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The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) · 14 of 37 · tr. E.H. Whinfield

STORY Ve

"In yourselves are signs; will ye not behold them?" (Koran li, 21). 12. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 92. Mr. Mansel (Bampton Lectures, p. 49) says: "A thing can be known as that which it is only by being distinguished from that which it is not." But the Infinite Deity ex hypothesi includes all things; so there is nothing to contrast Him with. 13. Koran vi. 103. 14. Koran vii. 139: "He said, 'Thou shalt not see me.'" 15. Koran ii. 151. 16. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 645: All phenomena are every moment renewed by fresh effluxes of being from the Divine Noumenon. 17. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 710.
Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The command to 'behold' the signs suggests a form of meditation using symbolic thought rather than empty stillness.

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The instruction to find signs within oneself suggests a legible map between the inner human state and outer divine reality.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The claim that all phenomena are every moment renewed by fresh effluxes indicates active divine ordering of the cosmos.

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Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The argument that the Infinite Deity includes all things and has nothing to contrast with implies a lack of parts or composite attributes.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage prioritizes knowing the Infinite through inner signs rather than external ritual or faith alone.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The 'signs' located within the self are understood as luminous qualities of the divine potentially recognizable through introspection.

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Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

The presence of divine signs within the human self implies the individual mirrors the structure of the cosmos and the divine.

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Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The Infinite Deity is described as including all things, functioning as the simple first principle from which multiplicity flows.

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Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

The text states there is nothing to contrast the Infinite Deity with, dissolving binary oppositions in the divine nature.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

Mansel's quote on distinction is juxtaposed with the Infinite Deity who includes all things, creating a logical paradox to induce insight.

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Self Examinationpraxis

Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.

The rhetorical question 'will ye not behold them?' directs the reader to a practice of daily review and inward looking.

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Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The text emphasizes that the Infinite Deity cannot be contrasted or seen, relying on negation to describe the divine nature.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] Citing 'Thou shalt not see me,' the passage asserts the radical concealment of the supreme God beyond ordinary perception.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The command to behold signs 'in yourselves' posits the divine realm as accessible internally without external mediation.

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Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] The passage opens with the Quranic injunction to behold signs within oneself, making self-examination the primary path to divine recognition.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] The text states the Infinite Deity includes all things and phenomena are renewed by effluxes from the Divine Noumenon, reflecting non-dual ontology.

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Related passages · 2 parallels
buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1r
This probably refers to the auspicious signs discovered in S âkyamuni at his birth, which left it open whether he should become a king or a Buddha.] A Buddha is to be seen (known) from the Law; for the Lords (Buddhas) have the Law-body; And…”
Both passages discuss the inability to perceive or understand the divine (or ultimate reality) through signs or forms. They emphasize the transcendence of the divine beyond human perception and conceptualization.
gnosticism|Gospel of Thomas|Logion 5
Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you . For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest."…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of recognizing and understanding the signs or truths within oneself or the immediate world. They share a mystical insight into the manifestation of the divine or hidden truths through observation and inner awareness.