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Esotericism must be considered something beyond conception. That is, that which is within conception cannot be esotericism, it is exotericism. Often I am asked by the workers of the Sufi Order,

• "If anyone asks us `What is Sufism?' what shall we answer?
• What are its tenets?
• What are its principles?
• What are its dogmas?
• Its doctrines?"

We may give the objects of the Movement, the thoughts of the Sufis, the ideas from our publications; but that is not the answer. If Sufism was tangible, then it would not be Sufism.

All different ideas that you receive from your Initiator, they are your Initiator's ideas, they are not Sufism. You may give them to another because it is something that you have benefited by yourself as Sufism. Yet for you to understand for yourself you must know that Sufism is beyond all ideas. Therefore if it came to argue on this point with those belonging to the occult, mystical, esoteric schools of different denominations on the point of the difference between their own philosophy and Sufism, you will find yourself at a loss if you will discuss on comparative doctrines, dogmas, or principles.

For no doctrines, dogmas, or principles Sufism stands, calling them its own. The Sufi says, "Wisdom does not belong to me alone or my sect. It cannot be labelled with the word Sufi. Wisdom belongs to the human race, wisdom belongs to God. I, as any other being, desire to understand better every day more and more. And it is my pleasure and privilege to share what I consider good and beautiful with my fellow men."

Never in the history of the world has Sufism been made a sect which wanted to make many of the same sect. It has never been nor will it ever be. It is an esoteric school of long traditions. It remains as such. Yes, it happens that the Message born of this School is destined to reach far and wide. That gives us a different task of spreading the Message, which stands apart from the Sufi Order, which is an Esoteric School. It has been our honor that the seekers came to us in all ages. We did not seek them. And this dignity we must always maintain.

Now the question is, how shall we make for ourselves intelligible what Sufism is, even if we did not try to tell it fully to the uninitiated? It may be answered that Sufism is the essence of religions. It is like the soul, not body. And as we cannot imagine soul as something material so we cannot imagine the essence, which is spirit. Only what can give us an insight into what is Sufism is the result we attain from it. And what result is it? It is a gradual unfoldment of our soul. It is the light rising within ourselves and gradually illuminating for us the life outside.

It is the joy that we feel at experiencing all the beauty and our horizon of a sublime vision being every day wider. We become more appreciative of all that is good and beautiful, and so we express it in our thought and feeling and action. We feel a greater energy, courage, power, patience, hope. Life becomes for us worth living. We may not find ourselves in this world at home, but Sufism makes our visit here on earth more enjoyable. Nevertheless, the homesickness is felt ever so much more keenly. We feel in ourselves greater power, growing inspiration, greater self-control, and expression of our soul in all things we do. We feel harmonious within ourselves and comfortable in our atmosphere.

It is not the medicine that counts, it is the result that it produces that counts. Sufism is the process by which the above-said result is perceived. By making it doctrines, dogmas, tenets, principles, we only make it what it is not. The simple ones who are not contented with little explanation or with no explanation may be left to please themselves. It is not by any rigid principles that we have to attract humanity, it is by our being.

A Sufi is the one who guards his knowledge and wisdom and power in humble guise. He does not dispute on spiritual subjects with everybody, for this reason: that the spiritual evolution of everyone is different. The knowledge of one cannot be the knowledge of another, nor is the understanding of one the understanding of another. A Sufi does not discuss beliefs, for he knows that at every step of the spiritual evolution the belief of a man changes, until he arrives at a final belief which words are unable to explain.

The Sufi does not learn only by the study of books but by the study of life. The whole life is like an open book to him and every experience is a step forward in his spiritual journey. A Sufi would rather learn than teach. He begins his life by discipline and resignation, realizing that the path that leads to the goal of freedom is the path of self control, patience, resignation, renunciation.

Freedom is the object of all esoteric schools, but one must not make the mistake that one can begin with that which is the end. To expect liberty in the beginning is to be like a seed that would think, "I must at once be a tree and bear fruit." The fruit is the outcome and object, the culmination of its existence. So is freedom the result of the journey. The path of freedom is an ideal, to understand the real meaning of which is not everybody's work.

The method of the Sufi consists in this: that he unites himself with his innermost being; his heart is the shrine of his God, and his body is His temple.