeos y paganos tienen sentido simbólico y no versan sobre la ortodoxia de esas religiones

«when it is stated in the Koran that Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian but hanlf ("orthodox" in relation to the Primordial Tradition). it is clear that the names ··Jew" and ··christian" can only be intended to denote certain general spiritual attit'tldes of which the formal limitations of Judaism and Christianity are but particular manifestations or examples.» — el ejemplo que da: el Abraham coránico ni judío ni cristiano sino hanif, que glosa entre paréntesis como ortodoxo respecto de la Tradición Primordial, con los dos gentilicios leídos como actitudes espirituales generales

«In speaking of the formal limitations of Judaism and Christianity we are not of course referring to Judaism and Christianity in themselves. their orthodoxy not being in dispute.» — con la salvedad expresa que añade en seguida: al hablar de los límites formales del judaísmo y del cristianismo no se refiere a ellos en sí mismos, cuya ortodoxia no está en disputa

«Divine Providence has permitted no mingling of the revealed forms since the time when humanity became divided into different .. humanities" and moved away from the Primordial Tradition, the only unique religion possible.» — atribuye a la Providencia Divina que no se mezclen las formas reveladas desde que la humanidad se dividió y se alejó de la Tradición Primordial, que llama la única religión única posible

«For example, the Moslem misinterpretation of the Christian dogma of the Trinity is providential. since the doctrine contained in this dogma is essentially and exclusively esoteric and is not capable ofbeing .. exotericized" in any way whatever» — llama providencial la lectura musulmana del dogma de la Trinidad, con la razón de que la doctrina contenida en él es esencial y exclusivamente esotérica y no admite exoterización

«Islam had therefore to limit the expansion of this dogma, but this in no way prejudices the existence, within Islam. of the universal truth that is expressed by the dogma in question.» — y el límite que pone a esa consecuencia: que el islam acotara la expansión del dogma no prejuzga que la verdad universal expresada en él exista dentro del islam

«it may be useful to point out here that the deification of Jesus and Mary, indirectly attributed to the Christians by the Koran, gives rise to a .. Trinity" that this Book nowhere identifies with the Trinity of Christian doctrine but that is nonetheless based on certain realities» — distingue la Trinidad que el Corán atribuye indirectamente a los cristianos de la del dogma cristiano, y dice que el Libro no las identifica en ninguna parte

«firstly, the idea of the .. Co-Redemptress," .. Mother of God." a nonexoteric doctrine that as such could find no place in the religious perspective of Islam; secondly, the Marianism that existed in practice and that from the Islamic point of view constituted a partial usurpation of the worship due to God; and lastly, the .. Mariolatry" of certain Oriental sects against which Islam was bound to react all the more violently in that it bore a close resemblance to Arab paganism.» — las tres realidades en que la funda: la Corredentora Madre de Dios como doctrina no exotérica, el marianismo practicado y la mariolatría de ciertas sectas orientales, a la que atribuye semejanza con el paganismo árabe

«From yet another viewpoint it may be said-and the very existence of the heretics in question proves it-that the Koranic ""Trinity" corresponds fundamentally to what the Christian dogmas would have become through an inevitable fault of adaptation had they come to be adopted by the Arabs, for whom they were not intended» — la lectura que propone además: la Trinidad coránica correspondería a lo que los dogmas cristianos habrían llegado a ser por falta de adaptación de haber sido adoptados por los árabes

«Christian theology understands by the Holy Ghost not only a purely principia! Reality. metacosmic "and Divine. but also the direct reflection of this Reality in the manifested cosmic, and created order» — expone la doctrina cristiana del Espíritu Santo como Realidad principial y a la vez reflejo directo de esa Realidad en el orden cósmico manifestado

«according to the theological definition, in fact. the Holy Ghost. apart from Its principia! or Divine signification, embraces also the summit or luminous center of the whole creation, that is to say. It embraces supraformal manifestation. which, to use Hindu terms, is the direct and central reflection of the creative Principle, Purusha, in the cosmic Substance, Prakriti.» — y traduce esa definición a términos hindúes, con la manifestación supraformal como reflejo del Principio creador, Purusha, en la Substancia cósmica, Prakriti

«This reflection, which is the Divine Intelligence manifested, or Buddhi-in Sufism Ar-Ru}J and AI-'Aql, and also the four Archangels who are analogous to the Devas and their Shaktis and represent so many aspects or functions of this Intelligence-is the Holy Ghost insofar as It illumines, inspires, and sanctifies man.» — empareja ese reflejo con Buddhi, con Ar-Ruh y al-Aql del sufismo y con los cuatro Arcángeles, que declara análogos a los Devas y sus Shaktis

«When theology identifies this reflection with God it is right in the sense that Buddhi or Ar-Ru}J-the Metatron of the Kabbalah-.. is" God in the essential or .. vertical" relationship. namely, in the sense that a reflection is .. essentially" identical with its cause.» — concede razón a la teología al identificar ese reflejo con Dios, en la relación esencial o vertical donde el reflejo es idénticamente su causa; nombra a Buddhi y Ar-Ruh el Metatrón de la Cábala

«When. on the other hand the same theology distinguishes the Archangels from God the Holy Ghost. and regards them solely as creatures. it is again right, since it then distinguishes the Holy Ghost reflected in creation from Its principia! and Divine prototype.» — y también se la concede al distinguir a los Arcángeles de Dios, porque entonces separa el Espíritu Santo reflejado en la creación de su prototipo principial

«It is. however. inGonsistent. and necessarily so. in failing to take into account the fact that the Archangels are aspects or functions of this central or supreme portion of the creation that is the Holy Ghost qua Paraclete.» — dónde la declara inconsistente, y necesariamente: al no contar con que los Arcángeles son aspectos o funciones de esa porción suprema de la creación. El impreso escribe inGonsistent

«The theological point of view. in fact. can never combine two different perspectives in a single dogma» — la razón estructural que da: el punto de vista teológico no puede combinar dos perspectivas distintas en un solo dogma

«for the latter, the Christian deification of the cosmic Intellect constitutes an '"association" (shirk) of something created-though it be the formless, angelic, paradisiacal. or Paracletic manifestation-with God.» — cómo lee el islam esa deificación del Intelecto cósmico, como asociación de algo creado con Dios, con el término shirk entre paréntesis

«This question of the Holy Ghost apart. Islam would in no way oppose the idea that Divine Unity comprises a ternary aspect; what it rejects is solely the idea that God is exclusively and absolutely a Trinity, since from an Islamic point of view, this amounts to ascribing relativity to God, or to attributing to Him a relative aspect in an absolute sense.» — el deslinde que hace: el islam no se opondría a que la Unidad Divina comprenda un aspecto ternario, y sí a que Dios sea exclusiva y absolutamente una Trinidad

«When we say that a religious form is made, if not for a particular race, at least for a human collectivity determined by certain particular conditions-conditions that may be of a highly complex nature, as in the case ofthe Islamic worldthe fact that Christians are to be found among practically all peoples or any other similar argument cannot be raised as a valid objection.» — responde a la objeción de que haya cristianos en casi todos los pueblos diciendo que una forma religiosa se hace para una colectividad determinada por ciertas condiciones Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *worldthe* donde la fuente parte *world-the*.

«In order to appreciate the necessity for a religious form. it is not relevant to know whether or not. within the collectivity for which this form was made, there exist some individuals or groups capable of adapting themselves to another form-this could not be disputed-but solely whether the whole collectivity could adapt itself to the form in question» — y precisa la pregunta pertinente: no si algunos individuos pueden adaptarse a otra forma, sino si la colectividad entera podría

«for instance, for the purpose of putting the legitimacy of Islam in doubt. it is not sufficient merely to point out that there are some Arab Christians, since the only question to consider is what kind of a Christianity would emerge if it came to be professed by the whole Arab collectivity.» — el ejemplo con que lo cierra, los cristianos árabes, donde la cuestión que plantea es qué cristianismo resultaría si lo profesara la colectividad árabe entera

«There should now be no difficulty in understanding that the Divinity manifests Its Personal aspect through each particular Revelation and its supreme Impersonality through the diversity of the forms of Its Word.» — la fórmula con que resume el capítulo: la Divinidad manifiesta su aspecto Personal por cada Revelación particular y su Impersonalidad suprema por la diversidad de las formas de su Verbo

«To this it may be answered that neither did He explain to the Jews how they should interpret those of His words that scandalized them.» — y responde que tampoco explicó a los judíos cómo interpretar las palabras suyas que los escandalizaban

«Moreover. an esoterism is addressed precisely to those '"that have ears to hear" and who for that reason have no need of the explanations and ··proofs" that may be desired by those for whom esoterism is not intended.» — con la razón que da: el esoterismo se dirige a los que tienen oídos para oír, que por eso no necesitan las pruebas que otros desean

«As for the teaching that Christ may have reserved for His disciples. or some of them. it did not have to be set forth explicitly in the Gospels, since it is contained therein in a synthetic and symbolic form, the only form admitted in sacred Scriptures.» — sostiene que la enseñanza reservada a los discípulos no tenía que constar explícita en los Evangelios por estar contenida en forma sintética y simbólica

«Furthermore. as a Divine Incarnation, Christ necessarily spoke from an absolute standpoint. by reason of a certain '"subjectivization" of the Absolute that takes place in the case of '"God-men." concerning which, however, we cannot speak at length here.» — y atribuye a Cristo hablar desde un punto de vista absoluto por una subjetivización del Absoluto que dice darse en los hombres-Dios

«He therefore had no occasion to take account of contingencies outside the sphere of His mission. nor did He have to specify the existence of traditional worlds that were '"whole"-to use the Gospel term-lying outside the '"sick" world with which His message was concerned» — de ahí saca que no tuviera ocasión de mencionar los mundos tradicionales sanos fuera del mundo enfermo al que iba su mensaje, con los dos términos tomados del Evangelio

«It was pointed out earlier that in its normal state humanity is composed of several distinct .. worlds." Certain people will doubtless object that Christ.» — Schuon recuerda que la humanidad en su estado normal se compone de varios mundos distintos y se plantea en seguida la objeción de que Cristo no sugiriera tal delimitación, que el renglón continúa en la plana 62

«The lives of certain beings. considered from the standpoint of i~dividual appearances. contain occurrences that correspond with events taking place in the cosmic order and outwardly may be said to represent an image or a reproduction of the latter. but from an inward standpoint this relationship must be reversed for. since these beings are really the Mahii-Purusha. the cosmic events are truly speaking modelled on their lives, or to be more exact. on the reality of which these lives are a direct expression. the cosmic events themselves being only a reflected expression of this reality.» — en nota, Schuon cita a René Guénon sobre la subjetivización, con la inversión que le atribuye: los sucesos cósmicos se modelan sobre la vida de esos seres y no al revés, por ser ellos el Maha-Purusha. Remite a Études Traditionnelles de marzo de 1939. El escaneo corrompe dos palabras y se citan tal cual

«In Sufism there is a saying that "None may meet Allah who has not first met the Prophet"; that is to say, none can attain God save by means of His Word. in whatever form the latter may be revealed» — en otra nota, Schuon aduce un dicho que atribuye al sufismo, que nadie llega a Dios sin encontrar antes al Profeta, y lo lee como que nadie alcanza a Dios sino por su Verbo

«It is important to emphasize that when Christ says. "I am the Way. the Truth. and the Life:· this is absolutely true of the Divine Word ("Christ"). and relatively true of its human manifestation ("Jesus"); an absolute truth cannot in fact be limited to a relative being. Jesus is God. but God is not Jesus; Christianity is Divine. but God is not Christian.» — y el deslinde que hace en esa misma nota: la frase de Cristo es absolutamente verdadera del Verbo Divino y relativamente de su manifestación humana, con la asimetría dicha en cuatro cláusulas

«He was not thereby trying to limit the universal manifestation of the Word but was on the contrary affirming His own essential identity with the Word the cosmic manifestation of which He Himself was living in subjective mode.» — sostiene que al nombrarse Cristo el Camino, la Verdad y la Vida no limitaba la manifestación universal del Verbo sino que afirmaba su identidad esencial con él

«it must be added that since the expansion of the West over the rest of the world exoteric incomprehension has ceased to be a matter of indifference. since it may compromise the Christian religion itself in the eyes of those who begin to perceive that not everything outside this religion is dark paganism.» — dice que desde la expansión de Occidente la incomprensión exotérica dejó de ser indiferente, porque puede comprometer a la religión cristiana ante quienes empiezan a percibir que no todo fuera de ella es paganismo

«However. the Gospels do in fact contain some allusions to the limits of the Christian mission and to the existence of religious worlds that are not identifiable with paganism: .. They that be whole need not a physician. but they that are sick .. ~ and again: .. For I am not come to call the righteous. but sinners to repentance» — las alusiones que sí halla en los Evangelios a los límites de la misión cristiana, con los sanos que no necesitan médico y con los justos a quienes no vino a llamar

«and finally this verse. which clearly explains the nature of paganism: .. Therefore take no thought. saying: What shall we eat? or. What shall we drink? or. Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles [pagans] seek» — y el versículo con que dice que se explica la naturaleza del paganismo, sobre el afán de qué comer, qué beber y con qué vestirse; el corchete es suyo

«This example of Oriental symbolism. or of symbolism without further qualification. should be sufficient to show the prejudice of those who decry the Islamic Paradise. Moreover. the "fire" of hell. which Christians admit no less than Moslems do, is logically just as "sensuous" as the "feast" or the» — en nota, Schuon objeta el prejuicio de quienes desdeñan el Paraíso islámico, con el argumento de que el fuego del infierno que admiten los cristianos es tan sensible como el banquete o las huríes

«In the language of Christ. the destruction of Jerusalem is symbolically identified with the Last Judgment. which is very characteristic of the God-man's synthetic and. so to speak. essential or absolute manner of viewing things.» — en otra nota, Schuon lee la destrucción de Jerusalén identificada simbólicamente con el Juicio Final y lo toma por característico del modo sintético del hombre-Dios

«The same remark applies with regard to his prophecies concerning the descent of the Holy Ghost: they embrace simultaneously-but n<Yt unintelligibly-all the modes ofParacletic manifestation. among others. thes:efore. the manifestation of the Prophet Mohammed. who was none other than the personification of the Paraclete or the cyclic manifestation of the latter» — y extiende esa lectura a las profecías sobre el descenso del Espíritu Santo, entre cuyos modos cuenta la manifestación del Profeta Mahoma, a quien llama personificación del Paráclito Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *efore* donde la fuente parte *e-fore*.

«moreover. the Koran. like the appearance of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. is called a "descent"» — el apoyo que añade en la misma nota: el Corán, como la aparición del Espíritu Santo en Pentecostés, se llama un descenso, con el término árabe entre paréntesis

«It may be added that if the second coming of Christ at the end of our cycle will have a universal significance for men. in the sense that it will concern the entire human race and not merely "a humanity" in the ordinary religious meaning of the word-the Paraclete itself. in its great apparition. had to manifest this universality by anticipation. at least in relation to the Christian world. and it is for that reason that the cyclic manifestation of the Paraclete. or its personification in Mohammed. had to appear outside Christianity in order to shatter a certain "particularist" limitation.» — y la razón que da para que la manifestación cíclica del Paráclito apareciera fuera del cristianismo: quebrar una limitación que llama particularista

«What makes it possible to speak of the sun, without specifying that it refers to one sun among others, is precisely the fact that for our world the sun we know is truly '"the sun," and it is solely in this capacity. and not insofar as it is one sun among others. that it reflects the Divine Unicity.» — y el rendimiento que le saca: el sol de nuestro mundo refleja la Unicidad Divina en cuanto es el sol para nosotros, no en cuanto es uno entre otros

«The sufficient reason for a Divine Incarnation is the quality of unicity that it derives from That which it incarnates, and not the quality of fact that it necessarily derives from manifestation.» — la razón suficiente que le adjudica a una Encarnación Divina: la unicidad que deriva de Aquello que encarna, no la cualidad de hecho que le viene de la manifestación

«Christ expressed this by saying that .. God only is good." Inasmuch as the term .. good" implies every possible positive meaning. and therefore every one of the Divine Qualities. the saying may also be taken to mean that .. God alone is unique." which takes us to the doctrinal affirmation oflslam: .. There is no divinity (or reality) if it is not the [one] Divinity [or Reality)» — en nota, Schuon empareja la frase de Cristo sobre que solo Dios es bueno con la afirmación doctrinal del islam sobre que no hay divinidad sino la Divinidad

«we will answer with Meister Eckhart that .. all truth is taught by the Holy Ghost; it is true that there is a literal meaning which the author had in mind. but since God is the Author of Holy Scripture. every true meaning is at the same time a literal meaning: for all that is true comes from the Truth itself. is contained in It. derives from It. and is willed by It» — y responde a quien objete esa lectura con una frase de Meister Eckhart sobre que todo sentido verdadero de la Escritura es a la vez sentido literal, por ser Dios su Autor

«It is for this reason that one may consider every religious readaptation. and therefore every Revelation. as fulfilling the function of an esoterism in relation to the preceding religious form; Christianity. for example. is esoteric relatively to the Judaic form. and Islam relatively to the Judaic and Christian forms, though this is, of course, only valid when regarded from the special point of view that we are here considering and would be quite false if understood literally.» — de ahí lee toda readaptación religiosa como esoterismo respecto de la forma precedente, con el cristianismo esotérico respecto del judaísmo y el islam respecto de los dos, y con la salvedad expresa de que entendido al pie de la letra sería falso

«Moreover. insofar as Islam is distinguished by its form from the other two monotheistic religions. that is to say. insofar as it is formally limited these religions also possess an esoteric aspect relatively to it. and the same reversibility of relationship applies as between Christianity and Judaism.» — y la reversibilidad que añade: en cuanto formalmente limitado, el islam tiene enfrente a las otras dos con su propio aspecto esotérico

«However. the relationship to which we referred first is a more direct one than the second since it was Islam that. in the name of the spirit. shattered the forms that preceded it. and Christianity that shattered the Judaic form, and not the other way around» — con la asimetría que conserva: la primera relación la declara más directa, porque fue el islam el que quebró las formas anteriores y el cristianismo el que quebró la judaica

«ing Christ's teaching with any omission. since He was speaking to His Church and not to the modern world which. as such. owes its whole existence to its rupture with this Church and therefore to its infidelity toward Christ.» — el límite que pone en seguida: no hay por qué reprochar omisión alguna a la enseñanza de Cristo, que hablaba a su Iglesia y no al mundo moderno. El tramo empieza a media palabra porque el troceo reemite la plana 63 al abrir chunk y parte la palabra reproaching

«In fact the ancient paganism. including that of the Arabs. was distinguished by its practicaJ materialism» — en nota, Schuon distingue el paganismo antiguo, incluido el árabe, por su materialismo práctico, y en el renglón siguiente niega que el mismo reproche quepa contra las religiones orientales vivas. El impreso escribe practicaJ

«Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit at the feast* with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven. But the children of the kingdom [Israet the Church] shall be cast out into outer darkness» — el primero de los dos pasajes que aduce en el mismo sentido, con los que vendrán de Oriente y Occidente a sentarse con Abraham, Isaac y Jacob mientras los hijos del reino son echados fuera; el corchete que glosa a los hijos del reino es suyo

«We have stated that Christ_ in His capacity as a Divine Incarnation and in conformity with the universal essence of His teaching always spoke from an absolute standpoint_ that is to say, He symbolically identified certain facts with the principles that they translate, without ever placing Himself at the point of view of those for whom the facts presented an interest in themselves.» — repite que Cristo hablaba siempre desde un punto de vista absoluto, identificando simbólicamente ciertos hechos con los principios que traducen, sin colocarse en el lugar de quienes se interesan por los hechos en sí

«sun seriously contend that the placing of the definite article before the word '"sun" was tantamount to denying the existence of other suns in space?» — la analogía del sol con que responde a quien lea la unicidad de Cristo como negación de otras manifestaciones; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo intercala aquí las notas al pie de la plana anterior

«In the final analysis the relationship between exoterism and esoterism is equivalent to the relationship between "'form" and "'spirit" that is discoverable in all expressions and symbols» — Schuon reduce la relación entre exoterismo y esoterismo a la de forma y espíritu, discernible en toda expresión y todo símbolo

«The Scriptures can be understood and ought to be expounded according to four senses. The first is called the literal. ... The fourth is called the anagogical that is to say. that which surpasses the senses (sovrasenso); this occurs when one expounds spiritually a Scripture which. though true in the literal sense. also signifies the higher things belonging to the eternal glory.» — en nota, Schuon cita a Dante sobre los cuatro sentidos de la Escritura y se detiene en el anagógico, el que sobrepasa los sentidos; el pasaje sigue con el ejemplo del pueblo de Israel saliendo de Egipto y remite a Il Convito

«spirit." that is to say. the supraformal content of the form. which. for its part. corresponds to the .. letter:· always displays a tendency to breach its formal limitations. thereby putting itself in apparent contradiction with them.» — describe la tendencia del espíritu, contenido supraformal de la forma, a romper sus límites formales y ponerse en contradicción aparente con ellos; el tramo empieza en la palabra siguiente a la comilla de apertura que el escaneo deja suelta

«we cannot do better than quote, by way of example, the following passage from the Treatise on Unity (Risdla~" al-A/;ladiyah) attributed to Muhyi 'd-Din ibn 'Arabi, which clearly illustrates the esoteric function of .. shattering the form in the name of the spirit» — Schuon introduce el pasaje que cita como ejemplo de la función esotérica de quebrar la forma en nombre del espíritu, y lo atribuye al Tratado de la Unidad de Muhyi d-Din ibn Arabi, con el título árabe entre paréntesis

«Most initiates say that the knowledge of Allah follows upon the extinction of existence [{ana' al-wujiidJ and the extinction of this extinction [{ana' al:fana1~ but this opinion is entirely false .... Knowledge does not demand the extinction of existence (of the ego] or the extinction of this extinction; for things have no existence, and that which does not exist cannot cease to exist» — la cita misma, donde el texto atribuido a Ibn Arabi niega que el conocimiento de Alá exija la extinción de la existencia y la extinción de esa extinción, con la razón de que lo que no existe no puede dejar de existir. Los corchetes con la transliteración son del libro

«and in an analogous manner all exoteric forms are transcended or shattered and therefore in a certain sense denied by esoterism, which is nevertheless the first to recognize the perfect legitimacy of every form of Revelation. being indeed alone competent to recognize this legitimacy.» — la fórmula con que cierra el capítulo: el esoterismo trasciende y en cierto sentido niega toda forma exotérica, y es a la vez el primero en reconocer la legitimidad de toda forma de Revelación

«and because of its universality shatters forms, though-it must needs clothe itself in a form while on the formal plane» — recoge el versículo del epígrafe para decir que la universalidad quiebra las formas y a la vez ha de vestirse de una forma mientras está en el plano formal

«If you would have the Kernel·· said Meister Eckhart, .. you must break the husk.» — y cierra con una frase de Meister Eckhart sobre romper la cáscara para tener el grano

«One of the first things that may cause difficulty is the fact that although esoterism is reserved. by definition and because of its very nature. for an intellectual elite necessarily restricted in numbers. one cannot help observing that initiatory organizations have at all times included in their ranks a relatively large number of members.» — Schuon plantea la dificultad con que abre el capítulo tercero: el esoterismo se reserva por definición a una élite restringida y las organizaciones iniciáticas han tenido siempre miembros numerosos

«This was the case. for instance. with the Pythagoreans. and it is even more noticeable in the case of the initiatory orders that despite their decadence. still exist today. such as the Moslem brotherhoods.» — los dos casos que da, los pitagóricos y, aun en decadencia, las cofradías musulmanas

«The explanation of this more or less ""popular" participation in what is most inward and hence most subtle in a religion is that esoterism. in order to exist in a given world must be integrated with a particular modality of that world and this will necessarily involve relatively numerous elements of society; this leads to a distinction. within the brotherhoods. between inner and outer circles. the members of the latter being scarcely aware of the real nature of the organization to which they belong in a certain degree. and which they regard simply as a form of the outward religion. which alone is accessible to them.» — la explicación que ofrece: para existir en un mundo dado el esoterismo debe integrarse a una modalidad de ese mundo, lo que produce dentro de las cofradías círculos internos y externos

«To return to the example of the Moslem brotherhoods. this is the explanation of the distinction made between those members who are merely characterized as mutabtlrik ("blessed" or .. initiated") and whose viewpoint hardly extends beyond the exoteric perspective. which they wish to live with intensity. and members of the elite who have attained the degree of stllik ( .. one who travels .. ) and follow the way marked out by the initiatory tradition» — el ejemplo con que lo desarrolla: los miembros que el impreso llama mutabarik frente a los que alcanzan el grado de salik, el que viaja; las transliteraciones salen corrompidas por el escaneo

«it is true that nowadays the number of genuine salikun is exceedingly small. whereas the mutabtlrikun are far too numerous from the standpoint of the normal equilibrium of the brotherhoods and by their manifold incomprehensions. contribute to the stifling of true spirituality.» — y el diagnóstico que añade sobre su tiempo, con los salikun escasísimos y los mutabarikun demasiado numerosos para el equilibrio de las cofradías

«However that may be. the mutabtlrikun. even when they are unable to understand the transcendent reality of the brotherhood that has received them. nonetheless derive. under normal conditions. a great benefit from the barakah ( .. benediction" or .. spiritual influence .. ) that surrounds and protects them according to the degree of their fervor. for it goes without saying that the radiation of grace within esoterism extends. by reason of the latter's very universality. through all the domains of the traditional civilization and is not halted by any formal limit. just as light. colorless in itself. is not halted by the color of a transparent body.» — el beneficio que sí les reconoce, la baraka que los rodea según su fervor, con la imagen de la luz incolora que no detiene el color de un cuerpo transparente

«All the same, this participation of the .. people," that is, of men representing the collective average, in the spirituality of the elite is not always to be explained solely by reasons of opportunity but also. and above all. by the law of polarity or compensation whereby .. extremes meet." and it is for this reason also that .. the voice of the people is the Voice of God» — añade una segunda explicación a esa participación del pueblo en la espiritualidad de la élite, la ley de polaridad o compensación por la que los extremos se tocan

«it may be said that the people. in their capacity as passive and unconscious transmitters of the symbols. represent. as it were. the periphery or the passive or feminine reflection of the elite, the latter possessing and transmitting the symbols in an active and conscious way.» — y el reparto que propone: el pueblo como transmisor pasivo e inconsciente de los símbolos y la élite como poseedor activo y consciente

«This also explains the curious and apparently paradoxical affinity existing between the people and the elite: for instance, Taoism is at the same time esoteric and popular. whereas Confucianism is exoteric and more or less aristocratic and ""literate"; or. to take another example. the Sufi brotherhoods have always possessed a popular aspect that is to some extent correlative to their esoteric aspect» — los dos ejemplos con que ilustra esa afinidad: el taoísmo esotérico y popular frente al confucianismo exotérico y letrado, y el aspecto popular de las cofradías sufíes

«The reason for this lies in the fact that the people. in addition to their peripheral aspect. possess also an aspect of totality, and the latter corresponds analogically to the center.» — la razón que da: el pueblo tiene, además de un aspecto periférico, un aspecto de totalidad que corresponde analógicamente al centro

«It can be said that the intellectual functions of the people are the crafts and folklore. the first representing method or realization and the second doctrine~ in this way the people reflect. passively and collectively, the essential function of the elite. namely. the transmission of the properly intellectual aspect of the religion, a clothing for which is provided by symbolism in all its forms.» — y las funciones intelectuales que adjudica al pueblo, los oficios como método y el folklore como doctrina

«we have heard it disputed somewhere that Sufism admits this idea. and it has been argued that Mul}.yi 'd-Din ibn "Arabi denied it when he wrote that Islam was the pivot of the other religions.» — recoge la objeción de que el sufismo no admita la universalidad de la religión, apoyada en que Ibn Arabi llamara al islam el eje de las demás

«what matters, where the recognition of other religious forms is concerned. is the fact-exoterically inconceivable-of such recognition. not its mode or degree.» — con lo que declara decisivo: el hecho mismo del reconocimiento, exotéricamente inconcebible, y no su modo ni su grado

«Moreover, this point of view finds its prototype in the Koran itself; in one place the Koran says that all the Prophets are equal. while elsewhere it declares that some are superior to others.» — el prototipo que halla en el Corán, que en un lugar iguala a todos los Profetas y en otro declara superiores a algunos

«This means, according to the commentary of Ibn ·Arabi that each Prophet is superior to the others by reason of a particularity that is peculiar to him.» — la lectura que atribuye al comentario de Ibn Arabi: cada Profeta es superior a los demás por una particularidad que le es propia

«Ibn ·Arabi belonged to the Islamic civilization and owed his spiritual realization to the Islamic barakah and the Masters of Sufism, in a word. to the Islamic form of religion; he must needs, therefore, have placed himself at this point of view, that is to say, at the standpoint of the relationship wherein the Islamic form is superior by comparison with other forms.» — y de ahí explica la posición de Ibn Arabi, que debía su realización a la baraka islámica y a los Maestros del sufismo y hablaba desde el respecto en que la forma islámica es superior

«If this relative superiority did not exist. those Hindus who became Moslems through the centuries could have had no positive reason for acting as they did» — el argumento con que apoya esa superioridad relativa: sin ella, los hindúes convertidos al islam a lo largo de los siglos no habrían tenido razón positiva para hacerlo

«The fact that Islam constitutes the last form of the Saniitana Dharma in this maha-yuga, to use Hindu terms. implies that this form possesses a certain contingent superiority over preceding forms; similarly, the fact that Hinduism is the most ancient of the living religious forms implies that it possesses a certain superiority or centrality with respect to later forms.» — el doble reparto que hace en términos hindúes: el islam como última forma del Sanatana Dharma en este maha-yuga y el hinduismo como la más antigua de las formas vivas, con la superioridad que atribuye a cada uno

«There is not. of course. any contradiction here. since the standpoint is different in the two cases.» — y niega contradicción entre las dos, con la razón de que el punto de vista es distinto en cada caso

«the fact that St Bernard preached the Crusades and that he was probably ignorant of the real nature of Islam is in no wise inconsistent with his esoteric knowledge.» — aplica lo mismo a san Bernardo, cuya predicación de las Cruzadas y probable ignorancia del islam declara compatibles con su conocimiento esotérico

«A man's spirituality cannot be held to depend on knowledge of a historical or geographical kind or on any other ""scientific" information of a similar order.» — con el principio que sostiene: la espiritualidad de un hombre no depende de un conocimiento histórico o geográfico

«It can therefore be said that the universalism of esoterists is virtual as to its possible applications and that it only becomes effective when circumstances permit or impose a determined application.» — de ahí saca que el universalismo de los esoteristas sea virtual en cuanto a sus aplicaciones y solo se vuelva efectivo cuando las circunstancias lo imponen

«An analogous remark may be made regarding the holy men known to Sufism by the name of Afriid ("solitary ones"; singular. Fard): these men who by definition have always been very few. are distinguished by the fact of possessing an effective initiation spontaneously. without having had to be initiated ritually.» — en nota, Schuon describe a los hombres santos que el sufismo llama Afrad, los solitarios, que dice poseer una iniciación efectiva espontánea sin haber sido iniciados ritualmente

«Such men. having obtained knowledge without studies or spiritual exercises of any sort. may well be ignorant of those things of which personally they have no need.Not having been initiated. they have no occasion to know what initiation means in the technical sense; thus ,-hey speak in the manner of men of the Golden Age-an epoch when initiation was not yet necessary-rather than in the manner of spiritual instructors of the Iron Age; moreover. since they have not followed a path of realization. they cannot assume the role of spiritual Master.» — y los límites que les reconoce: pueden ignorar lo que no necesitan, hablan al modo de los hombres de la Edad de Oro y no pueden asumir el papel de Maestro espiritual

«Similarly. if Shn Ramakrishna was unable to foresee the deviation of some of his disciples. it was because his ignorance of the modern Western mentality made it impossible for him to interpret certain visions otherwise than in a normally Hindu sense.» — en la misma nota, atribuye a la ignorancia de la mentalidad occidental moderna que Shri Ramakrishna no previera la desviación de algunos discípulos; el impreso corrompe la transliteración del nombre

«It must be added. however. that this deviation. which is of a doctrinal order and of modern Western inspiration. does not annul the influence of grace issuing from Shri Ramakrishna. but is merely superimposed upon it in the manner of a superfluous decoration. nonexistent spiritually» — con la salvedad que añade: esa desviación, de orden doctrinal y de inspiración occidental moderna, no anula la influencia de gracia que hace venir de Ramakrishna

«superior to the others in a particular respect. and it is this characteristic that in fact indicates the sufficient reason for the existence of that form.» — Schuon responde a esa objeción sosteniendo que toda forma religiosa es superior a las otras en un respecto particular, y que ahí está su razón suficiente de existir; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el renglón anterior queda en la plana 70

«The question is not whether St Bernard did or did not understand Islam but whether he would have understood it had he enjoyed direct and regular contacts» — precisa la pregunta pertinente: no si san Bernardo entendió el islam, sino si lo habría entendido con contacto directo y regular, como dice que ocurrió con la élite templaria

«Perhaps the most important among the conceptions that are inaccessible to exoterism is. in certain respects at least. that of the gradation of universal Reality: Reality affirms itself by degrees. but without ceasing to be .. one:· the inferior degrees of this affirmation being absorbed. by metaphysical integration or synthesis. into the superior degrees.» — Schuon nombra la primera de las concepciones que declara inaccesibles al exoterismo: la gradación de la Realidad universal, que se afirma por grados sin dejar de ser una

«This is the doctrine of the cosmic illusion: the world is not only more or less imperfect or ephemeral. but cannot even be said to .. be" at all in relation to absolute Reality. since the reality of the world would limit God's Reality and He alone» — la doctrina de la ilusión cósmica tal como la enuncia: el mundo no puede decirse que sea en relación con la Realidad absoluta, porque su realidad limitaría la de Dios

«Furthermore, Being Itself. which is none other than the Personal God. is in its turn surpassed by the Impersonal or Supra-Personal Divinity. Non-Being. of which the Personal God or Being is simply the first determination from which flow all the secondary determinations that make up cosmic Existence.» — la gradación que añade encima: el Ser, que identifica con el Dios Personal, superado por la Divinidad Impersonal o Supra-Personal, el No-Ser

«Exoterism cannot. however. admit either this unreality of the world or the exclusive reality of the Divine Principle. or above all. the transcendence of Non-Being relative to Being or God.» — y lo que dice que el exoterismo no puede admitir: ni la irrealidad del mundo, ni la realidad exclusiva del Principio Divino, ni la trascendencia del No-Ser respecto del Ser

«clearly this truth cannot be integrated in the exoteric perspective any more than the idea of metaphysical realization. by which man becomes conscious of that which has never really ceased to be, namely, his essential identity with the Divine Principle that alone is real.» — y la tercera, la realización metafísica, por la que dice que el hombre toma consciencia de su identidad esencial con el Principio Divino

«Exoterism. on the other hand is obliged to maintain the distinction between Lord and servant.» — con lo que al exoterismo le queda obligado, mantener la distinción entre Señor y siervo

«It is common knowledge that certain passages from Eckhart's works that went beyond the theological point of view. and were therefore outside the competence of the religious authority as such. were condemned by this authority.» — en nota, Schuon consigna la condena de ciertos pasajes de Eckhart por la autoridad religiosa, y dice que iban más allá del punto de vista teológico y quedaban por tanto fuera de su competencia

«If this verdict was nevertheless justifiable on grounds of expediency. it was certainly not so in its form. and by a curious repercussion John XXII. who had issued the Bull. was in his turn obliged to retract an opinion that he had preached. and saw his authority shaken.» — y lo que añade sobre la forma de ese veredicto, con Juan XXII obligado a su vez a retractarse de una opinión predicada

«Eckhart only retracted in a purely principia! manner. through simple obedience and before even knowing the papal decision: consequently his disciples were not disturbed by his retraction any more than they were by the Bull itself.» — la retractación de Eckhart tal como la describe, puramente principial, por simple obediencia y antes aun de conocer la decisión papal

«We may add that one of them. Blessed Henry Suso. had a vision after Eckhart's death of the "Blessed Master. deified in God in a superabundant magnificence.» — y la visión que atribuye al beato Enrique Suso tras la muerte de Eckhart

«Paradise is the prison of the initiate as the world is the prison of the believer» — en otra nota, Schuon cita al sufí que el impreso llama Yahya Muadh ar-Razi sobre el Paraíso como prisión del iniciado y el mundo como prisión del creyente

«However. such a formulation is exceptional: esoterism is in general implicit and not explicit. finding its normal expression through the meQ.ium of the Scriptural symbols» — con el límite que pone en seguida: la formulación es excepcional, porque el esoterismo suele ser implícito y hallar su expresión normal en los símbolos escriturarios

«thus. to take Sufism as an example. the word "Paradise" adopted from the Koranic terminology is employed to denote states. such as the "Paradise of the Essence" (Jannat adh-Dhiit). that are situated beyond every cosmic reality and. for still stronger reasons. beyond every individual determination.» — el ejemplo que da con el sufismo, donde la palabra Paraíso tomada del vocabulario coránico designa estados situados más allá de toda realidad cósmica, como el que llama Paraíso de la Esencia

«It must therefore never be forgotten that the "Kingdom of Heaven" of the Gospels and the "Paradise" (Jannah) of the Koran. do not represent only conditioned states. but also. and simultaneously. aspects of the Unconditioned State of which they are only the most direct cosmic reflections.» — y lo que pide no olvidar: el Reino de los Cielos evangélico y el Paraíso coránico no representan solo estados condicionados sino también aspectos del Estado Incondicionado

«Those who seek neither fortune. nor honors. nor benefits. nor inward devotion. nor saintliness. nor recompense. nor the Kingdom of Heaven. but have renounced all. even that which is their own. it is in these men that God is glorified.» — en la misma nota, Schuon empareja aquello con uno de los pasajes condenados de Eckhart sobre los que han renunciado a todo, aun a lo suyo propio

«This sentence. like that of Ar-Razfs. expresses the metaphysical negation of the individuality in the realization of the Supreme Identity.» — y lee las dos frases como negación metafísica de la individualidad en la realización de la Identidad Suprema

«In reality, pantheism consists in the admission of a continuity between the Infinite and the finite~ but this continuity can only be conceived if it is first admitted that there is a substantial identity between the ontological Principlewhich is in question in all forms of theism-and the manifested order. a conception that presupposes a substantial. and therefore false. idea of Being, or the confusing of the essential identity of manifestation and Being with a substantial identity.» — la definición de panteísmo que propone: admitir continuidad entre lo Infinito y lo finito, lo que supone confundir la identidad esencial de la manifestación y el Ser con una identidad substancial Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *Principlewhich* donde la fuente parte *Principle-which*.

«Pantheism is this and nothing else~ it seems. however. that some minds are incurably obstinate when faced with so simple a truth. unless it be that they are impelled by some passion or interest not to let go of such a convenient polemical instrument as the term .. pantheism," the use of which allows them to cast a general suspicion over certain doctrines that are considered embarrassing. without involving them in the trouble of examining the doctrines in themselves.» — y el uso polémico que le atribuye al término, cómodo para echar sospecha sobre doctrinas incómodas sin examinarlas

«Pantheism is the great resource of all those who want to brush aside esoterism with the minimum of inconvenience and who. for example. imagine that they can understand a given metaphysical or initiatory text because they know the grammar of the language in which it is written. What can one say of all those treatises that attempt to make the religious doctrines a subject of profane study. as if there were no knowledge that was not accessible to anybody and everybody and as if it were sufficient to have been to school to be able to understand the most venerable wisdom better than the sages understood it themselves?» — en nota, Schuon objeta a quienes creen entender un texto metafísico o iniciático por saber la gramática de su lengua, y a los tratados que hacen de la doctrina religiosa materia de estudio profano

«For it is assumed by "specialists" and "critics" that there is nothing that is beyond their powers: such an attitude resembles that of chHdren who. having found books intended for adults, judge them according to their ignorance. caprice. or laziness.» — y la comparación con que cierra esa nota, la de los niños que juzgan libros de adultos

«If God is conceived as primordial Unity. that is. as pure Essence. nothing could be substantially identical with Him~ to qualify essential identity as pantheistic is both to deny the relativity of things and to attribute an autonomous reality to them in relation to Being or Existence. as if there could be two realities essentially distinct. or two Unities or Unicities.» — y el que da desde la Unidad primordial: nada puede ser substancialmente idéntico a Dios, y llamar panteísta a la identidad esencial es atribuir a las cosas realidad autónoma

«The fatal consequence of such reasoning is pure and simple materialism. for once manifestation is no longer conceived as being essentially identical with its Principle. the logical admission of this Principle becomes solely a question of credulity. and if this sentimental reason collapses there is no longer any reason for admitting the existence of anything beyond manifestation. and more particularly. beyond sensory manifestation.» — la consecuencia que traza de ese razonamiento: si la manifestación deja de concebirse como esencialmente idéntica a su Principio, admitirlo queda en cuestión de credulidad

«Strictly speaking. this ""Impersonality'" is more properly a "'Non-Personality.'" that is to say. it is neither personal nor impersonal but suprapersonal.» — la precisión terminológica que hace sobre la Impersonalidad Divina, que llama más propiamente No-Personalidad, ni personal ni impersonal sino suprapersonal

«In any case. the term ·~mpersonality'" should not be understood in a privative sense. for. on the contrary. it refers here to an absolute Plenitude and Illimitability that is determined by nothing. not even by Itself. It is Personality that represents a sort of privation. or rather privative determination relative to Impersonality. and not the reverse.» — y el sentido que le da, no privativo sino de Plenitud absoluta, invirtiendo la relación: es la Personalidad la que representa una determinación privativa Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *mpersonality* donde la fuente parte *m-personality*.

«Needless to say. the term "'Personality:· as it is used here. must be taken to refer only to the Personal God or""Divine Ego:· if one may use such an expression. and not to the ""Self.'" which is the transcendent principle of the individual ego and which may be called the Personality relative to the individuality without any limitation being thereby implied.» — con la salvedad que añade sobre el término Personalidad, referido solo al Dios Personal y no al Sí Mismo, principio trascendente del ego individual

«This distinction between the Divine Person. who manifests a particular Will in a given .. world" symbolically unique. and the Divine .. impersonal" Reality. which. on the contrary. manifests the essential and universal Divine Will through the forms of the particular or personal Divine Will-and sometimes in apparent contradiction with the latter-this distinction. we repeat. is absolutely fundamental in esoterism. not only because it is an important feature of metaphysical doctrine. but also. secondarily. because it explains the antinomy that may appear to exist between the exoteric and esoteric spheres.» — declara absolutamente fundamental en el esoterismo la distinción entre la Persona Divina y la Realidad impersonal, porque explica además la antinomia aparente entre las dos esferas

«For example. in the case of the Prophet Solomon. we must distinguish between his esoteric knowledge. which may be referred to what we have called for lack of a better term. the ""Divine Impersonality." and his exoteric orthodoxy. that is to say. his conformity to the Will of the ""Divine Person"~ it was not by virtue of opposition to this Will but by reason of the aforementioned knowledge that the great builder of the Temple of Yahweh recognized the Divinity in other revealed forms.» — el caso de Salomón con que lo ilustra: su conocimiento esotérico y su ortodoxia exotérica, y el reconocimiento de la Divinidad en otras formas reveladas que atribuye al primero

«moreover, Solomon's memory has continued to be venerated not only in Judaism. particularly in the Kabbalah, but also in Islam, Sharaite as well as Sufic~ as for Christianity, one need only recall the commentaries that have been inspired by the Song of Songs. for example. those of St Gregory of Nyssa. Theodoret. and St Bernard.» — el rastro de veneración que sigue en tres tradiciones: el judaísmo y en particular la Cábala, el islam sharaíta y sufí, y los comentarios cristianos al Cantar de los Cantares de Gregorio de Nisa, Teodoreto y san Bernardo

«Thus, the Koran affirms that .. Solomon was not impious" ( or .. hereticai": mli kafara Sulaymlin !Surat al-Baqarah. 102))and exalts him in these words: .. How excellent a servant was Solomon! Verily. he was always lin spiritJ turned towards Allah» — en nota, Schuon aduce los versículos coránicos que declaran que Salomón no fue impío y lo exaltan como siervo excelente, con las transliteraciones y los corchetes tal como los imprime el libro

«Nevertheless. the Koran alludes to an ordeal imposed on Solomon by God then to a prayer of repentance uttered by the Prophet-King. and lastly to the Divine hearing of this prayer (ibid. 34-36). The commentary on this enigmatic passage accords symbolically with the narrative in the Book of Kings. since it records that one of Solomon's wives. without his knowledge and in his own palace, adored an idol; Solomon lost his seal and with it. his kingdom for several days. then found the seal again and recovered his kingdom; he then prayed to God to pardon him and obtained from Him a greater and more marvelous power than he had had before.» — y el pasaje enigmático que contrapone, con la prueba, la oración de arrepentimiento y el comentario que lo concuerda con el relato del Libro de los Reyes sobre el sello perdido y recobrado

«It remains to be said that if the antinomy between the two principal dimensions of religion arises in the Bible itself. notwithstanding that it is a Sacred Book. this is because the mode of expression of this Book. like the Judaic form itself. gives preponderance to the exoteric point of view-one might also say social. or even political. though not. of course,» — atribuye a la forma judaica y al modo de expresión de la Biblia la preponderancia del punto de vista exotérico, que llama también social y aun político; el renglón sigue en la segunda emisión de la plana 78

«In Christianity. on the other hand the relationship is reversed while in Islam, which is a synthesis of the Judaic and Christian .. geniuses," the two religious dimensions appear side by side in equilibrium» — y el reparto que completa: invertida la relación en el cristianismo, y las dos dimensiones en equilibrio en el islam, que llama síntesis de los genios judaico y cristiano

«such truths are of too high an order. and therefore too subtle and too complex from the point of view of simple rational» — la razón que da, con su acotación: son verdades demasiado altas y complejas para el entendimiento racional simple, no accesibles a la mayoría ni formulables dogmáticamente, según sigue el renglón tras la reemisión de la plana 73

«Another idea that exoterism does not admit is that of the immanence in all beings of the» — la segunda idea que declara inadmisible para el exoterismo, la inmanencia del Intelecto en todos los seres; el troceo corta aquí el renglón y lo reanuda en la plana 74

«Intellect. which Meister Eckhart defined as .. uncreate and uncreatable» — la continuación de esa idea en la plana siguiente, apoyada otra vez en la definición del Intelecto de Meister Eckhart; el impreso rinde las comillas como puntos

«irregular" attitude brought political schism to his kingdom~ this is the only sanction recorded by the Scriptures. and it would be a quite disproportionate punishment if the Prophet-King had really practiced polytheism, which. in fact. he never did.» — la objeción que hace a la lectura corriente de Salomón: el cisma político fue la única sanción registrada por las Escrituras, y sería desproporcionada si el Profeta-Rey hubiera practicado politeísmo

«conception of the universal Substance (materia prima). and the ontological Principle were therefore in no way involved. the reproach of pantheism would still be unjustified. inasmuch as the materia prima always remains transcendent and virginal in relation to its productions.» — el argumento que añade: aun si la idea de Dios fuera solo la de la Substancia universal, la materia prima permanece trascendente y virginal respecto de sus producciones. El tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo intercala antes las dos notas al pie de la plana anterior

«And when thy days be fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers. I will set up thy seed after thee. which [Solomon) shall proceed out of thy bowels. and I will establish his Kingdom. He shall build an house for my name. and I will establish the throne of his Kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity. I will chasten him with the rod of men. and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee.» — el pasaje bíblico que aduce, las palabras de Yahveh a Natán sobre la descendencia de David, con el corchete que identifica a Salomón puesto por el libro

«The sacred book of Islam expresses the impeccability of the Prophets as follows: "They do not take precedence over Him(AlHihJ in their speech (they do not speak first! and they act according to His commandments'' (Surat al-Anbiya. 27): this amounts to saying that the Prophets do not speak without inspiration or act without the Divine commandment» — en nota, Schuon aduce el versículo coránico con que el islam expresa la impecabilidad de los Profetas, con los corchetes explicativos del libro dentro de la cita

«This impeccability is compatible with the "imperfect actions" (dhunub) of the Prophets only by virtue of the metaphysical truth of the two Divine Realities. one "personal" and the other "impersonal." the respective manifestations of which may contradict each other on the level of facts. at least in the case of the great saints. though never in the case of ordinary mortals.» — y cómo hace compatible esa impecabilidad con lo que el impreso llama las acciones imperfectas de los Profetas, por las dos Realidades Divinas cuyas manifestaciones pueden contradecirse en el plano de los hechos

«The word dhanb. though it also means "sin" and particularly "unintentional sin." primarily and originally means "imperfection in action" or "imperfection resulting from an action": that is why the word dhanb is used when it refers to the Prophets and not the word ithm. which signifies exclusively "sin" with emphasis on its intentional character.» — la distinción léxica en que se apoya, entre dhanb como imperfección en la acción y ithm como pecado intencional

«If one were to insist on seeing a contradiction between the impeccability of the Prophets and the extrinsic imperfection of some of their actions one would also have to admit an incompatibility between the perfection of Christ and his words regarding his human nature: "Why call you me good? God only is good.» — el argumento con que responde a quien vea contradicción: habría que admitir también incompatibilidad entre la perfección de Cristo y sus palabras sobre su naturaleza humana

«These words also answer the question as to why David and Solomon did not foresee conflict with a particular degree of the universal Law: the answer being that the individual nature always retains certain "blind spots" the presence of which enters into its very definition.» — y la respuesta que saca de ahí a por qué David y Salomón no previeron el conflicto con un grado de la Ley universal: los puntos ciegos que dice propios de toda naturaleza individual

«An analogous example is that of David. whom the Koran also recognizes as a Prophet and whom Christians recognize as one of the greatest saints of the Old Covenant.» — el segundo caso que examina, David, reconocido Profeta por el Corán y santo mayor de la Antigua Alianza por los cristianos

«What needs to be understood is that the "transgression" that the Bible. in conformity with its "'legal" point of view. attributes to the saintly King appears as such only because of the essentially moral. and therefore exoteric. perspective that predominates in this Sacred Book (which explains the attitude of St. Paul and of Christianity in general toward Judaism. the Christian point of view being eminently .. inward") whereas the impeccability of the Prophets. as affirmed for example by the Koran. corresponds. on the contrary. to a deeper reality than can be attained by the moral point of view.» — la lectura que propone: la transgresión que la Biblia atribuye al rey santo aparece tal por la perspectiva moral y exotérica que predomina en ese Libro, frente a la impecabilidad de los Profetas que afirma el Corán

«Esoterically. David's desire to marry Bathsheba could not be a transgression. since the quality of Prophet can only attach to men who are free from passions. whatever may be the appearances in certain cases.» — y la razón que da: la cualidad de Profeta solo se da en hombres libres de pasiones, cualesquiera que sean las apariencias

«What must be discerned above all in the relationship between David and Bathsheba is an affinity or cosmic and providential complementarism. of which the fruit and justification was Solomon» — lo que dice que hay que discernir en esa relación, una afinidad o complementarismo cósmico y providencial cuyo fruto fue Salomón

«The coming of this second Prophet-King was a Divine confirmation of. and a benediction on. the union between David and Bathsheba. and God does not authorize or recompense transgression.» — el argumento que añade: la venida del segundo Profeta-Rey fue confirmación divina de esa unión, y Dios no autoriza ni recompensa una transgresión

«Let us now consider the story insofar as it concerns Uriah the Hittite~ here no less, David's manner of acting should not be judged according to the moral point of view, since, quite apart from the fact that a heroic death with face turned toward the enemy is very far from prejudicial to the last ends of a warrior, and that when it occurs, as here, in a Holy War, such a death possesses an immediate sacrificial character, the motive behind this manner of acting could only be a Prophetic intuition.» — el episodio de Urías el hitita, que se niega a juzgar por el punto de vista moral, con la muerte heroica de cara al enemigo en Guerra Santa leída como sacrificio

«However. the choice of Bathsheba and the sending of Uriah to his death, although cosmologically and providentially justified nonetheless clashed with the exoteric Law, and David while benefiting by Solomon's birth, from the intrinsic legitimacy of his action, had to bear the consequences of this clash» — y el límite que no borra: la elección de Betsabé y el envío de Urías chocaron con la Ley exotérica y David tuvo que cargar con las consecuencias de ese choque

«but the very fact that an echo of the clash appears in the Psalms, which is a Sacred Book because Divinely inspired-its existence proving moreover, that David was a Prophet-shows once again that David's actions. though having a negative aspect on an outward plane. nevertheless do not constitute» — lo que saca del eco de ese choque en los Salmos, Libro Sagrado por inspirado, cuya existencia le sirve además de prueba de que David era Profeta

«One might even say that God inspired these actions with a view to the Revelation of the Psalms. of which the purpose was to record in Divine and immortal song not only the sufferings and glory of the soul in search of God but also the sufferings and glory of the Messiah.» — la lectura extrema que propone: que Dios inspirara esas acciones con vistas a la Revelación de los Salmos, donde ve los sufrimientos y la gloria del alma y del Mesías

«David's manner of acting was clearly not in all respects contrary to the Divine Will. since God not only ··pardoned" David (to use the somewhat anthropomorphic biblical term). but even allowed him to keep Bathsheba. the cause and object of the» — el apoyo que da: Dios no solo perdonó a David, con el término bíblico que llama algo antropomórfico, sino que le permitió conservar a Betsabé

«Furthermore. not only did God not take Bathsheba away from David but He even confirmed their union by the gift of Solomon; and if it is true. for David as well as for Solomon, that the outward or purely extrinsic irregularity of certain actions provoked a corresponding reaction, it is important to recognize that this reaction was strictly limited to the terrestrial domain.» — y el reparto que fija: la reacción a la irregularidad exterior quedó estrictamente limitada al dominio terrestre

«This digression was necessary in order to bring out more clearly the profoundly different natures of the exoteric and esoteric domains and to show that whenever there is incompatibility between them it can only spring from the first and never from the second which is superior to forms and therefore beyond all oppositions.» — el rendimiento que le saca a la digresión: la incompatibilidad entre los dos dominios solo puede venir del exotérico, nunca del esotérico

«There is a Sufic formula that illustrates as clearly and concisely as possible the different viewpoints of the two great ways: "The exoteric way: I and Thou. The esoteric way: I am Thou and Thou art I. Esoteric knowledge: neither I nor Thou. Him.» — la fórmula sufí que cita para contrastar las dos vías y el conocimiento esotérico

«Exoterism may be said to be founded on the ··creature-Creator" dualism to which it attributes an absolute reality. as though the Divine Reality. which is metaphysically unique. did not absorb or annul the relative reality of the creature and hence any and every relative and apparently extra-Divine reality.» — funda el exoterismo en el dualismo criatura-Creador al que atribuye realidad absoluta, como si la Realidad Divina no absorbiera la realidad relativa de la criatura

«While it is true that esoterism also admits the distinction between the individual ego and the universal or Divine Self. it does so only in a provisional and ··methodic" manner and not in an absolute sense; taking its point of departure at the level of this duality. which obviously corresponds to a relative reality. it ultimately passes beyond it metaphysically. which would be impossible from the exoteric point of view» — concede que el esoterismo admite también la distinción entre el ego individual y el Sí Mismo universal, y acota que solo de modo provisional y metódico

«This brings us to what is really the definition of the exoteric perspective. namely. an irreducible dualism and the exclusive pursuit of individual salvation-this dualism implying that God is considered solely under the aspect of His relationship with the created and not in His total and infinite Reality. in His Impersonality which annihilates all apparent reality other than Him.» — la definición del punto de vista exotérico a que llega: dualismo irreducible y busca exclusiva de la salvación individual

«Metaphysically. human reality is reducible to the Divine Reality and in itself is only illusory; theologically. Divine Reality is in appearance reduced to human reality. in the sense that It does not surpass the latter in existential but only in causal quality.» — el contraste que traza entre la reducción metafísica de la realidad humana a la Divina y la reducción teológica en sentido inverso

«it has often been said that they deny evil purely and simply. but such an interpretation is too rudimentary and expresses the perspective of the doctrines in question in a very imperfect manner.» — objeta la lectura de que las doctrinas esotéricas nieguen el mal pura y simplemente, que llama demasiado rudimentaria

«The difference between the religious and metaphysical conceptions of evil does not mean. moreover. that the one is false and the other true. but simply that the former is incomplete and individual whereas the latter is integral and universal» — y cómo sitúa la diferencia: no entre falso y verdadero sino entre una concepción incompleta e individual y otra integral y universal

«it only considers Solomon (Sayyidna Sulaymlin) in his esoteric aspect and in the capacity of Prophet» — Schuon consigna que el Corán solo considera a Salomón en su aspecto esotérico y como Profeta, con el nombre árabe entre paréntesis tal como lo corrompe el escaneo

«To whomsoever narrates the story of David as the story tellers narrate it [that is. with an exoteric or profane interpretation!. I will give one hundred and sixty lashes. and this will be the punishment of those who bear false witness against the Prophets.» — en nota, Schuon cita al califa Alí, a quien llama el representante por excelencia del esoterismo islámico, contra quien narre la historia de David al modo de los cuentistas; el corchete que glosa esa manera es del libro

«Solomon was the gift of Allah to David in conformity with the Divine Words: and we gave Solomon to David as a gift [Koran. Siirat ~ad. 30]. Now one receives a gift through favor and not as a reward of merit» — la cita de Ibn Arabi que aduce, donde Salomón es don de Alá a David y no recompensa de mérito, con el versículo coránico dentro y el corchete del libro; el tramo se corta aquí porque el troceo intercala a continuación la nota al pie

«Solomon is the overflowing grace, the clear proof and the mighty blow." (Fu~u~ al-lfikam, Kalimah Sulaym» — el cierre de esa cita en la plana siguiente, con los tres nombres que da a Salomón y la remisión al capítulo salomónico de los Fusus al-Hikam; las transliteraciones salen corrompidas por el escaneo

«These two aspects. the one outward or negative and the other inward or positive, of the history» — los dos aspectos, exterior y negativo el uno e interior y positivo el otro, que dice reencontrar en la muerte del primogénito y en la vida y gloria del segundo hijo, según sigue el renglón en la plana 82

«It is not the actual fact of this dogmatic dualism that is blameworthy. since it corresponds exactly to the individual viewpoint at which religion places itself. but solely the» — lo que declara reprochable, no el dualismo dogmático en sí, que dice corresponder exactamente al punto de vista individual de la religión, sino las inducciones que atribuyen realidad absoluta a lo relativo, según sigue en la plana 83

«what the exoteric perspective represents as evil or the Devil only corresponds therefore to a partial view and is in no way the equivalent of the» — niega que el mal o el Diablo de la perspectiva exotérica equivalga a la tendencia cósmica negativa de las doctrinas metafísicas; el troceo corta aquí el renglón al reemitir la plana 83

«negative cosmic tendency that is envisaged by the metaphysical doctrines. and which Hindu doctrine designates by the term tamas; but if lamas is not the Devil. and more correctly corresponds to the Demiurge. insofar as it represents the cosmic tendency that ""solidifies" manifestation. drawing it downward and away from its Principle and Origin. it is nonetheless true that the Devil is a form of tamas» — la continuación en la segunda emisión de esa plana, donde nombra esa tendencia con el término hindú tamas, lo corresponde más bien al Demiurgo y admite a la vez que el Diablo sea una forma suya

«the latter being considered in this case solely in its relations with the human soul Man being a conscious individual the cosmic tendency in question. when it comes in contact with him, necessarily takes on an individual and conscious aspect. a ··personal" aspect. according to the current expression.» — explica por qué esa tendencia toma aspecto personal al tocar al hombre: por ser él individuo consciente

«Outside the human world this same tendency may assume entirely impersonal and neutral aspects. as. for example. when it is manifested as physical weight or material density. or in the guise of a hideous beast or of a common and heavy metal such as lead» — los aspectos impersonales que le atribuye fuera del mundo humano, el peso físico, la densidad material, la bestia horrible o un metal común y pesado como el plomo

«If. therefore. esoterism seems to deny evil it is not because it ignores or refuses to recognize the nature of things as they are in reality~ on the contrary. it completely penetrates their nature. and that is the reason why it is impossible for it to abstract from the cosmic reality one or other of its aspects or to consider one such aspect solely from the point of view of individual human interest» — el límite que pone a la apariencia de negación: el esoterismo no ignora la naturaleza de las cosas sino que la penetra, y por eso no puede abstraer uno de sus aspectos

«It is self-evident that the cosmic tendency of which the Devil is the quasihuman personification is not evil since it is this same tendency. for example. that condenses material bodies. and ifit were to disappear-an absurd supposition-all bodies or physical and psychic compositions would instantaneously volatilize.» — el argumento con que lo cierra: esa misma tendencia condensa los cuerpos materiales, y sin ella toda composición física y psíquica se volatilizaría Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *quasihuman* donde la fuente parte *quasi-human*.

«Even the most sacred object therefore has need of this tendency in order to be enabled to exist materially. and no one would be so rash as to assert that the physical law that condenses the material mass of. say. the Sacred Host is a diabolical force or in any sense an evil.» — lo lleva hasta el objeto sagrado, con la ley física que condensa la masa de la Sagrada Forma tomada por ejemplo

«It is precisely because of this neutral character (independent of the distinction between good and evil) of the demiurgic tendency that the esoteric doctrines. which reduce everything to its essential reality. seem to deny what in human parlance bears the name of» — y la razón que da a la apariencia de negación del mal: el carácter neutro de la tendencia demiúrgica, independiente de la distinción entre bien y mal

«It may nevertheless be asked what consequences sttch a nonmoral-we do not say .. immoral"-conception of evil implies for the esoterist the reply to this is that in the consciousness of the esoterist. and consequently in his life ... sin" is replaced by .. dissipation" that is. by everything that is opposed to spiritual concentration or. in other words. to unity.» — el reemplazo que propone en la consciencia del esoterista: el pecado se sustituye por la disipación, todo lo que se opone a la concentración espiritual

«Needless to say. the difference here is primarily one of principle and of method and this difference does not affect all individuals in the same way~ however. what morally is .. sin" is nearly always .. dissipation" from the initiatory point of view.» — con la acotación que añade: la diferencia es de principio y de método, no afecta igual a todos, y lo que moralmente es pecado casi siempre es disipación desde el punto de vista iniciático

«for the initiate (thefaqlr). on the other hand. this transgression will have a universal bearing in the sense that every purely individual affirmation will be tainted with this aspect of false divinity. and if. from the religious point of view. the greatest merit lies in the sincere profession of Divine Unity. thefaqir will realize this profession in a spiritual manner. giving to it a meaning that embraces all the orders of the universe. and this will be achieved precisely by the concentration of his whole being on the one Divine Reality.» — y el alcance universal que esa transgresión toma para el iniciado, que el impreso llama faqir, con toda afirmación puramente individual teñida de falsa divinidad

«To make clearer this analogy between sin and dissipation we may take as an example the reading of a good book. From the exoteric point of view this will never be considered as a reprehensible act, but it may be considered incidentally so in esoterism in cases where it amounts to a dissipation. or when the dissipation entailed by the act outweighs its usefulness.» — el ejemplo con que aclara la analogía entre pecado y disipación, la lectura de un buen libro que el esoterismo puede reprobar cuando la disipación pesa más que la utilidad

«Inversely. a thing that would nearly always be considered by religious morality as a ••temptation." and hence as a first step on the path to sin. may sometimes play the opposite part in esoterism. inasmuch as. far from being a dissipation. ""sinful" or otherwise. it may be a factor of concentration by virtue of the immediate intelligibility of its symbolism.» — y el caso inverso: lo que la moral religiosa llamaría tentación puede obrar como factor de concentración por la inteligibilidad inmediata de su simbolismo

«There are even cases. in Tantrism. for example. and in certain cults of antiquity. where acts that in themselves would count as sins. not only according to a particular religious morality but also according to the legislation of the civilization in which they occur. serve as a support for intellection» — el caso extremo que consigna, en el tantrismo y en ciertos cultos de la antigüedad, donde actos que contarían como pecados sirven de soporte a la intelección

«a fact that presupposes a strong predominance of the contemplative element over the passionate~ however. a religious morality is never made for the benefit of contemplatives only but for that of all men.» — con las dos acotaciones que le pone: presupone predominio del elemento contemplativo sobre el pasional, y una moral religiosa nunca se hace solo para contemplativos

«which amounts to saying that whereas a sensible object can be known by the eye, God can be known only by .. being"~ to know God it is necessary to resemble Him, that is, to conform the microcosm to the Divine Metacosm-and consequently to the macrocosm also-as is expressly taught by the Hesychast doctrine.» — la fórmula que saca de ahí, que a Dios se lo conoce siendo y que hay que asemejársele conformando el microcosmo al Metacosmo Divino, y que remite a la doctrina hesicasta

«it is necessary strongly to underline the fact that the amorality of the spiritual position is rather a supermorality than a nonmorality.» — la precisión que subraya: la amoralidad de la posición espiritual es más bien una supramoralidad que una no-moralidad Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *nonmorality* donde la fuente parte *non-morality*.

«Morality, in the widest sense of the term, is in its own order a reflection of true spirituality and must be integrated together with partial truths-or partial errors-in the total bein~ in other words, just as the most holy man is never entirely liberated from action on this earth, since he has a body, so he is never entirely liberated from the distinction between good and evil, since this distinction necessarily insinuates itself into every action.» — y el límite con que la mantiene: como el hombre más santo nunca queda liberado de la acción por tener cuerpo, tampoco queda liberado de la distinción entre bien y mal

«the two great religious dimensions-exoterism and esoterism-can be, if not defined at least described to some extent by associating with the former the terms .. morality," .. action." ··merit." ··grace," and with the latter the terms ··symbolism." ··concentration," ··knowledge," ··identity» — los dos juegos de términos con que describe las dos dimensiones, moralidad, acción, mérito y gracia por un lado y simbolismo, concentración, conocimiento e identidad por el otro

«thus the passional man will approach God through action supported by a moral code, while the contemplative, on the other hand will become united with his Divine Essence through concentration supported by... a symbolism, without. of course, this excluding the former attitude within the limits that are proper to it» — el reparto que hace entre el hombre pasional, que se acerca a Dios por la acción apoyada en un código moral, y el contemplativo, que se une a su Esencia por la concentración apoyada en un simbolismo

«Morality is a principle of action. therefore of merit. whereas symbolism is a support of contemplation and a means of intellection» — la distinción funcional que traza entre la moral como principio de acción y mérito y el simbolismo como soporte de contemplación

«in other words, the supreme goal is the reintegration of man in the Divinity, of the contingent in the Absolute, of the finite in the Infinite.» — la meta suprema tal como la formula, reintegración del hombre en la Divinidad, de lo contingente en el Absoluto y de lo finito en lo Infinito

«Morality as such obviously has no meaning outside the relatively very restricted domain of action and merit. and therefore in no way extends to such realities as symbolism, contemplation, intellection, and identity through knowledge.» — acota el alcance de la moral al dominio de la acción y el mérito, fuera de realidades como el simbolismo, la contemplación, la intelección y la identidad

«As for moralism, which must not be confused with morality, this is merely the tendency to substitute the moral point of view for all other points of view» — distingue el moralismo de la moral y lo define como la tendencia a sustituir todo punto de vista por el moral

«it has the result. in Christianity at least. of fostering a kind of prejudice or suspicion with regard to anything of an agreeable nature, as well as the erroneous notion that all pleasant things are only that and nothing more.» — el efecto que le atribuye en el cristianismo, un prejuicio ante lo agradable y la noción de que lo placentero no es sino eso

«It is forgotten that for the true contemplative the positive quality and hence the symbolic and spiritual value of such things will greatly outweight any disadvantage that may arise from a temporary indulgence of human nature, for every positive quality is essentiallythough not existentially-identified with a Divine quality or perfection that is its eternal and infinite prototype.» — y lo que dice que se olvida: para el contemplativo verdadero, toda cualidad positiva se identifica esencialmente con una cualidad divina que es su prototipo Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *essentiallythough* donde la fuente parte *essentially-though*.

«If in the foregoing remarks there is some appearance of contradiction, this is due to the fact that we have considered morality first of all as it is in itself. that is to say, as a matter of social or psychological expediency, and secondly as a symbolic element. therefore in the quality of a support for intellection~ in the latter case, the opposition between morality and symbolism (or intellectuality) is obviously meaningless.» — la aclaración con que cierra el tramo: ha considerado la moral primero en sí misma y luego como elemento simbólico, y en el segundo caso la oposición con el simbolismo carece de sentido

«occupies itself only with man and considers cosmology solely in relation to him. so that there is no reason to reproach religion for considering tamas under a personified aspect. that is to say. under the aspect that actually touches the world of men.» — de ahí que no reproche a la religión considerar tamas bajo un aspecto personificado, que es el que toca al mundo de los hombres; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el renglón anterior queda en la plana 83

«This concentration-or tendency toward unity (tawbfd)-becomes. in Islamic exoterism. faith in the Unity» — empareja esa concentración con el tawhid, que en el exoterismo islámico es la fe en la Unidad de Dios; el impreso corrompe la transliteración y el renglón sigue en la plana 85

«It must be stated once again that in the majority of cases. moral laws. when transposed outside their ordinary sphere. become symbols and consequently vehicles of knowledge» — lo que dice que ocurre con las leyes morales transpuestas fuera de su esfera ordinaria, vueltas símbolos y vehículos de conocimiento

«the answer to the second question is that the Creation (or Manifestation) is necessarily implied in the infinity of the Principle. in the sense that it is so to speak an aspect or consequence of this infinity.» — la respuesta que da a por qué existe el mundo: la Creación está implicada en la infinitud del Principio, como aspecto o consecuencia suya

«This amounts to saying that if the world did not exist the Infinite would not be the Infinite; to be what It is. the Infinite must apparently and symbolically deny Itself. and this denial is achieved in universal Manifestation.» — la fórmula extrema con que lo dice: si el mundo no existiera, lo Infinito no sería lo Infinito, y para ser lo que es ha de negarse aparente y simbólicamente

«The world cannot but exist. since it is a possible and therefore necessary aspect of the absolute necessity of Being; imperfection. no less. cannot but exist. since it is an aspect of the very existence of the world.» — y el paso al mal: el mundo no puede no existir por ser aspecto posible de la necesidad absoluta del Ser, y tampoco la imperfección, por ser aspecto de la existencia del mundo

«God is All-Goodness. and the world is His image; but since the image cannot. by definition. be That which it represents. the world must be limited relatively to the Divine Goodness. hence the imperfection in existence.» — el argumento de la imagen: siendo el mundo imagen de Dios y no pudiendo la imagen ser Aquello que representa, ha de estar limitado respecto de la Bondad Divina

«Imperfections may therefore be likened to fissures in the image of the Divine All-Perfection. and their origin is clearly to be sought not in this Perfection itself but in the necessarily relative or secondary character of the image.» — la comparación que propone, imperfecciones como fisuras en la imagen de la Toda-Perfección Divina, con su origen puesto en el carácter secundario de la imagen

«This triad ""Infinite-Manifestation-imperfection" provides the formula that explains everything that the human mind may find problematical in the vicissitudes of existence» — la tríada con que dice que se explica cuanto la mente humana halla problemático en las vicisitudes de la existencia

«Another example of the helplessness of the human mind when left to its own resources is the problem of predestination.» — y el segundo ejemplo que anuncia de la impotencia de la mente humana librada a sus recursos, el problema de la predestinación

«every virtue is the mark of a confOrmity with a Divine attitude and therefore» — lo que hace de cada virtud, marca de conformidad con una actitud divina; el impreso escribe confOrmity con mayúscula intrusa y el renglón sigue en la plana 86

«those who with the eye of the Intellect are capable of viewing the metaphysical causes of all» — el contraste con que cierra: quien ve las causas metafísicas con el ojo del Intelecto nunca queda detenido por contradicciones insolubles, como dice que ocurre a quien se limita a la perspectiva exotérica; el troceo corta aquí al reemitir la plana 88

«if God is omniscient He knows future events. or rather events that appear thus to beings limited by time; if God did not know these events He would not be omniscient; from the moment that He knows them they appear as predestined relative to the individual.» — el razonamiento con que lo sostiene: si Dios es omnisciente conoce los sucesos futuros, y desde que los conoce aparecen predestinados respecto del individuo

«The individual will is free insofar as it is real; if it were not in any degree or in any way free it would be deprived of all reality; and in fact. compared with absolute Liberty. it has no reality. or more precisely. it is totally nonexistent.» — la libertad de la voluntad individual medida por su realidad, nula frente a la Libertad absoluta

«From the individual standpoint. however. which is the standpoint of human beings. the will is real in the measure in which they participate in the Divine Liberty. from which individual liberty derives all its reality by virtue of the causal relationship between the two» — y el punto de vista humano donde sí es real, en la medida en que participa de la Libertad Divina

«whence it follows that liberty. like all positive qualities. is Divine in itself and human insofar as it is not perfectly itself. in the same way that a reflection of the sun is identical with the sun. not as reflection but as light. light being one and indivisible in its essence.» — la fórmula que saca: la libertad es divina en sí misma y humana en cuanto no es perfectamente ella misma, con la imagen del reflejo del sol idéntico al sol como luz

«The metaphysical link between predestination and liberty might be illustrated by comparing the latter to a liquid that settles into all the convolutions of a mold the latter representing predestination: in that case the movement of the liquid is equivalent to the free exercise of our will.» — la comparación con que ilustra el vínculo, un líquido que se acomoda a las convoluciones de un molde

«If we cannot will anything other than what is predestined for us. this does not prevent our will being what it is. namely. a relatively real participation in its universal prototype; it is precisely by means of this participation that we feel and live our will as being free.» — y el límite que conserva: aunque no podamos querer otra cosa que lo predestinado, la voluntad sigue siendo participación relativamente real de su prototipo universal

«The life of a man. and by extension the whole individual cycle of which that life and the human state itself are only modalities. is in fact contained in the Divine Intellect as a complete whole. that is to say. as a determined possibility that. being what it is. is not in any of its aspects other than itself. since a possibility is nothing else than an expression of the absolute necessity of Being» — sitúa la vida entera de un hombre en el Intelecto Divino como posibilidad determinada, y define la posibilidad como expresión de la necesidad absoluta del Ser

«To say that an individual cycle is included as a definitive formula in the Divine Intellect comes to the same thing as saying that a possibility is included ·in the Total Possibility. and it is this truth that furnishes the most decisive answer to the question of predestination.» — y lo que llama la respuesta más decisiva a la predestinación: que un ciclo individual esté incluido en el Intelecto Divino equivale a que una posibilidad esté incluida en la Posibilidad Total

«The individual will appears in this light as a process that realizes in successive mode the necessary interconnection of the modalities of its initial possibility. which is thus symbolically described or recapitulated.» — a esa luz describe la voluntad individual como proceso que realiza en modo sucesivo la interconexión de las modalidades de su posibilidad inicial

«It can also be said that since the possibility of a being is necessarily a possibility of manifestation. the cyclic process of that being is the sum of the aspects of his manifestation and therefore of his possibility. and that the being. through the exercise of his will merely manifests in deferred mode his simultaneous cosmic manifestation~ in other words. the individual retraces in an analytic way his synthetic and primordial possibility.» — y la reformulación que añade: el ser manifiesta en modo diferido su manifestación cósmica simultánea, retrazando analíticamente su posibilidad primordial

«In order to grasp the universality of esoterism. which is the same thing as the universality of metaphysic. it is important above all to understand that the means or organ of metaphysical knowledge is itself of a universal order and not. like reason. of an individual order~ consequently this means or organ. which is the Intellect. must be found in all orders of nature and not only in man. as is the case with discursive thought» — el paso que declara indispensable para entender la universalidad del esoterismo: que el órgano del conocimiento metafísico, el Intelecto, es de orden universal y ha de hallarse en todos los órdenes de la naturaleza

«to the extent to which a state is peripheral. the Intellect becomes identified with its content. in the sense that a plant is even less able than an animal to know its own wishes or progress in knowledge, but is passively tied to and even identified with such knowledge as is imposed on it by its nature and that essentially determines its form.» — la tesis que sostiene sobre los estados periféricos: ahí el Intelecto se identifica con su contenido, y la planta queda atada al conocimiento que su naturaleza le impone

«the human state, like every other cosmologically analogous state, is central in relation to all peripheral states, whether terrestrial or not. and therefore not only in relation to the animal. vegetable, and mineral states but also to the angelic states, whence the adoration of Adam by the angels mentioned in the Koran» — la centralidad que atribuye al estado humano respecto de todos los periféricos, incluidos los angélicos, y que apoya en la adoración de Adán por los ángeles que nombra en el Corán

«the form of a peripheral being. whether it be ani mat vegetable, or mineral. reveals all that that being knows, and is. as it were. itself identified with this knowledge; it can be said therefore, that the form of such a being gives a true indication of its contemplative state or dream.» — de ahí lee la forma de un ser periférico como indicación verdadera de su estado contemplativo o sueño; el impreso parte la palabra animal

«Humanly speaking it would be absurd to say that gold is more intelligent than copper or that lead has little intelligence. but metaphysically there is nothing ridiculous in such an assertion: gold represents a solar state of knowledge. and it is this. moreover, which permits of its association with spiritual influences and its being thus invested with an eminently sacred character.» — el ejemplo con que lo lleva al mineral: absurdo humanamente decir que el oro es más inteligente que el cobre, y no metafísicamente, con el oro como estado solar de conocimiento

«Needless to say, the object of knowledge or of intelligence is always and by definition the Divine Principle and cannot be anything else. since It is metaphysically the only Reality; but this object or content can vary in form in conformity with the indefinite diversity of the modes and degrees of Intelligence reflected in creatures.» — con la acotación que añade: el objeto del conocimiento es siempre el Principio Divino, y lo que varía es la forma según los modos y grados de Inteligencia

«it must be pointed out that the manifested or created world has a double root. Existence and Intelligence. to which heat and light correspond analogically in igneous bodies; all beings and all things reveal these two aspects of relative reality.» — la doble raíz que atribuye al mundo manifestado, Existencia e Inteligencia, con el calor y la luz de los cuerpos ígneos por analogía

«But the relationship is reversed if we turn from the cosmic and horizontal continuity of the elements of the manifested world and consider their vertical connection with their transcendent Principle: that which unites the being. and more particularly the realized being. to the Divine Principle, is the Intellect~ that which separates the world-or any microcosm-from the Principle. is Existence.» — la inversión que señala al pasar de la continuidad horizontal a la conexión vertical: el Intelecto une al ser con el Principio y la Existencia lo separa

«In the case of man, intelligence is inward and existence outward~ and since the latter does not in itself admit of differentiation. men form one single species, whereas differences of caste and spirituality are most marked.» — el reparto que hace en el hombre, con la inteligencia dentro y la existencia fuera, y de ahí la unidad de la especie junto a las diferencias de casta y espiritualidad

«In the case of a being belonging to a peripheral domain. on the other hand. it is existence that is inward. since its lack of differentiation does riot appear in the foreground. while intelligence or the mode of intellection is outward. differentiation appearing in the forms themselves. whence the endless diversity of species in all these domains.» — y el reparto inverso en los seres periféricos, con la existencia dentro y la inteligencia fuera, de donde hace venir la diversidad de especies

«One might also say that man is normally. by primordial definition. pure knowledge and the mineral pure existence: the diamond. which stands at the summit of the mineral realm. integrates intelligence as such in its existence or manifestation. therefore passively and unconsciously, whence its hardness. transparency. and luminosity~ the spiritually great man. who stands at the summit of the human species. integrates the whole of existence in his knowledge. therefore in an aetive and conscious manner. whence his universality.» — el par con que cierra: el diamante integra la inteligencia en su existencia pasiva e inconscientemente, y el hombre espiritualmente grande integra la existencia entera en su conocimiento

«The exoteric denial of the presence. whether virtual or actualized. of the uncreated Intellect in the created being. finds its most usual expression in the erroneous affirmation that no supernatural knowledge is possible apart from Revelation.» — la negación que atribuye al exoterismo, la del Intelecto increado en el ser creado, formulada como que no hay conocimiento sobrenatural fuera de la Revelación

«But it is quite arbitrary to maintain that on this earth we have no immediate knowledge of God. and in fact that it is impossible for us to have such knowledge.» — y la objeta llamando arbitrario sostener que en esta tierra no haya conocimiento inmediato de Dios

«The reasons behind this denial are, firstly, that direct participation in what may be called the Paracletic faculty is not accessible to everybody, at least in practice, and secondly, that the doctrine of the presence of the uncreated Intellect in the creature would be prejudicial to the faith of the ordinary person. since it seems to run counter to the perspective of merit.» — las dos razones que adjudica a esa negación: que la facultad paraclética no sea accesible a todos en la práctica, y que la doctrina perjudicaría la fe común por chocar con la perspectiva del mérito

«What the exoteric point of view cannot admit. in Islam no less than in Christianity and Judaism. is the quasi-natural existence of a supernatural faculty. one that Christian dogma however admits with regard to Christ» — lo que dice que el punto de vista exotérico no admite en el islam ni en el cristianismo ni en el judaísmo, la existencia cuasi natural de una facultad sobrenatural, que el dogma cristiano sí admite en Cristo

«It is apparently forgotten that the distinction between the supernatural and the natural is not absolute-unless in the sense of being "relatively absolute""-and that the supernatural can also be called natural insofar as it acts in accordance with certain laws.» — y lo que dice que se olvida: la distinción entre sobrenatural y natural no es absoluta, salvo en sentido relativamente absoluto

«Inversely. the natural is not without a supernatural aspect insofar as it manifests the Divine Reality. Failing this. Nature would amount to pure nothingness.» — la lectura inversa: lo natural no carece de aspecto sobrenatural en cuanto manifiesta la Realidad Divina, sin lo cual la Naturaleza sería pura nada

«On the other hand. to maintain that the supernatural Knowledge of God. that is to say. the beatific vision in the next world. is an unobscured knowledge of the Divine Essence that is enjoyed by the individual soul. amounts to saying that absolute Knowledge can be achieved by a relative being as such. whereas. in reality. this Knowledge. being absolute. is none other than the Absolute insofar as It knows Itself» — la objeción que hace a la visión beatífica entendida como conocimiento de la Esencia Divina gozado por el alma individual: sería Conocimiento absoluto alcanzado por un ser relativo

«and if the Intellect. supernaturally present in man. can make man participate in this Knowledge that the Divinity has of Itself. it is because of certain Laws that are. so to speak. freely obeyed by the supernatural by virtue of its very possibilities.» — y cómo salva la participación: por ciertas Leyes que dice libremente obedecidas por lo sobrenatural en virtud de sus propias posibilidades

«It will be understood that we are far from depreciating morality. which is a Divine institution. but the fact that it is so does not prevent its being limited» — el deslinde que hace con la moral, que llama institución divina y a la vez limitada

«Again. if the supernatural differs in an eminent degree from the natural. it is nevertheless true that this difference no longer exists from another and more universal standpoint. that is to say. insofar as the supernatural itself also obeys-and is the first to obey-immutable Laws.» — el límite con que cierra ese punto: la diferencia entre sobrenatural y natural desaparece desde el punto de vista más universal, porque lo sobrenatural obedece también a Leyes inmutables

«This saying is of the greatest doctrinal significance. being one of the clearest and most explicit formulations that can be found of the idea of realization by Knowledge. or in other words. of the intellectual way that leads to this» — el valor que le da: una de las formulaciones más claras de la realización por el Conocimiento; el troceo corta aquí al reemitir la plana 94

«In other sayings of equal excellence this same Book of Solomon enunciates the qualities of pure intellectuality. essence of all spirituality~ the passage that follows. in addition to the marvelous metaphysical and initiatory precision of its expression. brings out in a remarkable manner the universal unity of Truth. and this is achieved by the very form of the language. which recalls partly the Scriptures of India and partly those of Taoism» — lo que dice que el mismo Libro de Salomón enuncia sobre las cualidades de la pura intelectualidad, y la semejanza de su lengua que señala con las Escrituras de la India y con las del taoísmo

«For in her [wisdom] is an understanding spirit. holy. one only. manifold subtile. lively. clear. undefiled plain. not subject to hurt. loving the thing that is good. quick. which cannot be Jetted ready to do good. kind to man. steadfast. sure. free from care. having all power. overseeing all things. and going through all understanding. pure and most subtile spirits. For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness. For she is the breath of the power of God and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness o{ the everlasting light. the unspotted mirror of the power of God and the image of his goodness. And being but one. she can do all things: and remaining in herself. she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls. she maketh them friends of God and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun. and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light. she is found before it. For after this cometh night: but vice shall not prevail against wisdom. Wisdom reacheth from one end to another mightily: and sweetly doth she order all things.» — el pasaje del Libro de la Sabiduría que cita entero; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo. El corchete que glosa a ella es del libro y el escaneo corrompe dos palabras

«Certain people readily regard transcendent intelligence that is aware of itself as ""pride;· as if the fact that there are fools who believe themselves to be intelligent ought to prevent the wise from knowing what they know» — la objeción que se plantea al cerrar el capítulo, la de quienes tienen por orgullo a la inteligencia trascendente consciente de sí

«pride. intellectual or otherwise. is only possible in the case of the ignorant. who are unaware of their own nothingness. just as humility. at least in the purely psychological sense of the term. is without meaning except for those who believe themselves to be something they are not» — y la respuesta que da: el orgullo solo cabe en los ignorantes de su propia nada, y la humildad en sentido psicológico solo tiene sentido para quien se cree lo que no es

«wisdom exists because it corresponds to a possibility. that of the human manifestation of the Divine Science» — la razón que da a la existencia de la sabiduría: corresponde a una posibilidad, la de la manifestación humana de la Ciencia Divina

«For to know thee is perfect righteousness:· says the Book of Wisdom (15:3). and "'to know thy power is the root of immortality.» — los dos versículos del Libro de la Sabiduría con que Schuon apoya que el conocimiento es santo en sí, sobre conocer a Dios como justicia perfecta y conocer su poder como raíz de la inmortalidad

«Those who wish to explain everything that is beyond them as pride. which to their way of thinking is the complement of ""pantheism:· manifestly ignore the fact that if God has created such souls in order to be known and realized by them and in them. man has no part in the matter and can do nothing to alter it» — lo que dice que ignoran quienes explican por orgullo cuanto los excede: que si Dios creó tales almas para ser conocido y realizado en ellas, el hombre no tiene parte en ello

«It may seem surprising that we should introduce a subject that not only appears to have little or no connection with anything that has gone before, but also in itself seems to be of secondary importance~ in fact however, this question of forms in art is by no means a negligible one and is closely connected with the general questions dealt with in this book.» — Schuon justifica el capítulo sobre las formas en el arte declarándolo estrechamente ligado a las cuestiones generales del libro

«in speaking of "'forms in art" and not just '"forms," our purpose is to make it clear that we are not dealing with abstract forms, but on the contrary, with things that are sensible by definition» — la precisión terminológica con que abre: al decir formas en el arte y no formas a secas, deslinda lo sensible de lo abstracto

«if on the other hand, we avoid speaking of "'artistic forms," it is because the epithet .. artistic" carries with it in present-day language, a notion of luxury and therefore of superfluity, and this corresponds to something diametrically opposed to what we have in mind.» — y por qué evita la palabra artístico, que dice cargada hoy de una noción de lujo y superfluidad

«The expression "'forms in arC is really a pleonasm, inasmuch as it is not possible, traditionally speaking to dissociate form from art the latter being simply the principle of manifestation of the former» — llama pleonasmo a la expresión misma, porque tradicionalmente no cabe disociar la forma del arte, que es su principio de manifestación

«If the importance of forms is to be understood it is necessary to appreciate the fact that it is the sensible form that. symbolically. corresponds most directly to the Intellect. by reason of the inverse analogy connecting the principia! and manifested orders.» — la razón que da a la importancia de las formas: la forma sensible corresponde directamente al Intelecto por la analogía inversa entre el orden principial y el manifestado

«In consequence of this analogy the highest realities are most clearly manifested in their remotest reflections. namely, in the sensible or material order. and herein lies the deepest meaning of the proverb '"Extremes meet» — la consecuencia que saca: las realidades más altas se manifiestan con más claridad en sus reflejos más remotos, y ahí pone el sentido del proverbio sobre los extremos

«to which one might add that it is for this same reason that Revelation descended not only into the souls of the Prophets. but also into their bodies. which presupposed their physical perfection.» — y lo lleva a la Revelación, que dice descendida no solo a las almas de los Profetas sino a sus cuerpos, lo que le hace suponer su perfección física

«Sensible forms therefore correspond with exactness to intellections, and it is for this reason that traditional art has rules that apply the cosmic laws and universal principles to the domain of forms. and that. beneath their more general outward aspect. reveal the style of the civilization under consideration. this style in its turn rendering explicit the form of intellectuality of that civilization.» — de ahí funda que el arte tradicional tenga reglas que aplican las leyes cósmicas al dominio de las formas, y que su estilo explicite la forma de intelectualidad de una civilización

«Art." said St. Thomas Aquinas.. "is associated with knowledge.» — en nota, Schuon aduce una frase que atribuye a santo Tomás de Aquino sobre el arte asociado al conocimiento

«this night. according to Muhyi 'd-Din ibn 'Arabt's commentary. is identified with the actual body of the Prophet What is particularly important to note is the fact that the "revelation" is received not in the mind but in the body of the being who is commissioned to express the Principle. "And the Word was made flesh." says the Gospel ("flesh .. and not "mind") and this is but another way of expressing. under the form proper to the Christian Tradition. the reality that is represented by the lay/at al-qadr in the Islamic Tradition.» — en otra nota, Schuon cita a René Guénon sobre la noche del descenso del Corán, identificada según el comentario de Ibn Arabi con el cuerpo mismo del Profeta, y emparejada con el Verbo hecho carne del Evangelio; remite a Études traditionnelles de abril y mayo de 1939

«we would stress the fact that in intellectually healthy civilizations-the Christian civilization of the Middle Ages. for instance-spirituality often affirms itself by a marked indifference to forms. and sometimes even reveals a tendency to turn away from the~ as is shown by the example of St Bernard when he condemned images in monasteries. which. it must be said in nowise signifies the acceptance of ugliness and barbaris~ any more than poverty implies the possession of things that are mean in themselves.» — la objeción que se adelanta: en civilizaciones sanas la espiritualidad se afirma a veces por indiferencia a las formas, como en san Bernardo condenando las imágenes en los monasterios, sin que eso signifique aceptar la fealdad

«But in a world where traditional art is dead where consequently form itself is invaded by everything that is contrary to spirituality and where nearly every formal expression is corrupted at its very roots. the traditional regularity of forms takes on a very special spiritual importance that it could not have possessed at the beginning. since the absence of the spirit in forms was then inconceivable.» — y el giro que hace de eso: muerto el arte tradicional, la regularidad de las formas cobra una importancia espiritual que al principio no podía tener

«It is strange that no one has understood to what a degree this barbarism of forms.. which reached a zenith of empty and miserable exhibitionism in the period of Louis XV. contributed-and still contributesto driving many souls (and by no means the worst) away from the Church: they feel literally choked in surroundings that do not allow their intelligence room to breathe.» — y el efecto que le atribuye: un barbarismo de formas que contribuye a alejar almas de la Iglesia, que dicen ahogarse donde su inteligencia no cabe Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *contributesto* donde la fuente parte *contributes-to*.

«Let us note in passing that the historical connection between the new St Peter's Basilica in Rome--of the Renaissance period therefore antispiritual and showy. "human" one might say-and the origin of the Reformation are unfortunately very far from fortuitous.» — el nexo que declara no fortuito entre la nueva basílica de San Pedro en Roma y el origen de la Reforma

«What has been said concerning the intellectual quality of sensible forms must not make us overlook the fact that the further one goes back to the origins of a given religion. the less those forms appear in a state of full development» — la salvedad que añade: cuanto más atrás se va hacia los orígenes de una religión, menos desarrolladas aparecen esas formas

«On the other hand the nearer one draws to the end of the religious cycle under consideration. the greater the importance attaching to formalism. even from the so-called artistic point of view. since the forms have by then become almost indispensable channels for the actualization of the spiritual deposit of the religion.» — y la simetría inversa: cerca del fin del ciclo religioso el formalismo gana importancia, porque las formas se vuelven canales casi indispensables del depósito espiritual

«This point is one that is ignored by certain pseudo-Hindu movements. whether of Indian origin or not. which move away from the sacred forms of Hinduism while believing themselves to represent its purest essence: in reality it is useless to confer a spiritual means on a man without having first of all forged in him a mentality that will be in harmony with this means. and that quite independently of the obligation of a personal attachment to an initiatory line: a spiritual realization is inconceivable outside the appropriate psychic climate. that is to say. one that is in conformity with the religious ambiance of the spiritual means in question.» — en nota, Schuon objeta a ciertos movimientos seudohindúes que se apartan de las formas sagradas del hinduismo creyéndose su esencia, y sostiene que no cabe realización espiritual fuera del clima psíquico apropiado

«an objection might be raised to what we have just been saying on the grounds that Shrf Chaitanya bestowed initiation not only on Hindus but on Moslems as well: this objection. however. is pointless in the present case. for what Shrf Chaitanya. who was one of the greatest spiritual Masters of India. transmitted first and foremost was a current of grace resulting from the intense radiation of his own holiness: this radiation had the virtue of in some degree obliterating or drowning formal differences» — y responde en la misma nota a la objeción de Shri Chaitanya, que iniciaba también a musulmanes, atribuyendo el caso a una corriente de gracia que borraba en algún grado las diferencias formales

«Besides. the fact that Shrf Chaitanya could accomplish miracles in nowise implies that another guru. even if he were of the same initiatory lineage and therefore a legitimate successor of Chaitanya. could do the same» — con el límite que añade: que Chaitanya hiciera milagros no implica que otro gurú de su misma línea pudiera hacerlos

«This law of compensation. by virtue of which certain relationships of proportion undergo a more or less marked inversion during the course of a religious cycle, can be applied in all spheres: for instance. we may quote the following saying (~adlth) of the Prophet Mohammed: '"In the beginning of Islam. he who omits a tenth of the Law is damned~ but in the latter days, he who shall accomplish a tenth thereof will be saved.» — la ley de compensación que enuncia, con la inversión de proporciones a lo largo de un ciclo religioso, apoyada en un hadiz del Profeta Mahoma sobre la décima parte de la Ley

«The analogical relationship between intellections and material forms explains how it became possible for esoterism to be grafted onto the exercise of the crafts and especially architectural art» — de la relación analógica entre intelecciones y formas materiales hace derivar que el esoterismo pudiera injertarse en el ejercicio de los oficios y sobre todo en la arquitectura

«the cathedrals that the Christian initiates left behind them offer the most explicit as well as the most dazzling proof of the spiritual exaltation of the Middle Ages.» — y el testimonio que aduce, las catedrales dejadas por los iniciados cristianos

«This brings us to a most important aspect of the question now before us. namely. the action of esoterism on exoterism through the medium of sensible forms. the production of which is precisely the prerogative of craft initiation.» — el aspecto que declara más importante: la acción del esoterismo sobre el exoterismo por medio de las formas sensibles, cuya producción atribuye a la iniciación de oficio

«Through these forms. which act as vehicles of the integral religious doctrine. and which thanks to their symbolism translate this doctrine into a language that is both immediate and universal. esoterism infuses an intellectual quality into the properly devotional part of the tradition, thereby establishing a balance the absence of which would finally bring about the dissolution of the whole civilization.» — y la función de equilibrio que les asigna: infundir cualidad intelectual a la parte devocional de la tradición

«When standing before a cathedraL a person really feels he is placed at the center of the world; standing before a church of the Renaissance. Baroque. or Rococo periods. he merely feels himself to be in Europe.» — en nota, Schuon contrapone lo que dice sentirse ante una catedral y ante una iglesia del Renacimiento, el Barroco o el Rococó

«When art ceases to be traditional and becomes human. individual. and therefore arbitrary. that is infallibly the sign -and secondarily the cause-of an intellectual decline. a weakening. which. in the sight of those who are skilled in the .. discernment of spirits'" and who look upon things with an unprejudiced eye. is expressed by the more or less incoherent and spiritually insignificant. we would go even as» — el diagnóstico inverso: cuando el arte deja de ser tradicional y se vuelve humano, individual y arbitrario, lo toma por signo y causa secundaria de un declive intelectual; el tramo se corta en el cambio de plana y la frase termina en la 98 llamando ininteligible al carácter de esas formas

«We are referring here to the decadence of certain branches of religious art during the Gothic period especially in its latter part. and to Western art as a whole from the Renaissance onward: Christian art (architecture. sculpture. painting. liturgical goldsmithery, and so on). which formerly was sacred symbolical. and spiritual. had to give way before the invasion of neoantique and naturalistic. individualistic. and sentimental art; this art. which contained absolutely nothing"miraculous"-no matter what those who believe in the .. Greek miracle" may care to think-is quite unfitted for the transmission of intellectual intuitions and no longer answers to anyth» — en nota, Schuon sitúa la decadencia que denuncia en el gótico tardío y en el arte occidental desde el Renacimiento, con el arte neoantiguo y naturalista que declara incapaz de transmitir intuiciones intelectuales; el escaneo corrompe la última palabra Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *neoantique* donde la fuente parte *neo-antique*.

«What should never be forgotten is the fact that the absence of the formal element is not equivalent to the presence of the amorphous» — la distinción que pide no olvidar: la ausencia del elemento formal no equivale a la presencia de lo amorfo; el tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie que el troceo intercala aquí, y la frase sigue en la plana 100

«the amorphous and the barbarous will never attain the majestic beauty of the void whatever may be believed by those who have an interest in passing off a deficiency for a superiority.» — la continuación en la plana siguiente, donde niega que lo amorfo y lo bárbaro alcancen la belleza majestuosa del vacío

«The abandoning of sacred art deprived esoterism of its most direct means of action~ the outward religion insisted more and more on its own peculiarities. that is to say. its limitations. until finally. by want of that current of universality that. through the language of forms. had quickened and stabilized the religious civilization. reactions in a contrary sense were brought about» — Schuon adjudica al abandono del arte sagrado la pérdida del medio de acción más directo del esoterismo, y al insistir la religión exterior en sus limitaciones, reacciones en sentido contrario

«that is to say. the formal limitations. instead of being compensated and thereby stabilized by means of the supraformal interferences of esoterism. gave rise. through their opacity or massiveness. to negations that might» — y el mecanismo que describe: las limitaciones formales, no compensadas por las interferencias supraformales del esoterismo, dan lugar por su opacidad a negaciones que llama infraformales, según sigue el renglón tras la reemisión de la plana 101

«be qualified as infraformal. resulting as they did from an individual arbitrariness that. far from being a form of the truth. was merely a formless chaos of opinions and fancies.» — la continuación de esa frase, con la arbitrariedad individual descrita como caos informe de opiniones y fantasías y no como forma de la verdad

«it may be added that the Beauty of God corresponds to a deeper reality than His Goodness. no matter how paradoxical this may appear at first sight» — la tesis que declara paradójica en apariencia: la Belleza de Dios corresponde a una realidad más honda que su Bondad

«One has only to recall the metaphysical law in virtue of which the analogy between the principia! and manifested orders is reversed in the sense that what is principially great will be small in the manifested order and that which is inward in the Principle will appear as outward in manifestation. and vice versa.» — y la ley metafísica en que la apoya, la inversión de la analogía entre el orden principial y el manifestado

«It is because of this inverse analogy that in man beauty is outward and goodness inward-at least in the usual sense of these words-contrary to what obtains in the principia! order where Goodness is itself an expression of Beauty.» — de donde saca que en el hombre la belleza sea exterior y la bondad interior, al revés que en el orden principial

«It has often been noticed that Oriental peoples. including those reputed to be the most artistic. show themselves for the most part entirely lacking in aesthetic discernment with regard to whatever comes to them from the West» — el hecho que consigna: los pueblos orientales, aun los reputados más artísticos, se muestran en su mayoría sin discernimiento estético ante lo que les llega de Occidente

«The answer to this paradox is very simple. however. and we have already outlined it in the preceding pages: it resides in the fact that forms. even the most unimportant, are the work of human hands in a secondary manner only~ they originate first and foremost from the same suprahumari source from which all tradition originates» — la respuesta que da a esa paradoja: las formas son obra de manos humanas solo en segundo término y se originan en la misma fuente suprahumana de la tradición. El impreso escribe suprahumari

«the artist who lives in a traditional world without fissures works under the discipline or the inspiration of a genius that surpasses him~ fundamentally he is but the instrument of this genius. if only from the fact of his craftsman's qualification.» — la figura del artista que de ahí se sigue, instrumento de un genio que lo supera, con su cualificación de artesano como fundamento

«A thing is not only what it is for the senses. but also what it represents. Natural or artificial objects are not ... arbitrary "symbols" of such or such a different or superior reality: but they are ... the effective manifestation of that reality: the eagle or the lion, for example. is not so much the symbol or the im'age of the Sun as it is the Sun under one of its manifestations (the essential form being more important than the nature in which it manifests itself): in the same way. every house is the world in effigy and every altar is situated at the centre of the earth» — en nota, Schuon cita a Ananda K. Coomaraswamy sobre los objetos que no son símbolos arbitrarios sino manifestación efectiva de la realidad, con el águila o el león como el Sol mismo; remite a Études traditionnelles de agosto a octubre de 1939

«It is solely and exclusively traditional art-in the widest sense of the word. implying all that is of an externally formal order. and therefore a joniori everything that belongs in some way or other to the ritual domain -it is only this art. transmitted with tradition and by tradition, that can guarantee the adequate analogical correspondence between the Divine and the cosmic orders. on the one hand. and the human or artistic order.» — y lo que Schuon adjudica solo al arte tradicional en esa misma nota: garantizar la correspondencia analógica entre el orden divino y el cósmico y el orden humano o artístico

«It is by the entirely adequate conformity of the artist to this "manner of operation." a conformity that is subordinated to the rules of tradition. that the masterpiece is created; in other words. this conformity essentially presupposes a knowledge. which may be either personal. direct and active. or inherited indirect and passive. the latter case being that of those artisans who. unconscious as individuals of the metaphysical content of the forms they have learned to create. know not how to resist the corrosive influence of the modem West» — y el conocimiento que declara supuesto en la obra maestra, personal y activo o heredado y pasivo, con los artesanos del segundo caso incapaces de resistir lo que llama la influencia corrosiva del Occidente moderno

«However, for this to happen it is necessary that the people accepting such confusion should no longer be fully conscious of their own spiritual genius, or in other terms, that they should no longer be capable of understanding the forms with which they are still surrounded and in which they live; it is in fact a proof that the people in question are already suffering from a certain decadence.» — la condición que pone para que esa confusión ocurra: que el pueblo ya no sea consciente de su genio espiritual, lo que toma por prueba de decadencia

«Because of this fact, they are led to accept modem ugliness all the more easily because it may answer to certain inferior possibilities that those people are already spontaneously seeking to realize, no matter how, and it may well be quite subconsciously; therefore, the unreasoning readiness with , which only too many Orientals (possibly even the great majority) accept things that are utterly incompatible with the spirit of their religion is best explained by the fascination exercised over the ordinary man by something corresponding to an as yet unexhausted possibility, this possibility being. in the present case, simply that of arbitrariness or want of principle.» — y la razón que da a la facilidad de esa aceptación: responde a posibilidades inferiores aún no agotadas, que nombra como arbitrariedad o falta de principio

«All that has just been said applies of course first and foremost and a joniori to the nations of the West themselves. who. after having created-we will not say ··invented"-a perfect traditional art. proceeded to disown it in favor of the residues of the individualistic and empty art of the Graeco-Romans. which has finally led to the artistic chaos of the modern world.» — y a quién dice que se aplica antes que a nadie, a las naciones de Occidente, que desconocieron su arte tradicional en favor de los residuos del arte grecorromano

«We know very well that there are some who will not at any price admit the unintelligibility or the ugliness of the modern world and who readily employ the word ··aesthetic." with a derogatory nuance similar to that attaching to the words ··picturesque" and ··romantic;· in order to discredit in advance the importance of forms so that they may find themselves more at ease in the enclosed system of their own barbarism.» — la objeción que atribuye a quienes usan la palabra estético con matiz peyorativo para desacreditar la importancia de las formas

«Such an attitude has nothing surprising in it when it concerns avowed modernists. but it is worse than illogical. not to say rather despicable. coming from those who claim to belong to the Christian civilization~ for to reduce the spontaneous and normal language of Christian art -a language the beauty of which can hardly be questioned -to a worldly matter of taste-as if medieval art could have been the product of mere caprice-amounts to admitting that the imprint given by the genius of Christianity to all its direct and indirect expressions was only a contingency unrelated to that genius and devoid of serious importance. or even due to a mental inferiority» — y el reproche que hace a quienes la sostienen desde la civilización cristiana, porque reducir el arte medieval a un asunto de gusto equivale a declarar contingente la impronta del genio del cristianismo

«In order to understand the causes of the decadence of art in the West. one must take into account the fact that there is in the European mentality a certain dangerous idealism that is not without relevance to that decadence. nor yet to the decay of Western civilization as a whole.» — la causa que propone para la decadencia del arte en Occidente, un idealismo que llama peligroso en la mentalidad europea

«As for Byzantine and Romanesque art. as well as that other side of Gothic art wherein a static power has been preserved it might be said that it is an essentially intellectual art. therefore realistic.» — el contraste que traza con el arte bizantino y románico y con el lado estático del gótico, que llama esencialmente intelectual y por eso realista

«The flamboyant Gothic art. no matter how ··passionate" it became. was nevertheless still a traditional art except in the case of sculpture and painting. which were already well on the way to decadence; to be more exact. it was the ··swan song" of Gothic art» — lo que concede al gótico flamígero, todavía arte tradicional salvo en escultura y pintura, y que llama canto del cisne

«From the time of the Renaissance. which represents a sort of posthumous revenge on the part of classical antiquity. European idealism flowed into the exhumed sarcophagi of the Graeco-Roman civilization. By this act of suicide. it placed itself at the service of an individualism in which it thought to have rediscovered its own genius. only to end up. after a number of intermediate stages. in the grossest and most fantastic affirmations of that individualism.» — la lectura que hace del Renacimiento como revancha póstuma de la antigüedad clásica, con el idealismo europeo vertido en los sarcófagos exhumados de la civilización grecorromana

«This was really a double suicide: firstly. the forsaking of medieval or Christian art. and secondly. the adoption of Graeco-Roman forms that intoxicated the Christian world with the poison of their decadence.» — el doble suicidio que nombra: abandonar el arte medieval y adoptar las formas grecorromanas

«was not the art of the first Christians in fact Roman art? The answer is that the real beginnings of Christian art are to be found in the symbols inscribed in the catacombs. and not in the forms that the early Christians. themselves in part belonging to the Roman civilization. temporarily borrowed in a purely» — se plantea la objeción de si el arte de los primeros cristianos no fue romano, y responde situando los comienzos reales en los símbolos inscritos en las catacumbas

«All the ugliness born of a world more and more devoid of spirituality spreads over the East with unbelievable facility. not only under the influence of politico-economic factors. which would not be so surprising. but also by the free consent of» — lo que le sorprende de la difusión de esa fealdad, que ocurra por libre consentimiento y no solo por factores político-económicos; el renglón sigue en la plana 102

«to imitating Nature. but to "imitating Nature in her manner of operation» — la fórmula de santo Tomás que aduce en nota, imitar a la Naturaleza en su manera de obrar, que remite a la Suma Teológica; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el renglón anterior queda en la plana 102

«this taste will be reduced to nothing as soon as the individual finds himself face to face with a form that is foreign to the spirit of his own religion; that is what happens in the case of a people unfamiliar with Western civilization when they encounter the forms imported from the West» — y su límite: ese gusto se reduce a nada ante una forma ajena al espíritu de la propia religión, que es lo que dice ocurrir con las formas importadas de Occidente

«there is one fact that is absolutely certain, namely, that very many Orientals themselves no» — el hecho que declara absolutamente cierto, que muchos orientales ya no entienden el sentido de las formas heredadas; el troceo corta aquí en el cambio de plana y la frase termina en la 104

«longer understand the sense of the forms they have inherited from their ancestors. together with their whole religion.» — la continuación de esa frase en la plana siguiente, con las formas heredadas de los antepasados junto con la religión entera

«This idealism has found its fullest. one might say its most intelligent. expression in certain forms of Gothic art» — dónde dice que ese idealismo halló su expresión más plena, en ciertas formas del arte gótico; el renglón sigue en la plana 105 con el dinamismo que parece quitar peso a la piedra

«However. one should not lose sight of the fact that idealism is not bad in itself. inasmuch as it finds its place in the mentality of heroes. always inclined toward sublimation~ what is bad and at the same time specifically Western. is the intrusion of this mentality into every sphere. including those in which it has no place.» — el deslinde que hace con el idealismo: no malo en sí, con su lugar en la mentalidad de los héroes, y malo en cuanto se entromete en toda esfera

«It is this distorted idealism. all the more fragile and dangerous because it is distorted that Islam. with its desire for equilibrium and stability-in other words. realism -wished to avoid at all costs. having. moreover. taken into consideration the restricted possibilities of the present cyclic period already far removed from its origin~ herein lies the reason for that ··earthy" aspect with which Christians are wont to reproach the Islamic civilization.» — lo que atribuye al islam frente a ese idealismo distorsionado, un deseo de equilibrio y estabilidad que llama realismo, y de ahí explica el aspecto terroso que los cristianos le reprochan

«first of all. the work executed must conform to the use to which it will be put. and it must express that conformity» — el primero de los principios del arte tradicional que enumera: la obra ha de conformarse al uso que se le dará y expresar esa conformidad

«if there be an added symbolism, it must conform to the symbolism inherent in the objec~ there must be no conflict between the essential and the accessory. but a hierarchical harmony. which will moreover spring from the purity of the symbolism» — el segundo y el tercero, que el simbolismo añadido concuerde con el inherente al objeto y que no haya conflicto entre lo esencial y lo accesorio sino jerarquía armónica

«the treatment of the material used must be in conformity with the nature of that material in the sam&·way that the material itself must be in conformity with the use of the object» — el cuarto, que el tratamiento del material concuerde con su naturaleza y el material con el uso del objeto

«lastly. the object must not give an illusion of being other than what it really is. for such an illusion always gives a disagreeable impression of uselessness. and when this illusion is the goal of the finished work. as it is in the case of all classicist art it is the mark of a uselessness that is only too apparent» — y el quinto, que el objeto no dé ilusión de ser otra cosa, ilusión que dice meta del arte clasicista y marca de inutilidad

«The great innovations of naturalistic art can be reduced in fact to so many violations of the principles of normal art: firstly. as far as sculpture is concerned violation of the» — la reducción que hace de las innovaciones del arte naturalista a violaciones de los principios del arte normal, con la del material inerte en la escultura; el renglón sigue en la plana 107 con la de la superficie plana en la pintura

«In the first example, the inert material is treated as if it were endowed with life, whereas it is essentially static and only allows, because of this fact, the representation either of motionless bodies or of essential or schematic phases of movement, but not that of arbitrary, accidental, or as it were, fragmentary movements; in the second example, that of painting. the plane surface is treated as if it had three dimensions, both by means of foreshortening and by the use of shadows.» — cómo describe cada violación: el material inerte tratado como si tuviera vida, y la superficie plana tratada como si tuviera tres dimensiones por el escorzo y las sombras

«It will be appreciated that rules such as these are not dictated by merely aesthetic reasons. and that they represent, on the contrary. applications of cosmic and Divine laws~ beauty will flow from them as a necessary result» — el estatuto que da a esas reglas: no dictadas por razones estéticas sino aplicaciones de leyes cósmicas y divinas, de las que la belleza resulta

«As regards beauty in naturalistic art, it does not reside in the work as such. but solely in the object that it copies. whereas in symbolic and traditional art it is the work in itself that is beautiful. whether it be abstract or whether it borrow beauty in a greater or lesser degree from a natural model» — la distinción que traza: en el arte naturalista la belleza reside en el objeto copiado y en el arte simbólico y tradicional en la obra misma

«It would be difficult to find a better illustration of this distinction than that afforded by a comparison between so-called classical Greek art and Egyptian art: the beauty of the latter does not, in fact, lie simply and solely in the object represented but resides simultaneously and afoniori in the work as such. that is to say. in the inward reality that the work makes manifest» — y la comparación con que la ilustra, el arte griego llamado clásico frente al egipcio, cuya belleza dice que reside a la vez en la realidad interior que la obra manifiesta

«The fact that naturalistic art has sometimes succeeded in expressing nobility of feeling or vigorous intelligence is not in question and may be explained by cosmological reasons that could not but exist; but that has no connection with art as such. and no individual value could ever make up for the falsification of the latter.» — lo que concede al arte naturalista, expresar a veces nobleza de sentimiento o inteligencia vigorosa, y el límite que le pone en la misma frase: eso no toca al arte como tal

«Only one of two things is possible: either the artist presents an absolutely correct portrait of the Virgin from a physical point of view. in which case it will be necessary for the artist to have seen the Virgin. a condition that cannot easily be fulfilledsetting aside the fact that all purely naturalistic painting is illegitimate-or else the artist will present a perfectly adequate symbol of the Virgin. but in this case physical resemblance. without being absolutely excluded is no longer at all in question.» — la disyuntiva que plantea entre el retrato físicamente correcto, que exigiría haber visto a la Virgen, y el símbolo adecuado, donde el parecido deja de estar en cuestión Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *fulfilledsetting* donde la fuente parte *fulfilled-setting*.

«It is this second solution that is realized in icons~ what they do not express by means of a physical resemblance they express by the abstract but immediate language of symbolism. a language that is built up of precision and imponderables both together.» — y dónde dice que se realiza la segunda, en los iconos, con un lenguaje del simbolismo hecho de precisión e imponderables

«Thus the icon. in addition to the beatific power that is inherent in it by reason of its sacramental character. transmits the holiness or inner reality of the Virgin and hence the universal reality of which the Virgin herself is an expression~ in suggesting both a contemplative experience and a metaphysical truth. the icon becomes a support of intellection. whereas a naturalistic image transmits-apart from its obvious and inevitable falsehood-only the fact that Mary was a woman.» — lo que atribuye al icono además de su poder beatífico sacramental: transmitir la santidad de la Virgen y volverse soporte de intelección, frente a la imagen naturalista

«It is true that in the case of a particular icon. it may happen that the proportions and features are those of the living Virgin. but such a likeness. if it really came to pass. would be independent of the symbolism of the image and could only be the result of a special inspiration.» — con la salvedad que añade: si las proporciones de un icono coincidieran con las de la Virgen viva, sería independiente del simbolismo y fruto de una inspiración especial

«Naturalistic art ce1t1ld moreover be legitimate up to a certain point if it were used exclusively to record the features of the saints. since the contemplation of saints (the Hindu darshan) can be a very precious help in the spiritual way. owing to the fact that their outward appearance conveys. as it were. the perfume of their spirituality~ but the use in this limited manner of a partial and disciplined naturalism corresponds only to a very remote possibility.» — el único uso en que declara legítimo hasta cierto punto el naturalismo, registrar los rasgos de los santos, con el darshan hindú nombrado, y el límite de posibilidad muy remota que le pone. El escaneo corrompe la palabra could

«However. it is certainly false to claim. in justification of naturalism. that the people need an accessible. that is to say. a platitudinous. art. for it is not the people who gave birth to the Renaissance~ the art of the latter. like all the .. fine art" that is derived from it. is. on the contrary. an offense to the piety of the simple person.» — objeta la justificación del naturalismo por las necesidades del pueblo, con el argumento de que no fue el pueblo quien dio a luz el Renacimiento

«The artistic ideals of the Renaissance and of all modern art are therefore very far removed from what the people need and in fact nearly all the miraculous Virgins to which the people flock are Byzantine or Romanesque~ and who would presume to argue that the black coloring of some of them agrees with popular taste or is particularly accessible to it?» — y el dato con que lo apoya: casi todas las Vírgenes milagrosas a que el pueblo acude son bizantinas o románicas, con la pregunta sobre el color negro de algunas

«This question solves itself when one takes into consideration the universality of all symbolism. for this universality enables sacred art to transmit-apart from metaphysical truths and facts derived from sacred history-not only spiritual states, but psychological attitudes that are accessible to all men» — cómo resuelve si el arte sagrado es solo para la élite: por la universalidad del simbolismo, que le permite transmitir también actitudes psicológicas accesibles a todos

«one might say that such art is both profound and naive at the same time. and this combination of profundity and naivete is precisely one of the dominant characteristics of sacred art» — la combinación que declara característica del arte sagrado, profundo e ingenuo a la vez

«The ingenuousness or candor of such art. far from being due to a spontaneous or affected inferiority. reveals. on the contrary. the normal state of the human soul. whether it be that of the average or of the superior man» — y lo que ve en esa candidez, no una inferioridad espontánea o afectada sino el estado normal del alma humana

«Therefore if sacred art appeals to contemplative intelligence, it likewise appeals to normal human sensibility. This means that such art alone possesses a universal language, and that none is better fitted to appeaL not only to an elite. but also to the people at large.» — la conclusión que saca: el arte sagrado apela a la inteligencia contemplativa y a la sensibilidad humana normal, y por eso posee un lenguaje universal

«Let us remember. too. as far as the apparently childlike aspect of the traditional mentality is concerned, Christ's injunction to be ··as little children" and .... simple as doves," words that. no matter what may be their spiritual meaning. also quite plainly refer to psychological realities.» — y el apoyo evangélico que aduce, las palabras de Cristo sobre ser como niños y sencillos como palomas, que lee también como realidades psicológicas

«The Fathers of the eighth century, very different from those religious authorities of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who betrayed Christian art by abandoning it to the impure passions of worldly men and the ignorant imagination of the profane. were fully conscious of the holiness of all the means of expression belonging to their religion.» — el contraste que traza entre los Padres del siglo VIII y las autoridades religiosas de los siglos XV y XVI, a quienes atribuye haber entregado el arte cristiano a la imaginación de los profanos

«They stipulated. at the second council of Nicaea. that .... art [the integral perfection of work] alone belongs to the painter. while ordinance [the choice of the subject] and disposition [the treatment of the subject from the symbolical as well as the technical or material points of view] belongs to the Fathers" (Non est pictoris-ejus enim sola ars est-verum ordinatio et dispositio Patrum nostrorum» — y el canon que aduce del segundo concilio de Nicea, con el arte reservado al pintor y la ordenación y la disposición a los Padres, seguido del latín; los corchetes que lo glosan son del libro

«The majority of modems who claim to understand art are convinced that Byzantine or Romanesque art is in no way superior to modem art, and that a Byzantine or Romanesque Virgin resembles Mary no more than do her naturalistic images. in fact rather the contrary.» — la opinión moderna que recoge, la de que una Virgen bizantina o románica no se parezca a María más que sus imágenes naturalistas; el impreso escribe modems por moderns

«The answer is. however. quite simple: the Byzantine Virgin-which traditionally goes back to St Luke and the Angels-is infinitely closer to the truth of Mary than a naturalistic image. which of» — su respuesta: la Virgen bizantina, que la tradición hace remontar a san Lucas y a los Ángeles, está más cerca de la verdad de María que una imagen naturalista, que por necesidad, según sigue en la plana 108, es la de otra mujer

«one's ability to perceive the spiritual quality of an icon or any other symbol is a question of contemplative» — de qué hace depender la percepción de la cualidad espiritual de un icono, de la inteligencia contemplativa y, según sigue en la plana 109, de lo que llama ciencia sagrada

«the apparent intelligence of naturalism. on the other hand that is to say. its well-nigh satanic skill in copying Nature -and thus transmitting nothing but the» — el contraste con la inteligencia aparente del naturalismo, cuya habilidad para copiar la Naturaleza dice que transmite solo la cáscara hueca de los seres y las cosas, palabras que el troceo deja ya en la plana 110

«On the other hand the Virgins made by the hands of the people. when they have not been corrupted by the influence of academic art. are very much .. truer.'' even if it be only in a subjective way. than those of the latter.» — lo que dice de las Vírgenes hechas por manos del pueblo cuando no las corrompe el arte académico, más verdaderas aunque sea de modo subjetivo

«religious perspective as such has a tendency to identify itself with the moral point of view. which stresses merit only and believes it is necessary to ignore the sanctifying quality of intellectual knowledge and. as a result. the value of the supports of such knowledge» — a qué atribuye el abandono de las formas simbólicas: a que la perspectiva religiosa tiende a identificarse con el punto de vista moral, que solo atiende al mérito e ignora la cualidad santificante del conocimiento intelectual

«it is therefore only logical that symbolic forms. when they are no longer understood. should be relegated to the background. and even forsaken. in order to be replaced by forms that will no longer appeal to the intelligence. but only to a sentimental imagination capable of inspiring the meritorious act-at least such is the belief of the man of limited intelligence.» — y la lógica que le reconoce a ese reemplazo por formas que apelan a la imaginación sentimental, con la acotación de que tal es la creencia del hombre de inteligencia limitada

«However. this sort of speculative provocation of reactions by resorting to means of a superficial and vulgar nature will. in the last analysis. prove to be illusory. for. in reality. nothing can be better fitted to influence the deeper dispositions of the soul than sacred art» — la objeción que le hace: esa provocación de reacciones por medios superficiales resulta ilusoria, porque nada influye mejor en las disposiciones hondas del alma que el arte sagrado

«Profane art. on the contrary. even if it be of some psychological value in the case of souls of inferior intelligence. soon exhausts its means. by the very fact of their superficiality and vulgarity. after which it can only provoke reactions of contempt» — y lo que adjudica al arte profano, agotar pronto sus medios por su superficialidad y provocar después reacciones de desprecio

«In the same way. the hostility of the representatives of exoterism for all that lies beyond their comprehension results in an increasingly massive exoterism that cannot but suffer from fissures: but the spiritual .. porousness .. of religion-that is to say. the immanence in the substance of exoterism of a transcendent dimension that makes up for its massiveness-this state ofporousness having been lost the above-mentioned fissures could be produced only from below. which means in fact the replacement of the Masters of medieval esQterism by the protagonists of modern unbelief.» — en nota, Schuon traslada el mismo esquema al exoterismo hostil a cuanto lo excede, cuya masividad produce fisuras desde abajo al perderse lo que llama la porosidad espiritual de la religión

«Now. no matter what may be the theories that attribute to the people the need for an unintelligent and radically falsified imagery. the elite does exist and certainly needs something different: what it requires is an art that evokes. not human platitudes. but Divine depths.» — lo que reclama para la élite, un arte que evoque profundidades divinas y no trivialidades humanas

«Such a language cannot spring simply from profane taste. nor even from genius. but must proceed essentially out of religion-which demands that the work of art be executed by an artist who is saintly. or at least '"in a state of grace.» — y de dónde dice que ha de proceder ese lenguaje, de la religión, con la exigencia de que el artista sea santo o al menos esté en estado de gracia

«Far from serving only for the more or less superficial instruction and edification of the masses. the icon. as is the case with the Hindu yantra and all other visible symbols. establishes a bridge from the sensible to the spiritual: .. By the visible aspect." states StJohn Damascene . .. our thoughts must be drawn up in a spiritual flight and rise to the invisible majesty of God.» — la función que atribuye al icono, tender un puente de lo sensible a lo espiritual como el yantra hindú, apoyada en una frase de san Juan Damasceno

«The icon painters were monks who. before setting to work. prepared themselves by fasting. prayer. confession. and communion: it even happened that the colors were mixed with holy water and the dust from relics. as would not have been possible had the icon not possessed a truly sacramental character.» — en nota, Schuon describe la preparación de los pintores de iconos por ayuno, oración, confesión y comunión, y los colores mezclados con agua bendita y polvo de reliquias

«Art. as soon as it is no longer determined. illuminated. and guided by spirituality. lies at the mercy of the individual and purely psychic resources of the artist. and these resources must soon run out. if only because of the very platitude of the naturalistic principle that calls only for a superficial copying of Nature.» — lo que dice que le ocurre al arte cuando deja de estar guiado por la espiritualidad: queda a merced de los recursos psíquicos del artista, que pronto se agotan

«Reaching the extreme limit of its own platitude. naturalism inevitably engendered the monstrosities of surrealism. The latter is but the decomposing body of an~art and. in any case. should rather be called "infrarealism": it is. properly speaking. the satanic consequence of naturalistic luciferianism.» — lo que hace derivar del naturalismo llevado a su extremo, el surrealismo, que prefiere llamar infrarrealismo

«Normally man must imitate the creative act. not the thing created~ that is what is done by symbolic art. and the results are "creations" that are not would-be duplications of those of God but rather a reflection of them according to a real analogy. revealing the transcendental aspects of things~ and this revelation is the only sufficient reason of art.» — la norma que opone: imitar el acto creador y no la cosa creada, de donde salen creaciones que reflejan analógicamente y revelan los aspectos trascendentales de las cosas

«There is here a metaphysical inversion of relation that we have already pointed out: for God His creature reflects an exteriorized aspect of Himself~ for the artist. on the contrary. the work is a reflection of an inner reality of which he himself is only an outward aspect~ God creates His own image. while man. so to speak. fashions his own essence. at least symbolically.» — la inversión metafísica que señala: Dios crea su propia imagen y el hombre, por así decir, labra su propia esencia

«This explains the danger. so far as Semitic peoples are concerned. that lies in the painting and especially in the carving of living beings. Where the Hindu or the East Asian adores a Divine reality through a symbol-and it is to be remembered that a symbol is truly what it symbolizes as far as its essential reality is concerned-the Semite will display a tendency to deify the symbol itself; one of the reasons for the prohibition of plastic and pictorial arts amongst the Semitic peoples is certainly the intention to prevent naturalistic deviations. a very real danger among men whose mentality is predominantly individualistic and sentimental.» — en nota, Schuon explica por ahí la prohibición de las artes plásticas entre los pueblos semitas, con la tendencia que les atribuye a deificar el símbolo en vez de adorar por él

«It has been a matter of current experience that nothing is able to offer to irreligion a more immediately tangible nourishment than the insipid hypocrisy of religious images~ that which was meant to stimulate piety in the believer but serves to confirm unbelievers in their impiety» — lo que consigna como experiencia corriente: la hipocresía insípida de las imágenes religiosas alimenta la irreligión y confirma en su impiedad a los incrédulos; el tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie que el troceo intercala

«Naturalism. as a matter of fact is clearly luciferian in its wish to imitate the creations of God. not to mention its affirmation of the psychic element» — por qué llama luciferino al naturalismo: por querer imitar las creaciones de Dios y afirmar el elemento psíquico en detrimento de lo universal y del símbolo, según sigue el renglón en la plana 113

«On the principia! plane. the inner manifests itself in the outer. but on the manifested plane. the outer fashions the inner. and a sufficient reason for all traditional art. no matter of what kind. is the fact that in a certain sense the work is greater than the artist himsel( and brings back the latter. through the mystery of artistic creation. to the proximity of his own Divine Essence.» — la razón suficiente que asigna a todo arte tradicional: que en cierto sentido la obra sea mayor que el artista y lo devuelva a la proximidad de su Esencia Divina

«we propose to show in this chapter how the symbolic universality of each of these forms implies limitations in relation to universality in the absolute sense.» — Schuon anuncia la tesis del capítulo quinto: la universalidad simbólica de cada forma religiosa implica limitaciones respecto de la universalidad en sentido absoluto

«True affirmations. being concerned with sacred facts-such as. for example. the person of Christthat necessarily and by definition manifest universal truths. are liable to become false to a greater or lesser degree when artificially removed from their providential framework.» — la condición que pone: las afirmaciones verdaderas sobre hechos sagrados pueden volverse falsas en algún grado al sacarlas artificialmente de su marco providencial Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *Christthat* donde la fuente parte *Christ-that*.

«So far as Christianity is concerned this framework is the Western world in which Christ is ••the Life:· with the definite article and without epithet Modern disorder has destroyed this framework and humanity has outwardly expanded in an artificial or quantitative manner.» — dónde sitúa ese marco para el cristianismo, el mundo occidental, y a qué atribuye su destrucción, al desorden moderno y a una expansión cuantitativa

«As a result. some people refuse to admit other .. Christs:· while others arrive at the opposite conclusion and deny to Jesus the quality of Christ» — los dos errores simétricos que de ahí hace salir: negar otros Cristos o negar a Jesús la cualidad de Cristo

«The truth of the matter lies between the two opinions: our sun truly is .. the sun.," but it is unique solely in relation to the system of which it is the center, just as there are many solar systems. so there are many suns. but this does not prevent each being unique by definition.» — y dónde sitúa la verdad: el sol es el sol, único respecto del sistema del que es centro, sin que eso impida que haya muchos soles

«The sun., the lion., the eagle. the sunflower. honey. amber. gold are so many natural manifestations of the solar principle. each unique and symbolically absolute in its own domain~ the fact that they cease to be unique when detached from the limits that enclose these domains and make of them so many closed systems or microcosms. the relativity of their unicity being then revealed is in no way inconsistent with the fact that. within their respective domains and for these domains. these manifestations are really identified with the solar principle. clothing it in modes appropriate to the possibilities of the domain they belong to.» — la serie de manifestaciones naturales del principio solar que enumera, cada una única y simbólicamente absoluta en su dominio

«To state that Christ is not .. the Son of God" but only ··a Son of God" would thus be false. for the Word is unique and each of its manifestations essentially reflects this Divine unicity.» — la consecuencia que saca para la fórmula cristiana: sería falso decir un Hijo de Dios en vez del Hijo de Dios, porque el Verbo es único y cada manifestación suya refleja esa unicidad

«Certain passages of the New Testament contain indications that the ··world" in which Christ is .. the Sun" is identified with the Roman Empire. which represented the providential sphere of expansion and life for the Christian civilization.» — identifica el mundo en que Cristo es el Sol con el Imperio Romano, esfera providencial de expansión de la civilización cristiana

«When mention is made in these texts of .. every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5-11 ). it is in fact only nations known to the Roman world that are referred to» — la lectura que hace de la expresión toda nación bajo el cielo en los Hechos, referida solo a las naciones conocidas por el mundo romano

«unless. of course. the name .. Jesus" be understood as a symbolic designation of the Word Itself. which would imply that in the world there is one name only. the Word by which men can be saved whatever the Divine manifestation designated by this name in any particular case. or in other words. whatever the particular form of this eternal Name. b'e it .. Jesus:· .. Buddha." or any other.» — la salvedad que abre en la misma frase: si el nombre Jesús se entiende como designación simbólica del Verbo, entonces hay un solo Nombre por el que los hombres se salvan, cualquiera sea su forma

«This raises a question that cannot be passed over in silence, namely, whether the activity of missionaries working outside the predestined and normal world of Christianity is altogether illegitimate.» — la pregunta que dice no poder callar, si la actividad de los misioneros fuera del mundo cristiano es del todo ilegítima

«To this it must be answered that missionaries-although they have profited from abnormal circumstances inasmuch as Western expansion at the expense of other civilizations is due solely to a crushing material superiority arising out of the modern deviationfollow a way that possesses, at least in principle, a sacrificial aspect; consequently the subjective reality of this way will always retain its mystic meaning, independent of the objective reality of missionary activity.» — la respuesta que da, con la circunstancia anormal reconocida y el aspecto sacrificial que reconoce a la vía del misionero Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *deviationfollow* donde la fuente parte *deviation-follow*.

«The positive aspect that this activity derives from its evangelical origin cannot in fact entirely be lost merely through overstepping the boundaries of the Christian world-which indeed had been done before modern times, though in exceptional circumstances and under quite different conditions-and by encroaching upon worlds that. though not having the Christ Jesus, are ··christian" inasmuch as they have the Universal Christ who is the Word that inspires all Revelation, and therefore do not need conversion.» — y el argumento con que declara cristianos a los mundos que no tienen al Cristo Jesús pero sí al Cristo Universal, y que por eso no necesitan conversión

«But this positive aspect of missionary activity is only manifested in the objective world in more or less exceptional cases, as when the spiritual influence emanating from a saint or relic proves stronger than the force of an autochthonous spiritual influence weakened by the existing materialism of the local environment. or because Christianity is better suited to the particttlar mentality of certain individuals, which necessarily supposes a lack of comprehension by the latter of their own religio~ and the presence in them of aspirations, spiritual or otherwise. that Christianity under one form or another will satisfy.» — los casos excepcionales en que dice manifestarse ese aspecto positivo, con una influencia espiritual que vence a otra debilitada, o con individuos que no comprenden su propia religión

«Most of these remarks are of course also applicable in an inverse sense and in favor of non-Christian religions. with the difference, however, that in this case conversions are much more rare. for reasons not complimentary to the Wes» — la simetría que concede en favor de las religiones no cristianas, con las conversiones mucho más raras por razones que dice poco halagüeñas para Occidente

«Since the middle of the twentieth century. however. we have witnessed the phenomenon of an increasing number of Westerners turning to forms of Oriental spiritua)ity. authentic or false.» — en nota, Schuon consigna el fenómeno de un número creciente de occidentales vueltos a formas de espiritualidad oriental, y añade sin arbitrar que las haya auténticas y falsas

«As for the reservations that can be made in regard to missionary activity. it is important never to lose sight of the fact that they cannot concern its direct and evangelical aspect-except as regards the inevitable diminution and even the decadence of this aspect itself. due to the abnormal circumstances already referred to-but simply and solely its active solidarity with modem Western barbarism.» — dónde acota su reserva a la actividad misionera: no en su aspecto evangélico directo sino en su solidaridad activa con lo que llama la barbarie occidental moderna

«We will take this opportunity of pointing out that the East was already in a state of great decadence at the time when Western expansion began. though this decadence can by no means be compared with the decadence of the modem West. the nature of which is. in certain secondary respects at least. the very reverse of that of Eastern decadence.» — consigna que Oriente ya estaba en gran decadencia al empezar la expansión occidental, y distingue esa decadencia de la del Occidente moderno

«Whereas the latter is passive and may be compared to the decay of a physical organism worn out with age. the specifically modern decadence is. on the contrary. active and voluntary. cerebral. so to speak. and it is this that gives to the Westerner the illusion of a superiority that. even if it really exists on a certain psychological plane by reason of the difference we have just mentioned. is nonetheless very relative and disappears altogether when contrasted with the spiritual superiority of the East.» — cómo distingue las dos: pasiva la oriental, como un organismo gastado por la edad, y activa, voluntaria y cerebral la moderna

«It could also be said that the decadence of the East is based on inertia. while that of the West is based on error~ the only thing that links the two together is the common predominance of the passional element. and it is in fact the predominance of this element that. in the human sphere. characterizes the Dark Age in which the whole world is immersed and that was foretold by all the sacred doctrines.» — la reformulación que añade, inercia frente a error, con el elemento pasional como único lazo y como rasgo de la Edad Oscura

«In the eyes of the East when faithful to its own spirit. the .. progress" of Westerners will never be anything but a vicious circle that vainly seeks to eliminate inevitable miseries at the cost of the only thing that gives any meaning to life.» — cómo dice que Oriente ve el progreso occidental, un círculo vicioso que busca eliminar miserias inevitables al precio de lo único que da sentido a la vida

«The fact that it may be legitimate to pass from one religious form to another in no way prevents a real apostasy in certain cases: an apostate is one who changes from one religious form to another without valid reason~ on the other hand when a conversion takes place from one orthodox religion to another. the reasons invoked have at least a subjective validity.» — la distinción que traza entre apostasía y conversión: apóstata es quien cambia de forma religiosa sin razón válida

«It goes without saying that it is possible to pass from one religious form to another without being converted which may happen for reasons of esoteric. and therefore spiritual. expediency~ in this case. the reasons determining such a passage will be objectively as well as subjectively valid. or rather it will no longer be possible to speak of subjective reasons in any sense.» — y el tercer caso que añade, pasar de una forma a otra sin convertirse, por conveniencia esotérica, con razones que declara objetiva y subjetivamente válidas

«We have already seen that the attitude of exoterism relative to alien religious forms is determined by two factors. one positive and the other negative. the first being the character of unicity inherent in every Revelation. and the second. which is an extrinsic consequence of this unicity. the rejection of a particular» — los dos factores con que explica la actitud del exoterismo ante las formas ajenas, la unicidad inherente a toda Revelación y el rechazo de un paganismo particular

«So far as Christianity is concerned. it \~ sufficient to situate it within its normal limits of expansion-which. apart from rare exceptions. it would never have overstepped but for the modern deviation -to understand that these two factors are not literally applicable outside their quasi-natural limits» — lo que sigue de situar al cristianismo en sus límites normales de expansión: los dos factores dejan de ser literalmente aplicables fuera de ellos

«It is as though certain persons. when faced with the discovery of other solar systems. continued to maintain the view that there is only one sun, our own. whereas others. perceiving that our sun is not the only one. denied that it was a sun and» — la analogía de los sistemas solares con que describe los dos errores; el renglón sigue en la plana 115

«In the first place, the East possesses no colonies or ... protectorates" in the West and does not maintain powerfully protected missions there» — la primera razón que da, que Oriente no tiene colonias ni protectorados en Occidente ni misiones poderosamente protegidas; el renglón sigue en la plana 117 con la segunda, el paso de los occidentales a la incredulidad

«If this difference in the modes of decadence explains. on the one hand the contempt that many Westerners experience on meeting certain Orientalsa contempt that unfortunately is not always the result of» — el reparto de desprecios y admiraciones que saca de esa diferencia; el tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie que el troceo intercala y sigue en la plana 118 Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *Orientalsa* donde la fuente parte *Orientals-a*.

«mere prejudice as is the case where hatred of the traditional East is concerned-and on the other. the blind admiration that too many Orientals have for certain positive elements in the Western mentality. it also goes without saying that the contempt of the old East for the modern West is justified in a way that is not merely psychological. and therefore relative and debatable. but on the contrary complete and total. because it is founded on spiritual reasons that alone are decisive.» — la continuación en la plana siguiente, con la admiración ciega de muchos orientales y el desprecio del viejo Oriente por el Occidente moderno que declara total por fundarse en razones espirituales

«It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the literal meaning of the Divine sayings concerning human contingencies is by definition a limited meaning~ that is to say, it stops short at the confines of the particular realm to which it is destined to apply in accordance with the Divine intentionthe criterion of which resides fundamentally in the very nature of things. at least under normal conditions-and it is the purely spiritual meaning alone that is able to lay claim to absoluteness.» — sostiene que el sentido literal de las palabras divinas sobre contingencias humanas es limitado por definición, y que solo el sentido espiritual puede reclamar absolutez Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *intentionthe* donde la fuente parte *intention-the*.

«The injunction to .. teach all nations" is no exception. any more than are other sayings where the natural limitation of their literal meaning is obvious to everyone, doubtless because there is no advantage to be gained by conferring an unconditional meaning upon them: examples that come to mind are the commandment against killing. or the instruction to turn the left cheek. or that against using vain repetitions in prayer. and finally the command to take no thought for the morrow.» — los ejemplos con que compara el mandato de enseñar a todas las naciones: el precepto contra matar, la mejilla izquierda, las vanas repeticiones en la oración y no pensar en el mañana

«Nevertheless, the Divine Master never specified in so many words the limits within which these injunctions were valid so that logically their bearing might be considered to be unconditional. as it is in the case of the injunction to .. teach all nations.» — y la acotación que añade: el Maestro Divino no fijó con palabras los límites de esos preceptos, de modo que lógicamente su alcance podría tenerse por incondicional

«In order to define clearly the difference between the primary meaning of this command and its secondary meaning. we will recall the distinction already drawn earlier on. namely. that in the first case the end is primarily objective. since it is a question of establishing the Christian world while in the second case. that of preaching to people of alien civilizations. the end is primarily subjective and spiritual. in the sense that its inward aspect is more important than its outward one. which here is only a support for sacrificial realization.» — la distinción que traza entre un fin primariamente objetivo, establecer el mundo cristiano, y uno primariamente subjetivo y espiritual en la predicación a civilizaciones ajenas

«By way of objection the following words of Christ may no doubt be quoted: .. This Gospel of the Kingdom will be taught among all men. as a testimony to all nations~ then the end will come» — la objeción que se plantea con las palabras de Cristo sobre el Evangelio predicado a todas las naciones antes del fin

«but the answer is that if these words refer to the whole world and not just to the West. it is because they are not a command but a prophecy. and because they relate to cyclic conditions in which separating barriers between the different traditional worlds will have disappeared~ in other words. we can say that ··christ." who for the Hindus will be the Kalki Avatiira and for theBuddhists the Bodhisattva Maitreya. will restore the Primordial Tradition.» — y su respuesta: no son mandato sino profecía, referida a condiciones cíclicas sin barreras entre mundos tradicionales, con el Cristo que llama Kalki Avatara para los hindúes y Bodhisattva Maitreya para los budistas

«It must be added that the claim of Hinduism to universality, in conformity with the metaphysical and contemplative nature of this religion, is marked by a serenity not to be found in the Western theological outlook.» — lo que distingue en la pretensión de universalidad del hinduismo, una serenidad que dice no hallarse en la mirada teológica occidental

«The conception of Saniitana Dharma, the "'Eternal [or Primordial] Law," is static and not dynamic, in the sense that it is an acknowledgment of fact and not an aspiration as in the case of the corresponding Semitic conceptions» — cómo caracteriza el Sanatana Dharma, la Ley Eterna o Primordial: estática y no dinámica, reconocimiento de un hecho y no aspiración como en las concepciones semíticas

«the latter have their root in the idea that it is necessary to bring to mankind the true faith it does not yet possess, while, according to the Hindu conception. the Brahmanic tradition is the original Truth and Law that others no longer possess. either because what they have is only a fragment or because they have altered it. or even replaced it by errors» — el contraste que desarrolla: llevar a la humanidad la fe verdadera que aún no posee, frente a la tradición brahmánica como Verdad original que otros ya no poseen

«there is nevertheless no point in converting them, because. even though fallen from the Saniitana Dharma. they are not thereby excluded from salvation. being simply in spiritual conditions less favorable than those of the Hindus.» — y la consecuencia que saca: no hay para qué convertirlos, porque caídos del Sanatana Dharma no quedan excluidos de la salvación

«From the Hindu standpoint. there is nothing in principle to prevent .. barbarians" from being yogis or even Avatiiras; in fact Hindus venerate without distinction Moslem, Buddhist. and Christian saints. and indeed were it otherwise the term Mleccha Avatiira (""Divine Descent among the Barbarians") would be meaningless» — lo que dice que el punto de vista hindú no impide, que barbaros sean yoguis o Avataras, y el término Mleccha Avatara que aduce como prueba

«Monotheists are "The People of the Book" (ahl al-Kitiib). that is to say, Jews and Christians who have received Revelations in the spiritual line of Abraham. It seems almost superfluous to add that the Hindus. though not "monotheists" in the specifically Semitic sense. are certainly not "polytheists." since consciousness of metaphysical Unity throughout the indefinite multiplicity of forms is one of the most outstanding characteristics of the Hindu spirit» — en nota, Schuon define a los monoteístas como Gentes del Libro y niega que los hindúes sean politeístas, con la consciencia de la Unidad metafísica en la multiplicidad de formas como rasgo del espíritu hindú

«There has even been an "untouchable" in the south oflndia who was an Avatiira of Shiva, namely. the great spiritual master Tiruvalluvar. the "Divine:· whose memory is still venerated in Tamil country. and who has left an inspired book. the Kural.» — en otra nota, Schuon consigna a un intocable del sur de la India a quien llama Avatara de Shiva, el maestro Tiruvalluvar, y su libro inspirado

«The equivalent of the Hindu conception of Saniitana Dharma is to be found in certain passages of the Koran that state that there is no people to whom God has not sent a Prophet the exoteric induction according to which all other peoples have rejected or forgotten their own particular Revelation has no foundation in the Koran itsel» — y el equivalente coránico que halla del Sanatana Dharma, los pasajes según los cuales no hay pueblo a quien Dios no haya enviado un Profeta, con la inducción exotérica contraria declarada sin fundamento en el Corán

«In this connection it might be asked whether the penetration by Islam onto the soil oflndia should not be regarded as an illegitimate encroachment from a religious point of view. and the same question arises regarding those parts of China and Southeast Asia that have become Moslem.» — la pregunta que se plantea sobre la penetración del islam en suelo de la India y en partes de China y del sudeste asiático

«but at a certain cyclic moment this primordiality. impregnated as it is with contemplative serenity. was overshadowed by the increasingly marked preponderance of the passional element in the general mentality. in accordance with the law of decline that governs every cycle of terrestrial humanity.» — y el momento cíclico en que dice que esa primordialidad quedó eclipsada por la preponderancia del elemento pasional, conforme a la ley de declive de todo ciclo

«One of the signs of this obscuration is the literal interpretation of symbolic texts on transmigration. which gives rise to the reincamationist theory: this same literalism. when applied to sacred images. gives rise to idolatry.» — en nota, Schuon adjudica a ese oscurecimiento la lectura literal de los textos simbólicos sobre la transmigración, que nombra teoría reencarnacionista, y la idolatría por el mismo literalismo aplicado a las imágenes

«Were it not for this "pagan" aspect. which in practice taints the cult of many Hindus oflower caste. Islam could not have made so deep an impression in the Hindu world.» — y lo que hace depender de ese aspecto que llama pagano en el culto de muchos hindúes de casta baja, la hondura de la impresión que el islam pudo causar

«If. in order to defend the reincarnationist interpretations of the Hindu Scriptures. reliance is placed on the literal sense of the texts. it would be only logical to interpret everything therein in a literal way. and one would then arrive not only at a crude anthropomorphism. but also at a crude and monstrous adoration of sensory nature. whether in the shape of elements. animals. or objects: the fact that many Hindus do interpret the symbolism of transmigration according to the letter proves nothing else than an intellectual decadence. almost normal in the Kali-yuga. and foreseen by the Scriptures.» — el argumento que opone: si se defiende la lectura reencarnacionista por el sentido literal habría que leerlo todo así, y se llegaría a un antropomorfismo crudo y a la adoración de la naturaleza sensible

«Moreover. in Western religions also. texts on posthumous conditions should not be understood literally: for example. the ''fire" of hell is not a physical fire. the "bosom of Abraham" is not his corporeal bosom. the "feast" of which Christ speaks is not made up of terrestrial foods» — la simetría que aplica a las religiones occidentales, con el fuego del infierno, el seno de Abraham y el banquete evangélico leídos como no literales

«it is necessary to understand that each of these alien religious forms can also lay claim to this unicity and this right to deny .. paganism," which amounts to saying that each one. by its intrinsic orthodoxy. is a form of what in Christian language is called the» — lo que pide entender: cada forma religiosa ajena puede reclamar también esa unicidad y ese derecho a negar el paganismo, siendo por su ortodoxia intrínseca una forma de lo que el lenguaje cristiano llama Iglesia Eterna

«If it be true that the command to teach all nations cannot be read as being absolutely limited in its purpose to the establishment of the Christian world but also implies.» — cómo reparte los dos sentidos del mandato: el establecimiento del mundo cristiano en primer término y, según sigue en la plana 120, la predicación a todos los pueblos al alcance en modo secundario

«Moslem expansion. for example. is necessarily confined within analogous limits and for the same reasons.» — la simetría que aplica al islam: su expansión queda confinada dentro de límites análogos y por las mismas razones

«Accordingly. although the Arabian polytheists were given the alternative of Islam or death. this principle was abandoned» — el ejemplo con que lo apoya: la alternativa de islam o muerte impuesta a los politeístas árabes se abandonó, según sigue en la plana 121, al dejar atrás las fronteras de Arabia

«thus the Hindus, who moreover are not monotheists,* although governed by Moslem monarchs for several centuries, were never subjected after their conquest to the alternative imposed not long before upon the Arab pagans.» — y el caso de los hindúes, gobernados por monarcas musulmanes durante siglos y nunca sujetos a esa alternativa; el tramo salta la llamada de nota que el troceo deja pegada

«but it is considered that among non-Hindus saintliness will no doubt occur much more rarely than within» — el límite que consigna: se tiene por mucho más rara la santidad fuera del Sanatana Dharma, cuyo santuario último sitúa, ya en la plana 122, en la tierra santa de la India

«if Hinduism has always adapted itself. as regards its spiritual life. to the cyclic conditions that it has had to face in the course of its historical existence. it has nevertheless always preserved its essentially primordial character.» — lo que sostiene del hinduismo: adaptado en su vida espiritual a las condiciones cíclicas y conservado siempre su carácter esencialmente primordial

«Hinduism thus came to lose some of its actuality or vitality in the gradual process of moving away from its origins. and neither spiritual readaptations such as the advent of the tantric and "bhaktic .. ways. nor social readaptations such as the splitting up of the castes already referred to. sufficed to eliminate the disproportion between» — la desproporción que describe entre la primordialidad de la religión y una mentalidad ligada a las pasiones, que dice no eliminada ni por las vías tántrica y bhaktica ni por el fraccionamiento de las castas; el renglón sigue en la plana 123

«Each of these two realities was bound to have its own consequences in the exterior world: the consequence of the vitality of Hinduism was the invincible resistance that it put up to Buddhism and Islam. while the consequence of its enfeeblement was. firstly. the Buddhist wave that came only to depart and secondly. the expansion. and particularly the stabilization. of the Islamic civilization on the soil of India.» — el reparto de consecuencias que hace de la vitalidad y del debilitamiento del hinduismo: la resistencia invencible a budismo e islam por un lado, y por el otro la ola budista que se fue y la estabilización de la civilización islámica en suelo de la India

«But the presence of Islam in India can be explained not only by the fact that being the youngest of the great Revelations.* it is better adapted than Hinduism to the general conditions of the last millennium of the Dark Age-or in other words. by the fact that it takes better into account the preponderance of the element of passion in the souls of men» — la primera explicación que da a la presencia del islam en la India, que por ser la más joven de las grandes Revelaciones se adapta mejor a las condiciones del último milenio de la Edad Oscura

«Islam is the last Revelation of the present cycle of terrestrial humanity. just as Hinduism represents the Primordial Tradition. though without identifying itself with it purely and simply. being in fact merely its most direct branch: consequently between these two religious forms there is a cyclic or cosmic relationship that as such. is in no way fortuitous.» — en nota, Schuon fija la relación cíclica entre las dos formas: el islam como última Revelación del ciclo y el hinduismo como la Tradición Primordial, sin identificarse con ella y siendo su rama más directa

«In the first place. the collectivity will be pierced. as it were. by exceptions. and this process will run parallel with its quantitative growth. as if the qualitative (or .. sattvic." conforming to pure Being) element within the collectivity were concentrated on particular cases by a compensatory effect of the quantitative expansion» — el primer modo de esa compensación: la colectividad perforada por excepciones, con el elemento cualitativo concentrado en casos particulares

«and secondly. because of the saine cosmic law of compensation. the spiritual means will become more and more easy for those who are qualified and whose aspirations are serious.» — y el segundo, los medios espirituales cada vez más fáciles para los cualificados de aspiraciones serias. El impreso escribe saine por same

«These considerations will make it possible to understand the positive and providential function of Islam in India~ first of alL it is there to absorb elements that. owing to the new cyclic conditions referred to above. are no longer in their proper place in the Hindu religion-we are thinking more particularly of elements belonging to the higher castes. the Dwijas-and secondly. to absorb those elements of the elite that are to be found among the lower castes. who are thus rehabilitated in a kind of primordial indifferentiation.» — la función que llama positiva y providencial del islam en la India: absorber elementos de las castas altas fuera de lugar en las nuevas condiciones y la élite de las castas bajas

«the reason for this is that the lowest caste. though but a part in the beginning. has become a whole toward the end of the cycle. and this whole is comparable to a social totality: the higher elements of this totality have become. so to speak. normal exceptions.» — la razón que da: la casta más baja, parte al principio, se ha vuelto un todo hacia el fin del ciclo, y sus elementos altos han pasado a ser excepciones normales

«It must, however. be emphasized. in order to avoid misunderstanding. that from the collective and hereditary standpoint the elite among the lower castes remain .. exceptions that prove the rule:· and for this reason cannot legitimately mingle with the higher castes. though this does not prevent their being individually qualified to follow the ways normally reserved for the noble castes.» — la salvedad que subraya: la élite de las castas bajas sigue siendo excepción que confirma la regla y no puede mezclarse legítimamente con las castas altas, aunque individualmente esté cualificada para sus vías

«Thus the system of castes. which for thousands of years has been a factor of equilibrium. necessarily reveals certain fissures at the end of the mahii-yuga. like the disequilibrium of the terrestrial environment itself.» — lo que dice del sistema de castas: factor de equilibrio durante milenios y con fisuras al final del maha-yuga, como el desequilibrio del propio entorno terrestre

«As regards the positive aspect implied by these fissures. it arises from the same cosmic law of compensation that Ibn ·Arabi had in mind when he saidin accordance. moreover. with various sayings of the Prophet -that at the end of time the flames of hell would grow cold» — el aspecto positivo que ve en esas fisuras, por la misma ley cósmica de compensación que atribuye a Ibn Arabi y a dichos del Profeta sobre las llamas del infierno enfriándose al fin de los tiempos Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *saidin* donde la fuente parte *said-in*.

«All that has just been said naturally applies to humanity as a whole and not only to the Hindu castes~ and as for the fissures the existence of which we have noted in the outer structure of Hinduism. quite analogous phenomena appear in one degree or another in every traditional form.» — el alcance que da a todo eso: vale para la humanidad entera, y fenómenos análogos a esas fisuras aparecen en toda forma tradicional

«With regard to the functional analogy between Buddhism and Islam in relation to Hinduism-the two first-menti<ftled religions having the same negative and the same positive role in relation to the latter-Buddhists. whether Mahayanist or Hinayanist. are fully aware of it. for they see in the Moslem invasions of India a punishment for the persecutions that they themselves had to suffer at the hands of the Hindus.» — la analogía funcional que traza entre budismo e islam respecto del hinduismo, y la lectura que atribuye a los budistas de las invasiones musulmanas como castigo por las persecuciones sufridas

«This duality is prefigured in the very name of .. Jesus Christ"": .. Jesus"-like .. Gotama" and .. Mohammed" -indicates the limited and relative aspect of the manifestation of the Spirit. and denotes the support of this manifestation~ "Christ""-like .. Buddha" and .. Rasul Allah"-indicates the Universal Reality of this same manifestation. that is to say. the Word as such» — la dualidad de sentidos que lee en el nombre mismo de Jesucristo, con Jesús, Gotama y Mahoma por el soporte limitado y Cristo, Buda y Rasul Allah por la Realidad Universal

«and this duality of aspects is likewise found in the distinction between the human and Divine natures of Christ. though the viewpoint of theology does not permit of all the consequences being drawn from this distinction.» — y dónde la reencuentra, en la distinción entre las naturalezas humana y divina de Cristo, con el límite que pone al punto de vista teológico

«Now if the Apostles conceived Christ and their mission in an absolute sense. it must not be assumed that the reason for this lies in some intellectual limitation on their part. and it is necessary to take into account the fact that in the Roman world Christ and His Church possessed a unique and therefore .. relatively absolute» — por qué los Apóstoles concibieron a Cristo y su misión en sentido absoluto: no por limitación intelectual sino porque en el mundo romano Cristo y su Iglesia tenían carácter único

«the cyclic decline brings with it a quasi-general obscuration. which goes hand in hand with a more or less considerable growth of population. particularly at the lower levels~ but this decadence implies a complementary and compensatory cosmic tendency that will act within the social collectivity for the purpose of restoring. at least symbolically. the original quality.» — la segunda explicación, por una tendencia cósmica compensatoria que el declive cíclico implica y que obra dentro de la colectividad

«This law comes into play because the human cycle for which the castes are valid is nearing its end and for this reason the compensation in» — el alcance que le da a esa compensación; el troceo corta aquí al reemitir la plana 124 y la frase sigue en la 125 restaurando simbólicamente la humanidad anterior a la institución de las castas

«Islam. with the synthetic simplicity of its form and spiritual means. is an instrument providentially adapted to close up certain fissures appearing in more ancient and archaic civilizations. and to attract and neutralize by its presence the germs of subversion contained in these fissures. and it is in this way-but in this way only-that the domains of these civilizations have partially entered into the providential sphere of Islamic expansion.» — la figura con que describe la función del islam: un instrumento adaptado para cerrar ciertas fisuras de civilizaciones más antiguas y neutralizar los gérmenes de subversión que contienen

«The Brahmanic possibility must in the end be manifested in all the castes. including even the Shudras. not merely in a purely analogous way. as has always been the case. but on the contrary. directly» — el otro ángulo desde el que examina lo mismo: la posibilidad brahmánica manifestándose al final en todas las castas, aun entre los shudras, y no ya por analogía sino directamente

«The lower castes. who have become very numerous. now in fact constitute a whole people and consequently embrace every human possibility» — el contraste que cierra ese punto, con las castas bajas vueltas un pueblo entero que abarca toda posibilidad humana

«For example. the difference between two errors can only be relative. at least from the standpoint of their falsity. one being merely more false-or less false-than the other. on the other hand. the difference between error and truth will be absolute. but in a relative way only. that is to say. without going beyond the realm of relativities. since error. being only a more or less pronounced negation of truth cannot be absolutely independent of the latter~ in other words. error. not being anything positive in itself. cannot be opposed to truth as one equal to another and as an independent reality.» — el ejemplo con que gradúa lo relativamente absoluto: la diferencia entre dos errores es relativa y la que hay entre error y verdad es absoluta solo dentro del reino de las relatividades

«This makes it possible to understand why there cannot be such a thing as the "absolutely relative": the latter would be pure nothingness. and as such could have no kind of existence.» — y lo que de ahí saca: no puede haber un absolutamente relativo, que sería pura nada

«in other words. the principia!. metaphysical. and symbolic unicity ofChrist. of the Redemption. and of the Church was necessarily expressed by a unicity of fact on the terrestrial plane.» — cómo explica la unicidad de hecho de Cristo y de la Iglesia en el mundo romano, como expresión de una unicidad principial, metafísica y simbólica

«If the Apostles were not called upon to. formulate the metaphysical limits that every fact carries with it by definition. and if in consequence they were not called upon to take account of religious universality on the ground of facts. this does not mean that their spiritual Science did not include knowledge of this universality in principle. even though this knowledge was not actualized as regards possible applications to determined contingencies.» — el deslinde que hace sobre los Apóstoles: que no formularan los límites metafísicos de los hechos no significa que su Ciencia espiritual no incluyera en principio el conocimiento de la universalidad religiosa

«For example. an eye capable of seeing a circle is capable of seeing all forms. even though they may not be present and the eye is looking only at the circle.» — la analogía del ojo con que lo ilustra

«The question of knowing what the Apostles or Christ himself would have said had they met a being such as the Buddha is quite pointless. for things of this kind never happen. since they would be contrary to cosmic laws: perhaps it is not too much to say that no one has ever heard of meetings taking place between great saints belonging to different civilizations.» — por qué declara ociosa la pregunta de qué habrían dicho los Apóstoles o Cristo ante un ser como el Buda: cosas así no ocurren por ser contrarias a las leyes cósmicas

«In the world destined to receive their radiation. the Apostles were. by definition. a unique group. Even if the presence in their sphere of action of Essen ian. Pythagorean. or other initiates must be admitted. the inconspicuous light of these very small minorities must necessarily have been drowned in the radiance of the light of Christ. and the Apostles were not concerned with these few men who were ""whole." for "T'"am not come to call the righteous. but sinners» — lo que dice de los Apóstoles como grupo único en el mundo destinado a su irradiación, con la luz de minorías esenias o pitagóricas ahogada en la de Cristo y con el versículo sobre los justos y los pecadores

«it may be noted that according to a rather enigmatic passage from the Acts of the Apostles ( 16:6-8). Saint Paul. who for Christianity was the primordial architect of expansion. as Omar was at a later date for Islam. avoided penetrating into the providential domain of this last form of Revelation.» — el pasaje de los Hechos que lee como delimitación providencial: san Pablo, arquitecto primordial de la expansión cristiana como Omar lo fue después del islam, evitando penetrar en el dominio de esa última Revelación

«Lastly. the fact that the province where this intervention of the Spirit occurred was called .. Asia" adds further to the symbolical significance of the circumstances in question.» — el detalle con que cierra la lectura del episodio: la provincia donde ocurrió esa intervención del Espíritu se llamaba Asia

«The transcendent unity of the religious forms is illustrated in a particularly instructive manner by the reciprocal relationships existing between the three great so-called "monotheistic" religions. and this is precisely because these three religions alone present themselves in the form of irreconcilable exoterisms.» — Schuon abre el capítulo sexto diciendo que las relaciones entre las tres grandes religiones llamadas monoteístas ilustran la unidad trascendente, y precisamente por presentarse ellas solas como exoterismos irreconciliables

«First of all. however. it is necessary to make a clear distinction between what may be called symbolical truth and objective truth.» — la distinción que declara previa, entre verdad simbólica y verdad objetiva

«These arguments are "symbolically true." in the sense that the rejected forms are considered not in themselves and from the standpoint of their intrinsic truth but solely in certain contingent and negative aspects that are due to a partial decadence» — cómo llama simbólicamente verdaderos los argumentos del cristianismo contra el judaísmo y del budismo contra el hinduismo: las formas rechazadas no se consideran en sí mismas sino en aspectos contingentes y negativos

«If a new Revelation may thus justifiably depreciate religious values of an earlier origin. it is because it is independent of these values and has no need of them. since it possesses equivalent values of its own and is therefore entirely self-sufficient» — la razón que da para que una Revelación nueva deprecie con justicia valores anteriores: es independiente de ellos y posee valores equivalentes propios

«This truth likewise applies within one and the same religious form. for instance. with respect to the antinomy between the Latin and Greek Churches~ the schism is a contingency that can in no way affect the intrinsic and essential reality of the two Churches.» — la aplicación que hace del mismo principio al cisma entre la Iglesia latina y la griega, contingencia que declara sin efecto sobre la realidad esencial de las dos

«The schism in question is not. moreover. any more than the Moslem schism that gave birth to Shiite Islam. due solely to the will of individuals. whatever the appearances may be. but springs from the very nature of the religion that it divides outwardly. though not inwardly.» — y a qué atribuye ese cisma y el musulmán que dio origen al islam chií: no a la voluntad de individuos sino a la naturaleza misma de la religión que divide por fuera

«Monotheism. which embraces the Jewish. Christian. and Islamic religions. is essentially based on a dogmatic conception of the Divine Unity» — dónde pone la base del monoteísmo que abarca las tres religiones, una concepción dogmática de la Unidad Divina

«If we speak of this conception as being dogmatic. this is to indicate that it is accompanied by an exclusion of every other point of view. failing which an exoteric application. which is the justification for all dogmas. would not be possible.» — por qué la llama dogmática: va acompañada de la exclusión de todo otro punto de vista, sin la cual no sería posible su aplicación exotérica

«The fact that certain data from the Scriptures are interpreted unilaterally by the representatives of exoterism proves that their limitative speculations are not entirely disinterested. as has already been shown in the chapter on exoterism. In facl the esoteric interpretation of a Revelation is admitted by exoterism whenever it serves to confirm the latter. and it is. on the contrary. arbitrarily passed over whenever it might prove harmful to that outward dogmatism that is the refuge of sentimental individualism.» — en nota, Schuon adjudica interés a la lectura unilateral de los datos escriturarios: la interpretación esotérica se admite cuando confirma al exoterismo y se pasa por alto cuando lo perjudica

«Again. according to St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (3:27-4: 17). man is justified by faith and not by works: however. according to the General Epistle of St. James (2: 1$-26). man is justified by works and not by faith alone: both cite Abraham as an example.» — el par de textos que contrapone en esa nota, la justificación por la fe de la Epístola a los Romanos y la justificación por las obras de la de Santiago, con Abraham citado en las dos

«If these two texts had belonged to different religions. or even to two reciprocally schismatic branches of a single religion. the theologians on either side would no doubt have set about proving their incompatibility: but since they belong to one and the same religion. efforts are made. on the contrary. to prove their perfect compatibility.» — y la asimetría que señala: entre religiones distintas los teólogos probarían la incompatibilidad, y dentro de una misma religión se esfuerzan por probar la compatibilidad perfecta

«There are two alternatives: either it must be admitted that God really contradicts Himself. in which case no Revelation will be accepted: or else it must be admitted. since there is no other choice. that the contradictions are but an appearance. but then there will be no further justification for rejecting a foreign Revelation simply because at first sight it appears to be in contradiction with the Revelation of which the validity is admitted a priori.» — la disyuntiva con que cierra esa nota: o Dios se contradice y no se acepta Revelación alguna, o las contradicciones son aparentes y entonces no cabe rechazar una Revelación ajena por parecer contradictoria

«The monotheistic religion belonged originally to the entire nomadic branch of the Semitic group, a branch that, having issued from Abraham. was subdivided into two secondary branches. one issuing from Isaac and the other from Ishmael and it was not until the time of Moses that monotheism took a Judaic form» — el origen que atribuye a la religión monoteísta, la rama nómada del grupo semita salida de Abraham y subdividida por Isaac e Ismael, con la forma judaica llegada solo con Moisés

«but this adaptation. however necessary and providential it may have been. was also bound to lead to a restriction of the outward form. owing to the "particularist" tendency inherent in each people.» — y el costo que le reconoce a esa adaptación, una restricción de la forma exterior por la tendencia particularista de todo pueblo

«It may thus be said that Judaism annexed monotheism and made it the possession of Israel. with the result that under this form the heritage of Abraham was henceforth inseparable from all the secondary adaptations and all the ritual and social consequences implicit in the Mosaic Law.» — la fórmula con que lo dice: el judaísmo anexó el monoteísmo y lo hizo posesión de Israel, con la herencia de Abraham ya inseparable de las consecuencias rituales y sociales de la Ley mosaica

«As a result of being thus canalized and crystallized in Judaism. monotheism acquired a historical character. though the word "historical"' should not here be understood exclusively in its ordinary outward meaning. which would be incompatible with the sacred nature of Israel.» — el carácter histórico que de ahí le viene al monoteísmo, con la salvedad de que la palabra histórico no se tome en su sentido exterior ordinario

«It is this absorption of the original religion by the Jewish people that makes it permissible to distinguish outwardly the monotheism of Moses from that of the Patriarchs. though such a distinction does not. of course. concern the domain of doctrine.» — lo que permite distinguir por fuera el monoteísmo de Moisés del de los Patriarcas, con el límite de que la distinción no toca a la doctrina

«The historical character of Judaism. owing to its very nature. had a consequence that was not inherent in the original monotheism-not. at least. in the same form. This was the Messianic idea. and this idea is accordingly linked to the Mosaic Tradition.» — la consecuencia que hace derivar de ese carácter histórico, la idea mesiánica, ligada a la Tradición mosaica y no al monoteísmo original

«We may say. therefore. that Christianity in its turn absorbed all the doctrinal heritage of monotheism into the affirmation of the Messiah. and that it was entirely within its rights in doing so-if one may thus express it-since it was the legitimate fruition of the Judaic form.» — el papel que asigna al cristianismo en el ciclo monoteísta: absorber la herencia doctrinal del monoteísmo en la afirmación del Mesías, por ser la fructificación legítima de la forma judaica

«The Messiah. having to realize in His own person the Divine Will from which monotheism issued. necessarily transcended a form that was incapable of allowing the latter to realize its mission fully.» — por qué el Mesías tenía que trascender la forma judaica: para realizar en su persona la Voluntad Divina de la que el monoteísmo salió

«These affirmations clearly indicate a direct identity between the Messiah and God. and show that a Christianity that denies the Divinity of Christ denies the reason for its own existence.» — y lo que saca de esas afirmaciones: un cristianismo que niegue la Divinidad de Cristo niega la razón de su propia existencia

«It is here that Islam enters in. and it remains for us to consider its position and significance in the monotheistic cycle.» — y ahí sitúa la entrada del islam, cuya posición en el ciclo monoteísta anuncia que va a considerar

«We wish to state clearly that ifwe make use of specific examples instead of keeping to principles and generalities. this is never with the intention of convincing opponents whose minds are already made up. but simply to enable those who wish to understand to get a glimpse of certain aspects of reality: it is for the latter alone that we are writing. and we decline to enter into polemics that would have no interest for our eventual contradictors or for oursel» — en nota, Schuon declara para qué usa ejemplos concretos, no para convencer a opositores sino para quien quiera entender, y rehúsa la polémica. El impreso pega dos palabras y corta la última

«the rejection of the Veda therefore corresponds to a truth insofar as this Scripture is viewed exclusively as the symbol of a sterile erudition that was widespread in the time of Buddha. and the rejection by St Paul» — el primer ejemplo con que lo aplica, el rechazo del Veda leído como rechazo de una erudición estéril extendida en tiempos del Buda; el renglón sigue en la plana 131 con el rechazo de la Ley judía por san Pablo

«The same considerations do not. of course. apply in the case of heresies. which divide the religion both inwardly and outwardly-though unable to effect a real division. since error is not a part of truth-and which instead of merely being incompatible on the formal plane with other aspects of a self-same truth. are false in themselves.» — el deslinde que hace con las herejías, que dividen por dentro y por fuera y son falsas en sí mismas, con el paréntesis de que no efectúan división real porque el error no es parte de la verdad

«it was Moses who. at a time when the religion of Abraham was growing dim among the Ishmaelites. was called upon to give monotheism a powerful support» — la función que adjudica a Moisés, dar al monoteísmo un soporte poderoso en un tiempo en que la religión de Abraham se apagaba entre los ismaelitas; el tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie que el troceo intercala

«it was necessary. as we'have just indicated. that. as Messiah. He» — la autoridad que eso le exige al Mesías; el renglón sigue en la plana 134 diciéndolo mayor que Moisés y anterior a Abraham

«This extreme historical positivity of Christ brought with it. however. in its turn a limitation of the religious form. just as had happened in the case of Judaism. where Israel played the predominant role that was later to devolve upon the Messiah. a role that was necessarily restrictive and limitative from the point of view of the realization of integral monotheism.» — el límite que ve en esa positividad histórica de Cristo, una limitación de la forma religiosa como la ocurrida en el judaísmo con Israel

«The Gospels relate the following saying of Christ .. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached. and every man presseth into it» — el dicho evangélico que aduce sobre la ley y los profetas hasta Juan y el Reino de Dios predicado desde entonces

«But it may well be objected that the Mosaic religion. insofar as it is the Word of God. cannot by any means be annulled. since "our Torah is for all eternity. nothing can be added to it and nothing taken away from if" (Maimonides)~ how. therefore. is one to reconcile the abrogation of the religion of Moses. or rather of the '"glorious" cycle of its terrestrial existence. with the '"eternity" of the Mosaic Revelation?» — la objeción que se plantea con la frase que atribuye a Maimónides sobre la Torá para toda la eternidad, a la que nada puede añadirse ni quitarse

«First. it must be understood that this abrogation. although quite real in the realm to which it relates. is nonetheless relative. whereas the intrinsic reality of the Mosaic religion is absolute. because divine.» — el primer paso de su respuesta: la abrogación es real en su orden y relativa, y la realidad intrínseca de la religión mosaica es absoluta por divina

«It is. however. important to observe that the decadence of Jewish esoterism at the time of Christ-for example. Nicodemus. a "master in Israel" was acquainted with the mystery of spiritual rebirth!-made it permissible from the standpoint of the new Revelation to regard the Mosaic religion in its entirety as an exclusive and therefore. as it were. "massive" exoterism. a way of looking at things that has nevertheless only an accidental and provisional value. since it is limited in its application to the origins of Christianity.» — en nota, Schuon consigna la decadencia del esoterismo judío en tiempos de Cristo, con Nicodemo por ejemplo, y el valor accidental y provisional que da a mirar entonces la religión mosaica como exoterismo masivo

«However that may be. the Mosaic Law was not to govern access to the new Mysteries. as would have been the function of an exoterism in relation to an esoterism of which it was the complemenl and another exoterism was established for the new religion. though at the cost of difficulties of adaptation and of interferences that continued for centuries.» — y lo que sigue en esa nota: la Ley mosaica no rigió el acceso a los nuevos Misterios y hubo de establecerse otro exoterismo para la religión nueva, con dificultades de adaptación durante siglos

«Meanwhile. Judaism for its part reconstituted and readapted its own exoterism in the new cycle of its history. the Diaspora. and this process appears to have been to some extent correlative to the development of Christianity. thanks to the copious influx of spirituality accompanying the manifestation of the Word in the person of Christ.» — lo que atribuye al judaísmo en ese mismo tramo: reconstituir su propio exoterismo en el nuevo ciclo de la Diáspora, en correlación con el desarrollo del cristianismo

«As regards Judaism. there existed until modern times. and perhaps still exists in certain places. a genuine esoteric tradition. whatever may have been the exact date of the revival that took place subsequently to the manifestation of Christ and the beginning of the new religious cycle. the Diaspora. and whatever may have been the part later played hy Islam in its turn in relation to both Judaism and Christianity.» — y lo que consigna sobre la tradición esotérica judía, existente hasta tiempos modernos y quizá aún en ciertos lugares

«The Divine Volition manifested by Christ could affect only a particular mode of the religion of Moses and not its ··eternal" quality: consequently, although the Real Presence-the Shekhinahhad left the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem, this Divine Presence has always continued to dwell in Israel no longer, it is true, like an unquenchable fire localized in a sanctuary, but like a flint that. though not permanently manifesting fire, nevertheless contains it virtually, with the possibility of manifesting it from time to time.» — la consecuencia que saca para la Shekhiná: dejó el Santo de los Santos y siguió morando en Israel, como el pedernal que contiene el fuego sin manifestarlo de continuo Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *Shekhinahhad* donde la fuente parte *Shekhinah-had*.

«Monotheism contained, in Judaism and Christianity, two great antagonistic expressions which Islam, although itself necessarily antagonistic in relation to these two forms, recapitulated in a certain manner by harmonizing the Judaeo-Christian antagonism in a synthesis that marked the term of the development and integral realization of monotheism.» — la función que asigna al islam: recapitular en síntesis el antagonismo judeocristiano y cerrar el desarrollo del monoteísmo

«In this connection. Islam might be compared to a Judaism that had not rejected Christianity. or to a Christianity that had not denied Judaism~ but if its attitude can be characterized in this way insofar as it was the product of Judaism and Christianity. it stands outside this duality» — la comparación con que lo formula, un judaísmo que no rechazó al cristianismo o un cristianismo que no negó al judaísmo, con el límite de que se sitúa fuera de esa dualidad

«through its rejection of the Judaic .. development." on the one hand. and the Christian .. transgression." on the other. and through its having restored to the place of central importance. acquired first by the Jewish people and then by Christ. the fundamental affirmation of monotheism. namely. the Unity of God» — cómo describe ese situarse fuera: rechazo del desarrollo judaico y de la transgresión cristiana, y restitución al centro de la afirmación fundamental del monoteísmo

«Islam re-established a sacred legislation for ""this world" and in this way rejoined Judaism. while at the same time reaffirming the universality that Christianity had affirmed beforehand when breaking the husk of the Mosaic Law.» — lo que atribuye al islam frente a eso: restablecer una legislación sagrada para este mundo y reunirse así con el judaísmo sin perder la universalidad

«the equilibrium between the two Divine aspects of Justice and Mercy constitutes the very essence of the Mohammedan Revelation. in which it rejoins the Abrahamic Revelation.» — lo que declara esencia de la Revelación mahometana, el equilibrio entre Justicia y Misericordia, donde dice que se reúne con la Revelación abrahámica

«As for the Christian Revelation. if it affirms its superiority over the Mosaic Revelation it is because the Divine Mercy is principially and ontologically .. anterior" to the Bivine Justice. as is attested by this inscription on the Throne of Allah: .. Verily. My Mercy precedeth My Wrath» — y la razón que da a la superioridad que el cristianismo se afirma sobre la Revelación mosaica, la anterioridad principial de la Misericordia, apoyada en la inscripción del Trono de Alá

«The monotheism revealed to Abraham possessed esoterism and exoterism in perfect equilibrium, and in a certain measure in their primordial indistinction. though there can only be a question here of a primordiality that is relative to the religions belonging to the Semitic stock.» — el equilibrio perfecto que atribuye al monoteísmo revelado a Abraham, con la acotación de que su primordialidad es relativa al tronco semítico

«These alternations in the integral Revelation of monotheism proceeded from the very nature of the latter and are not therefore imputable to contingent circumstances alone.» — de dónde hace venir esas alternancias: de la naturaleza misma del monoteísmo y no solo de circunstancias contingentes

«thus the religion of Abraham manifested the undifferentiated equilibrium of .. letter" and ··spirit." the religion of Moses the .. letter:· Christianity the .. spirit. .. and Islam the differentiated equilibrium of these two aspects of the Revelation.» — el cuadro con que lo resume: Abraham el equilibrio indiferenciado de letra y espíritu, Moisés la letra, el cristianismo el espíritu y el islam el equilibrio diferenciado

«Every religion is necessarily an adaptation. and adaptation implies limitation. If that is true of the purely metaphysical religions. it is still more true of the exoteric religions. which represent adaptations for the sake of more limited mentalities.» — la tesis con que abre el cierre del capítulo: toda religión es adaptación y toda adaptación implica limitación, y más aún las religiones exotéricas

«If one is justified in saying that the mentality ofWestem peoples. including in this respect the peoples of the Near East. is in some ways more limited than the mentality of most Eastern peoples. this is primarily because of the intrusion of passion in the sphere of the intelligence: hence the tendency of Westerners to regard created things only under one aspect. that of .. plain fact.·· and their lack of aptitude for the intuitive con tern p lation of the cosmic and universal essences that permeate forms: this intrusion also explains the need for an abstract theism as a protection against the danger of idolatry as well as against that of pantheism.» — en nota, Schuon adjudica a la intrusión de la pasión en la inteligencia lo que llama el límite de la mentalidad occidental, con su falta de aptitud para la contemplación intuitiva de las esencias y su necesidad de un teísmo abstracto. El impreso pega dos palabras

«The mentality in question. owing to cyclic causes. has for centuries been becoming more and more widespread among all peoples. and this explains. on the one hand the relative ease with which religious conversions are made among peoples whose civilization is purely mythological or metaphysical. and on the other hand the providential nature of Moslem expansion within the domains of these civilizations.» — y lo que hace derivar de la difusión de esa mentalidad, la facilidad de las conversiones y lo que llama carácter providencial de la expansión musulmana en esos dominios

«These limitations must needs be found in one manner or another in the origins of the religious forms. and it is inevitable that they should be manifested in the course of the development of these forms. becoming most marked at the end of their cycle. to which they themselves necessarily contribute.» — dónde sitúa esas limitaciones: en los orígenes mismos de las formas religiosas, manifestándose a lo largo de su desarrollo y marcadísimas al fin de su ciclo

«The heterodox doctrines themselves are indirect consequences of this need for curtailing the amplitude of the religious form and for limiting it in proportion with the advance of the Dark Age.» — lo que hace de las doctrinas heterodoxas, consecuencias indirectas de esa necesidad de recortar la amplitud de la forma religiosa conforme avanza la Edad Oscura

«That this was so is confirmed by the simple fact that Islam is the third aspect of this religious current: that is to say, it represents the number 3, which is the number of harnmny, whereas the number 2 represents an alternative and is not therefore self-sufficient.» — el argumento aritmético con que lo apoya: el tres como número de la armonía frente al dos, que es alternativa y no se basta; el impreso escribe harnmny por harmony

«being compelled either to reduce itself to unity through the absorption of one of its terms by the other or to recreate this unity by the production of a new» — y las dos salidas que le quedan al dos, absorber uno de sus términos o producir una unidad nueva; el tramo se corta aquí porque el troceo intercala la nota al pie y la frase sigue en la plana 137

«These two methods of realizing unity are in fact achieved by Islam. which itself provides the solution of the Judaeo-Christian antagonism from which in a certain sense it may be said to have issued and which it annuls by reducing it to the pure monotheism of Abraham.» — cómo dice que el islam realiza los dos modos de unidad, resolviendo el antagonismo judeocristiano al reducirlo al monoteísmo puro de Abraham

«As a condition of being able thus to transcend Messianism. it was necessary for Islam to place itself at a point of view that was different from that of the latter. and to reduce the latter to its own point of view in order to integrate it within itself» — la condición que eso le exigió al islam, colocarse en un punto de vista distinto del mesianismo y reducirlo al propio para integrarlo

«The legislative framework of Judaism was broken by an exteriorization. here necessary and legitimate. of certain esoteric conceptions. and was absorbed in a manner of speaking by the ""next world" in conformity with the formula Regnum meum non est de hoc mundo. The social order was replaced by the spiritual the sacraments of the Church being the form of legislation appropriate to the latter order.» — cómo describe la ruptura del marco legislativo judío por una exteriorización de concepciones esotéricas, con la fórmula latina sobre el reino que no es de este mundo y el orden social reemplazado por el espiritual

«But since this spiritual legislation does not meet social requirements. it was necessary to have recourse to heterogeneous legislative elements. which created a cultural dualism that was very harmful to the Christian world.» — y el dualismo cultural que hace derivar de que esa legislación espiritual no cubra las exigencias sociales

«With Moses exoterism. so to speak. became the religion. in the sense that it determined the form of the latter without. however. affecting its essence~ with Christ the reverse happened» — el reparto que hace de los tres momentos, con Moisés el exoterismo hecho religión y con Cristo lo contrario; el renglón sigue en la plana 139 con el equilibrio restablecido por Mahoma

«This accounts. on the one hand. for the disappearance during the first century of the Christian cycle of the ancient Mysteries. a part of which was absorbed by Christian esoterism» — a qué adjudica esa irradiación: la desaparición de los antiguos Misterios en el primer siglo, absorbidos en parte por el esoterismo cristiano

«It could not indeed be otherwise, even in the case of the sacred symbols, because only the infinite, eternaL and formless Essence is absolutely pure and inviolable. and because Its transcendence must be made manifest by the dissolution of forms as well as by Its radiation through them.» — la razón última que da a esas limitaciones: solo la Esencia infinita, eterna e informal es absolutamente pura, y su trascendencia ha de manifestarse tanto por la disolución de las formas como por su irradiación a través de ellas

«This immediately raises the question as to what exactly is represented by a "'point of view,. as such.» — Schuon abre el capítulo séptimo preguntando qué es exactamente un punto de vista

«No difficulty can arise in this connection on the plane of physical vision. where the point ofview determines a perspective that is always perfectly coordinated and necessary. and where things change their aspect whenever the observer alters his standpoint. although the elements of vision, namely. the eye. light. colors. forms. proportions. and situations in space. remain always the same.» — la analogía con la visión física con que responde: el punto de vista determina una perspectiva y las cosas cambian de aspecto sin que cambien los elementos de la visión

«The starting point of vision may change. but not the vision in itself. Now if everybody admits that such is the case in the physical world which is but a reflection of spiritual realities. how can it be denied that the same relations exist. or rather pre-exist. in the spiritual realm?» — y el paso al orden espiritual, con la pregunta de cómo negar que ahí preexistan las mismas relaciones

«Here. the heart. organ of Revelation. corresponds to the eye~ the Divine Principle. dispenser of light. to the sun~ the Intellect to light~ and the Realities Qr Divine Essences to the objects of vision.» — las correspondencias que fija: el corazón como órgano de la Revelación con el ojo, el Principio Divino con el sol, el Intelecto con la luz y las Esencias Divinas con los objetos

«But whereas, generally speaking. nothing will prevent a living being from changing his physical point of view. it is quite another matter with the spiritual point of view. which always transcends the individual and regarding which the will of the latter can only remain determinate and passive.» — la asimetría que señala: nada impide cambiar de punto de vista físico, y el punto de vista espiritual trasciende siempre al individuo

«In order to understand a spiritual point of view. or what amounts to the same. a religious point of view. it is not sufficient. even with the best intentions. to attempt to establish correspondences between religious elements outwardly resembling one another. Such a procedure would be in danger of leading to a superficial synthesis of little value» — el método que rechaza, establecer correspondencias entre elementos religiosos que se parecen por fuera, con la síntesis superficial a que dice que lleva

«though comparisons of this sort may nevertheless have their uses, on condition that they are not adopted as a point of departure and provided also that account is first taken of the inner constitution of the religions in question.» — con la condición que sí les pone a esas comparaciones: no adoptarlas como punto de partida y atender antes a la constitución interna de las religiones

«In order to grasp a religious point of view. it is necessary to perceive the unity by which all its constituent elements are necessarily coordinated~ this unity is the unity of the spiritual point of view that is the germ of the particular Revelation.» — lo que exige para captar un punto de vista religioso: percibir la unidad que coordina todos sus elementos, unidad que llama germen de la Revelación particular

«Needless to say. the first cause of a Revelation cannot be assimilated to a point of view any more than light can be said to depend on the spatial situation of the eye~ what constitutes every Revelation is the encounter of a unique Light with a limited and contingent sphere, which represents as it were a plane of spiritual reflection. in the absence of which there could be no question of Revelation.» — el límite que pone de inmediato: la causa primera de una Revelación no se asimila a un punto de vista, y toda Revelación es el encuentro de una Luz única con una esfera limitada y contingente

«Is it not striking. for instance. that the opinions about Islam prevailing among the majority ofWesterners are more or less identical whether those who utter them profess to be Christians or pride themselves on no longer being so?» — el dato con que lo apoya: las opiniones occidentales sobre el islam son casi idénticas se profese o no el cristianismo

«Even the errors of philosophy would not be conceivable if they did not represent the negation of certain truths. and if those errors were not direct or indirect reactions against certain formal limitations of religion~ from which it can be seen that no error. whatever may be its nature. can lay claim to complete independence with regard to the traditional conception that it rejects or disfigures.» — lo que dice de los errores de la filosofía: negaciones de ciertas verdades y reacciones contra límites formales de la religión, sin independencia respecto de lo que rechazan

«A religion is an integral whole comparable to a living organism that develops according to necessary and exact laws; one might therefore call it a spiritual organism. or a social one in its most outward aspect In any case. it is an organism and not a construction of arbitrary conventions» — la figura con que define una religión: un todo íntegro comparable a un organismo vivo que se desarrolla por leyes necesarias, no una construcción de convenciones arbitrarias

«one cannot therefore legitimately consider the constituent elements of a religion independently of their inward unity. as if one were concerned with a mere collection of facts.» — y lo que de ahí prohíbe: considerar los elementos de una religión sin su unidad interna, como si fueran una colección de hechos

«This error is one. however. that is frequently committed even by those who judge without preconceived opinions but who nonetheless endeavor to establish correspondences from the outside. without perceiving that a religious element is always determined by the germ and starting point of the integral religion. and that a given element. a personality or a book. for example. can have a different significance from one religion to another.» — a quiénes atribuye ese error, aun a los que juzgan sin prejuicio pero establecen correspondencias desde fuera, y su razón: un elemento vale distinto de una religión a otra

«The habitual want of comprehension of the ordinary representatives of either religion with regard to the other extends to almost insignificant details. such as. for instance. the term» — el primer ejemplo que da de incomprensión mutua, el término mahometano aplicado a los musulmanes, que llama transposición impropia del término cristiano

«The same does not. however. apply to Islam. which is not based directly on the Prophet but on the Koran. thus on an affirmation of Divine Unity. and which does not consist in a perpetuation of Mohammed but in a ritual and legislative conformity of man and society to the Koranic Law and therefore to Unity.» — y por qué no vale para el islam, que dice basado no en el Profeta sino en el Corán, en una afirmación de la Unidad Divina, con la conformidad ritual y legislativa en lugar de la perpetuación

«On the other hand. the Arabic term mushrikim • .. associators" (of pseudo-divinities with God). which alludes to the Christians. overlooks the fact that Christianity is not directly based on the idea of Unity and need not insist upon it» — el ejemplo simétrico, el término coránico que traduce como asociadores aplicado a los cristianos, que pasa por alto que el cristianismo no se basa directamente en la idea de Unidad

«nevertheless. insofar as the term mushrikun is sacred-in its Koranic significance-it is obviously the support of a truth that transcends the historical fact of the Christian religion.» — con lo que le concede en seguida: en su significación coránica ese término es soporte de una verdad que trasciende el hecho histórico de la religión cristiana

«Moreover. facts do not play so important a part in Islam as they do in Christianity. of which the religious basis is essentially a fact and not an idea as in the case oflslam.» — la divergencia que fija: el cristianismo tiene por base religiosa un hecho y el islam una idea. El escaneo pega dos palabras

«This serves to show where lies the fundamental divergence between the two religious forms: for a Christian all depends on the Incarnation and the Redemption~ Christ absorbs everything. even the idea of the Divine Principle. which appears under a Trinitarian aspect. as well as humanity. which becomes His Mystical Body or the Church militant. suffering and triumphant» — cómo desarrolla esa divergencia del lado cristiano: Cristo lo absorbe todo, aun la idea del Principio Divino bajo aspecto trinitario, y la humanidad vuelta Cuerpo Místico

«For a Moslem all is centered in Allah. the Divine Principle considered under the aspect of Unity* and of Transcendence. and in the state of conformity. of abandonment to Him» — y del lado musulmán, todo centrado en Alá bajo el aspecto de Unidad y Trascendencia y en el estado de conformidad que el libro nombra al-islam

«The idea of God made Man is at the center of Christian doctrine~ the Son. Second Person of the Trinity. is man universalized~ Jesus Christ is God individualized.» — el par de fórmulas con que resume la doctrina cristiana: el Hijo como hombre universalizado y Jesucristo como Dios individualizado

«Islam does not give the same predominance to the mediator, the latter does not absorb everything. and it is exclusively the monotheistic conception of Divinity that takes the central place in Islamic doctrine and dominates it throughout» — y el contraste: en el islam el mediador no lo absorbe todo y el lugar central lo ocupa la concepción monoteísta de la Divinidad

«It is expressly said in that Islamic credo. the Fiqh al-Akbar of Ahii J:lanlfah. that Allah is unique. not in the sense of number. hut in the sense that He is without associate.» — en nota, Schuon aduce el credo islámico que llama Fiqh al-Akbar de Abu Hanifa, donde Alá es único no en sentido de número sino por no tener asociado; el nombre sale corrompido por el escaneo

«The importance attached by Islam to the idea of Unity may appear superfluous and sterile from the Christian point of view and a sort of pleonasm with respect to the J udaeo-Christian tradition.» — la objeción cristiana que recoge: la insistencia islámica en la Unidad como superflua y pleonástica respecto de la tradición judeocristiana

«One must_ however. bear in mind that the spontaneity and vitality of the Islamic religion can by no means be the fruit of external borrowing and that the intellectual originality of the Moslems can only proceed from a Revelation.» — y su respuesta: esa espontaneidad no puede ser fruto de préstamo externo y la originalidad intelectual de los musulmanes solo puede venir de una Revelación

«Whereas in Islam the idea of Unity is the support of all spirituality. and to a certain degree of all social applications. it is not the same in the case of Christianity~ the central point of the latter. as we have already indicated. is the doctrine of the Incarnation and the Redemption. conceived in universal mode in the Trinity and having no human application other than in the sacraments and the participation in the Mystical Body of Christ» — el reparto que hace: la Unidad como soporte de toda espiritualidad y de las aplicaciones sociales en el islam, y la Encarnación y la Redención en el cristianismo, sin más aplicación humana que los sacramentos y el Cuerpo Místico

«At no time. so far as may be judged from historical data. has Christianity. had a social application in the full sense of the word~ never has it entirely integrated human society~ in the form of the Church it imposed itself on men without attaching them to itself by assigning to them functions that would permit them to participate more directly in its inner life~ it has not sufficiently hallowed human acts~ it has left the entire laity outside itself. assigning to it only a more or less passive participation in the religion.» — el juicio que hace sobre la aplicación social del cristianismo, que declara nunca plena, con el laicado dejado fuera y en participación más o menos pasiva

«Such is the organization of the Christian world as seen from a Moslem point of view. In Islam every man is his own priest by the mere fact of being a Moslem~ he is the patriarch. imam. or caliph of his family~ in the latter is reflected the entire Islamic society. Man is in himself a unity~ he is the image of the Creator whose vicar (khalifah) he is on earth~ he cannot accordingly be a layman.» — con la marca de perspectiva que él mismo pone, que así se ve desde el punto de vista musulmán, y el contraste del islam donde cada hombre es su propio sacerdote y vicario en la tierra

«Man. family. and society are cast according to the idea of Unity of which they are so many adaptations: they are unities as are Allah and His Word. the Koran.» — cómo describe la unidad islámica: hombre, familia y sociedad moldeados como adaptaciones de la idea de Unidad

«Christians cannot lay claim to the idea of Unity in the same degree as Moslems~ the idea of Redemption is not necessarily bound to the conception of Divine Unity and might be associated with a so-called» — la razón que da a la asimetría: la idea de Redención no está ligada necesariamente a la Unidad Divina y podría acompañar a una doctrina llamada politeísta

«As for Divine Unity. although it is theoretically admitted by Christians. it never appears as a dynamic element. and Christian holiness. the perfect participation in the Mystical Body of Christ. proceeds but indirectly from this idea.» — lo que concede y lo que niega a los cristianos sobre la Unidad Divina, teóricamente admitida y nunca elemento dinámico

«Christian doctrine. like Islamic. starts from a theistic idea. but expressly insists on the Trinitarian aspect of the Divinity. God becomes incarnate and redeems the world: the Principle descends into manifestation to re-establish a disturbed equilibrium.» — el contraste doctrinal que traza: el Principio que desciende a la manifestación para restablecer un equilibrio perturbado

«According to Islamic doctrine God affirms Himself by His Unity~ He does not become incarnate by virtue of an inner distinction. nor does He redeem the world. He absorbs it through Is/tim. He does not descend into manifestation. He projects Himself therein. as the sun projects itself through its light~ and it is this projection that permits humanity to participate in Him.» — y el lado islámico del contraste: Dios no desciende sino que se proyecta como el sol por su luz, y absorbe el mundo por el islam

«They see in the multiplicity of the Gospels and other New Testament texts the mark of a division that is aggravated by the fact that these Scriptures have not been preserved in the language spoken by Jesus. but in a non-Semitic language. and have even been translated from the latter into another language equally foreign to the peoples issued from Abraham: indeed these texts can be translated into any foreign language.» — cómo describe ese reproche: la multiplicidad de los Evangelios leída como marca de división, agravada por conservarse en lengua no semítica

«Thus. if in Islam the Koran is the Divine Word. the latter is represented in Christianity not by the New Testament but by the living presence of Christ in the Eucharist The New Testament only plays the part of a support just as the Prophet is only a support of the Divine Message and not the Message itself The remembrance. the example. and the intercession of the Prophet are subordinate to the revealed Book.» — la correspondencia que enmienda: el Verbo Divino del cristianismo no es el Nuevo Testamento sino la presencia viva de Cristo en la Eucaristía, y el Profeta es soporte del Mensaje y no el Mensaje

«Islam is a spiritual. religious. and social block~* the Church is not a block but a center.» — la figura con que contrapone las dos formas: el islam como bloque y la Iglesia como centro

«A block. image of Unity. Unity is simple and consequently indivisible. According to an observation of a former highly placed English official in Egypt: "Islam cannot be reformed; a reformed Islam would no longer be Islam. it would be something else.» — en nota, Schuon glosa esa imagen del bloque y cita a un antiguo funcionario inglés en Egipto sobre que un islam reformado ya no sería islam

«A lay Christian is by definition a peripheral being~ a Moslem. by reason of his priestly function. is everywhere a central being within his own religion.» — cómo desarrolla la figura: el cristiano laico como ser periférico y el musulmán como ser central por su función sacerdotal

«The faith of a Christian is of another nature: it attracts and absorbs the soul rather than enfolding and penetrating it. Regarded from the Moslem point of view. which concerns us here. the Christian is only linked to his religion through the sacraments~ he is always in the position of being relatively excluded and he maintains at all times a receptive attitude.» — la diferencia que traza entre las dos fes, con la cristiana que atrae y absorbe el alma más que envolverla, y con la marca de que habla desde el punto de vista musulmán

«In the supreme symbol of Christianity. the Cross. its arms branch off indefinitely from the center while remaining connected with it~ the Kaaba. on the other hand is reflected as a whole in the least of its parts. each one of which. by its substance and internal cohesion. is identical with the other parts and with the Kaaba itself» — la comparación de los dos símbolos supremos, la Cruz cuyos brazos se ramifican desde el centro y la Kaaba reflejada entera en la menor de sus partes

«But the superficial and everi syncretic manner in which such correspondences are most often viewed. usually to the disadvantage of one or the other element under comparison. deprive the result of any true value.» — y lo que reprocha al modo superficial y sincrético de mirarlas, que priva al resultado de valor. El impreso escribe everi por even

«In reality. there are two kinds of religious correspondences: on the one hand. those based on what may be called the phenomenal nature of the elements of the religions in question. and on the other hand. those derived from the internal structure of those religions. In the first case. the element will be considered as a person. a book. a rite. an institution. or whatever it may be. and in the second case. this element will be considered from the point of view of its particular organic significance for the religion.» — los dos tipos de correspondencia que distingue, por la naturaleza fenoménica de los elementos y por la estructura interna de las religiones

«It is important to make it clear that in this chapter we have been exclusively concerned with religions as such. that i~_to say. as organisms. and not with their purely spiritual possibilities. which are identical in principle.» — la aclaración que subraya: el capítulo trata de las religiones como organismos y no de sus posibilidades puramente espirituales, que declara idénticas en principio

«It is obvious that from this point of view any question of preference is excluded: if Islam as a religious organism is more homogeneous and more intimately coherent than the Christian form. this is a relatively contingent matter.» — y lo que de ahí sigue: queda excluida toda cuestión de preferencia, y la mayor homogeneidad que atribuye al islam es asunto relativamente contingente

«To those who would judge the Islamic form on the basis of superficial and necessarily arbitrary comparisons with the Christian form. we would reply that Islam. given that it represents a possible spiritual perspective. is all that it should be to manifest this possibility~ and we would say likewise that the Prophet. far from having been merely an imperfect imitator of Christ. was all that he should have been in order to realize the spiritual possibility represented by Islam.» — su respuesta a quien juzgue la forma islámica por comparación con la cristiana: cada una es todo lo que debe ser para manifestar su posibilidad

«If the Prophet is not Christ and if in particular he appears under a more human aspect. it is because the reason for the existence oflslam does not reside in the idea of Christ or of the Avatiira. but in an idea that necessarily excludes this perspective.» — la razón que da a que el Profeta aparezca bajo un aspecto más humano: la razón de existir del islam no reside en la idea de Cristo o del Avatara

«This explains why it has been permissible for Moslems from the very beginning to employ a human means such as war to establish their religious world whereas in the case of Christianity several centuries had to elapse after the apostolic times before it became possible to use the same means. which is. moreover. indispensable for the propagation of a religion.» — lo que de ahí explica: el uso de la guerra desde el principio en el islam y solo siglos después en el cristianismo, medio que llama indispensable para la propagación de una religión

«As for the wars engaged in by the Companions of the Prophet. they represented ordeals undergone in view of what might be called the elaboration-or the crystallization-of the formal aspects of a new world. Hatred did not enter in. and the holy men who fought in this manner. far from fighting against individuals and for human interests. did so in the spirit of the teaching of the Bhagavad-Gitii~ Krishna enjoined upon Arjuna to fight. not out of hatred nor even to conquer. but in order to fulfill his destiny as an instrument of the Divine plan and without attaching himself to the fruits of his actions.» — cómo lee las guerras de los Compañeros del Profeta, sin odio y en el espíritu de la enseñanza del Bhagavad Gita, con Krishna ordenando a Arjuna combatir sin apego a los frutos de sus actos

«This struggle between ··points of view" at the time of the constitution of a religious world also reflects the ""rivalry" between possibilities of manifestation at the time of the emergence from, chaos that takes place at the origin of a» — con qué compara esa lucha entre puntos de vista, con la rivalidad entre posibilidades de manifestación al emerger del caos; el renglón sigue en la plana 150

«It was in the nature of Islam and of its mission that it should from the beginning have placed itself on political ground so far as its outward affirmation was concerned whereas such an attitude would not only have been entirely contrary to the nature or mission of primitive Christianity. but also completely unrealizable in an environment as solid and stable as that of the Roman Empire.» — la razón que da a que el islam se situara en terreno político desde el principio y a que eso fuera irrealizable para el cristianismo primitivo en el Imperio Romano

«However. once Christianity had become a state religion. it was not merely able but even bound to enter the political arena in exactly the same way as Islam.» — y la simetría que restablece: hecha religión de Estado, el cristianismo quedó obligado a entrar en la arena política igual que el islam

«The outward vicissitudes suffered by Islam after the death of the Prophet are certainly not attributable to a spiritual insufficiency. being simply blemishes inherent in the political realm as such.» — cómo adjudica las vicisitudes exteriores del islam tras la muerte del Profeta, no a insuficiencia espiritual sino a manchas inherentes al terreno político

«The fact that Islam was established outwardly by human means had its sole cause in the Divine WilL which precisely excluded all esoteric interference in the earthly structure of the new religious form.» — la causa única que da al establecimiento exterior del islam por medios humanos, una Voluntad Divina que excluía toda interferencia esotérica en su estructura terrena

«The attitude of the former corresponds to the words of Christ .. My Kingdom is not of this world" the attitude of the latter to the wo~ds. ""Thy Kingdom come.» — y los dos dichos evangélicos con que empareja cada actitud

«It happens not infrequently that Moslems. for whom the Koran is what Christ is for Christians. reproach the latter» — el reproche musulmán que recoge, hecho desde una posición donde el Corán es lo que Cristo para los cristianos; el troceo corta aquí al reemitir la plana 146

«This confusion is analogous to that which leads Christians to reproach the Prophet for» — la simetría que le opone; el renglón sigue en la plana 147 con el reproche de haber sido un simple mortal

«The correspondences between religious elements that have been noted above do not exclude others that may exist from a different point of view.» — el límite que pone a sus propias correspondencias: no excluyen otras desde otro punto de vista

«Likewise the solar nature of Christ cannot confer upon Christianity a superiority over Islam» — niega que la naturaleza solar de Cristo confiera superioridad al cristianismo sobre el islam

«The idea thus realized by Islam and the Prophet is that of the Divine Unity. the absolutely transcendent aspect of which implies-for the created or manifested world-a corresponding aspect of imperfection.» — la idea que atribuye al islam y al Profeta, la Unidad Divina, cuyo aspecto absolutamente trascendente implica en el mundo manifestado un aspecto correspondiente de imperfección

«great spiritual men. whatever their respective degrees. manifest either a sublimation or a norm: to the first group belong Buddha and Christ as well as all those saints who were monks or hermits. while to the second belong Abraham. Moses. and Mohammed together with all saints living in the world. such as the royal and warrior saints.» — la distinción que propone entre los grandes hombres espirituales, los que manifiestan una sublimación y los que manifiestan una norma, con Buda y Cristo en el primer grupo y Abraham, Moisés y Mahoma en el segundo

«Divine Will, the object of which is invariable, but the means or modes of which vary by reason of the Infinity of its Possibility and secondarily, because of the limitless diversity of contingencies.» — el criterio que aplica a la legitimidad de un Profeta: la Voluntad Divina tiene objeto invariable y modos que varían por la Infinitud de su Posibilidad

«Christians readily blame the Prophet for actions such as the destruction of the tribe of the Quray?a. but they forget that any Prophet of Israel would have acted in a still sterner way than he, and they would do well to recall how Samuel. by the order of God acted toward the Amalekites and their king.» — la objeción cristiana que recoge sobre la destrucción de una tribu, y el paralelo que le opone con Samuel y los amalecitas por orden de Dios; el nombre árabe sale corrompido por el escaneo

«The case of the Quray?a is also like that of the Pharisees in that it provides an example of the .. discernment of spirits" that takes place automatically. as it were, upon contact with a manifestation of the Light» — cómo lee ese caso, como ejemplo del discernimiento de espíritus que se produce al contacto con una manifestación de la Luz

«If Mohammed had been a false prophet. there is no reason why Christ should not have spoken of him as he spoke of Antichrist~ but if Mohammed is a true Prophet. the passages referring to the Paraclete must inevitably concern him-not exclusively but eminently-for it is inconceivable that Christ. when speaking of the future. should have passed over in silence a manifestation of such magnitude.» — el argumento que construye desde los Evangelios: si Mahoma fuera falso profeta Cristo habría hablado de él como del Anticristo, y si es verdadero los pasajes sobre el Paráclito han de concernirle, no exclusiva sino eminentemente

«If greatness of design. economy of means. and immensity of achievement are the three measures of the genius of man. who will dare. on the human plane. to compare any of the great men of modern history with Mohammed? The most famous of them have done no more than stir up arms. laws. and empires: when they have founded anything. they have founded only material powers that often have crumbled before them. Mohammed stirred up armies. legislatures. empires. peoples. dynasties. millions of men over a third of the inhabited globe; but further. he stirred up ideas. beliefs. and souls. Upon a book. each letter of which has become law. he has founded a spiritual nationality that embraces peoples of every language and every race. and as the indelible characteristic of this Moslem nationality he has impressed upon it hatred of false gods and love of the orie and immaterial God. I Lamartine. Histoire de Ia Turquie» — en nota, Schuon cita a Lamartine sobre la triple medida del genio y sobre la nacionalidad espiritual fundada en un libro; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo

«The Arab conquest. which flooded simultaneously both Europe and Asia is without precedent; the rapidity of its successes can only be compared with the rapidity of the establishment of the Mongol empires of Attila. Genghis Khan. or Tamerlane. But these were as ephemeral as the Islamic conquest was durable. This religion still has followers today in almost all the countries where it was imposed under the first Caliphs. The lightning speed of its diffusion is truly miraculous when compared with the slow progress of Christianity. [H. Pirenne. Mahomet et Charlemagne» — en la misma nota, la cita de H. Pirenne sobre la rapidez de la conquista árabe frente a la lentitud del progreso del cristianismo; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo

«Force had no part in the propagation of the Koran. for the Arabs always left those they conquered free to keep their religion. If Christian peoples became converted to the religion of their vanquishers. it was because the new conquerors showed themselves more just than their former masters. and because their religion was of a greater simplicity than the one taught to them up to that moment ... Far from being imposed by force. the Koran was spread only through persuasion .... Persuasion alone could induce peoples who conquered the Arabs at a later date. such as the Turks and the Mongols. to adopt it In India where the Arabs in reality but passed through. the Koran is so widely diffused that it can count today [18841 more than fifty million adherents. Their number increases daily .... The diffusion of the Koran in China has been no less wide. Although the Arabs have never conquered the smallest part of the Celestial Empire. there exists therein today a Moslem population of more than twenty millions. [G. le Bon. La Civilisation des Arabes» — y la de G. Le Bon sobre la difusión del Corán por persuasión y sobre las cifras de adherentes en la India y en China, con la fecha de 1884 entre corchetes del libro; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo

«The spirituality to be found within Islam from its origins up to our days is an incontestable fact. and "by their fruits ye shall know them.» — el hecho que declara incontestable, la espiritualidad hallable en el islam desde sus orígenes, con el criterio evangélico de los frutos

«Moreover. it will be recalled that the Prophet in his doctrine has testified to the second coming of Christ without attributing to himself any glory. unless it be that of being the last Prophet of the cycle~ and history proves that he spoke the truth. no comparable manifestation having followed after him.» — y lo que recuerda del propio Profeta: testimonió la segunda venida de Cristo sin atribuirse más gloria que ser el último Profeta del ciclo

«If Moslem morality differs from the Christian-which is not the case in regard to either holy war or slavery. but solely in regard to polygamy and divorce*-this is because it derives from a different aspect of the total Truth.» — dónde sitúa la diferencia de la moral musulmana con la cristiana, no en la guerra santa ni en la esclavitud sino en la poligamia y el divorcio, y de dónde la hace derivar, de otro aspecto de la Verdad total

«Christianity, like Buddhism. considers only the carnal side of sexuality. therefore its substantial or quantitative aspect Islam. on the other hand like Judaism and the Hindu and Chinese religions-apart from certain spiritual ways that reject sexual love for reasons of method-considers the essential or qualitative aspect of sexuality. or what we might call its cosmic aspect» — el reparto que hace: el cristianismo y el budismo atienden al lado carnal de la sexualidad y el islam, el judaísmo y las religiones hindú y china a su aspecto esencial o cósmico

«Polygamy was necessary for the peoples of the Middle East-who are warrior peoples-to ensure that all the women should be provided for notwithstanding the killing off of the men in the wars; a further reason was the high rate of mortality among infants. which made polygamy virtually necessary for the preservation of the race.» — en nota, Schuon da razones demográficas a la poligamia, la provisión de las mujeres tras la muerte de los hombres en la guerra y la alta mortalidad infantil

«As for divorce. it was. and is. made necessary by the inevitable separation of the sexes. which results in the bride and bridegroom not knowing one another. or hardly knowing one another. before marriage; this separation is itself made necessary by the sensual temperament of the Arabs and of southern peoples in general.» — y a la institución del divorcio, la separación de los sexos que impide conocerse antes del matrimonio

«What has just been said explains the wearing of the veil by Moslem women and also the pardah of high-caste Hindu women. The fact that the veil is worn only in the latest religious form. namely Islam. and that the pardah is a comparatively recent introduction into Hinduism. shows that the need for these measures arises out of conditions that are particular to the end of the Iron Age.» — lo que explica por ahí, el velo de las musulmanas y la pardah de las hindúes de casta alta, con la fecha reciente de las dos leída como necesidad propia del fin de la Edad de Hierro

«To speak in terms of geometric symbolism it may be considered in a vertical as well as a horizontal sense: the flesh is impure in itself. with or without sexuality. and the latter is noble in itself. in or out of the flesh.» — la fórmula geométrica con que lo dice: la carne es impura en sí con sexualidad o sin ella, y la sexualidad es noble en sí dentro o fuera de la carne

«Love can sanctify the flesh. just as the flesh can debase love. Islam insists on the first of these truths. while Christianity tends to insist on the second except of course in the sacrament of marriage. in which it unavoidably and as it were incidentally rejoins the Judaeo-Islamic perspective.» — el reparto de insistencias que hace entre las dos religiones, con el sacramento del matrimonio como el punto donde el cristianismo reencuentra la perspectiva judeoislámica

«It must however. be emphasized that differences of this kind concern only the manifestation· of .. God-men .. and not their inward and Divine reality. which is identical.» — el deslinde que subraya: las diferencias entre las manifestaciones de Cristo y de Mahoma no tocan su realidad interior y divina, que declara idéntica

«Meister Eckhart has expressed this identity in the following terms: .. Everything that the Holy Scriptures say about Christ is equally true of every good and divine man:· that is to say. of every man who possesses the plenitude of spiritual realization. both in the sense of breadth and of height» — la frase de Meister Eckhart que aduce para esa identidad, sobre lo que las Escrituras dicen de Cristo valiendo de todo hombre bueno y divino

«this explains. on the one hand how it was that Christ could pray, though being himself Divine. and on the other hand how it was possible for the Prophet. while unmistakably man by reason of the particular mode of his manifestation. to be at the same time Divine in his inward reality.» — lo que dice explicar con esas dos citas: que Cristo pudiera orar siendo divino y que el Profeta fuera hombre en su modo de manifestación y divino en su realidad interior

«we would also point out that the exoteric perspective is based essentially upon a fact to which it attributes a character of absoluteness.» — la regla que enuncia sobre la perspectiva exotérica, fundada en un hecho al que atribuye carácter de absolutez

«For example, the Christian perspective is based on the supreme spiritual state realized by Christ. _but it attributes this state to Christ alone. whence the denial. at least in ordinary theology, of metaphysical Deliverance or the Beatific Vision in this life.» — el ejemplo con que la aplica al cristianismo, fundado en el estado supremo realizado por Cristo y atribuido solo a él, de donde hace venir la negación de la Liberación metafísica en esta vida

«It should be added that esoterism, speaking through the voice of Meister Eckhart. brings back the mystery of the Incarnation within the sphere of spiritual laws when it attributes to the man who has attained the highest sanctity all the characteristics of Christ with the exception of the Prophetic. or rather. redemptive. mission.» — lo que atribuye al esoterismo por boca de Eckhart, devolver el misterio de la Encarnación a la esfera de las leyes espirituales atribuyendo al hombre de más alta santidad todos los caracteres de Cristo salvo la misión redentora

«An analogous example is provided by the claim made by several Sufis that certain of their writings are on the same level of inspiration as the Koran. In exoteric Islam. this degree of inspiration is attributed to the Prophet alone. in conformity with the theological perspective that is always founded on a transcendent fact appropriated exclusively on behalf of a particular manifestation of the Word.» — el ejemplo análogo que da del lado islámico, la pretensión de varios sufíes de que ciertos escritos suyos estén al nivel de inspiración del Corán, grado que el exoterismo reserva al Profeta

«However neutral an individual may appear so long as he is placed in a chaotic or undifferentiated environment-such as. for example. the Near Eastern world at the time of Mohammed or indeed any environment in which a religious readaptation is about to take place-and however attenuated or obscured the fundamental tendency of the individual may appear in an environment of spiritual indifference such as we have just described, this tendency will spontaneously be» — la ley que enuncia a partir de ahí: la tendencia de fondo del individuo se actualiza espontáneamente ante la alternativa que la Luz plantea

«and this explains why it is that when the gates of Heaven are opened by the lightning flash of Revelation, the gates of Hell open too. just as in the sensory world a light projects a shadow.» — y la consecuencia con que la cierra: al abrirse las puertas del Cielo por el relámpago de la Revelación se abren también las del Infierno, como una luz proyecta una sombra

«The same reasoning excludes a priori the possibility that Christ. when making his predictions, intended to include Mohammed under the general denomination of''false prophets," for in the history of our era Mohammed is in no sense a typical» — por qué excluye que Cristo lo incluyera entre los falsos profetas: Mahoma no es un ejemplo típico entre otros del mismo género; el renglón sigue tras la reemisión de la plana 151

«If he had been one of the false prophets announced by Christ he would have been followed by others. and there would exist» — el argumento por las consecuencias; el tramo se corta antes de la nota al pie con las tres citas que el troceo intercala, y la frase sigue en la plana 153

«in our day a multitude of false religions subsequent to Christ and comparable in importance and extension to Islam.» — la continuación de esa frase en la plana siguiente, con la multitud de religiones falsas comparables en importancia y extensión que dice que habría

«the sanctification of sexuality confers upon it a quality that transcends its carnal aspect and neutralizes or even abolishes the latter in certain cases. for instance. in the case of the Cassandras and Sybils of antiquity or of the tantric Shri Chakra. or lastly. in that of great spiritual figures such as Solomon and Mohammed.» — lo que atribuye a la santificación de la sexualidad, una cualidad que trasciende y a veces anula su aspecto carnal, con las Casandras y Sibilas, el Shri Chakra tántrico y Salomón y Mahoma por ejemplos

«This nobility of sexuality derives from its Divine Prototype. for .. God is Love:· In Islamic terms one would say that .. God is Unity:· and that love. being a mode of union (tawl;id). is for that reason a way of conforming to the Divine Nature.» — de dónde hace venir esa nobleza, del Prototipo Divino, con la fórmula cristiana de que Dios es Amor y la islámica de que Dios es Unidad, y el amor como modo de unión

«In the Absolute I am not. and thou art not and God is not. for It is beyond speech and thought But so long as anything exists outside myself. I ought to adore Brahma. within the limits» — la frase de Shri Ramakrishna que aduce sobre el Absoluto donde no hay yo ni tú ni Dios; el renglón sigue en la plana 155 con la adoración de Brahma mientras algo exista fuera de uno

«This priority of creation signifies that the Virgin and the Prophet incarnate a principia! or metacosmic Reality~* they are identified-in their receptive function. though not in their Divine Knowledge. nor. in the case of Mohammed in his Prophetic function-with the passive aspect of universal Existence (Prakriti~ in Arabic. al-Law}J al-Ma!ifu? • .. the Guarded Tablet» — la analogía que traza entre la Virgen y el Profeta: los dos encarnan una Realidad principial y se identifican en su función receptiva con el aspecto pasivo de la Existencia universal, que nombra con Prakriti y con la Tabla Guardada

«and it is for this reason that the Virgin is .. immaculate" and from the merely physical standpoint. .. virgin:· while the Prophet. like the Apostles. is .. illiterate" (umml). that is to say. pure from the taint of human knowledge or knowledge humanly acquired.» — de ahí lee la inmaculada y virginal condición de María y el carácter iletrado del Profeta como pureza respecto del conocimiento humanamente adquirido

«This purity is the first condition for the reception of the Paracletic Gift. just as in the spiritual order chastity. poverty. humility. and other forms of simplicity or unity are indispensable for the reception of the Divine Light» — lo que hace de esa pureza, primera condición para recibir el Don Paraclético, emparejada con la castidad, la pobreza y la humildad

«it may be added that the particular state in which the Prophet was immersed at the time of the Revelations is directly comparable to that of the Virgin when carrying or giving birth to the Child Jesus.» — la comparación que añade entre el estado del Profeta al recibir las Revelaciones y el de la Virgen al llevar y dar a luz al Niño Jesús

«However by reason of his Prophetic function. in the highest meaning of the term. Mohammed is also more than the Virgin. and when he utters the Koranic suras. or more generally whenever the ··Divine Ego" speaks through his mouth. he is directly identified with the Christ. who is Himself what the Revelation is for the Proph» — y el grado que le reconoce por encima de esa analogía: al pronunciar las suras coránicas se identifica con el Cristo, que es Él mismo lo que la Revelación es para el Profeta; el renglón sigue en la plana 157

«The opinion that Christ was the Mleccha Avatara. the "Divine Descent of the Barbarians" ( or"for the Barbarians"). that is to say. the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. must be rejected for reasons both of traditional fact and of principle. In the first place the Buddha has always been considered by Hindus as an Avatara. though since Hinduism had necessarily to exclude Buddhism. the apparent Buddhist heresy was explained on the one hand by the need to abolish blood sacrifices. and on the other hand by the need to involve corrupted men in error in order to hasten the inevitable advance of the Kali-yuga.» — en nota, Schuon rechaza por razones de hecho y de principio la opinión de que Cristo fuera el Mleccha Avatara, y expone cómo el hinduismo explicó la aparente herejía budista

«In the case of the Prophet, only the .. words of the Most Holy" (al)iidith qudsfyah) possess. apart from the Koran. this Divine character~ his other words proceed from a subordinate degree of inspiration (nafas ar-Ru~; the Hindu smritz). as do also certain parts of the New Testament, in particular the Epistles.» — la gradación de inspiración que fija: solo los dichos que llama del Altísimo tienen, aparte del Corán, carácter divino, y el resto de sus palabras procede de un grado subordinado, como ciertas partes del Nuevo Testamento

«To return to the purity of the Prophet, we also find in his case the exact equivalent of the .. Immaculate Conception"~ according to the traditional account two angels cleft open the chest of the infant Mohammed and with snow cleansed him of .. original sin. .. which appeared in the form of a black stain on his heart» — el equivalente que halla de la Inmaculada Concepción, con los dos ángeles que abren el pecho del niño Mahoma y lo limpian con nieve del pecado original

«Mohammed. like Mary and the human nature of Jesus. is not therefore an ordinary man. and it is for this reason that it is said that ""Mohammed is [simply] a man. not as [ordinary] men are. but in the manner of a jewel among [common] stones» — y la fórmula árabe con que lo dice, con el Profeta como joya entre piedras comunes; los corchetes son del libro

«In a certain respect the Virgin and the Prophet incarnate the passive or feminine aspect-or pole-of universal Existence (Prakritz)~ they therefore incarnate a fortiori the beneficent and merciful aspect of Prakriti. namely Lakshmi (the Kwan Yin of the Far Eastern Tradition). and this explains their essential function as intercessors.» — de la identificación con el polo femenino de la Existencia hace derivar la función intercesora que atribuye a los dos, con Lakshmi y Kwan Yin nombradas

«and accounts for names such as ""Mother of Mercy" (Mater Misericordiae) and .. Our Lady of Perpetual Help" (Nostra Domina a perpetuo succursu). as well as the names given to the Prophet such as .. Key to God's Mercy" (Miftiib Rabmat Alliih) • .. Merciful" (Ral)im) • .. Healer'" (Shaft>. "'Remover of Grief' (Ktishif al-Kurab) • .. Effacer of Sins" ('Ajuw). and ""Most Beautiful Creation of God'" (Ajmal Khalq All» — la serie de nombres con que lo apoya, los marianos latinos y los del Profeta en árabe

«Now all evil comes from a cosmic quality (guna), hence from a rupture of equilibrium, and since Existence carries all the qualities within itself in undifferentiated equilibrium, it is capable of dissolving in its infinity all the vicissitudes of the world.» — de dónde hace venir todo mal, de una ruptura de equilibrio en una cualidad cósmica, y por qué la Existencia puede disolverlo en su infinitud

«Existence is in reality both .. Virgin" and .. Mother," in the sense that, on the one hand it is determined by nothing apart from God and on the other hand it gives birth to the manifested Universe.» — por qué llama a la Existencia Virgen y Madre a la vez, no determinada sino por Dios y paridora del Universo manifestado

«Mary is .. Virgin Mother" by reason of the mystery of the Incarnation~ as for Mohammed he is, as we have seen. ""virgin" or .. illiterate" insofar as he is inspired only by God and receives nothing from men. and he is ··Mother" by reason of his power of intercession with God~ the personifications of the Divine Prakriti, whether human or angelic, essentially reveal the aspects of purity and love.» — cómo reparte esos dos títulos entre María y Mahoma, virgen o iletrado el segundo por recibir solo de Dios y madre por su poder de intercesión

«The aspect of Grace or Mercy belonging to the ··virginal" and ··maternal" Divinity also explains why the latter readily manifests itself in a sensible form and in human guise, thereby becoming accessible to men: apparitions of the Virgin are well known in the West, and in the case of the Prophet his apparitions to pious Moslems are not infrequent~ there even exist methods for obtaining this grace. which is equivalent in reality to a concretization of the Beatific Vision.» — lo que explica por ese aspecto de Gracia, que la Divinidad virginal y maternal se manifieste en forma sensible, con las apariciones de la Virgen y las del Profeta a musulmanes piadosos

«In this connection we may also recall the apparitions of the Shakti in Hinduism-for example to ShrfRamakrishna and Shr'i Sarada Devi-and those ofKwan Yin or Kwannon in the religions of the Far East» — en nota, Schuon empareja esas apariciones con las de la Shakti en el hinduismo y las de Kwan Yin o Kwannon en las religiones del Extremo Oriente El troceo imprime pegado *ShrfRamakrishna* y corrompe la transliteración, y se cita tal cual.

«Although the Prophet does not occupy in Islam the same place that Christ occupies in Christianity, he nevertheless of necessity enjoys a central position in the Islamic perspective.» — el deslinde que hace antes de explicarlo: el Profeta no ocupa en el islam el lugar de Cristo en el cristianismo y sí una posición central

«According to this perspective, the Word does not manifest itself in any particular man as such, but in the Prophetic function-in the highest sense of the term-and above all in the revealed Books» — cómo describe esa perspectiva: el Verbo no se manifiesta en un hombre particular sino en la función profética y sobre todo en los Libros revelados

«and since the Prophetic function of Mohammed is real and the Koran a true Revelation, Moslems. who admit only these two criteria, see no reason for placing Jesus before Mohammed.» — y lo que de ahí sigue para los musulmanes, que admitiendo solo esos dos criterios no ven razón para poner a Jesús antes que a Mahoma

«Indeed they must give precedence to Mohammed, inasmuch as the latter, being the last representative of the Prophetic function, recapitulates and synthesizes every aspect of this function and closes the cycle of manifestation of the Word, whence the title .. Seal of the Prophets» — la razón que da a esa precedencia: por ser el último representante de la función profética, la recapitula y cierra el ciclo, de donde el título de Sello de los Profetas

«It is this unique situation that confers upon Mohammed the central position that he enjoys in Islam and that allows of the Word itself being named .. Mohammedan Light» — y lo que esa situación confiere, la posición central en el islam y el nombre de Luz Mahometana dado al Verbo mismo

«The fact that the Islamic perspective is concerned only with Revelation as such, and not with all its possible modes. explains why Islam does not attach the same importance as Christianity to the miracles of Christ» — por qué el islam no da a los milagros de Cristo la importancia que les da el cristianismo: su perspectiva atiende a la Revelación como tal y no a sus modos

«In fact all the Messengers, including Mohammed have performed miracles (mu'jizlit)~* the difference in this respect between Christ and the other Messengers is that only in the case of Christ does the miracle possess a central importance, being wrought by God .. in" the human support and not merely» — el deslinde que hace: todos los Mensajeros obraron milagros, y la diferencia está en que solo en Cristo el milagro tiene importancia central, obrado por Dios en el soporte humano

«The majority of Orientalists. if not all falsely deduce from various passages in the Koran that the Prophet accomplished no miracles. a deduction that is contradicted in advance. not only by the traditional commentators of the Koran. but also by the Sunnah. which is the pillar of Islamic orthodoxy.» — en nota, Schuon objeta la deducción de los orientalistas de que el Profeta no obrara milagros, y la contrapone a los comentaristas tradicionales y a la Sunna

«From the Islamic point of view it is not the miracles that matter so much as the Divine nature of the Messenger's mission. irrespective of how important miracles may be in that mission.» — lo que declara decisivo desde el punto de vista islámico, la naturaleza divina de la misión del Mensajero y no los milagros

«It might be said that the particularity of Christianity consists in the fact that it is based first and foremost on a miracle. which is perpetuated in the Eucharist whereas Islam is essentially based on an Idea. supported by human means. though with Divine aid. and perpetuated in the Koranic Revelation of which the ritual prayer is as it were a ceaselessly renewed actualization.» — la fórmula con que cierra el capítulo: el cristianismo basado en un milagro perpetuado en la Eucaristía y el islam en una Idea perpetuada en la Revelación coránica, cuya oración ritual actualiza sin cesar

«We have already mentioned that in his inner reality. Mohammed. like Christ is identified with the Word. as indeed is every being who has achieved metaphysical realization in its fullness~* whence the following a~adith: ""He who has seen me has seen God [under His aspect of absolute Truthr (Man ra'linl fa-qad rii'a '1-lfaqq). and "'He [Mohammed] was Prophet [Word] when Adam was still between water and mud" (Fa-kana nabiyan wa-'Adamu bayna '1-ma'i wa-'(-(in). words that can be compared with these words of Christ: .. I and my Father are one." and .. Verily I say unto you. before Abraham was. I am.» — los dos hadices con que apoya la identificación del Profeta con el Verbo, emparejados con dos dichos de Cristo; las transliteraciones salen corrompidas por el escaneo

«This metaphysical realization. which integrates man in his Divine Prototype. so that one may say of the being possessing this supreme state that "he is not created" (A~-$u.fllam yukhlaq). is within hardly anybody's reach in our cyclic period; if we speak of it nevertheless. it is solely out of regard for doctrinal truth. for without the idea of the "God-man." esoterism would be deprived of an aspect of its very essence.» — en nota, Schuon acota que esa realización metafísica está al alcance de casi nadie en este periodo cíclico, y dice por qué la expone igual: sin la idea del hombre-Dios el esoterismo perdería un aspecto de su esencia

«we have been obliged to call .. Christian exoterism ·· is not. in its origin and structure. strictly analogous to the Judaic and Islamic exoterisms~ for whereas the exoteric side of the two latter religions was instituted as such from the very beginning. in the sense that it formed part of the Revelation and was clearly distinguishable from its esoteric aspect.» — el deslinde con que abre el capítulo octavo: lo que llama exoterismo cristiano no es estrictamente análogo a los exoterismos judaico e islámico, instituidos como tales desde el principio

«This is a good example of how the exoteric or theological point of view.* instead of embracing a truth in its entirety. selects one aspect only as a matter of expediency and gives it an exclusive and absolute value~ it should not be forgotten. however. that but for this dogmatic character religious truth would be inefficacious with regard to the particular end imposed upon it by the motives of expediency already mentioned There is thus a twofold restriction put upon pure truth: on the one hand an aspect of the truth is invested with the character of integral truth~ and on the other hand an absolute character is attributed to the relative.» — la doble restricción que adjudica al punto de vista teológico: un aspecto de la verdad investido de verdad íntegra y lo relativo investido de absoluto

«Christianity inherited this point of view from Judaism. whose form coincides with the origin of this perspective: it is almost superfluous to stress the fact that its presence in primitive Christianity in no wise invalidates the initiatory essence of the latter.» — en nota, Schuon hace venir del judaísmo ese punto de vista y acota que su presencia en el cristianismo primitivo no invalida la esencia iniciática de este

«There exist .. says Origen. "diverse ft>rms of the Word under which It reveals Itself to Its disciples. conforming Itself to the degree of light of each one. according to the degree of their progress in holiness» — y la frase de Orígenes que aduce ahí, sobre las formas diversas bajo las cuales el Verbo se revela a cada discípulo según su grado de luz

«Thus. Semitic exoterism denies the transmigration of the soul and consequently the existence of an immortal soul in animals: and it also denies the total cyclic dissolution that the Hindus call mahii·pralaya. a dissolution that implies the annihilation of the entire Creation (samsiira). These truths are in nowise indispensable for salvation. and even involve certain dangers for the mentalities to which the exoteric doctrines are addressed: thus. an exoterism is always obliged to pass over in silence any esoteric elements that are incompatible with its own dogmatic form. or even to deny them.» — el ejemplo con que muestra lo que un exoterismo calla o niega: la transmigración, el alma inmortal de los animales y la disolución cíclica que los hindúes llaman maha-pralaya

«we may also mention. as a particularly striking feature of these doctrines. the identification of historical facts with principia! truths and the inevitable confusions resulting therefrom.» — el tercer rasgo que señala en esas doctrinas, la identificación de hechos históricos con verdades principiales

«For example. when it is said that all human souls. from that of Adam to the departed souls of Chrisfs own contemporaries. had to await His descent into Hell in order to be delivered. such a statement confuses the historical with the cosmic Christ and represents an eternal function of the Word as a temporal fact. for the simple reason that Jesus was a manifestation of this Word~ which is another way of saying that in the world where this manifestation took place. Jesus was truly the unique incarnation of the Word.» — el ejemplo del descenso a los infiernos, donde ve confundido el Cristo histórico con el cósmico y una función eterna del Verbo presentada como hecho temporal

«Another example may be found in the divergent views of Christianity and Islam on the subject of the death of Christ: apart from the fact that the Koran. by its apparent denial of Chrisfs death. is simply affirming that Christ was not killed in reality-which is obvious not only as regards the Divine nature of the God-man. but also as regards His human nature. since it was resurrected» — el segundo ejemplo, la divergencia sobre la muerte de Cristo, con la negativa coránica leída como afirmación de que Cristo no fue matado en realidad

«In other words. if it be true in principle that Christ died for all men-in the same way that the Islamic Revelation is principially addressed to everyone-in fact He died only for those who must and do benefit from the means of grace that perpetuate His work of Redemption» — la formulación con su límite: en principio Cristo murió por todos los hombres y de hecho solo por quienes se benefician de los medios de gracia que perpetúan su obra

«hence the traditional distance separating Islam from the Christian Mystery is bound. outwardly at least. to appear in the form of a denial. exactly in the same way that Christian exoterism must deny the possibility of salvation outside the Redemption wrought by Jesus.» — la simetría que traza: la distancia entre el islam y el Misterio cristiano aparece por fuera como negación, igual que el exoterismo cristiano niega la salvación fuera de la Redención de Jesús

«although a religious perspective may be contested ad extra. that is to say. in the light of another religious perspective deriving from a different aspect of the same truth. it remains incontestable ad intra. inasmuch as its capacity to serve as a means of expressing the total truth makes of it a key to the latter.» — la regla que enuncia: una perspectiva religiosa puede discutirse desde fuera y es incontestable desde dentro, porque su capacidad de expresar la verdad total la vuelve llave de ella

«That which today is called the Christian religion existed among the Ancients and has never ceased to exist from the origin of the human race until the time when Christ Himself came and men began to call Christian the true religion which already existed beforehand» — en nota, Schuon cita a san Agustín sobre la religión cristiana existente entre los antiguos desde el origen del género humano

«It will be understood from what has just been said that any seeming contradiction or depreciation of the Mosaic Law that may be found in the words of Christ or the teaching of the Apostles is in reality but an expression of the superiority of esoterism over exoterism t and does not therefor apply at the same level as this Law.» — cómo lee las aparentes contradicciones de la Ley mosaica en las palabras de Cristo y de los Apóstoles: expresión de la superioridad del esoterismo sobre el exoterismo y no aplicación al nivel de esa Ley

«In an analogous sense it is said in Islam that "the divergence of the exegetists is a blessing» — en nota, Schuon aduce el dicho islámico sobre que la divergencia de los exégetas es una bendición

«For circumcision verily profiteth. if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law. thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law. shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature. if it fulfill the law. judge thee. who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew. which is one outwardly: neither is that circumcision. which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew. which is one inwardly: and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter: whose praise is not of men but of God.» — en nota, el pasaje de la Epístola a los Romanos sobre la circuncisión del corazón en espíritu y no en letra

«It is perfectly obvious that the main teachings of Christ transcend the exoteric viewpoint. and that is indeed the reason for their existence. They therefore likewise transcend the Law; in no other way could one explain the attitude of Christ with respect to the lex talionis. or with regard to the woman taken in adultery. or to divorce.» — lo que declara evidente: las enseñanzas principales de Cristo trascienden el punto de vista exotérico, y sin eso no se explicaría su actitud ante la ley del talión, la adúltera o el divorcio

«In fact the turning of the other cheek is not a thing that any social collectivity could put into practice with a view to maintaining its equilibrium.* and it has no meaning except as a spiritual attitude» — por qué el poner la otra mejilla no es practicable por una colectividad social para mantener su equilibrio, y solo tiene sentido como actitud espiritual

«the spiritual man alone firmly takes his stand outside the logical chain of individual reactions. since for him a participation in the current of these reactions is tantamount to a fall from grace. at least when such participation invo.lves the center or the soul of the individual. though not when it remains purely an outward and impersonal act of justice such as that envisaged by the Mosaic Law.» — la distinción que traza entre la participación personal en la cadena de reacciones y el acto impersonal de justicia previsto por la Ley mosaica

«This is so clearly true that Christians themselves have never turned this injunction of Christ into a legal obligation. which proves once agairrthat it is not situated on the same level as the Judaic Law and consequently was neither intended nor able to take its place.» — en nota, Schuon apoya eso en que los propios cristianos nunca hicieron de esa injunción una obligación legal

«All this is clearly evidenced in Christ's answer to those who wished to stone the woman taken in adultery, and who. instead of acting impersonally in the name of the Law. would have acted personally in the name of their own hypocrisy.» — cómo lee la respuesta de Cristo a quienes querían apedrear a la adúltera: habrían obrado personalmente en nombre de su propia hipocresía y no impersonalmente en nombre de la Ley

«Christ did not therefore speak from the standpoint of the Law. but from that of inward. suprasocial and spiritual realities; and His point of view was exactly the same on the question of divorce.» — de dónde concluye que Cristo no hablaba desde la Ley sino desde realidades interiores, suprasociales y espirituales

«Perhaps the most striking proof to be found in Christ's teachings of the purely spiritual and therefore suprasocial and extramoral character of His Doctrine. is contained in the following saying: .. If any man come to me and hate not his father. and mother. and wife and children and brethren and sisters. yea. and his own life also. he cannot be my disciple» — la prueba que llama más notable del carácter suprasocial y extramoral de esa doctrina, el versículo sobre aborrecer a padre y madre para ser discípulo

«Christianity accordingly possesses none of the normal characteristics of an exoterism instituted as such, but presents itself as an exoterism in fact rather than one existing in principle.» — la tesis del capítulo: el cristianismo no tiene ninguno de los caracteres normales de un exoterismo instituido y se presenta como exoterismo de hecho y no de principio

«the essentially initiatory character of Christianity is apparent from certain features of the first importance. such as the Doctrine of the Trinity. the Sacrament of the Eucharist. and more particularly. the use of wine in this rite. or again. from the use of purely esoteric expressions such as .. Son of God" and especially "'Mother of God» — los rasgos en que ve el carácter iniciático del cristianismo: la Trinidad, la Eucaristía y el uso del vino, y expresiones como Hijo de Dios y Madre de Dios

«Definition given by Rene Guenon in his article"Creation et Manifestation .. (Etudes Traditionnelles. October. 1937» — en nota, Schuon atribuye a René Guénon la definición de exoterismo que acaba de usar y remite a su artículo en Études Traditionnelles de octubre de 1937

«For example. the Divine Unity is a truth that is immediately evident and therefore capable of exoteric or dogmatic formulation. for this idea. in its simplest expression. is one that is accessible to every man whose mind is sound» — por qué la Unidad Divina sí admite formulación exotérica: es evidente de inmediato y accesible a todo hombre de mente sana

«on the other hand the Trinity. inasmuch as it corresponds to a more differentiated point of view and represents a particular development of the Doctrine of Unity among others that are equally possible. is not strictly speaking capable of exoteric formulation. for the simple reason that a differentiated or derived metaphysical conception is not accessible to everyone.» — y por qué la Trinidad no, por corresponder a un punto de vista más diferenciado y ser un desarrollo particular de la Doctrina de la Unidad entre otros posibles

«Moreover. the Trinity necessarily corresponds to a more relative point of view than that of Unity. in the same way that Redemption is a reality more relative than Creation.» — la gradación que añade, con la Trinidad más relativa que la Unidad como la Redención lo es respecto de la Creación

«This is brought out in a particularly clear manner by the words of Christ concerning St John the Baptist From the exoteric point of view it is obvious that the Prophet who stands nearest to the Christ-God is the greatest among men. and on the other hand that the least among the Blessed in Heaven is greater than the greatest man on earth. always by reason of this same proximity to God. Metaphysically. the words of Christ express the superiority of what is principia! over what is manifested or from an initiatory point of view. of esoterism over exoterism.» — en nota, Schuon lee las palabras de Cristo sobre san Juan Bautista como expresión de la superioridad de lo principial sobre lo manifestado y del esoterismo sobre el exoterismo

«StJohn the Baptist being in this case regarded as the summit and fulfillment of the latter. which explains furthermore why his name is identical with that of St John the Evangelist who represents Christianity in its most inward aspect» — y lo que añade en esa misma nota: el Bautista como cumbre y cumplimiento del exoterismo, con el nombre compartido con el Evangelista que representa el aspecto más interior

«But it was precisely because this impersonal character of the lex talionis had been lost and replaced by passions that it was needful for Christ to express a spiritual» — la explicación que da: perdido el carácter impersonal del talión y reemplazado por pasiones, Cristo hubo de enunciar una verdad espiritual; el tramo se corta antes de las dos notas al pie que el troceo intercala y sigue en la plana 167

«There is a badith that shows the compatibility existing between the spiritual point of view affirmed by Christ and the social point of view that is that of the Mosaic Law. It is related that the first thief among the Moslem community was led before the Prophet in order that his hand might be cut off according to the Koranic law. but the Prophet turned pale.» — el hadiz que aduce para mostrar la compatibilidad entre el punto de vista espiritual de Cristo y el social de la Ley mosaica, con el Profeta palideciendo ante la primera amputación. El impreso escribe badith por hadith

«How should I have nothing to object to! Must I be the ally of Satan in enmity against my brothers? If you wish God to forgive your sin and conceal it you also must conceal the sin of others. For once the transgressor has been brought before the monarch. the punishment must be executed.» — y la respuesta del Profeta en ese mismo hadiz, sobre encubrir el pecado ajeno si se quiere que Dios encubra el propio, con el límite de que llevado el transgresor ante el monarca la pena ha de ejecutarse

«This inaccessibility of the Christian dogmas is expressed by calling them "'mysteries." a word that has a positive meaning only in the initiatory domain to which moreover it belongs.» — cómo lee la palabra misterio aplicada a los dogmas cristianos, con sentido positivo solo en el dominio iniciático al que pertenece

«But there is another thing to be considered namely, that the Christian way is essentially a way of Grace, being in this respect analogous to the "bhaktic" ways of India and certain ways to be found in Buddhism.» — lo que declara esencial de la vía cristiana, una vía de Gracia, y con qué la empareja: las vías bháckticas de la India y ciertas vías del budismo

«In methods like these. by reason of their very nature, the distinction between an outer and an inner aspect is attenuated in the sense that Grace, which is initiatory in its kernel or essence, tends to bestow itself in the largest measure possible, which it is enabled to do by virtue of the simplicity and universality of the symbolism and means proper to it» — por qué en esas vías se atenúa la distinción entre lo exterior y lo interior: la Gracia, iniciática en su núcleo, tiende a darse en la mayor medida posible

«It may also be said that while the difference separating the way of merit from the way of Knowledge is of necessity very great. in view of the fact that these two ways refer respectively to meritorious action and intellectual contemplation. the way of Grace occupies in a certain sense a position midway between the two.» — dónde sitúa la vía de la Gracia, a medio camino entre la vía del mérito y la del Conocimiento

«Thus, in the way of Grace the inward and outward applications go hand in hand in the same radiation of Mercy, while in the sphere of spiritual realization the differences will be of degree rather than of principle~ every intelligence and every will is able to participate in one and the same Grace according to the measure of its possibilities. and this recalls the image of the sun illuminating everything without distinction. while acting differently on different substances.» — cómo describe esa vía: aplicaciones interior y exterior en una misma irradiación de Misericordia y diferencias de grado más que de principio, con la imagen del sol que ilumina sin distinción

«Now apart from the fact that a synthetic mode of radiation such as that just described-with its laying bare of things that a normal exoterism will leave veiled-was the only possible way to give effect to the spiritual reorientation of which the Western world stood in need it must be added that this mode also possesses a providential aspect in relation to cyclic evolution, in the sense of being a part of the Divine Plan concerning the final development of the present cycle of humanity.» — el aspecto providencial que atribuye a ese modo sintético de irradiación, que desvela lo que un exoterismo normal dejaría velado

«in order to save one of the .. sick" parts of humanity. or rather "a humanity:• God consents to be profaned~ but on the other hand-and this is a manifestation of His Impersonality. which by definition lies beyond the exoteric point of view-He makes use of this profanation. since .. it must needs be that offences come." in order to bring about the final decadence of the present cycle of humanity. this decadence being necessary for the exhausting of all the possibilities included in this cycle. necessary therefore for the equilibrium of the cycle as a whole and the fulfillment of the glorious and universal radiation of God.» — cómo lo formula con su reverso: Dios consiente en ser profanado para salvar a una humanidad enferma, y usa esa profanación para llevar el ciclo a su decadencia final

«The exoteric point of view is compelled. under penalty of having to admit that the actions of its Personal God the only one it takes into consideration. contradict one another. to define the apparently contradictory acts of the Impersonal Divinity-when it cannot deny them purely and simply as it does in the case of the diversity of religious forms-as .. mysterious" and ""unfathomable:· while naturally attributing these .. mysteries" to the Will of the Personal God.» — lo que el punto de vista exotérico se ve obligado a hacer con los actos de la Divinidad Impersonal: llamarlos misteriosos e insondables y atribuirlos a la Voluntad del Dios Personal

«The existence of a Christian esoterism. or rather the eminently esoteric character of primitive Christianity. d~es not appear only from New Testament texts-those in which certain of Chrisfs words possess no exoteric meaning-or from the nature of the Christian rites-to mention only what is. so to speak. accessible .. from without" in the Latin Church -but also from the explicit testimony of the older authors.» — las tres vías por las que dice que se ve el carácter esotérico del cristianismo primitivo: ciertos textos, la naturaleza de los ritos y el testimonio explícito de los autores antiguos

«Salvation is possible only for deified souls. and deification is nothing else but the union and resemblance we strive to have with God. That which is bestowed uniformly and all at once, so to speak. on the Blessed Essences dwelling in Heaven, is transmitted to us as it were in fragments and through the multiplicity of the varied symbols of the Divine oracles. For it is on these Divine oracles that our hierarchy is founded. And by these words we mean not only what our inspired Masters have left us in the Holy Epistles and in their theological works. but also what they transmitted to their disciples by a kind of spiritual and almost heavenly teaching, initiating them from person to person in a bodily way no doubt. since they spoke. but I venture to say, in an immaterial way also, since they did not write. But since these truths had to be translated into the usages of the Church, the Apostles expressed them under the veil of symbols and not in their sublime nakedness. for not everyone is holy. and as the Scriptures say. Knowledge is not for all» — el testimonio de san Dionisio Areopagita que cita a continuación, sobre la deificación, la enseñanza transmitida de persona a persona sin escritura y los símbolos bajo cuyo velo los Apóstoles la expresaron; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo

«The most pronounced difference between the New Covenant and the Old is that in the latter the Divine Aspect of Justice predominated whereas in the former it is. on the contrary. the Aspect of Mercy that prevails.» — la diferencia que declara más marcada entre las dos Alianzas, el predominio del Aspecto de Justicia en una y el de Misericordia en la otra

«The way of Mercy is. in a certain sense. easier than the way of Justice because. while corresponding at the same time to a more profound reality. it also benefits from a special Grace: this is the '"justification by Faith" whose '"yoke is easy and burden light," and which renders the .. yoke of Heaven" of the Mosaic Law unnecessary.» — por qué llama más fácil en cierto sentido la vía de la Misericordia, con la justificación por la Fe cuyo yugo es suave y que vuelve innecesario el yugo del Cielo de la Ley mosaica

«Faith is in fact nothing else than the ··bhaktic" mode of Knowledge and of intellectual certainty. which means that Faith is a passive act of the intelligence. its immediate object being not the truth as such. but a symbol of the truth.» — cómo define la Fe: el modo bháctico del Conocimiento, acto pasivo de la inteligencia cuyo objeto inmediato es un símbolo de la verdad

«This symbol will yield up its secrets in proportion to the greatness of the Faith. which in its tum will be determined by an attitude of confidence or of emotional certainty. that is to say. by an element of bhakti. or Love.» — de qué hace depender que el símbolo entregue sus secretos, de la grandeza de la Fe, determinada a su vez por una actitud de confianza o certeza emocional

«Insofar as Faith is a contemplative attitude. its subject is the intelligence~ it can therefore be said to constitute a virtual Knowledge~ but since its mode is passive. it must compensate this passivity by a complementary active attitude •. that is to say. by an attitude of the will the substance of which is precisely confidence and fervor. by virtue of which the intelligence will receive spiritual certainties.» — el reparto que hace entre la pasividad contemplativa de la Fe y la actitud activa de la voluntad que la compensa, hecha de confianza y fervor

«Faith is a priori a natural disposition of the soul to admit the supernatural~ it is therefore essentially an intuition of the supernatural brought about by Grace. which is actualized by means of the attitude of fervent confidence.» — y la definición que añade: disposición natural del alma a admitir lo sobrenatural, intuición de lo sobrenatural producida por la Gracia

«When. through Grace. Faith becomes complete. it will have been dissolved in Love. which is God» — el término que le señala: completa por la Gracia, la Fe queda disuelta en el Amor, que es Dios

«The life of the great bhakta Sh ri Ramakrishna provides a very instructive example of the "bhaktic" mode of knowledge. The saint wished to understand the identity between gold and clay: but instead of starting out..,(rom a metaphysical datum that would have enabled him to perceive the vanity of riches. as ajnanin would have done. he kept praying to Kali to cause him to understand this identity by a revelation» — en nota, Schuon toma la vida de Shri Ramakrishna como ejemplo del modo bháctico de conocimiento, con la identidad entre el oro y el barro pedida por revelación y no deducida de un dato metafísico

«Existence itself is Love and Love is as it were the perfume of the Creator inherent in every creature.» — la fórmula con que funda el amor al prójimo: la Existencia misma es Amor, perfume del Creador inherente a toda criatura

«so the love of one's neighbor is basically nothing other than knowledge of the indifferentiation before God of all that is created.» — y qué hace del amor al prójimo, conocimiento de la indiferenciación de todo lo creado ante Dios

«Before passing from the created to the Creator. or from manifestation to the Principle. it is in fact necessary to have realized the indifferentiation. or let us say. the nothingness. of all that is manifested.» — la condición que pone para pasar de lo creado al Creador, haber realizado la nada de todo lo manifestado

«It is toward this that the ethic of Christ is directed not only by the in distinction that it establishes between the ""me" and the ""not me." but also. in the second place, by its indifference with regard to individual justification and social equilibrium.» — hacia dónde dirige la ética de Cristo, con la indistinción entre el yo y el no yo y la indiferencia respecto de la justificación individual y el equilibrio social

«Christianity. accordingly by its very nature situates itself outside the "'actions and reactions" of the human order~ therefore. a priori it is not exoteric.» — la conclusión que saca: el cristianismo se sitúa por naturaleza fuera de las acciones y reacciones del orden humano y por eso no es exotérico a priori

«Christian Charity neither has nor can have any interest in ""well-being" for its own sake. because true Christianity. like every orthodox religion. considers that the only true happiness human society can enjoy is its spiritual well-being crowned by the presence of the saint. the goal of every normal civilization~ for ""the multitude of the wise is the welfare of the world» — lo que niega a la Caridad cristiana, interés en el bienestar por sí mismo, con el bienestar espiritual coronado por la presencia del santo como único fin de una civilización normal

«We are entirely transformed into God" says Meister Eckhart .. and changed into Him. Just as. in the sacrament the bread is changed into the body of Christ so am I changed into Him, in such wise that He makes me one with His Being and not simply like to it; by the living God it is true that there is no longer any distinction.» — en nota, Schuon cita a Meister Eckhart sobre la transformación entera en Dios, comparada con el pan cambiado en el cuerpo de Cristo en el sacramento

«On the other hand when charity is exercised neither from love of God nor by virtue of the aforesaid knowledge. but solely with a view to human well-being considered as an end in itself. the benediction inherent in true charity does not accompany the apparent well-doing. either for the giver or for the receiver.» — y el caso contrario, la caridad ejercida con vistas al bienestar humano como fin, donde dice que falta la bendición para quien da y para quien recibe

«The existence of the monastic orders can be explained only by the presence. in the Western as well as the Eastern Church. of an initiatory tradition going back-as St Benedict and the Hesychasts alike testify-to the Desert Fathers and so to the Apostles and to Christ» — de qué hace depender la existencia de las órdenes monásticas, de una tradición iniciática que san Benito y los hesicastas remontan a los Padres del Desierto

«The fact that the cenobitism of the Latin Church can be traced back to the same origins as that of the Greek Church-the latter. however. consisting of a single community and not different orders-clearly proves that the first is esoteric in essence like the second~ moreover. the eremetical life is considered by both to mark the summit of spiritual perfection-St Benedict said so expressly in his Rule.» — el argumento que añade: el cenobitismo latino y el griego tienen el mismo origen, y las dos Iglesias tienen la vida eremítica por cumbre de la perfección espiritual

«Monastic life. far from constituting a self-sufficient way. is described in the Rule of St Benedict as a '"commencement of religious life:· while for .. him who hastens his steps toward the perfection of monastic life. there are the teachings of the Holy Fathers. the observance of which leads man to the supreme end of religion"~* now these are the teachings that form the doctrinal essence of Hesychasm.» — cómo lee la Regla de san Benito, que llama a la vida monástica comienzo de la vida religiosa y remite a las enseñanzas de los Santos Padres, que identifica con la esencia doctrinal del hesicasmo

«What page is there of the Old or New Testament. what divinely authorized word therein. that is not a sure rule for the conduct of man? Again. what book of the holy Catholic Fathers does not resolutely teach us the right road to attain our Creator?» — el pasaje final de la Regla que cita, con las páginas de los Testamentos y los libros de los Padres como camino recto hacia el Creador

«According to this doctrine. as in the teachings of every other initiatory tradition. the organ of the spirit. or the principal center of spiritual life. is the heart.» — lo que sitúa esa doctrina en el corazón, órgano del espíritu y centro principal de la vida espiritual

«But what is more important from the standpoint of spiritual realization is the teaching of Hesychasm on the means of perfecting the natural participation of the human microcosm in the Divine Metacosm by transmuting it into supernatural participation and finally into union and identity» — lo que declara más importante del hesicasmo, el medio de transmutar la participación natural del microcosmo en participación sobrenatural y luego en unión e identidad

«This Prayer surpasses all the virtues in excellence. for it is a Divine act in us and hence the best of all possible acts.» — lo que atribuye a esa oración, superar en excelencia a todas las virtudes por ser un acto divino en nosotros

«It is only by means of this Prayer that the creature can be really united with his Creator. the goal of the Prayer of Jesus is consequently the supreme spiritual state. in which man is detached from everything pertaining to the creature and being directly united with the Divinity. is illuminated by the Divine Light» — y la meta que le señala, el estado espiritual supremo donde el hombre queda desasido de lo creado y unido directamente a la Divinidad

«In other words. the virtues-or conformity to the Divine Law-constitute the conditio sine qua non without which the ""spiritual prayer" would be ineffective~ we are therefore a long way from the naive illusion of those who imagine that it is possible to attain the Infinite by means of merely mechanical practices. without any other responsibility or obligation.» — la condición que declara esencial: las virtudes como condición sin la cual la oración espiritual sería ineficaz, lejos de la ilusión de alcanzar lo Infinito por prácticas mecánicas

«If the virtues act as modes of knowledge. it is because they retrace by analogy Divine attitudes~ there is in fact no virtue that does not derive from a Divine Prototype. and therein lies their deepest meaning: ••to be" is ••to know.» — por qué las virtudes obran como modos de conocimiento, por retrazar analógicamente actitudes divinas, con la fórmula de que ser es conocer

«we must emphasize the fundamental and truly universal significance of the invocation of the Divine Name. This Name. in the Christian form-as in the Buddhist form and in certain branches of the Hindu tradition-is a name of the manifested Word* in this case the Name of Jesus.» — lo que subraya al cerrar el capítulo, el significado universal de la invocación del Nombre Divino, que en la forma cristiana es el Nombre de Jesús

«It is in the Divine N arne that there takes place the mysterious meeting of the created and the Uncreate. the contingent and the Absolute. the finite and the Infinite. The Divine Name is thus a manifestation of the Supreme Principle. or to speak still more plainly. it is the Supreme Principle manifesting Itself it is not therefore in the first place a manifestation. but the Principle Itself.» — lo que dice que ocurre en el Nombre Divino, el encuentro de lo creado y lo Increado, y por qué lo llama no una manifestación sino el Principio mismo manifestándose. El escaneo parte la palabra Name

«and we may also recall the beginning of the first Epistle to the Corinthians addressed ""to all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,» — y el saludo de la primera Epístola a los Corintios, dirigido a los que en todo lugar invocan el nombre de Jesucristo; el renglón sigue tras la reemisión de la plana 181

«we must learn to invoke God's Name more often than we breathe, at all times and everywhere and during all our labors. The Apostle says: Pray without ceasing which is to say that we must remember God all the time, wherever we are and whatever we are doing.» — el comentario de san Juan Damasceno que cita sobre invocar el Nombre de Dios más a menudo que respirar, en todo tiempo y lugar

«In this commentary by St John Damascene the words "invoke" and .. remember" are used to describe or illustrate the same idea; it will be recalled that the Arab word dhikr signifies both "invocation" and "remembrance"; in Buddhism also "to think of Buddha" and "to invoke Buddha" are expressed by one and the same word (Buddhiinusmriti; the Chinese nienfo and the Japanese nembutsu). Moreover. it is worth noting that the Hesychasts and the Dervishes use the same word to describe invocation: the recitation of the Prayer of Jesus is called by the Hesychasts"work." while the Dervishes name every form of invocation "occupation" or "business» — en nota, Schuon empareja invocar y recordar con el dhikr árabe y con el término budista para pensar e invocar al Buda, y consigna que hesicastas y derviches llaman trabajo u ocupación a la invocación Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *nienfo* donde la fuente parte *nien-fo*.

«It is not without reason therefore that the Hesychasts consider the invocation of the Name of Jesus as having been bequeathed by Jesus to the Apostles» — y de ahí lee que los hesicastas tengan la invocación del Nombre de Jesús por legado del propio Jesús a los Apóstoles

«It is thus [according to the Century of the Monks Callistus and Ignatius] that our merciful and beloved Lord Jesus Chrisl at the time when He came to His Passion freely accepted for us. and also at the time when. after His Resurrection. He visibly showed Himself to the Apostles. and even at the moment when He was about to reascend to the Father ... bequeathed these three things to His disciples [the invocation of His Name. Peace. and Love. which respectively correspond to Faith. Hope. and Charity» — el pasaje de los monjes Calisto e Ignacio que cita, con las tres cosas legadas a los discípulos y su correspondencia con Fe, Esperanza y Caridad; los corchetes son del libro

«The beginning of all activity of the Divine Love is the confident invocation of the Saving N arne of our Lord Jesus Christ. as He Himself said [John 15:5]: "Without me ye can do nothing» — y el arranque que ese mismo pasaje pone en la invocación confiada del Nombre Salvador, apoyado en el versículo sobre que sin Cristo nada podemos

«I have heard the Fathers say: Who is this monk who forsakes and belittles the rule? He should when eating and drinking. when seated or serving others, when walking or indeed when doing anything whatsoever, invoke unceasingly: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have pity on me.» — el pasaje que atribuye a una Epístola de san Juan Crisóstomo, con la invocación incesante en cualquier ocupación

«The most important means in the life of prayer is theNameofGod. invoked in prayer. Ascetics and all who lead a life of prayer. from the anchorites of the Egyptian desert to the Hesychasts of Mount Athos ... insist above all on the importance of the Name of God. Apart from the Offices there exists for all the Orthodox a "rule of prayer." composed of psalms and different orisons; for monks it is much more considerable. But the most important thing in prayer. the thing that constitutes its very heart. is what is named the Prayer of Jesus: "Lord Jesus Christ. Son of God have pity on me. a sinner." The repetition of this prayer hundreds of times. and even indefinitely. is the essential element of every monastic rule of prayer. it can. if necessary. replace the Offices and all the other prayers. since its value is universal. The power of the prayer does not reside in its content. which is simple and clear (it is the prayer of the taX;. gatherer). but in the sweet Name of Jesus. The ascetics bear witness that this Name contains the power of the Presence of God. Not only is God invoked by this Name-He is already present in the invocation. This can certainly be said of every Name of God: but it is true above all of the Divine and human Name of Jesus. which is the proper Name of God and of man. In short. the Name of Jesus present in the human heart communicates to it the power of deifica» — en nota, Schuon cita a S. Boulgakoff sobre la Oración de Jesús como corazón de toda regla monástica de oración, con el poder puesto no en el contenido sino en el Nombre; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo, y el escaneo pega las palabras del arranque

«The Name of Jesus [says St. Bernardi is not only light. it is also nourishment. All food is too dry to be assimilated by the soul if it is not first sweetened by this condiment it is too insipid unless this salt seasons its tastelessness. I have no taste for thy writings ifl cannot read this Name there: no taste for thy discourse if I do not hear it resounding therein. It is honey for my mouth. melody for my ears.» — y la cita de san Bernardo que añade en esa misma nota, con el Nombre de Jesús como luz y alimento, miel para la boca y melodía para el oído; el escaneo pega el nombre del firmante al corchete

«By the confident invocation of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. we steadfastly hope to obtain His Mercy and the True Life» — el cierre de esa cita, con la esperanza de obtener la Misericordia y la Vida Verdadera ocultas en el Nombre; el renglón sigue en la plana 182

«The evidence for the transcendent unity of religions results not only from the oneness ofT ruth but also from the oneness of the human race.» — Schuon abre el capítulo noveno apoyando la unidad trascendente de las religiones no solo en la unidad de la Verdad sino en la del género humano

«The sufficient reason for the existence of the human creature is the capacity to think; not to think just anything. but to think about what matters, and finally, about what alone matters.» — la razón suficiente que asigna a la criatura humana, la capacidad de pensar, y no cualquier cosa sino lo que importa

«Man is the only being on earth able to foresee death and to desire survival the only being who desires to know-and is capable of knowing-the why of the world of the soul of existence.» — lo que reserva al hombre entre los seres de la tierra, prever la muerte, desear la supervivencia y querer saber el porqué del mundo, del alma y de la existencia

«No one can deny that it 45 in the fundamental nature of man to ask himself these questions and to have, in consequence, the right to answers; and further, to have access to them. precisely by virtue of this right. whether through Revelation or through Intellection, each of these sources of knowledge acting according to its own laws and within the framework of the conditions that correspond to it» — el derecho que de ahí deriva, el de tener respuestas y acceder a ellas por Revelación o por Intelección, cada una con sus leyes y condiciones

«Indeed. we live in an age in which intelligence is systematically undermined in its very foundations and in which it therefore becomes all the more appropriate to speak of the nature of the mind. if only by way of··consolation ··or to furnish certain arguments for whatever purpose they might serve.» — por qué dice necesario hablar de la naturaleza del espíritu en un tiempo en que la inteligencia es socavada en sus fundamentos

«In saying this we recall a passage in the Koran in which Abraham asks God to show him how He raises the dead God answers with the question: ··oost thou not yet believe? .. Abraham answers: .. Indeed I believe. but I ask this that my heart may be appeased» — el pasaje coránico de Abraham pidiendo ver cómo Dios resucita a los muertos, que aduce para justificar el recordar verdades evidentes

«The distinctive mark of man is an intelligence that is total hence objective and capable of conceiving the absolute» — la marca distintiva que asigna al hombre, una inteligencia total, por tanto objetiva y capaz de concebir lo absoluto

«It has been said that man is a reasoning animal which is true in the sense that reason is the distinctive mark of man; but reason could not exist without the suprarational intelligence that is the Intellect. which it prolongs in the direction of the world of sensorial phenomena.» — lo que concede a la definición del hombre como animal racional y el límite que le pone: la razón no existiría sin la inteligencia suprarracional que es el Intelecto

«In the same way. language is the distinctive mark of man in the sense that it proves the presence of reason and. a fortiori of the Intellect Language. like reason. is proof of the Intellect. both having as their profound motivation the knowledge of transcendent realities and of our final ends.» — el mismo argumento aplicado al lenguaje, prueba de la razón y del Intelecto, con la motivación profunda puesta en el conocimiento de las realidades trascendentes

«The will is for realizing but its realization is determined by the intelligence~ sentiment-as regards its intrinsic and positive nature-is for loving but its love is determined also by the intelligence. whether rational or intellectual otherwise it would be blind.» — el reparto de funciones que traza: la voluntad realiza y el sentimiento ama, y la inteligencia determina a las dos

«It is logical that those who rely exclusively upon Revelation and not upon Intellection should be inclined to discredit intelligence. hence the notion of .. intellectual pride." They are justified when it is a question of .. our" intelligence .. alone," but not when it is a question of intelligence in itself.» — por qué llama lógico que quienes se apoyan solo en la Revelación desacrediten la inteligencia, y dónde acota que tienen razón: en nuestra inteligencia sola y no en la inteligencia misma

«For the sin of the philosophers consists. not in relying upon intelligence as such. but in relying upon their own intelligence. hence upon intelligence severed from its supernatural roots.» — dónde sitúa el pecado de los filósofos: no en apoyarse en la inteligencia sino en la propia, cortada de sus raíces sobrenaturales

«Two things must be understood: first. that intelligence does not belong to us. and that what does belong to us is not intelligence in its entirety~ secondly. that intelligence. insofar as it belongs to us. is not sufficient unto itself. but has need of nobleness of soul. piety and virtue if it is to rise above its human particularity and be reunited with intelligence as such.» — las dos cosas que pide entender: que la inteligencia no nos pertenece y que, en lo que nos pertenece, necesita nobleza de alma, piedad y virtud

«In fact. intelligence divorced from virtue lacks the quality of sincerity. and the lack of sincerity necessarily limits its horizon. One must be what one wishes to become. or. in other words. one must anticipate morally-we would even say .. aesthetically"-the transcendent order one wishes to know. for God is perfect in every respect» — la razón que da: la inteligencia separada de la virtud carece de sinceridad, y hay que anticipar moralmente el orden trascendente que se quiere conocer

«This is to say that intellectual pride-or more exactly, intellectualist pride-is excluded first of all from intelligence as such, and secondly from intelligence when accompanied by virtue, the latter implying as much a sense of our littleness as it does a sense of the sacred.» — de dónde declara excluido el orgullo intelectual, de la inteligencia como tal y de la inteligencia acompañada de virtud

«It should also be said that if there is an intelligence which is conceptual or doctrinal, there is another which is existential or moral: it is necessary to be intelligent not only in thought, but also in our being, for it too is fundamentally an adequation to Divine Reality.» — la distinción que añade entre una inteligencia conceptual y otra existencial o moral, con la exigencia de ser inteligente también en el ser

«Intelligence is either individual or universal; it is either reason or Intellect; if it is individual it must find its inspiration in its universal root to the extent that it seeks to go beyond the domain of material facts.» — el par que traza entre razón e Intelecto, con la razón obligada a inspirarse en su raíz universal para pasar del dominio de los hechos materiales

«Will for the Good and love of the Beautiful are the necessary concomitants of knowledge of the True, and their repercussions are incalculable.» — los concomitantes que declara necesarios del conocimiento de lo Verdadero, la voluntad del Bien y el amor de lo Bello

«Intelligence in principle is infallible; but it is so through God and not through us. Through God: through its transcendent root, without which it is fragmentary; and through its volitive and affective modalities, without which it is condemned in the last analysis to being no more than a play of the mind.» — la infalibilidad que atribuye en principio a la inteligencia y la condición que le pone: lo es por Dios y no por nosotros

«The whole debate regarding the capacity or incapacity of the human mind to know God resolves itself thus: our intelligence can know God only .. by God" and therefore it is God who knows Himself in us.» — cómo resuelve el debate sobre la capacidad de la mente humana de conocer a Dios: nuestra inteligencia lo conoce solo por Dios, y es Dios quien se conoce en nosotros

«If by the "'human mind" one understands reason divorced from Intellection or from Revelation -the latter being. in principal necessary to actualize the former-it goes without saying that this mind is capable neither of illuminating us nor, a fortiori. of saving us.» — y lo que niega a la razón divorciada de la Intelección y de la Revelación: ni ilumina ni salva

«Objectivity. whereby human is distinguished from animal intelligence. would lack sufficient reason without the capacity to conceive the absolute or the infinite. or without the sense of perfection.» — de qué carecería esa objetividad sin la capacidad de concebir lo absoluto o lo infinito, o sin el sentido de la perfección

«For man alone is capable of willing what is contrary to his instincts or to his immediate self-interest~ he alone can put himself in the place of others and feel with them and through them~ and he alone is capable of sacrifice and of pity.» — lo que reserva al hombre solo: querer contra su instinto o su interés inmediato, ponerse en el lugar de otros y ser capaz de sacrificio y de piedad

«It has been said that reason is an infirmity, which is true if one compares it with the direct vision that is Intellection. If contingency is an infirmity, so is reason, but not in its positive aspect of adequation; this discursive adequation is» — lo que concede a quien llama enfermedad a la razón y el aspecto positivo que le salva, la adecuación discursiva, necesaria, según sigue en la plana 188, al hombre situado entre lo contingente y lo absoluto

«For a light that comes to us by sudden inspiration is one thing, and a light to which we have access through our ··supernatural nature" is another. nevertheless, we could call this nature a ""divine immanence" and thus dissociate it from the human, as indeed we do when we affirm that God alone can know God be this within us or outside us. However that may be, the ··natural" receptacle proportionate to the ··supernatural" has already in itself something supernatural or divine.» — la distinción que traza entre la luz de una inspiración súbita y la luz accesible por lo que llama nuestra naturaleza sobrenatural

«the principles oflogic are situated in God. so that a contradiction between our knowledge and Divine Truth is impossible; and this is one of the axioms of all metaphysics and all epistemology.» — en nota, Schuon sitúa en Dios los principios de la lógica y declara imposible una contradicción entre nuestro conocimiento y la Verdad Divina. El escaneo pega dos palabras

«By analogy, we could say that Mary is .. divine" not only through Jesus, but also, and a priori. by her receptivity proportionate to the Incarnation, whence the "Immaculate Conception." which is an intrinsic quality of the Virgin. This being so, the Logos "was incarnated" in her already before the» — la analogía mariana que añade en nota: María divina también por su receptividad proporcionada a la Encarnación; el renglón queda partido por la reemisión de la plana 189

«birth of Christ. which is indicated by the words gratia plena and Dominus tecum, and which explains why she could be represented-by Moslems as well as Christians-as the "Mother of all the Prophets." The Lotus (Padma) could not be the bearer of the Jewel (Mam) if it were not itself a theophany.» — la continuación de esa nota, con María llamada Madre de todos los Profetas por musulmanes y cristianos y con el Loto que no podría llevar la Joya sin ser él mismo teofanía

«The essence of epistemology is what constitutes the sufficient reason and very possibility of intelligence, namely adequation, or in other words ""knowledge;· whatever agnostics may say; and to say adequation is to say prefiguration and even immanence of the knowable in the subject that knows or is destined to know.» — dónde pone la esencia de la epistemología, en la adecuación, que equivale a decir prefiguración e inmanencia de lo cognoscible en el sujeto

«The root of the polarization of the real into subject and object is situated in Being; not in the pure Absolute, Beyond-Being, but in its first self-determination.» — dónde sitúa la raíz de la polarización de lo real en sujeto y objeto, en el Ser y no en el Absoluto puro o Más allá del Ser

«The divine Miiyii is the ··confrontation," if one may say so, of God as Subject or Consciousness and God as Object or Being; it is the knowledge that God has of Himself. of His Perfection and of His Possibilities.» — cómo describe la Maya divina, confrontación de Dios como Sujeto y Dios como Objeto, y conocimiento que Dios tiene de sí mismo

«But to say that man is .. made in the image of God'" means precisely that he represents a central and not a peripheral subjectivity. and consequently a subject which. emanating directly from the Divine Intellect. participates in principle in the p"ower of the latter. man can know all that is real. and nence knowable. otherwise he would not be the earthly divinity which in fact he is.» — lo que lee en la fórmula del hombre hecho a imagen de Dios: una subjetividad central y no periférica que participa en principio del poder del Intelecto Divino

«Relative knowledge is limited subjectively by a point of view and objectively by an aspec~ since man is relative. his knowledge is relative to the extent that it is human. and it is human in the reason. but not in the intrinsic Intellect~ it is human in the .. brain." not in the .. heart" united to the Absolute.» — el reparto que hace del conocimiento relativo, humano en la razón y no en el Intelecto intrínseco, en el cerebro y no en el corazón unido al Absoluto

«And it is in this sense that. according to a badith. ""Heaven and earth cannot contain Me [God]. but the heart of the believer containeth Me"-this heart which. thanks to the miracle of Immanence. opens onto the Divine""Self' and onto the infinitude. both' extinctive and unitive. of the knowable. hence of the Real.» — el hadiz que aduce sobre el corazón del creyente que contiene a Dios, y lo que le hace decir sobre la Inmanencia que abre al Sí Mismo Divino

«Why this detour-one may ask-by way of the human intelligence? Why should God. who knows Himself in Himself: wish to know Himself also through man? Because. as a badith tells us. ··1 was a hidden treasure. and I wished to be known; hence I created the world» — la pregunta con que cierra el capítulo y el hadiz del tesoro escondido que quiso ser conocido

«Which means that the Absolute wishes to be known from the starting point of the relative. And why? Because this is a possibility pertaining. as such. to the limitlessness of Divine Possibility~ a possibility. and thus something that cannot but be. something whose ··why" resides in the Infinite.» — y la respuesta que saca: el Absoluto quiere ser conocido desde lo relativo porque es una posibilidad que pertenece a la ilimitación de la Posibilidad Divina

«Formalism. which is established for the "average man." allows man to achieve universality .... It is in fact the "average man" who is the object of the Shari'ah or sacred law of Islam» — en la nota al capítulo 3, Schuon cita a Abdul-Hadi sobre el formalismo establecido para el hombre medio y sobre la sharía como objeto suyo

«Islam. as a religion. is the way of unity and totality. Its fundamental dogma is called At· Tawl,zid. that is to say, unity or the action of uniting. As a universal religion. it admits of gradations. but each of these gradations is truly Islam in the sense that each and every aspect of Islam reveals the same principles. Its formulas aTe extremely simple. but the number of its forms is incalculable. The greater the number ofthese forms. the more perfect is the law.» — la continuación de esa cita, con el tawhid como dogma fundamental y con las gradaciones que declara todas islam; el escaneo escribe aTe por are

«It is the clear delimitation. known to alt between Sufic and Sharaite questions that allows Islam to be both esoteric and exoteric without contradicting itself.» — lo que esa misma cita pone como razón de que el islam sea esotérico y exotérico sin contradecirse, la delimitación clara entre cuestiones súficas y sharaítas

«Every deduction that one can make from this formula is more or less valid provided always that it does not destroy the literal meanin~ for in that case one destroys the unity of Islam. that is to say. its universality. its faculty of adapting and fitting itself to all mentalities. circumstances. and epochs.» — y el límite que pone a la deducción libre desde la fórmula del tawhid: no destruir el sentido literal, so pena de destruir la universalidad del islam

«Formalism is indispensable: it is not a superstition but a universal language. Since universality is the principle and the reason for the existence of Islam. and since language is the means of communication between beings endowed with reason. it follows that exoteric formulas are as important in the religious organism as the arteries in the animal body» — la comparación con que esa nota defiende el formalismo, arterias del organismo religioso

«Life is not divisible: what makes it appear so is that it is capable of gradation. The more the life of the ego identifies itself with the life of the non-ego. the more intensely one lives. The transfusion of the ego into the non-ego is made by means of a gift that is more or less ritual conscious or voluntary. It will be easily understood that the art of giving is the principal secret of the Great Work. (Abdul-Hadi. "L'universalite en l'Islam." Le Voile d'Isis, January, 1934» — el cierre de la cita de Abdul-Hadi, con el arte de dar como secreto principal de la Gran Obra, y la remisión a Le Voile d'Isis de enero de 1934

«it is obvious that the Scriptures cannot have the Japanese or the Peruvians in mind although these people also belong to this terrestrial world that is» — en la nota al capítulo 5, Schuon sostiene que la expresión toda nación bajo el cielo de los Hechos no puede tener en mente a japoneses ni peruanos

«moreover. the same text makes clear later on what the authors of the New Testament meant by "every nation under heaven": .. We. Parthians and Medes. and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea. and Cappadocia. in Pontus and Asia [Minor]. Phrygia. and Pamphylia in Egypt. and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene. and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians. we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God» — y el propio texto de los Hechos que aduce como prueba, con la lista de partos, medos, elamitas y demás

«It is obvious that the author of these words did not mean to imply that the faith of the primitive Church of Rome was known among all peoples who, according to present-day geographical knowledge. make up the "whole world" including. for example. the Mongols or the Aztecs: the .. world" was and is. for Christianity, the Western world with certain extensions into the Near East» — la misma lectura aplicada a san Pablo sobre la fe de la Iglesia de Roma conocida en el mundo entero, que acota al mundo occidental con extensiones al Cercano Oriente

«Similarly. when St Justin Martyr said. a century after Jesus Christ. that there is no human race. whether Greek. Barbarian. or any other. among whom the name of Christ is not invoked who would think of interpreting these words literally and of accusing the saint either of falsehood or error?» — y la aplicada a san Justino Mártir sobre el nombre de Cristo invocado en toda raza humana

«Christ issued the command to "teach all nations" (Matt 29:19). and it is assumed that this refers to everyone who inhabits the terrestrial globe: but when Christ orders. "Go ye into the world. and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16: 15). care is taken not to interpret this literally and preach to every creature without exception. including animals and plants: and especial care is taken to avoid a literal interpretation of the sequel to the same passage. according to which believers are characterized by miraculous gifts such as immunity against poison and power to cure the sick.» — la asimetría de lectura que denuncia: se toma al pie de la letra el mandato de enseñar a todas las naciones y no el de predicar a toda criatura ni los dones milagrosos que le siguen

«Historians may not like it but one finds incontestable traces of the lex arcani at the origin of our religion.» — en la nota al capítulo 8, Schuon cita a Paul Vulliaud sobre las trazas de la ley del arcano en el origen del cristianismo

«The rule enjoining that the dogmas should be revealed only to Initiates continued in operation long enough to enable even the blindest and most refractory observers to detect undeniable traces of it» — la continuación de esa cita, con la regla de revelar los dogmas solo a los iniciados mantenida el tiempo suficiente para dejar trazas innegables

«Saint Basil in his work On the True and Pious Faith. relates how he avoided making use of terms. such as Trinity and consubstantiality. that. as he said. do not occur in the Scriptures. although the things that they denote are to be found there» — el testimonio de san Basilio que esa nota aduce, sobre evitar términos como Trinidad y consustancialidad por no figurar en las Escrituras

«The primitive discipline of Christianity included an examination at which the competent [those who asked for baptism! were admitted to election. This examination was called the scrutiny. The Sign of the Cross was made on the ears of the catechumen with the word Ephpheta. for which reason this ceremony came to be called ''the scrutiny of the opening of the ears." The ears were opened to the reception[cabalahl or tradition of the Divine truths» — y el escrutinio de la disciplina primitiva que describe, con el signo de la cruz sobre los oídos del catecúmeno y la palabra Ephpheta; el corchete que glosa a los competentes es del libro

«The Initiates were consequently divided into three classes. The first class comprised the hearers, the second the catechumens or the competent. and the third the faithful.» — los tres grados de instrucción que ese texto describe, oyentes, catecúmenos o competentes y fieles

«When this Mass was about to begin. a deacon cried in a loud voice: Sancta sanctis; foris canes; .. The holy things are for the holy; let the dogs go out!» — la fórmula con que el diácono despedía a catecúmenos y penitentes antes de la Misa de los Fieles

«even today, in the Greek rite, the officiating priest celebrates the Divine Office behind a curtain, which is drawn back only at the moment of the Elevation; but at this moment those assisting should be prostrated or bowed in such a manner that they cannot see the Blessed Sacrament" [F. T. B. Clavel Histoire pittoresque de Ia Franc-Mafonnerie et des societes secr'etes anciennes et modemes» — el resto de esa cita, con la cortina del rito griego descorrida solo en la Elevación, y la remisión a la Histoire pittoresque de F. T. B. Clavel

«A distinction analogous to the one that sets in opposition Faith and the Law is to be found within the initiatory realm itself; to Faith correspond here the various spiritual movements founded upon the invocation of a Divine Name (the Hindu japa, the Buddhist buddhii-nusmriti, nien1o, or nembutsu, and the Moslem dhikr» — en la nota al capítulo 8, Schuon empareja la oposición entre Fe y Ley con la que halla dentro del dominio iniciático, y alinea el japa hindú, el buddhanusmriti budista y el dhikr musulmán

«a particularly characteristic example is provided by Shri Chaitanya. who threw away all his books in order to devote himself exclusively to the "bhaktic" invocation of Krishna. an attitude comparable to that of the Christians who rejected the Law and "works" in the name of Faith and Love.» — el ejemplo que llama característico, Shri Chaitanya arrojando sus libros para invocar a Krishna, comparado con los cristianos que rechazaron la Ley en nombre de la Fe

«Similarly, to cite yet another example, the Japanese Buddhist schools called Jiido and Jiido Shin, whose doctrine, founded on the sutras of Amitabha. is analogous to certain doctrines of Chinese Buddhism and proceeds. like them. from the ··original vow of Amida." reject the meditations and austerities of the other Buddhist schools in order to devote themselves exclusively to the invocation of the sacred Name of Amida: here ascetic effort is replaced by simple confidence in the Grace of the Buddha Amida. a grace that He bestows out of His compassion on those who invoke Him, independently of any merit on their part» — y el ejemplo japonés que añade, las escuelas Jodo y Jodo Shin, con el esfuerzo ascético reemplazado por la confianza en la Gracia del Buda Amida

«The invocation ofthe holy Name must be accompanied by an absolute sincerity of heart and the most complete faith in the goodness of Amida. whose will it is that all creatures should be saved. In place of virtues. in place of knowledge, Am ida. taking pity on the men of the ··Latter Days," has allowed that there be substituted faith in the redemptive value of His Grace, in order that they may be delivered from the sufferings of the world» — la cita que reproduce de esa doctrina, con la fe en el valor redentor de la Gracia sustituyendo a las virtudes y al conocimiento en los Últimos Días. El escaneo pega dos palabras

«Every creature, however great a sinner he may be, is certain of being saved and enfolded in the light of Amida and of obtaining a place in the eternal and imperishable Land of Happiness. if only he believes in the Name of Amida Buddha and abandoning the present and future cares of the world takes refuge in the liberating Hands so mercifully stretched out toward all creatures. reciting His Name with an entire sincerity of heart» — y la promesa que esa misma fuente formula para toda criatura que crea en el Nombre y se refugie en las manos tendidas

«Whereas all our other actions are more or less stained with impurity, the repetition oftheNamu-Amida-Bu is an act devoid of all impurity, for it is not we who recite it but Amida Himself who, giving us His own Name, makes us repeat It» — el argumento que recoge sobre la recitación del Namu-Amida-Bu como acto sin impureza, porque no lo recita el devoto sino Amida dándole su propio Nombre

«The original vow of Am ida is to receive in his Land of Felicity whoever shall pronounce His Name with absolute confidence: happy then are those who pronounce His Name! A man may possess faith, but if he does not pronounce the Name his faith will be of no use to him. Another may pronounce the Name while thinking of that alone, but if his faith is not sufficiently deep, his re-birth will not take place. But he who believes firmly in re-birth as the goal of nembutsu [invocation) and who pronounces the Name, the same will without any doubt be reborn in the Land of Reward [From Essays in Zen Buddhism, vol 2, by D. T. Suzuki» — la cita que toma de D. T. Suzuki sobre el voto original de Amida, con la doble condición del Nombre pronunciado y de la fe suficientemente honda; el escaneo parte el nombre de Amida

«The Psalms contain a number of references to the invocation of the Name of God: I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill. And I have called upon the name of the Lord 0 Lord deliver my soul The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him. to all that call upon him in truth.» — en la nota al capítulo 8, Schuon reúne los pasajes de los Salmos sobre invocar el nombre del Señor

«Two passages also contain a reference to the Eucharistic mode of invocation: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things.. so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.» — y los dos que lee como referencia al modo eucarístico de la invocación, con la boca abierta que Dios llena

«So also Isaiah: Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name: thou art mine. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near.» — los pasajes de Isaías que añade, con el llamado por el nombre y la busca del Señor mientras puede ser hallado

«And so Solomon in the Book of Wisdom: I called upon God and the spirit of wisdom came upon me.» — y el del Libro de la Sabiduría sobre invocar a Dios y recibir el espíritu de sabiduría

«that which is obtained by meditation in the age of Krita. by sacrifice in the age of Trera. by devotion in the age of Dwiipara. is obtained in the Kali age by celebrating Keshava» — el pasaje del Vishnu-Dharma-Uttara que cita sobre lo que cada edad obtiene por su medio propio y la Kali por la celebración del Nombre

«Water suffices to put out fire. the sunrise to disperse the darkness; in the Kali age the repetition of the Name of Hari [Vishnu! suffices to destroy all errors.» — y el que empareja el Nombre de Hari en la edad Kali con el agua que apaga el fuego y el amanecer que dispersa la oscuridad

«In the present age. which belongs to the fourth half-millennium after Buddha what we have to do is to repent of our transgressions. cultivate the virtues. and ·pronounce the Name of Buddha. Is it not said that to think of the Buddha Amitabha and to pronounce His Name ... purifies us of.all transgressions committed by us in all our lives during eighty thousand million kalpa» — el texto budista que sigue, sobre pronunciar el Nombre del Buda Amitabha en la edad presente

«Because beings endowed with sensible faculties meet many obstacles in their road and the world in which they live is full of subtle temptations; because (in the present age or latter days. and above all as the end of this epoch draws near) their thoughts are too per.,.. plexed their intelligence too clumsy. and their minds too distraught .... taking pity on them. Buddha counsels them to concentrate on the recitation of His Name. for when it is practised without interruption. the devotee is certain to be reborn in the Land of Amida [Shan Tao. a Chinese Master» — la cita del maestro chino Shan Tao sobre la concentración en la recitación del Nombre por compasión hacia mentes distraídas

«Remember Me. and I will remember you. To Allah belong the most beautiful Names: call on Him by them! 0 Believers! when you are face to face with an armed troop. be resolute and repeat without ceasing the name of Allah. that you may prosper. Allah leads to Himself all those who tum to Him, who believe in Him, and whose hearts have rest in the invocation of Allah; is it not by the invocation of Allah that hearts find rest?» — la selección de versículos coránicos sobre la invocación que reúne, con los Nombres más bellos y el reposo de los corazones

«Who speaks a better word than he who calls upon Allah? Your Lord has said: Call Me and I will answer you. It is certain that the invocation of Allah is of all things the greatest» — y los tres que cierran esa serie, con la invocación declarada la mayor de todas las cosas

«Whenever men gather together to invoke Allah. they are surrounded by Angels, the Divine Favor envelops them, and Peace [Sakfnahl descends upon them. and Allah remembers them in His assembly.» — el hadiz que aduce sobre los ángeles y la Paz que descienden donde los hombres se reúnen a invocar; el corchete con el término árabe es del libro

«There is a means of polishing all things whereby rust may be removed; that which polishes the heart is the invocation of Allah. and there is no act that removes the punishment of Allah further from you than this invocation. The Companions said: Is not the battle against unbelievers equal to it? The Prophet replied: No, not even if you fight on until your sword is shattered» — y el que compara la invocación con el pulido que quita la herrumbre del corazón, con la respuesta del Profeta sobre la batalla contra los incrédulos

«Because the latter had mixed together the Jfaqiqah (the esoteric Truth) and the Shari'ah (the exoteric Law). it carried with it certain dangers of disequilibrium that have in fact manifested themselves during the course of the centuries. indirectly contributing to the terrible subversion represented by the modern world in conformity with the words of Christ: ""Give not that which is holy unto the dogs. neither cast ye your pearls before swine. lest they trample them under their feet. and turn again and rend you.» — a qué atribuye la reacción islámica contra el cristianismo: haber mezclado la Haqiqa y la Sharía, con peligros de desequilibrio, apoyado en el versículo sobre no dar lo santo a los perros

«The inward and esoteric truth must of necessity sometimes manifest itself in broad daylight. this being by virtue of a definite possibility of spiritual manifestation and without regard to the shortcomings of a particular human environmen~ in other words. the confusion in question* is but the negative consequence of something that in itself is positive. namely. the manifestation of Christ as such.» — la razón que da a esa mezcla: la verdad esotérica ha de manifestarse a veces en pleno día, y la confusión es consecuencia negativa de algo en sí positivo

«It was necessary that Christ. by metaphysical or cosmological definition as it were. should break the husk represented by the Mosaic Law. though without denying the latter, being Himself the living kernel of this Law.» — por qué era necesario que Cristo rompiera la cáscara de la Ley mosaica sin negarla, siendo él su grano vivo

«There must also exist on the human side. that is to say. in the environment in which such a Divine manifestation takes place. a sufficient reason for its occurrence~ so. for the world to which Christ's mission was addressed this open manifestation of truths that should normally remain hiddenunder certain conditions of time and place at least-was the only possible means of bringing about the reorientation of which that world had need.» — el aspecto complementario que no quiere pasar por alto: también del lado humano ha de existir una razón suficiente para esa manifestación Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *hiddenunder* donde la fuente parte *hidden-under*.

«This laying bare of the .... spirit .. hidden in the .... letter" could not. however. entirely do away with certain laws that are inherent in all esoterism. under pain of changing the nature of the latter entirely: thus Christ spoke only in parables ..... that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet. saying. I will open my mouth in parables~ I will utter things» — el límite que conserva: ese desvelamiento no pudo suprimir las leyes inherentes a todo esoterismo, y de ahí que Cristo hablara solo en parábolas

«It should be added that from an initiatory point of view, as expressed for example in the teaching of the Hesychast tradition, this vision can and even should be obtained in this life.» — lo que añade desde el punto de vista iniciático sobre la visión que la teología reserva a los bienaventurados: puede y aun debe obtenerse en esta vida, según la tradición hesicasta

«In Christianity. by contrast with Islam. the miracle plays a central and quasiorganic part. and this is not unconnected with the .. bhaktic" nature of the Christian way.» — el papel central y cuasi orgánico que atribuye al milagro en el cristianismo frente al islam, ligado a la naturaleza bháctica de la vía cristiana Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *quasiorganic* donde la fuente parte *quasi-organic*.

«Miracles would in fact be inexplicable apart from the role they play in Faith~ possessing no persuasive value in themselves-for otherwise satanic miracles would be a criterion of truth-they nevertheless possess this value to an extreme degree in association with all the other factors that enter into the Christian Revelation.» — el límite exacto que pone al milagro: sin valor persuasivo en sí, porque entonces el milagro satánico sería criterio de verdad, y con ese valor en grado extremo unido a los demás factores

«The essential and primordial function of a miracle is either to awaken the grace of Faith-which assumes on the part of the person affected by this grace a natural disposition to admit the supernatural. whether this dispostion be conscious or not-or to make perfect a Faith already acquired.» — la función que le asigna, despertar la gracia de la Fe o perfeccionar una Fe ya adquirida

«thousand elephants who clamoured in my ear: Clay and gold are but one thing for you. My prayers were answered. and I threw far away into the Ganges the piece of gold and the lump of clay. !Romain Rolland. La vie de Ramakrishna» — el cierre de la cita de Ramakrishna sobre el oro y el barro, que Schuon toma de Romain Rolland; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo intercala la nota al pie

«In the same connection. the following reflections of an orthodox theologian may be quoted: "A dogma that expresses a revealed truth. which appears to us an unfathomable mystery. must be lived by us by means of a process whereby. instead of assimilating the mystery to our own mode of understanding. we must on the contrary watch for a profound change. an inward transformation of our spirit. so as to make us fit for the mystical experience" (Vladimir LOs sky. Essai sur Ia theologie mystique de l'Eglise d'Orient» — y la cita de Vladimir Lossky que añade en esa nota, sobre el dogma que ha de vivirse por una transformación interior y no asimilándolo a nuestro modo de entender

«Lastly, if miracles can awaken Faith, Faith can in turn bring about miracles, for .. Faith can move mountains.» — la reciprocidad que señala entre milagro y Fe, con el dicho evangélico sobre la fe que mueve montañas

«This reciprocal relationship also shows that these two things are connected cosmologically and that there is nothing arbitrary in this connection~ thus the miracle establishes an immediate contact between the Divine Omnipotence and the world while Faith establishes in its turn an analogous but passive contact between the microcosm and God~ ordinary ratiocination. that is to say, the discursive operation of the mental faculty, is as far removed from Faith as are natural laws from miracles. while intellectual Knowledge will see the miraculous in the natural and vice versa.» — el cuadro con que la explica: el milagro como contacto inmediato entre la Omnipotencia Divina y el mundo y la Fe como contacto pasivo entre el microcosmo y Dios

«As for Charity, which is the most important of the three theological virtues, it possesses two aspects, one passive and the other active. Spiritual Love is a passive participation in God who is Infinite Love~ but merely natural love is, on the contrary, active in relation to created things.» — los dos aspectos que distingue en la Caridad, el Amor espiritual como participación pasiva en Dios y el amor natural como actividad hacia lo creado

«The most general example of this confusion. which might also be called a fluctuation. is the mingling in the Scriptures of the New Testament of the two degrees of inspiration that Hindus denote respectively by the terms shruti and smriti. and Moslems by the terms nafas ar-Ru~ and ilqii ar-Ra~miiniyah: the latter expression. like the word smriti. denotes a derived or secondary inspiration. while the first expression. like the word shruti. refers to Revelation properly so-called. that is to say. to the Divine Word in a direct sense. In the Epistles. this mingling even appears explicitly on several occasions: the seventh chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians is particularly instructive in this respect» — en nota, Schuon nombra el ejemplo más general de esa confusión, la mezcla en el Nuevo Testamento de los dos grados de inspiración que los hindúes llaman shruti y smriti y los musulmanes con dos términos árabes; tramo largo releído entero en el crudo

«It may also be said that if esoterism does not concern everyone. it is for the reason. analogically speaking. that light penetrates some substances and not others~ but on the other hand if esoterism must manifest itself openly from time to time. as happened in the case of Christ. and at a lower level of universality. in the case of Al-J:Iallaj. it is. still by analogy. because the sun illuminates everything without distinction.» — la doble analogía con que explica que el esoterismo no concierna a todos y a la vez se manifieste a veces abiertamente, con la luz que penetra unas substancias y el sol que ilumina sin distinción; nombra ahí a al-Hallach como caso de menor universalidad

«it may be said that a miracle, apart from its symbolic character, which links it» — cómo define la función del milagro en toda forma religiosa; el troceo corta aquí al reemitir la plana 176 y la frase sigue con la intuición que se vuelve elemento de certeza en el alma del creyente

«in the Name of our Lord Jesus that thy heart may drink the Lord and the Lord may drink thy heart, to the end that in this manner the two may become one.» — el cierre del capítulo octavo, con el corazón que bebe al Señor y el Señor que bebe el corazón hasta que los dos se hagan uno; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el renglón anterior queda en la plana 182

«joy for my heart. but it is also a medicine. Does any one among you feel overcome with sadness? Let him then taste Jesus in his mouth and heart. and behold how before the light of His Name all clouds» — el resto de la cita de san Bernardo sobre el Nombre de Jesús como medicina contra la tristeza; el tramo empieza a media frase porque el renglón anterior queda en la plana 182 y se corta donde acaba la plana

«Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schuon, Frithjof. The transcendent unity of religions. (A Quest book)» — la ficha catalográfica de la Library of Congress encabeza el volumen por el apellido del autor y lo rotula como libro de la serie Quest

«1. Religion-philosophy. 2. Christianity and other religions. 3. Religions. I. Title. BL5l.S4643 1984 291 '.01 84-239» — los encabezamientos de materia con que la misma ficha catalográfica clasifica el libro, el número de clasificación y el de control, con el año 1984 dentro del renglón

«All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission except for quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.» — la reserva de derechos de la edición de Quest

«ISBN-13: 978-0-8356-0587-8 ISBN-1 0: 0-8356-0587-6 Printed in the United States of America» — los dos ISBN de esta tirada y el lugar de impresión declarado

«Spiritus ubi vult spirat: et vocum eius audis, sed nescis unde veniat, aut quo vadat' sic est omnis, qui natus est ex spiritu.» — el epígrafe en latín que abre el volumen, Juan 3:8 en la Vulgata, impreso encima de su versión inglesa; el libro no declara de qué edición lo toma

«The subtlety of its arguments cannot be the sole reason~ there appears to be something about Schuon's entire approach to the relation between religions that. being foreign to the contemporary theological scene-a way of saying .. original"-renders it peculiarly difficult of access.» — Smith atribuye la escasa difusión del libro no a la sutileza del argumento sino a algo del enfoque entero de Schuon que lo vuelve ajeno a la escena teológica contemporánea

«Instead of locking into the ongoing dialogue on the subject-names like Schleiermacher. Troeltsch. Barth. Brunner. Tillich. Hans Kung and Wilfred Smith never appear on his pages-he approaches it from a different angle.» — Smith señala que los nombres del debate teológico moderno no aparecen en estas páginas, y enumera los que faltan

«It then emerges as at once the most powerful statement of the grand or better. primordial. tradition that is original in incorporating what our age for the first time demands: that religion be treated in global terms.» — Smith llama al libro la formulación más potente de la tradición primordial y le adjudica lo que dice que la época exige por primera vez: tratar la religión en términos globales

«I saw how virgin nature-especially in its grand phenomena: sun, wind, moon, thunder, lightning. and the sky and earth that are their containers-could be venerated as the most transparent symbols of the divine.» — Smith cuenta lo que, según él, le abrió la lectura de Schuon ante el santuario de Ise: la naturaleza virgen venerada como símbolo transparente de lo divino

«In Iran the leading Islamicist of the land pointed me to Schuon·s Understanding Islam as .. the best work in English on the meaning of Islam and why Muslims believe in it» — Smith reporta el juicio del islamista que lo remitió a otro libro de Schuon, Understanding Islam; la ristra de puntos por comillas es del escaneo

«As other readers cannot be expected to have undergone that schooling. I propose in this introduction to do two things by way of propaedeutics: to summarize the author's thesis and to relate it to alternatives that are being proposed.» — Smith declara el plan de su Introduction: resumir la tesis del autor y relacionarla con las alternativas que se proponen

«It is a priori evident that everything both resembles and differs from everything else: resembles it at least in existing. differs or there would be no multiplicity to compare.» — Smith parte de lo que llama una evidencia a priori, que todo se parece y difiere a la vez, para plantear dónde se traza la línea entre unidad y pluralidad

«Schuon draws the line between esoteric and exoteric. And immediately we begin to suspect that we are in the presence of something different The fundamental distinction is not between religions; it is not, so to speak. a line that, reappearing. divides religion's great historical manifestations vertically, Hindus from Buddhists from Christians from Muslims, and so on. The dividing line is horizontal and occurs but once, cutting across the historical religions. Above the line lies esoterism, below it exoterism.» — Smith resume la tesis: la línea divisoria no corre en vertical entre religiones sino en horizontal y una sola vez, atravesándolas a todas, con el esoterismo arriba y el exoterismo abajo

«It could be objected that this horizontal line is not as original as it might appear.» — Smith se plantea él mismo la objeción de que la tesis no sea tan original como parece

«we do not arrive at Schuon's originality until we ask into the nature of religion's generic essence or (in the title of this book) transcendent unity.» — y la responde situando la originalidad en la naturaleza de la esencia genérica de la religión, que es lo que el título llama unidad trascendente

«For Schuon existence is graded. and with it cognition as well. Metaphysically, in God at the apex. religions (or rather the revealed religions, a distinction to which we shall return) converge~* below they differ. The epistemological concomitant of this metaphysical fact is that religious discernment too, unites at its apex while dividing below itt» — Smith enuncia el supuesto del que cuelga todo: la existencia es graduada, y con ella el conocimiento; las religiones convergen en la cúspide y difieren abajo. La te suelta al final es la llamada de nota del impreso

«What appears to it is Unity: absolute, categorical undifferentiated Unity. Anthropologically this Unity precludes final distinction between human and divine. epistemologically between knower and known. It bespeaks a knowing that becomes its object or rather is its object. for temporal distinctions are likewise inapposite at this point» — Smith describe lo que se le aparece a ese discernimiento: una Unidad absoluta que excluye la distinción última entre lo humano y lo divino y entre el que conoce y lo conocido

«The Absolute Unity that is God defies visualization or even consistent description.» — el límite que Smith pone de inmediato: esa Unidad absoluta no admite visualización ni descripción consistente. El tramo se corta aquí porque el troceo mete a continuación las dos notas al pie de la plana

«Absolute Unity must be All-Possibility: every possibility must be actualized within it-with God in his personal mode all things are possible (Matt. 19:26; Mark 10:27); in his absolute mode all things are actual.» — Smith deriva que la Unidad absoluta tiene que ser Toda-Posibilidad, y contrasta el modo personal de Dios, donde todo es posible, con el absoluto, donde todo es actual

«It is sometimes asserted that all religions are equally true. But this would seem to be simply sloppy thinking. since the various religions hold views of reality which are sharply different if not contradictory» — en nota, Smith cita la introducción de Owen Thomas a Attitudes toward Other Religions, que llama pensamiento descuidado a decir que todas las religiones son igualmente verdaderas

«if A sees a red light and B one that is blue. it is not sloppy thinking to assert that both are seeing light» — y le objeta con una analogía que dice tomar del propio Schuon: si uno ve luz roja y otro azul, no es descuido afirmar que ambos ven luz

«The Intellect is not reason. Reason proceeds discursively, through language, and like a bridge, joins two banks. knower and known. without removing the river between.» — Smith distingue Intelecto de razón: la razón procede discursivamente y, como un puente, une las dos orillas sin quitar el río

«the Intellect is the Absolute as manifest in the human soul; Eckhart states the case precisely when he writes: .. There is something in the soul that is uncreated and uncreatable» — Smith identifica el Intelecto con el Absoluto manifestado en el alma humana y lo apoya en la frase de Eckhart sobre algo increado e increable en el alma; las comillas del impreso salen como puntos

«Intimations and realizations of this supreme identity appear in varying degrees of explicitness in all revealed religions and constitute the point at which they are one.» — Smith sitúa el punto de unidad de las religiones reveladas en los atisbos y realizaciones de esa identidad suprema, con grados distintos de explicitud

«but because the truth to which they are privy is buried so deep in the human composite that they cannot communicate it.» — y explica por qué esa unidad es secreta: no porque quienes la conocen no quieran decirla, sino porque la verdad está demasiado hundida en el compuesto humano

«Atman is Brahman from the beginning. "Wonder of wonders. all things intrinsically are the Buddha-nature.» — Smith cierra el tramo con dos fórmulas ajenas, la vedántica de Atman y Brahman y la budista sobre la naturaleza de Buda

«Of the first edition of this boo~ published in 1957. T. S. Eliot wrote: "'I have met with no more impressive work in the comparative study of Oriental and Occidental religions.» — Huston Smith abre su Introduction fechando la primera edición en 1957 y citando el elogio de T. S. Eliot, cuya estimación dice que él mismo elevaría al superlativo

«The esoteric minority consists of men and women who realize that they have their roots in the Absolute.» — Smith convierte la cuestión de unidad y diversidad en una de tipos espirituales, y define la minoría esotérica por reconocer su raíz en el Absoluto

«The exoteric majority is composed of the remainder of mankind for whom this way of talking about religion is sterile if not unintelligible.» — y define por contraste la mayoría exotérica, para la que ese modo de hablar de la religión resulta estéril cuando no ininteligible

«Those who say do not know; those who know do not say" (Tao TeChing, ch. 56» — en nota al pie de esa misma plana, Smith apoya el carácter incomunicable de lo esotérico en un dicho que atribuye al Tao Te Ching; el impreso pega las dos palabras del título

«The attitude of each spiritual type toward the other must in the nature of things be. at best. ambivalent» — Smith enuncia la ambivalencia como la actitud, en el mejor de los casos, de cada tipo espiritual hacia el otro

«He will not. however. be able to share the exoteric's conviction that the text or life in which he encounters his revelation is the only. or in any event supreme. mode in which God has spoken.» — el límite que Smith pone al respeto del esotérico: no puede compartir la convicción de que el texto o la vida donde el exotérico encuentra su revelación sea el modo único o supremo

«The exoteric's assessment of the esoteric is likely to be less charitable. not because exoterics are less endowed with that virtue. but because. a portion of the esoteric position being obscured from him.» — y explica por qué la estimación inversa es menos caritativa, sin adjudicarlo a falta de virtud sino a que parte de la posición esotérica le queda oculta

«If. as the esoteric maintains. Revelation has multiple and equal instances. no single instance can be absolute.» — el nudo del conflicto según Smith: si la Revelación tiene instancias múltiples e iguales, ninguna sola puede ser absoluta

«But single instance-be it Christ. the Koran. or whatever-is what the exoteric's faith is anchored in.» — y ahí ancla la fe exotérica, dice, sea en Cristo, en el Corán o en lo que fuere

«It is in this light that Christianity's ambivalence toward its mystics and Islam's toward its Sufis. to the point even of crucifying an Al-l:lallaj. are to be understood» — con eso explica Smith la ambivalencia del cristianismo ante sus místicos y la del islam ante sus sufíes, hasta el ajusticiamiento de al-Hallach; el nombre sale corrompido por el escaneo

«We are focusing on Schuon's notion of personality types as entree to his understanding of the relation between religions. but the types he delineates are not on a par. like the Greeks' sanguine. choleric. phlegmatic. and bilious~ Jung's extraverted and introverted or his sensing. thinking. feeling. and intuiting types~ or Sheldon's ectomorphs. endomorphs. and mesomorphs.» — Smith aclara que los tipos de Schuon no están a la par, y los distingue de las tipologías de los griegos, de Jung y de Sheldon

«They are graded like Vedanta's sattvic (balanced). rajasic (dynamic). and tamasic (lethargic) characters.» — dice en cambio que están graduados como los caracteres del Vedanta, sáttvico, rajásico y tamásico

«This returns us to the hierarchy of being. for if mankind admits of degrees. it is because being does~ a hierarchy of worth arising out of a qualitatively undifferentiated dead-level substrate is a superficial and ultimately contradictory image.» — y de ahí devuelve el argumento a la jerarquía del ser: si la humanidad admite grados es porque el ser los admite

«The difference between the traditional and the modern world view comes to this: in the former. reality is as stupendous qualitatively as quantitatively.» — Smith formula así la diferencia entre la cosmovisión tradicional y la moderna: en la primera lo real es tan portentoso en lo cualitativo como en lo cuantitativo

«Since the Great Chain of Being collapsed with the rise of modem science. something in scientific aims and methods must be inimical to it» — Smith busca en los fines y métodos de la ciencia moderna lo que hizo caer la Gran Cadena del Ser

«Modem science deals with the physical. perceptible world in that its hypotheses take off from this world and return to it for verification.» — y acota el alcance de esa ciencia: sus hipótesis parten del mundo físico perceptible y vuelven a él para verificarse. El impreso escribe Modem por Modern

«The modern world sees being as one-dimensional because scientific epistemology has pre-empted the epistemological field not (one hastens to add) so much because scientists are imperialists as because humanists.» — Smith adjudica la visión unidimensional del ser a que la epistemología científica ocupó el campo entero, y dice que no tanto por imperialismo de los científicos

«Schuon will point out errors as he comes upon them. but he has no interest in elaborating a typology of the ways that the relationship between religions has been conceived~ his eye is on the issue at stake rather than the ways men have construed» — Smith advierte que a Schuon no le interesa levantar una tipología de las maneras en que se ha concebido la relación entre religiones, sino la cuestión misma

«According to that perspective. the Koran does not deny the validity of these religions for their own adherents~ it denies only that they were intended for-could save-the Arab world.» — Smith expone la lectura esotérica del Corán: no niega la validez de las otras religiones para los suyos, sino que hayan sido destinadas al mundo árabe

«The true/false dichotomy forfeits its validity when invoked against other revealed religions-""People of the Book"; roughly the great enduring religions and archaic ones that have not degenerated-in ways that are aggressive rather than defensive.» — Smith fija dónde pierde validez la dicotomía verdadero-falso: invocada de modo agresivo contra otras religiones reveladas, las Gentes del Libro

«They are forced however. to stop short of granting other revelations status equal to their own.» — y observa que los teólogos contemporáneos, aun concediendo que las condenas en bloque son indefendibles, se detienen antes de conceder igualdad a otras revelaciones

«In Christendom the classical formula has been .. development-fulfillment": man's universal religious gropings find in Chrisfs incarnation of the Logos what they have sought implicitly from the beginning.» — la fórmula clásica que Smith atribuye a la cristiandad, desarrollo y cumplimiento: los tanteos religiosos universales hallarían en la encarnación del Logos lo que buscaban

«the divide is not between Christianity and other religions. but between the kerygma (divine message. God's saving overture) and religions' responses thereto.» — la variante que Smith describe a continuación, donde la línea no corre entre el cristianismo y las demás religiones sino entre el kerigma y las respuestas a él

«the theological imperative that one's own revelation take precedence over others surfaces, here in the assumption that the kerygma is most decisively disclosed in Christ» — y señala que también ahí reaparece el imperativo teológico de que la revelación propia tenga precedencia

«the objective. detached position-roughly the Religionswissenschaft of the last one hundred years-makes a point of having no commitment that might prejudice pure, impartial understanding.» — Smith pasa a la posición desapegada, que identifica con la Religionswissenschaft del último siglo y que se precia de no tener compromiso que empañe la comprensión imparcial

«Some in this camp are nominalists and feel no compulsion to discover an essence that unifies the field~ of religion in general they say as Troeltsch said of Christianity, it has no essence.» — dentro de ese campo distingue a los nominalistas, que de la religión en general dirían lo que Troeltsch dijo del cristianismo

«Opposing them are the phenomenologists, whose slogan ... Let the phenomena (appearances) speak for themselves:· was aimed precisely against reducing religion and certain other life domains to matrices that could only prove procrustean.» — y les opone a los fenomenólogos, con su lema de dejar hablar a los fenómenos contra toda reducción procústea

«Phenomenologists believe in religion's autonomy: man is inherently Homo religiosus and must be respected as such.» — la tesis que Smith les adjudica: la autonomía de la religión, con el hombre como Homo religiosus

«Note that these "'essences" all fall on the human side of the God/man divide. Phenomena are not noumena. Phenomenology. trying to be a science. deals exclusively with the former and refrains in principle from pronouncing on trans-human» — Smith objeta a las esencias propuestas por la fenomenología que caen todas del lado humano de la divisoria, y recuerda que la fenomenología se abstiene por principio de pronunciarse sobre lo metafísico

«The two positions. theological and phenomenological pull in opposite directions. and as each has a claim on something in man-were this not so they would not have arisenleave him. as it were. with one foot on shore and the other on an unmoored craft» — la imagen con que Smith describe la tensión entre la posición teológica y la fenomenológica, que tiran en direcciones opuestas Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *arisenleave* donde la fuente parte *arisen-leave*.

«One can also see a priori the formal conditions a middle way must satisfy. First. it must center in something the great traditions have in common.» — Smith enuncia la primera condición formal de una vía media: centrarse en algo común a las grandes tradiciones

«But second. this something must be God-ward of the God/man divide. for attitudes. sentiments. and experiences. however lofty. are only human states and do not elicit worship: this silences phenomenology.» — y la segunda, que ese algo esté del lado de Dios en la divisoria, porque las actitudes y experiencias, por altas que sean, son estados humanos y no suscitan adoración

«By the same token. moral virtues cannot provide the common core. for though they may be common they are not the core. From the religious point of view ethics is always derivative: the ethical half of the Ten Commandments follows the theological half.» — Smith descarta también las virtudes morales como núcleo común, con la razón de que desde el punto de vista religioso la ética es siempre derivada

«In the rationalism and deism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. the Parliament of Religions (Chicago. 1893). Gilbert Reid's International Institute(Shanghai.l8941917). and the Temple of Understanding today. one sees earnest gropings to discover a theological core that religions share in common.» — Smith alinea el racionalismo y el deísmo de los siglos XVII y XVIII, el Parlamento de las Religiones de Chicago de 1893, el Instituto Internacional de Gilbert Reid y el Templo del Entendimiento como tanteos por hallar un núcleo teológico compartido Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *l8941917* donde la fuente parte *l894-1917*.

«the fact that the religions all endorse the Golden Rule isn't enough: men don't worship morality.» — el argumento con que Smith descarta la Regla de Oro como núcleo suficiente: los hombres no adoran la moral

«but they fall between the stools: to the exoteric they appear abstract and no more capable of inspiring devotion than .. womanhood" can trigger full-blown love. while to the esoteric they are not ultimate. but derive from a source beyond themselves» — y el que descarta los arquetipos de bondad, verdad y belleza: quedan entre dos sillas, abstractos para el exotérico y no últimos para el esotérico

«The fact that it is thus transcendent. however. means that it can be univocally described by none and concretely apprehended by few.» — el límite que Smith pone a la unidad trascendente: por serlo, ninguno la describe unívocamente y pocos la aprehenden concretamente

«Enter Schuon. There is a unity at the heart of religions. More than moral it is theological. but more than theological it is metaphysical» — Smith presenta así la posición de Schuon: hay una unidad en el corazón de las religiones, más que moral y más que teológica, metafísica

«the problem of the relation between religions is. by it. solved~ for the many the problem is unsolvable.» — y dice el precio de esa solución, que para los pocos resuelve el problema de la relación entre religiones y para los muchos lo deja insoluble

«Our times are witnessing an efflorescence of esoterism. but largely of a rootless variety.» — Smith abre la última posición de su tipología, que llama esoterismo de flor cortada, con el diagnóstico de un esoterismo floreciente pero sin raíz

«Unconvinced by theology, which along with theory of every sort is dismissed as a .. head trip." the young especially are looking for experience: direct. unmediated God-awareness through altered states of consciousness.» — y describe a quiénes se lo atribuye: los jóvenes que buscan experiencia directa e inmediata de Dios por estados alterados de consciencia

«For Schuon this amounts to asking for end without means. kernel without husk, soul without body, spirit without letter.» — Smith resume la objeción de Schuon a esa vía en cuatro pares: fin sin medios, grano sin cáscara, alma sin cuerpo, espíritu sin letra

«Short of being a jivanmukta (realized soul). so few of which exist as to be negligible in this context. man cannot keep God-realization in constant focus. and the way to keep it in focus as much as possible is through dedicated and faith-filled observance of the forms stipulated in one of the revealed traditions.» — y expone el recurso que le atribuye: salvo el jivanmukta, el hombre no sostiene la realización de Dios en foco constante, y el modo de sostenerla es la observancia de las formas de una tradición revelada

«Thus Aristotelianism may be regarded as a kind of external or exoteric rendering of Platonism.» — en nota al pie, Smith llama al aristotelismo una versión exotérica del platonismo y traza la línea de Pitágoras, Sócrates, Platón y Plotino, con san Buenaventura adjudicando ciencia a uno y sabiduría al otro

«Man does not dwell in pure immediacy~ he lives in a world of symbolic forms.» — Smith abre la sección en que reformula la distinción diciendo que el hombre no habita la inmediatez pura sino un mundo de formas simbólicas

«Transcendence can appear on the human plane only through these forms~ it cannot appear directly because it transcends by definition the plane's spatiotemporal categories.» — y deriva de ahí que la trascendencia solo pueda aparecer en el plano humano a través de esas formas, nunca directamente Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *spatiotemporal* donde la fuente parte *spatio-temporal*.

«Exoterics are persons whose meanings derive from forms that are more restricted in scope than are those of esoterics.» — la reformulación misma: los exotéricos derivan sus sentidos de formas de alcance más restringido que las de los esotéricos

«One is tempted to say that their forms are more concrete. but this could be misleading.» — con el reparo que pone en la frase siguiente, que llamarlas más concretas puede inducir a error

«Beyond a certain level of generality symbols do appear abstract in this denatured sense to exoterics. but to esoterics they remain fullbodied if anything thereby gaining in force and reality.» — y la asimetría que consigna: pasado cierto grado de generalidad los símbolos se vuelven abstractos para el exotérico y conservan cuerpo para el esotérico Unión de guion de fin de renglón releída en el crudo: el verbatim imprime *fullbodied* donde la fuente parte *full-bodied*.

«Everyone agrees that it is an advance in understanding when '"Mother" acquires for the child a reference more extended than '"a certain X in my visual or tactile field.» — el ejemplo del niño y la madre con que Smith gradúa la extensión del sentido de una palabra

«But when we continue up the scale of extended meanings to '"No man cometh unto the Father. but by me:· men divide. For esoterics .. me" will designate the Logos. For exoterics. less supple in their capacity for '"spiritual abstraction:· in precise proportion as the word relaxes its hold on the concrete historical personage of Jesus of Nazareth. the assertion forfeits its saving power.» — y dónde se separan las dos lecturas del versículo, con el me leído como Logos por el esotérico y atado al personaje histórico por el exotérico

«Another way to indicate the distinction is to say that for the exoteric form and content are less distinguishable.» — la vía alterna que Smith propone para decir lo mismo: para el exotérico forma y contenido se distinguen menos

«By this alternate route we arrive at the same conclusion: forms for exoterics are relatively non-negotiable. Esoterics ride them more loosely. knowing that because they are finite they are. at best. limited keys to the lock. restricted doors to the mystery.» — y la conclusión a que llega por ahí: las formas son para el exotérico relativamente innegociables, mientras el esotérico las lleva sueltas por saberlas llaves limitadas

«In one of his most powerful analogies. Schuon likens esoterism to command over spiritual space. Anchored to a single spot. the exoteric is unable to circumambulate spiritual objects. so to speak. and this makes it difficult for him to distinguish them as they are in themselves from the way they appear from his frame of reference» — la analogía que Smith llama la más potente de Schuon: el esoterismo como dominio del espacio espiritual, frente al exotérico anclado a un solo punto y sin poder circunvalar el objeto

«That an idea assumes a form is itself a virtue. for unless it did so it could seldom connect with man. But when a form becomes possessive toward its content. usurping and preempting it to itself alone. then instead of opening onto further understandings of the idea through a successive sequence of expanding forms. it runs the dangerofbecoming paralyzed and constricting.» — el doble filo que Smith señala en la forma: virtud, porque sin ella la idea no conectaría con el hombre, y peligro cuando se vuelve posesiva de su contenido

«any suggestion to the effect that the forms in which truth comes to him are relative is tantamount to relativism in every sense. Absolutize the relative or fall into relativism-these. for the exoteric. are the only options and he does right of course to choose the former.» — Smith describe la disyuntiva del exotérico entre absolutizar lo relativo o caer en el relativismo, y le da la razón al elegir lo primero. El tramo empieza a media frase porque el troceo reemite la plana 27 y corta el renglón anterior

«He will be debarred from according equal rights to other revelations. as the ""No man cometh unto the Father" example illustrated. (2) He will encounter theoretical problems that are insuperable» — el primero de los dos precios que Smith le pone a esa elección, quedar impedido de reconocer iguales derechos a otras revelaciones

«logical instances of Goders theorem to the effect that every formal system with precise specifications must contain at least one question that cannot be answered by the stipulations of the system itsel» — y el segundo, los problemas teóricos que compara con el teorema de Gödel, cuyo nombre sale corrompido por el escaneo, sobre la pregunta que un sistema formal no puede responder con sus propias estipulaciones

«If God is self-sufficient. why did He create the world~ if He is perfect. why did He create a world that is imperfect? Forexoterism such questions cannot be .. brought to heel." For esoterism it is not so much that they have answers as that they do not arise.» — las dos preguntas con que lo ejemplifica y la diferencia que traza: para el exoterismo no se dejan reducir, para el esoterismo no se plantean

«For the exoteric. God's personal mode is his only mode; for the esoteric this mode resides in one that is higher and ultimately modeless: the Absolute. the Godhead Nirguna Brahman of the Vedantists. the Tao that cannot be spoken.» — el primero de los corolarios que Smith enumera, con los nombres del Absoluto sin modo que toma del Vedanta y del taoísmo

«For the exoteric the world is real in every sense~ for the esoteric it has only qualified reality from the human standpoint and no separate reality whatsoever from the standpoint of the Godhead. The same holds for the human soul» — el segundo corolario, sobre la realidad del mundo, extendido en la misma línea al alma humana

«For the exoteric. God is primarily loved~ for the esoteric He is primarily known~ though in the end the exoteric comes to know what he loves and the esoteric to love what he knows.» — el tercero, con su matiz final: al cabo el exotérico llega a conocer lo que ama y el esotérico a amar lo que conoce

«one must say "universality" rather than .. abstraction:· for to repeat. though greater universality moves toward abstractness for the exoteric. it moves toward concreteness for the esoteric.» — en la nota que cierra la Introduction, Smith enmienda el término y prefiere universalidad a abstracción, porque lo que para el exotérico tiende a lo abstracto para el esotérico tiende a lo concreto

«Quest Books encourages open-minded inquiry into \\'orld religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the \Visdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore individual spiritual self-transformation.» — el colofón del sello declara su propósito editorial, la indagación abierta en religiones, filosofía, ciencia y artes y la autotransformación espiritual individual

«Its publications are generously supported by The Kern Foundation, a trust committed to Theosophical education. Quest Books is the imprint of the Theosophical Publishing House, a division of the Theosophical Society in America.» — y la filiación que el mismo colofón declara: el patrocinio de The Kern Foundation y la pertenencia de Quest Books a la Theosophical Publishing House, división de la Sociedad Teosófica en América. El libro no se adscribe a ella en su texto

«The Genesis Meditations: A Shared Practice of Peace for Chris·tians, Jews, and Muslims, Neil Douglas-Klotz» — la lista de títulos afines del catálogo de Quest impresa al final del volumen, que reúne obras sobre el Corán, el budismo, el cristianismo y los Vedas; el tramo cruza la reemisión de la plana 209 y el escaneo corrompe dos títulos

Philosophia perennis (filosofía perenne) — Sin usar el término latino, el libro sostiene una unidad trascendente de las religiones que sitúa más allá de toda expresión posible, con cada forma revelada querida por el Verbo Divino y con la Tradición Primordial como la única religión única posible de la que las demás se apartan.

Iniciación (recepción por grados / metamorfosis del ser) — El esoterismo se distingue del exoterismo por su carácter iniciático: la vía no se elige, elige al hombre; al iniciado lo define una tendencia lógica y ontológica hacia su propia Esencia trascendente y no un deseo; y las cofradías reparten a sus miembros entre los que solo reciben la bendición y los que recorren la vía marcada por la tradición iniciática.

Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — La unidad esotérica se declara oculta no porque quien la conoce calle, sino porque la verdad está hundida en el compuesto humano; se aducen el dicho del Tao Te Ching sobre los que saben y no dicen, la disciplina del arcano de los primeros siglos y el escrutinio de la apertura de los oídos.

Gnosis (conocimiento salvífico) — El conocimiento intelectual se declara supraindividual, universal o divino, más allá del razonamiento y aun de la fe en sentido ordinario, y su certeza es absoluta por la identidad entre el que conoce y lo conocido en el Intelecto.

Microcosmos (el hombre-mundo) — Conocer a Dios exige conformar el microcosmo al Metacosmo Divino, doctrina que atribuye al hesicasmo; la Existencia y la Inteligencia son la doble raíz del mundo manifestado, y el hombre, hecho a imagen de Dios, es subjetividad central y no periférica.

Cadena de transmisión (quién tomó de quién) — Las órdenes monásticas de las dos Iglesias se explican por una tradición iniciática que san Benito y los hesicastas remontan a los Padres del Desierto, a los Apóstoles y a Cristo.

Daimon (entidad intermedia, ni ángel ni demonio) — Los ángeles se definen como inteligencias limitadas a un aspecto particular de la Divinidad, y el estado angélico como una suerte de punto de vista trascendente.

Theurgia (obra divina) — La invocación del Nombre Divino se presenta como el encuentro del creado y el Increado, con el Nombre no como manifestación sino como el Principio mismo manifestándose.

Materia prima — La Substancia universal permanece trascendente y virginal respecto de sus producciones, y de ahí se niega que la identidad esencial entre manifestación y Principio sea panteísmo.

Imaginación (phantasia) — El arte tradicional se funda en la analogía inversa que hace corresponder las formas sensibles con las intelecciones, y el icono transmite por el lenguaje del simbolismo lo que la imagen naturalista no puede transmitir.

Geometría (la quinta arte liberal, fundamento del oficio) — Las reglas del arte tradicional se declaran aplicaciones de leyes cósmicas y divinas y no dictados estéticos, con la violación del material inerte en la escultura y la de la superficie plana en la pintura como las dos innovaciones del naturalismo.

Quintaesencia (quinta essentia) — El oro representa metafísicamente un estado solar de conocimiento, y por eso se lo asocia a las influencias espirituales y se lo inviste de carácter sagrado; el diamante integra la inteligencia en su existencia de modo pasivo.