The Fathers

Mitevma of Bairtam

ENON I

On the fifteenth day of spring, the army of the Ruler of the Six Lands invaded the land of Spirtem. Many people ran away from Spirtem to the north and southwest; many went out to meet the army of the Ruler and knelt; some took up weapons and defended themselves. Those who ran away were not pursued; those who knelt were not imprisoned; those who were fighting were killed without mercy. The Council of the Best surrendered; they also asked those who wanted to defend themselves to surrender. They said, “There is no force that could resist the army of the Ruler of the Six Lands. It is better to surrender and not deprive your children of their fathers. Thus, he army of the Ruler saw a shameful sight, the entire army of the land of Spirtem formed up in battle lines and laid down their weapons and the flag poles with flags. And the land of Spirtem was not devastated, but a fourth part was taken from the property of each inhabitant, and a governor was appointed to the land by the Ruler. The Ruler was known as the Ruler of the Seven Lands since then. In the land of Spirtem there lived Teacher Ilan and his apprentices. They lived away from the village in five houses, three families, five people together, and the Teacher. When the soldiers of the Ruler arrived there, they all gathered together and were standing and waiting for what would happen. And the soldiers did not know what to do with them – because they did not show obedience, they did not run, and did not defend themselves. They were imprisoned and taken to the commander of a century; and he didn’t want to go into details and ordered to take them to the commander of a five-hundred. The commander of a five-hundred saw no fear in them and ordered them to take them to the commander of the left wing. He marveled at them and put them in one of the large villages, and sent the Teacher, as the leader, to the governor. The governor took him into custody, and in the meantime ordered to find out about those people. He was told that those people had never harmed anyone and that their leader was a man of great wisdom. Then the governor ordered to bring the Teacher and asked him if he was Ilan; and he confirmed. Then the governor asked, “Why don’t you grieve; don’t you feel sorry for your houses and property? Ilan replied, “We have everything within us.” The governor said, “What is it and where is it? Show me.” Ilan replied, “If you could turn your eyes the other way around, then maybe you would see.” Then the governor got angry and asked, “Do you need your lives?” Ilan replied, “Yes, we do.” The governor said, “So choose, either I will save your life but I will order you to kill your people, or I will save their lives but I will kill you.” Ilan replied, “Kill me.” Then the governor ordered to send Ilan’s people together with their families out of Spirtem; and it was done. He did not kill Ilan but sent him in a convoy with goods to the court of the Ruler. And in his message to the Ruler, among other things, it was said, “And along with the goods I send you, my Master, the local sage. How wise he is, I do not know; but it is true that he is like a dead man, for with his life he ransomed the lives of his people. Do not be angry, my Master, for sending this corpse to your court; but I am pleased that I have found one who, even dead, is worth many living ones”.

ENON II

When the convoy reached the capital, the head of the convoy did not know what to do with Ilan. He took him to the dungeon and ordered his men to chain him to a stone; he was not responsible for food and thus gave no orders, and neither he informed the man in charge of the dungeons about Ilan. And Ilan was starving there for four days. When the Ruler was looking at the goods he remembered about Ilan and ordered to bring him to the feast. They were looking for Ilan but could not find him; then they sent for the head of the convoy, but he had already left with a squad of soldiers back to Spirtem. The palace keeper sent a man after him, and he caught up with the convoy and found out about Ilan, then he returned and said where Ilan was. Ilan was taken out of the dungeon and hastily dressed in new clothes, and then taken to the feast. There he faced the Ruler; and the Ruler was looking at him; and the others who were there were also looking at him. Then the Ruler said, “People say that you are a Wiseman.” He replied, “Don’t believe them. Are they wise to judge who is wise and who is not? Then the Ruler said, “So you’re not a Wiseman?” Ilan replied, “Who can judge whether someone is wise or not?” The Ruler said, “I have my wise men, they are those whom I consider wise.” Ilan said, “If you are a worm then a spider is a Wiseman for you.” People in the hall were indignant; The Ruler asked Ilan, “So, are you a Wiseman or not?” He replied, “The eye sees everything, but not itself.” Then the Ruler said, “It seems to me that I cannot find out whether you are a Wiseman or not.” Ilan said, “If you do not want to be a fool, do not take the word of someone who calls another person a fool; and if you do not want to be even more stupid, do not take the word of someone who calls another person a Wiseman. The Ruler asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am the Teacher of those who wish to be my apprentices.” The Ruler asked, “If you are the Teacher for your apprentices; then who are you for others?” And he answered, “I am the Teacher of my apprentices for them; and if not, then I am nobody.” The Ruler said, “How can you be nobody?” Ilan replied, “If you were not the Ruler, would anyone notice you?” Then people in the hall began to shout angrily and demand his death; The Ruler ordered them to be silent. Then he asked Ilan, “What do you teach?” He replied, “The Truth.” The Ruler asked, “What is it?” Ilan answered, “Day and night follow each other, this is the Truth; it is raining, this is the Truth; from a pomegranate seed a pomegranate tree grows, this is the Truth.” The Ruler said, grinning, “Your science is ignoble.” Ilan replied, “There is nothing nobler. Ordered a day to come again after a day, not a night; order a rain to start or to stop; order a cypress to grow from a pomegranate seed, not a pomegranate. I teach something stronger than the power of all the Rulers of all the lands put together; if you know this, then you become just as strong. How can you say that my science is ignoble?” The Ruler thought for a while, and then said, “So, you are stronger than me?”. Ilan replied, “I am.” The Ruler said, “I can kill you or do anything else to you that I want.” Ilan answered, “You can cut down a tree, but you cannot force it to bow to you.” Then the Ruler said, “I can break you by torture.” Ilan replied, “I have been ready to die already; torture is nothing for a deadman.” The Ruler said, “I give you life; what do you say now?” Ilan replied, “If death itself did not overcome me, why should I be afraid of torture?” The Ruler said, “It is easy to say “mountain”, but it is difficult to climb a mountain.” And he ordered to torture Ilan; and ordered to do it in such a way as to prevent his death. And he was tortured in every possible way; but he did not wish to bow before the Ruler. Three days later the Ruler came to him; and he was lying, exhausted, and crippled. And the Ruler told him, “Is it true that your spirit is not broken?” He replied, “My spirit has soared to the sky and is looking at you from there.” The Ruler said, “I should punish the executioners because they did their job badly.” He replied, “Better punish yourself for wanting the impossible from them. And now order to kill me, you don’t need me anymore, do you? The Ruler returned to his chambers and called the keeper of the palace to him. And he ordered him to give Ilan a room in the palace, and to heal him; and it was to be done by the same healers that heal the Ruler. And it was done.

ENON III

When Ilan recovered from his injuries, the Ruler came to him and spoke to him. He told him, “You are worthier than my wise men; however, I do not understand you. I understand them, they are afraid of the gods and afraid of me, and they want to be honored and strong and live in abundance. What are you like? Such strength of spirit is not generated by stubbornness alone. And you have nothing; you should have lost even your life. Why have you endured torture? What is the measure of your actions? Ilan replied, “The measure of them is in me. I know what a man ought to be and my will serves my knowledge. The lion would rather die than agree to become a rat. I am the same, my essence is dearer to me than life. The Ruler asked, “What do you have in your essence; what’s good about it?” Ilan replied, “How can a bird explain what flying is to a lizard? Once a lizard begged a bird to show her what flying is. The bird grabbed it, raised it to the sky, and threw it down. For some time, the lizard was enjoying its flight – and then it crashed on the same stones on which it had run before. The Ruler listened to him and left without saying anything. A day later, he came again and said to Ilan, “If you are a bird, then where is the sky for your flight? If your sky is in you, then you are like a fruit in which the whole world is hidden like a seed. What kind of person are you?” Ilan replied, “What would you say if you were asked what kind of person you are? You would have to talk about the state that you rule, about your whole life, about the people who gave birth to you, and much more. How can I explain myself to you without describing everything that is in me? And if the whole world is in me, then how many days will you have to spend listening to me? I do not want to entertain you with empty talk. Kill me or let me go.” The Ruler replied, “If the Ruler of many lands encouraged meaningless actions, he would not be the Ruler. The burden of power is heavy; where can I get strength for meaninglessness? What I don’t want, I won’t do. I have seen different people, but I haven’t seen people like you. Your strength is great; only a fool would not want to know something about such power. Reveal to me its origins.” Ilan said, “The one who has his source does not need someone else’s.” The Ruler replied, “It is not easy for me to ask you. You are not afraid of torture or death, and I cannot force you; but I don’t want to let you go. Buy yourself freedom not to stay here for years until death, talk to me for a few days, and I will let you go. Do not be afraid of deceit, for the Ruler of many lands will not fall to despicable deceit”. Ilan said, “I am not afraid of deceit because I have already known you good enough. I need freedom; but it has no price, and I cannot buy it from you. And the freedom that I have within is enough for me to live, after all, there are infinite spaces within me. I will stay here as you said.” Then the Ruler was sitting and was thinking in silence for a long time. Then he said, “If so, then I let you go. I am cruel when have to; but only a madman, a coward, or a fool is cruel without a reason. You are free; I am content with what I have heard from you.” Then he got up to leave; and then Ilan told him, “Wait. Although you are cruel, I see that you are one of the best people. Your mind is sharp, and your conscience is not blind. I will talk to you; maybe later the benefits will be revealed. The Ruler said, “Tomorrow you will be brought to my chambers.” Ilan replied, “No; come here whenever you want.” The Ruler replied, “So, let it be. I wanted to see you, not the other way round.” And before he left, Ilan told him, “Here is my first word to you. Force is conquered by another force – and a good intention has no enemies. Good intention does not do evil; if you want good, then do not start it by doing evil. Save cruelty for those from whom you expect cruelty“. And then the Ruler left.

ENON IV

The Ruler came to Ilan and told him, “Tell me about men. I want to know what a man is because I cannot understand his essence. One is worthy of contempt, and the other is worthy of admiration; how can they be similar? There are lions and there are jackals; one is one thing, and the other is another. A man may be a lion, or he may be a jackal, although they have the same appearance. How can we truly understand human nature?” Ilan answered, “A lion is born a lion, a jackal is born a jackal; each of them is like a burnt clay vessel, it is what the craftsman made it. A burnt vessel cannot be remade it will remain the way it was made. A man is born like a piece of natural clay; he is both the clay and the master. An animal cannot become different by its own will, but a man can. Sometimes good parents bring up a bad son, and sometimes bad parents bring up a good son. A man is his own master, he will be as he sculps himself. And sculpting is based on understanding.” Then the Ruler asked, “What is the essence of understanding?” Ilan replied, “Some things are good and some are evil. One person wants due good to be good, and another wants it to be bad for his interest. One starves himself but feeds his children, and the other takes food away from his children. The former does something good and the latter – does something bad; the former looks for the good in the good, and the latter – makes himself the measure of good. That’s the point, the former is trying for the good, and the latter is trying for his own sake. The former will rather die than starve the children, while the latter loves himself more and will destroy them to save himself. The former is a good man, and the latter is a bad one. This is the essence of understanding, whether a person understands that he exists for something, or he understands that something exists for him. The former will feed the children with his body, and the latter will devour them himself”. The Ruler said, “I see the justice of your words. But some love their children and their country, but still, they are bad.” Ilan replied, “Some people love their children to rely on them when they are old, and love their country – to be protected. Love with profit is not love, but bargaining. Such a person still loves for his own sake; his selfishness puts on the clothes of love. Love is not traded, and it is not lent. Whoever wishes to do this is a bad person.” The Ruler asked, “What should a man desire for himself?” Ilan replied, “Purity. Purity is being undefiled by evil; the best person is the pure one. This is the first thing that should be understood by a man, he is small, but the world is big. He didn’t exist, but the world has existed; he will perish, but the world will remain. Only a fool will not understand that the world does not exist for the sake of people, but people exist for the sake of the world. A man should do good for the world to be good. An animal does not have the power to make the world a better place, but a man does. This makes him different from an animal; this is his purpose. He can make the world better as he makes his home better. The better the dwelling, the better life is in it; the better the world, the better life is for people and other inhabitants. A bad person does evil to the world and people, caring about his interest; a good person cares about the good of the world and people. But how can he do good if he is not good within? Therefore, a person should take care of his purity, because through it he will bring good to the world and people. So, this is the essence of purity, if you take care of yourself, you should do it for the sake of the world.” The Ruler asked, “Why should a person take care of the world and not himself? And can a person make the whole world better, and how should he do it?” Ilan replied, “The world is a body, and everything in it is its parts. And a man is one of the parts of this body. If each part of this body takes care of the whole body, then this body will be alive and well; if its parts do not take care of it, it will die. Great power has been given to people; neither stones, waters, trees, nor animals have such power. And the strongest part of the body takes more care of the body. A man is a man because he is like that; and he aims to take care of the world. The world is like his house, family, and country; if he brings good to his house, his family, and his country, then he will gain good through them. If he dies, then his house, family, and country will be inherited by his children; and if not by children, then by other people. If his house, his family and his country perish, then he, his children, and other people will perish. Therefore, it is necessary, without sparing yourself, to take care of the good of the world. A person can make the world better through the power that is given to him. He does one thing visibly, and the other invisibly, for not everything in the world is visible, just as not everything is visible within a person. The flesh acts visibly, but the mind and feelings invisibly, but their accomplishment is great. Thus, a person who keeps himself pure and does good, makes the world better. The life of the world is long, but man’s life is short; the world multiplies the good done by generations. If everyone did good, and if there were such a person who would live as long as a hundred generations, then he would see with his own eyes the improvement of the world. But the good in the world is mixed with evil, for such are the deeds of people. That is why the improvement of the world is not visible; how can it be visible if some people create and others destroy?” The Ruler asked, “Have I understood correctly that some people are good and others are bad because some follow their destiny, while others do not?” Ilan replied, “Right. A man is great because his destiny is great; whoever does not follow the destiny of man is insignificant and pathetic. The lord of the beasts is weak in the water, and the lord of the fish is weak on the shore; so a man who has gone astray from the path of man is either pitiful, like a goat with a broken back, or dangerous, like a mad jackal. All the troubles of people are from vices, and vices are from the loss of the right path. A person who neglects the path of a man loses his human essence, and no one should expect deeds worthy of a man from him. If people knew the true happiness and pleasure of being a man, they would stop looking for happiness in delusions, and for pleasure in passions. Then there would be no bad people, unworthy deeds, and grief. The Ruler asked, “Have I understood correctly that the world becomes better from a worthy person, just as the body becomes stronger from a healing potion? And have I understood correctly that this is the essence of a man to be like that? And have I understood correctly that the true man is the one who lives for the good of the world?” Ilan replied, “The first, the second, and the third are true. A man is so great that the measure of his greatness is the good of the whole world, and it is also the measure of his happiness. Only the desire for such a great good is worthy of a man, and only such deeds are worthy of him, and only such happiness is worthy of him. If it were not true, then he would be like a fly, and he wouldn’t be a man.” The Ruler left, thinking about those words.

ENON V

The next day, the Ruler said to Ilan, “Your words have penetrated my chest. If this is the true greatness of a man, then this is the reason for the contempt that you experience when you see a degraded person, this is the way the living flesh runs away from the dead flesh. Ilan said, “The best is not dead even in a bad person – therefore degraded people despise each other. There are people to whom the evil in others is disgusting, and the good in others is worse than evil. Such people run from themselves all their lives, afraid to see themselves because they know that if they see their true selves, they will damage their minds with horror and disgust. This is because even in them the best is not dead. There is no such person in whom nothing good remains. The true good does not die, it can be rejected, but it cannot be killed.” The Ruler said, “You spoke of the happiness of being a man; I believe you know it.” Ilan replied, “I do, indeed.” The Ruler asked, “What is it like?” Ilan replied, “What does the sky taste like when the sun shines on it? You see, in comparison with this happiness, even death is insignificant. I’ll tell you something. Would someone be frightened of the darkness at night if he had the sun within? Would someone be frightened of hunger if he has all the fruits of the world within? Would someone be frightened of prison if he has the great spaces of earth and heaven within? What can even a powerful ruler do with someone upon whom he has no power? Nothing can frighten a genuine man because nothing has power over him. He gets his power from within because he is one with the world. All the power of the world is in him, and all the beauty of the world, and all the goodness. Everything good that exists is within him. Someone might be happy just because he has eaten an apple; can you imagine the happiness of a person who has all the blessings of the world within? Someone might fight to the death for a piece of gold, another risks his life for a night of pleasure with a woman; how can I not sacrifice myself for what I have within? As long as I am pure, the world drinks my purity and it gives life to the world, it is like a healing potion; how can I defile myself? A genuine true man is the center of all blessings, and therefore he cannot be defiled. And he cannot be unhappy, because what he needs is in himself, and what he doesn’t need is not in him. But he knows suffering. He is for the world; therefore, he does not suffer from himself but suffers from the sufferings of the world. He does not hurt himself, because there is no evil in him; and he is not afraid of being hurt by someone else’s evil, because the good that is in him is stronger. And he suffers from the sufferings of the world because he feels them as his own. All the goodness of the world is in him and all the sufferings of the world are in him. But the better he becomes, the more power pours out of him, healing the sufferings of the world. The one who suffers not to be defiled becomes purer; his purity heals the sufferings of the world, and this makes his sufferings less. If all the joints of your body were in terrible pain, and you could be healed by losing your little finger, wouldn’t you agree? Similarly, a genuine man will agree to endure torment or accept death to ease the suffering of the world, won’t he? This is a great blessing; and the pleasure from it is so great that in comparison with it all sufferings are insignificant. A mother who accepts suffering and death to save her children is happy that her children are saved, isn’t she? Can you imagine the happiness and pleasure of the one who eases the suffering of the whole world? It is impossible to express it. Would I defile myself by avoiding the suffering of my body and losing such great happiness? Who would sacrifice their entire body to save one little finger? And the essence of all this is that a genuine man lives for the sake of the world. A degraded man prefers worthless or imaginary goods to the good of the world; thus, his suffering is always greater than his happiness.” The Ruler said, “It is true. I have never seen a single happy person in my entire life. Now I can say that I have not seen anyone happier than you. Tell me how people hurt themselves.” Ilan said, “They hurt themselves in the same way as a man who, feeling hungry, does not go to collect fruit, but cuts and devours his own body. I told you that the greatest happiness is not in wealth, not in power, and not in the satisfaction of the flesh. It is in purity and deeds for the good of the world. Anyone can make himself pure, and everyone can do good. Anyone can do it because it is the very purpose of a man. One person can prevent another from gaining wealth, power, or satisfying the desires of the flesh but he cannot prevent him from gaining the purity that I am talking about. However, people neglect the greatness they can certainly gain and wish for insignificant things they can never get. And for these insignificant things they do evil and destroy others, and hurt themselves. Even if the gain something they can’t use it properly. What they believe to be good is evil; and it condemns them to suffer and destroys them. They have nothing that would ease their suffering and make their death meaningful. Thus, people doom themselves to suffering and shameful death. After listening to Ilan, the Ruler left and did not return for six days.

ENON VI

The Ruler came to Ilan and told him, “It is as if I got sick because of your words. My chest is crushed with sorrow, and my thoughts scratch my mind. This is what you have done; what should I do now?” Ilan said, “Rejoice. Dead men know no suffering; therefore you are not dead.” The Ruler said, “Do we live for suffering? Is it better to die if you cannot avoid suffering, isn’t it?” Ilan replied, “Is man omniscient? Does he know for sure that suffering cannot be avoided? What if he dies out of ignorance – even though he could live? Here is the true misfortune! I am telling you that everyone can achieve what I was talking about at our last meeting. It cannot be so that death should be preferred to suffering, for there is no suffering that is stronger than man. Rejoice, then, – for I am not with you in vain and you are not with me in vain.” Having listened to him, the Ruler left. The next day a high-ranking warrior came to Ilan. Bowing respectfully, he said, “The Ruler has commanded to release you. He has commanded us to take you outside his lands and leave you there. And Ilan went after him. That warrior and half a hundred other warriors led him to the border; they walked for four days. On the fifth day, they were overtaken by two messenger runners. They bowed to Ilan, and one of them said to him, “The Ruler wants you to return. If you do not wish to return, he asks you back at least to say goodbye.” Ilan replied, “If he wants me to go back, I will go back.” Then the two went back; and Ilan went after them. He was escorted to the chambers where he lived; and soon the Ruler came to him. He said to Ilan, “My heart asks for your speeches. When I let you go, I saw that I lost something precious, – and I thought that I was poor and hungry. I woke up at night as if I were suffocating; and my mind was in prison. And I sent men after you to ask you to return. You have returned, and it is a great gift for me; though no one could give a worthy gift to the Ruler of the Seven Lands. But you are still free to leave whenever you wish, and I will give you a proper escort. I beg you, however, to delay your departure.” Ilan replied, “I will stay. If you wish, I will speak to you, – for I see that you are not deaf. But my apprentices need me; for they think I am dead. Therefore, I will speak to you twelve more times, and then I will go away.” The Ruler said, “Truly, it is both joy and sorrow. Should I come with a scribe to write down your words?” Ilan said, “Let it be.” The Ruler said, “Could you repeat to him all that you have told me?” Ilan replied, “Not me, but you should repeat to him all I have told you.” The Ruler said, “I will.” And he went away.

ENON VII

The Ruler said to Ilan, “Tell me about me.” Ilan said, “You are miserable. You are like a lion eating dead flesh. Was he given strong fangs, sharp claws, great muscle strength, a proud stature, and wise eyes to be a scavenger eater? Do you not think that you are in power because you have many virtues? You are in power not because your high position is a vessel of your virtues but because it is a prison for them. You are not elevated to a height worthy of you but put to shame. Your place is so high that all that is evil in you is seen from afar. You are so great that you cannot escape the gaze of men. Thieves, fornicators, fools, cowards, and foul-mouthed men can hide their vices; but your vices are as manifest as your crown of power. Whatever you have done good will seem small compared to the height of your position; whatever you have done evil will turn great by your position. To be good, you have to do good a thousand times more than an ordinary man; and every bad deed of yours is equal to a thousand wrongs of an ordinary villain. It may be that you cannot do the good which you wish to do, but have to do the bad that you do not wish to do. You are good, but you live in a way that every beggar is better than you. Thus, you are good but the Ruler is bad. The Ruler said, “What can I do to make the Ruler good?” Ilan replied, “It is easier for you to fly to the sky. Your trouble is that you have come to your position, not the other way round. One man makes his garments according to his height; and as he is, so are the garments. Another finds rich garments which are too small or too big for him. And he makes himself fit for them; he either hunches and crumples and huddles up, or he stretches himself out in every possible way. And whether he is so or so, he still disfigures himself; and it is no longer that man, but another, – as if he were a cripple. And it is not he who has taken possession of the clothes, but they have taken possession of him. Thus you, the lion, have got into the skin of a jackal, and can not be a lion in it. Until you shed the robes of the Ruler, you shall not be a true man. Then the Ruler said, “Could I not be different by retaining my position? Could I not rule otherwise?” Ilan replied, “If you grow out of your present robes, they will suffocate you. And if they don’t suffocate you, they will tear and you will be left naked. You can keep one thing, either yourself or them.” The Ruler asked, “Am I correct in my understanding that one cannot be a genuine man with the position of ruler? Is it true that there are no garments that fit both?” Ilan replied, “No, it isn’t. One can be a genuine man and a ruler. But that is not what you wished to know about, but about yourself. And I tell you, you are such that you cannot become a genuine man until you cease to rule. That is true.” The Ruler listened to him and left without saying anything else.

ENON VIII

The Ruler came to Ilan in four days. He came and said, “These days I have been thinking over your words and it has been my nourishment. What you have said is like a seal on my heart. And I have come to ask you about the essence of power. Tell me what it is and what is its essence?” Ilan replied, “Power is prey that catches a hunter. However, not all kinds of power are like that. Listen to what I will tell you. There are three kinds of power; the first is power for the sake of power, the second is power for the sake of the ruler, and the third is power for the sake of the world. For the first one people are like food, which it devours. It is like a disease that affects the mind, heart, and conscience. The one who suffers from this serious illness craves only power and nothing else. He will torment others and suffer himself, all for the sake of power. He will bleed and suffer and see that it is only evil for him, but he still will not give it up. He is its slave; and however painful this slavery may be, it is sweet to him. He thinks that this bondage is his life, when in fact it is his death. There is no sense in this kind of power, only madness. The second is like a field in which grains of pleasure grow. Man exploits it to make it his slave. It satisfies all his whims and lusts and is therefore sweet to him. His pleasure is not in having power but in having everything he wants. If he can have it all without cruelty, he will be a good ruler; if not, he will be cruel. If he could have it all otherwise than through power, he would not want power. There kind of power if for cattle only and it makes no sense as it turns a man into hungry cattle or full cattle. The third one is like a field where cereals that feed life grow. The one who desires good desires this kind of power. He does not do evil for the sake of getting power, nor does he do it by being in power. This power is a heavy burden and it is a great suffering for the one who has it, as he sacrifices himself for the sake of people and the world. Only in this goodness is his pleasure, not in power itself. Power is a prison to him, and he imprisoned himself for the welfare of others. His power is for the welfare of the state. If it can no longer be for the good, he will relinquish power, regretting the good but not the power. He accepts power as if he is going into battle and is ready to die for the sake of a good cause. These are the three kinds of power. But I will say more. There are two types of power; the first is power over oneself, and the second is power over others. The first arises either due to necessity or desire. Necessity is proclaimed by the mind, one does not wish for it, but is forced by necessity. Such power is so painful that one prefers death to its burden. Desire is proclaimed by the heart, and this desire gives great strength. Such a person can always gain this power and will not prefer death to it. Gaining power over oneself is a great work, work of body, mind, and heart; and it is a great work. The one who has no power over himself is good for nothing, but to be devoured by vultures. A man should have power over himself; the one who cannot falls lower than animals. If a man has no power over himself, then what can he do? Who is he and what is he living for? Without it he will not be able to do good things, thus, he will not be able to fulfill the destiny of man. The second arises due to the reasons I have described above; and it is as I have told you. It is a great misfortune when one gains power over others having no power over himself. I have told you what power is. The essence of power is in doing good for the world. The one who has power but does not do good does not know and does not have real power. The one who has power but does evil has false power. It looks like real power as much as a wild goat looks like a lion full of noble might. The true ruler uses his power for the good of the world. Even the smallest good is the good of the whole world if it is the true good. The first one commands a great state, but he commands it not for the sake of the good; the second one has nothing but does well with these words and deeds, even small ones. The second one is the real ruler; he is a thousand times more powerful than the first one. The first one is an empty vessel, a worm-eaten fruit, a worthless gnat, a fraud in the flesh. That is what you wanted to know.” The scribe was so startled when he heard this that he dropped his tool and then fell at the feet of the Ruler. The Ruler told him to continue writing and said to Ilan, “Through your words, I can see you. It is true – otherwise, you would not be here. I see that I really could not have broken you; nor could anyone else. Everything you’ve said is true, otherwise, I wouldn’t be asking you for your goods, you’d be asking me for mine. Can I not believe you, when even I have proved by my actions the truth of your words? I have never met a man like you. How majestic is the truth! I am going away and I am taking it with me.” Having said that, he went away.

ENON IX

The Ruler came to Ilan and said, “Tell me what I should do. ” Ilan answered, “Above all, understand who you are and what you are like. Whether you are a man or not, whether you are a ruler or not. Then understand why you should be a man and why you should be a ruler. Living in vain is worse than not living at all. If you find that you are living in the right way and doing the right thing, you don’t need me. If you find that your life and actions are wrong, find the desire to live differently. If it pleases you to listen to me, make sure that my words are not wasted. This is what you must do, first of all, find out if you wish to be different.” The Ruler asked, “Have I correctly understood that I should relinquish power?” Ilan replied, “Is power your essence? A fool will not become smarter if he changes his abode. You will not become better by relinquishing power, but your power will become better by making you better. It is your clothes; you do not need to take off your clothes to become better. If you become different, it is the same as if a new man had gained power by taking it from a former ruler. A good man is not ashamed to accept power; but will power accept him? If he gets it through evil or keeps it through evil, he will no longer be a good man, so power will devour him. But if he, not wishing to do evil, relinquishes power, it must be understood that power has not accepted him, has spewed him out of itself. Therefore, if you become different, the power will either devour you or reject you; or you will make it different too.” The Ruler asked, “So how do you make power different?” Ilan replied, “Do you hear me? As I said that you need to understand whether you should become different, not how to make the power different. Is it possible to give a name to a child that has not yet been conceived? However, I will tell you the essence of the matter. Every ruler is the one over whom his position holds sway. The farmer rules over the field, but it is the field that rules over him. The farmer plows it as the field needs, harvests when it suits the field, and cannot live without it. Thus, also any ruler obeys his position. He rules over lands and people; and his power is such to rule over them as they are. Is it possible to rule over bad men in the same way as good men? Good men are not to be ruled harshly; and bad men will not bow to soft power. Therefore, such as people are, such is power. If you wish to be different, your power should be different too; and for power to be different people should be different. Any ruler is one with his power and with the people over whom he rules. If he wants to become better, he should strive to make his people better. If not, he has to stop his people from doing evil through other evil and his power will devour him. If he does not stop evil among his people, it will spread and become stronger than the ruler and will deprive him of his position or kill him, so power will reject the ruler. A ruler who wants to become better must also make his people better. But if a ruler does not wish good for his people, he takes it away from the people; such a ruler is a criminal, and he will hardly become a better person. A good ruler is good for himself and his people. If you wish to be a better man, you should do your best to change both your people and yourself. But if you lack wisdom and patience, then you should relinquish power. Consider whether you wish to be different. The Ruler said, “What a great burden is borne by man! How great are his sorrows and labors for his good! He will experience all kinds of sufferings to achieve his aim!” Ilan asked, “Is evil worth the hardship and work? Who will dare to taste sorrow and accept suffering for the sake of multiplying evil? Great hardships, great efforts, and great rewards are for a great cause.” The Ruler asked, “But can one man do such great work?” Ilan said, “Who else but a man? Great work is for great power.” The Ruler listened to his words and was sitting and was thinking silently for a long time. His scribe was humbly silent; and Ilan was silent too. Then the Ruler arose, bowed to Ilan, and went away. And his scribe followed him, trembling with terror.

ENON X

The Ruler came to Ilan, and he was followed by another scribe. The Ruler said, “The previous scribe ran away; when he was caught, his mind was damaged by fear. Now there is another one with me; he is old and afraid of nothing. Elan said, “This is what people are like. They fear good and evil equally because they expect death from them, not life. Do you see that your cruelty and my Truth are equally frightening to them? Both the poison and the healing potion are deadly for them.” The Ruler asked, “Why is that? It is as if you are making me die and yet I am alive. The heart moans in pain – but it prefers this pain to the most exquisite pleasure”. Ilan said, “Men do not know the good but want it, and suffer from the evil but do it. People know the good in appearance but do not know its taste and for them, it is like fruit pleasing to the eye but bitter to the tongue. But the one who tastes the true good will want no other food. It tastes like Life itself. When a person tastes it, then the evil in that person suffers and the good rejoices. But fear turns pleasure into torment, so your scribe ran away. If there were a ruler over you, you would run away too. The Ruler asked, “What should I do?” Ilan replied, “What can a dry branch do? Can it bear fruit or give good shade in the heat? It is a blessing for it to go into the fire because it will do good at least in this way.” The Ruler asked sadly, “Why am I a dry branch? I am clever and powerful and have wealth and sons; am I not good for anything?” Ilan replied, “You are good because you can be good. Wit and might may be used for evil, wealth may breed vice, and a mountain goat also has sons. A man is good not by what he has but by what he lives for. Is a person good if he lives for the pleasures of the womb? Is he good if he lives to show the power of his arms and the might of his weapons? Is he good if he lives only to keep himself from dying longer? A person is good if he lives to keep the world alive. A person is truly good if he lives to use his life for the benefit of the world. Such a person will also use his life and death wisely, he is good in everything, and even death is good for him. For such a person death is a part of life and he has nothing to fear. What have you done to make your death wise and good for the world? What good deeds have you done so far? But you are still alive and you can become good. And even in death a man does not die but lives; and afterward, he is born and lives again. A bad man is dead during his life, and even more in his death; but a good man will not know death even in death and will continue the work of life. The Ruler said, “I see that it is not for you to fear death, for your essence is life. But one day you will die, then what?” Ilan replied, “Then I will live. My mind will remain with me, and my strength will remain, and my aspirations. And when the time comes, I will regain my flesh – and then my life will be evident even to the blind.” The ruler listened to him, then raised his hands and said, “Who is stronger than you? You cannot even be killed; if I were to kill you, you would still live – and I would lose you. Even a mountain crumbles and perishes, but you are stronger. Are you eternal?” Ilan replied, “Eternal is the one who does the work of Eternity. Someone is dead even during his life, and another lived before himself and will live after himself. The stream of a river lives at its source, its stream, and its mouth, it is the whole river. The one who does great work turns this work himself. My work is the work of the past and the future; therefore, I have lived before, and I live without knowing death, and I shall live afterward, and I shall not die. The Ruler said, “Tell me about it. I thought my work was great, for my power is great; but I will die, and my work will perish as well. Tell me about the work over which death has no power.” Ilan answered him, “Come to me again, and I will tell you.” And the Ruler went away.

ENON XI

When the Ruler came to Ilan, Ilan said to him, “The one who does insignificant work is worthless. It is hard work for a spider to catch a fly in its web; but what is that spider in comparison with you? And your work is great for you; but what are you in comparison with the world? You are a great ruler; but when you die, others won’t care about you, and won’t care about your work? You desire power, and others desire food, and others desire the joy of the flesh with a woman; for each of you, your work is great within you. You are invading other people’s lands for your own sake, aren’t you? And others do the same. Where there is no man there is no work. Here is the measure of insignificance, the one who makes himself the measure of his life and the measure of his work is insignificant. Kill a spider and its web will vanish, although there are many spiders in the world, it is the same with each of them. The insignificance of man is that he lives as a small unintelligent creature, although he is a man. In reality, you, the great Ruler, are the same as a spider, a flea, or a fruit worm. Is that worthy of you? Is it worthy of a man endowed with intelligence, feelings, and great power? So, it is worthy of a man to have great work. Great work is the work done for the world. The world gave birth to people through Wisdom, not lust, but; it gave birth to them for a great cause. Thus, there are people and there are insignificant creatures in the guise of people, like fleas and gnats. And it is easy to distinguish between them, just ask a man what kind of work he is doing and for what purpose. The Ruler said, “I want to know about your work and what you are”. Ilan said, “You have eyes, but you are blind; you have ears, but you are deaf; you have a tongue, but you are mute. You think your work is great, but it does not outweigh your sovereign robes. An insignificant man is great only for other insignificant people; a spider is stronger than a gnat, – but what is it for a man? In your greatness, you have seen so little, know so little, and can do so little that it is unclear whether you are in the world or not. Now tell me, do I hurt your feelings? If I offend you with these speeches, I will say no more.” The Ruler replied, “Go on then, speak. Can I be insulted by what I wanted? How can rain offend the thirsty earth?” And Ilan said, “Listen to me now. There is a truly great cause before which your cause is nothing, and would be nothing even if you were the ruler of the whole world. The true good is nothing less than the good of the world. A man was born to do this good; it is within his power. But who knows what it is and who can do it? There was a time when men knew what it was; but that time has passed. Initially, there is greatness and insignificance in men; but it is difficult to reach greatness and easy to reach the insignificant. Thus, people have fallen into insignificance, and deeds of insignificance were preferred over great work. The time came when no one remembered the great work. Then people called themselves people but lived as small insignificant creatures, and forgot their true nature. Then the world wept and cried in a silent cry of terror as it saw its best children dying, killing themselves. Its grief was great; and it cried so hard that the sun trembled. And this cry was heard by the first and wisest of the gods, Sharikash, and he came into the world. And when he came, the world laughed with joy and the sky shone with white fire. And Sharikash came to the best of men and spoke to him. Everyone fled from him because of fear of being blinded – so shining was he; but he did not run, and looked at him, and was not blinded. And Sharikash revealed the great good and the great cause worthy of man to him. And when he departed, there remained a shining light in the place where he had been. He called that man his messenger. This messenger began to teach people, showing them the right way and the right work. He was the First Teacher, the wisest of all. He taught and had apprentices, and they also had apprentices. When he died, the sky was ablaze with white fire, and an invisible spring of goodness flowed over the sky. There lived his apprentices, and their apprentices, and the apprentices of these and those, and many more. And the pain of the world subsided – for its best children did not die. But the time came when the last of his apprentices died; and then people again began to turn to nothingness. And Sharikash came more than once, and so it was. And every messenger and every apprentice entered into the invisible source of good power that reaches over the sky after death and replenished it with themselves. And it continues now. Fourteen generations ago there lived a messenger, whose apprentices were Teachers to their apprentices, and they to their apprentices; and I am one of this chain. I know the true nature of man, the right path, and the right cause. I care for the good of the world; and this is my work, I keep the true knowledge and give it to those who can receive it. And I do not do evil, but only good; so, I strive for the good of the world by my deeds and my very life. Do you understand what I live for? My work is like a river whose source is the First Teacher. The river does not run dry, for even when the last Knowledgeable one dies, a spring of good waters over the sky continues to flow to irrigate the world. In this great river, I am a stream. And how could you overpower me? Can a flea jump into the river and dam it up? These are my words to you; I will say no more today. That is what Ilan said. The Ruler bowed to him and said, “I am leaving and I will take your words with me. I shall eat them as a grain of bread and drink them as water. I do understand yet what treasure I am taking with me. It is like the earth, you can touch it, but how can you embrace it? That is what he said and left.

ENON XII

The Ruler came to Ilan and told him, “Please continue with your speeches. I have come for what I do not have.” Ilan replied, “That means you have come for yourself.” The Ruler said, “What I seek, I find. And not all that one desires is indeed for joy, and not all joy is for pleasure. I am gaining myself, but am I gaining what I’ve expected? Elan said, “As you are, so you are, and as you try to be, so you will be. Though you are different from what you’ve expected, can’t you be good as you are? If I did not know how good you could become, I would not speak to you. Then the Ruler said to him, “Tell me more of your work.” Ilan asked, “Why do you need to know about it?” The Ruler replied, “Because you find it necessary to speak to me about it.” Then Ilan said, “I will tell you something. You know your life, and you know the expanse of your power, and you know its laws. You are one with your work, therefore it is so well known to you. But what are you in comparison with the world? Oh, how little you know! It is because you are small and insignificant. An insignificant man does insignificant things, and this is what plunges him back into insignificance again and again. I’m not saying this to offend you, but to make you see that you deserve better. You see me, and you see that I am better than you. This is true. I am one with my work, all its accomplishments are my accomplishments, and all its times are my times. I am here now, – but I am at the same time at the origins of my work. The first Teacher is me, – for I am the same work as he is. I am each of the messengers and Teachers; all their lives are my life, all their strength is my strength, and all their deeds are my deeds. I am here now – but I am at the same time in each of them, and each of them is in me. Do not think that my life, which is visible to you, is my whole life. It is only a small part of my life – for I have lived for thousands of years, and for me, there is no death. And my power is inexhaustible. Who can overpower this mighty force if for many thousands of years the human race has been sustained by it and saved from death by it? All the deeds done for it are my deeds. What then can I be afraid of, what is it that can overpower me? My work has been done before, is being done now, and will continue to be done. I am everything that is yet to come. The other messengers and teachers have not yet been born, but they are in me and I am in them. Everything that will be accomplished is in me, and all the life of the world is yet to come, and all the power of the good work is yet to come. And the crown of my work, its triumph, is also in me. Can I be killed when my life embraces the past, the present, and the future? Can I be intimidated or forced to do bad things, if all the great good deeds of the past, present, and future are in me? Can I be broken if my power is the good power of all time? Is my true nature now visible to you?” The Ruler asked him, shuddering, “Are you a man?” And he answered, “Truly, I am a man. Woe to you, you did not know what a true man is, and when you found out, you were afraid. But it was not me you were afraid of, but yourself. What a lowness men have fallen into if even the great rulers tremble when they know what a man should be! But I have not yet said everything; now I will say more. My work will triumph because all the people in it are as I have said. Even one of them alone cannot be defeated, but there are many of us. And the time will come when everyone will be like that – all the people of the world. Those who have died without becoming like that will be born again, and in due time they will become like that. My work is the work of genuine men; and every man under the filth of nothingness is a genuine man. My work is a great stream, in which there is goodness instead of water. And that stream will someday cleanse all men and wash away the filth from them; and then every man will shine with the white fire of his true self. It will be like that; and it is in me, – as if it has already happened. I tell you that this great work is work for the good of the world. The world gave birth to man, so the world, man, and this work are one. Do you understand that I am one with the whole world? The earth, and the sky, and the great waters, and all that is in the world, and all its times, and all its powers, are all in me. To encroach upon me is the same as to encroach upon the whole world. If someone encroaches on the whole world, he never succeeds. Torturing me is like whipping the sky; executing me is like trying to stab the earth with a spear. Do you understand what I am talking about? I am not talking about the unseen, the wonderful, the unthinkable, or the miraculous, but about a man. This is what man is meant to be; man is born to be this way. When a man is not like that, that is unbelievable. But everyone is like that beneath the filth of nothingness; and the one who wishes to get rid of it will get rid of it. Do you understand me? Speaking of myself, I am speaking of you. I have told you of myself, – but I have told you of you. You are like that, just rise from nothingness. Every man is like that; woe to him who does not understand that.” The Ruler listened to him silently, without moving. And when Ilan finished his speech the Ruler was sitting silently for a long, very long time with his eyes downcast. Ilan was silent, and the scribe was silent, waiting. Time passed, as long as it takes the sun to travel the long way across the sky. Then the Ruler turned his eyes to the scribe and said to him, “Go and call two of the servants’; and the scribe went out. The two men came, and the Ruler said to them, “Help me up and take me to the chambers with my day bed.” And they took him under his arms and led him; and he walked slowly, like a very old man. Then the scribe came and took his papers and left without saying anything.

ENON XIII

Four days passed and a man in rich robes came to Ilan. He said, “The Master is sick. He has a fever and does not rise from his bed; and no one knows whether he will live. The Lord says you are free to leave if you want to. He has commanded to give you whatever you wish, and to have half a thousand soldiers escort you wherever you indicate.” Then he bowed with great reverence. Ilan replied, “I will not take anything and I will not leave, but I will wait to see if he recovers. Tell him that I have not gone.” And the man bowed again and went out. Days passed and the Ruler did not die; and all those days Ilan was alone. One day the Ruler called him for a meal; and on the way to the Ruler’s chambers Ilan was accompanied by two servants and four soldiers. During the meal, the Ruler did not wish to see anyone but Ilan. He was still weak and was served by two of his servants. During the meal, he said to Ilan, “Your speeches have pierced my mind, soul, and body like a weapon. At first, it was as if I were encased in stone, and then it was as if I had fallen into the fire. And it was as if I were burning inside and outside; and I could see nothing, and only as if I heard your voice. And when my mind cleared up, I sent a man to you; and he came back and said that you had not gone away. And I wondered what I should do now. I was in a state of unconsciousness, then my mind was lucid; and those dreams themselves were like unconsciousness. One day I saw neither dream nor reality; and this is what I saw. Waters, great waters without shores – and all of the flame. They consumed me, and I burned in them; and I burned and perished – and at the same time, I did not burn. Great were those torments, nothing like I have known before. Then I was lifted, and I rose above the waters of fire – and I was of fire myself. And I walked above the fiery waters and over the earth; and then the earth opened up and swallowed me up. There was darkness, – and I illuminated it with myself; and then the earth opened again, and I came out – and I was no longer of fire, but a naked man. This is what I saw.” Ilan said, “All that you have seen is true. This is your destiny; but you are free not to follow it. No one has power over you, only you have power over yourself. Nor are you truly in control of anyone but yourself. If you do not have power over yourself, you were not born, you did not live. Choose for yourself what is your life, life or death. Whether it is the way you have seen it or another, it is up to you to choose. The Ruler said, “You know me better than I know myself. You have seen my vision in me before I have seen it myself, haven’t you?” Ilan replied, “Yes, I have.” And from that day on, every day the Ruler called Ilan for a meal. When the Ruler was no longer sick, Ilan said to him, “Do not call me anymore but come to me yourself now as before. The Ruler replied, “Tomorrow wait for me at your place.” So he said, and Ilan returned to where he wished to be.

ENON XIV

The Ruler came to Ilan and said to him, “You are wise and foresighted. You always see your path, and you always know that you will not be defeated. If I were like that by even a single fingernail, I would already be the ruler of the world. But now I am poor; and I would like to give you something, – but I find nothing. Are there others like you?” Ilan replied, “There were, there are and there will be, – for the world has not given birth to humans in vain. Any bad man can become truly good; and a truly good man can never turn into a bad one. Don’t believe that someone was a good person and then became bad. A genuinely good person cannot become defiled, and he will not fall. If a good man has become bad, it means that he has never been truly good but lied to himself and others. A predator stops hunting only when it is full-bellied or trapped. Likewise, a bad man can seem to be good only because there is no one to torment, because he has all he wants, or because he has no strength or is afraid. Some weak people do not harm anybody but they are harmed by others. Such people are good only because their evil is defeated by the evil of others; in this way, exhausting heat does not allow a predator to leave its den. Abolish the punishment for murder and people who were known to be kind and patient would kill for a single word. It is the same in everything else. A good man who has done only one bad deed deserves more pity than a bad man who has done only one good deed, for the latter has taken a step towards the good, while the former behaves as if he has never been good. The true essence of man is visible when he is strong and no one is dominating him. You are like that; you did not kill me, although I disobeyed you, so I saw the good in you. And your rank is over you; it is your master. But you have raised yourself so high; you have burdened yourself with your rank, as you wished. Thus, you are your own master. Your rank compels you to be cruel; yet you knew that it would be so, and wished it. But you didn’t kill me, though your rank compels you to do so. It is harder to oppose yourself than to oppose anyone else. You burdened yourself with this rank, and you burden yourself; but you resisted yourself, prevailed, and didn’t kill me. You have burdened yourself with cruelty; but the good in you is so strong that you rebelled against your evil and prevailed over it. And I saw that you are a good man; the good in you is so strong that your evil recedes before it. And I saw that the good in you needed support to rise and defeat evil. I saw that it found support in me, and I did not go away, not to deprive it of its support. I know that if you wish, your way will be the same as mine and we will have the same work. You marvel that there are men like me; but you too can be one.” The Ruler thought, and then said, “Have I understood correctly that a man who has done one evil deed is as full of evil as soaking wet cloth?” Ilan replied, “No, you are mistaken. He is not subject to evil in everything, but only where he has acted wickedly. A genuinely honest man will never lie and a person who is disgusted by theft will not steal. If he did so, he is indeed what he is, but a liar is not a thief, a thief is not a fornicator, and a fornicator is not an arrogant man. But it happens, however, that vice begets vice. Thus, greed begets theft, pride begets anger, and laziness begets indifference. It is like that with many things. But can you call a garment with a drop of dirt on it clean? Likewise, a man, even if he is good in everything and bad in only one thing, he is worse than he should be. The Ruler asked, “How can a man become what he ought to be?” Ilan replied, “Whoever is truly just will become like that. And the root of justice is not to prefer the secondary to the primary. Man is born for the good of the world, this is truly so. Therefore, who prefers his strength to the strength of the world, his benefit to the benefit of the world, his joy to the joy of the world, is unjust. Whoever cares not for himself, but for the world is just. Whoever wishes to live like that is pure, for there is no impurity in him. The world is pure and its deeds are pure, and for the sake of this purity, no disgraceful deed is done. Whoever lives like that lives with dignity. ” The Ruler said, “I have heard your words that every man is a true man. Then how and why can a man be bad? If the world is good and man is good, then where does filth come from?” Ilan replied, “Good is good only when it opposes evil. Without good, there would be no evil and without evil, there would be no good. For the good to accomplish itself, there are two ways, the way of the good and the way of the evil. The world follows the way of good; and for the sake of goodness, it gave birth to humans. People, however, were not wise, yet they were free in their deeds. They were good; but they were to become better to make the world better. Only the one who knows what is good and what is evil wishes to reject evil and rejects it can become better. And people, desiring the best, began to seek the right way; and many found the wrong way – but they thought it was good. And this way is the way of injustice, the way of preferring oneself to the world. And people saw pleasantness in it, and they thought that this pleasantness was a good thing. Thus, they were led astray by it, for it is easier to work for a small self than to work for the great world. And where people prefer the secondary to the primary, there is filth and evil. And people followed the easy way; it is easy because they do not have to resist evil and work hard for the sake of the greater good. This is the delusion of people; they mistake imaginary joy for true joy and imaginary good for true good. They have forgotten the right way; those who can discern between good and evil do not want anything else, even if it is better. People prefer themselves to the world, this injustice is the trouble. In their delusion they forget what they were born for, that is the woe. That is where the filth of men comes from.” Then the Ruler said, “Am I right that salvation from evil is in the right knowledge? Is it true that the one who walks in the right way, thereby delivers himself and others from evil?” Ilan said, “Yes, it is true. My work is to show people the proper path.” The Ruler said, “Give me knowledge about the world and the right path.” Ilan replied, “The right path I show you with myself. Follow me; become my apprentice and I will give you what you ask. The Ruler said, “It is marvelous that it cannot be otherwise. Ilan said, “An apprentice must obey his Teacher. You know that I will teach you good things; prefer it to your pride. If you cannot do so, how can you prefer the world to yourself? Desire and be able to surrender your pride; if you can, then I will see the benefit in teaching you.” The Ruler was silent and thoughtful, and then he said, “Truly, there is no other way.” Having said that, he bowed down and went away.

ENON XV

The Ruler said to Ilan, “everything is like death to me now. My old self is burnt out and ashes remain; I cannot find my new self. The old Ruler is dead and no new Ruler has been born yet. I am sorely afflicted with myself and my life is like an affliction. What will you say to me?” Ilan replied, “Whatever life is, it is still life. Even death is life, for the dead man lives unseen, as the sun at night. And what appears to you as death is life; you live forever, and death is not upon you. Man lives and dies, and is born again, and lives and dies again, and is born and lives again. His existence is like the change of day and night; but even at night, the breath does not leave him. Not to suffer from death, you should be able to enjoy the essence of eternal life. If you die, you should be able to see that you are alive. You are always the same – but always different. A human was a child and became a man; a man was rich and became poor; a man was well and became crippled; a man was a mountain dweller and became a plain dweller. Man is still the same, but he is different at the same time, and how many times he dies in one life and is born again cannot be counted. And the flesh dies and is born again; and there are many other deaths in life. And when I agreed to speak to you, I knew that my conversations would make you die. But I also knew that you will be born again. Truly, you have not killed me, – but I have killed you. I killed you so that you could be born again, and be born different, better, and stronger than before. But you wanted it yourself, for you demanded it of me, and asked, and heeded, and took in my speeches. You wanted to die to find another life; I marveled when I saw it. Behold, I am doing as you wish, and this is the true good. Listen, I will tell you the truth. When a man dies, if anything in him perishes genuinely, it’s the evil in him. You cannot die in good and be born in evil, but you can die in evil and be born in good. If someone became worse than he was after rebirth, it means that he was not good, evil was hidden in him like ugliness under beautiful clothes. If, on the other hand, someone became better in any way after rebirth, he will never be worse in this respect. Now you die and are born again; many bad things in you die and good things are born. It had to be, and now it is coming true. The Ruler said: “You were right when you said that I didn’t know much. When I wanted your talk, I could not know what I wanted and what I was doing. Now, this is what is happening, what must I do now? Ilan replied, “Accept death as it befits a man; look upon it and taste it, thus, you may know what life is like. See birth in your death and enjoy it; indeed, there are few pleasures like this. Remember yourself as you were before; taste your past life with mind and heart. Do not let fear cloud your mind, and do not let despair suffocate your heart. I will soon be gone; what will become of you is up to you. You are the same, – but you are different; and all around you is the same, – but different, for you are different now. I also lived and one day died. And here I am before you, and I am alive and strong, and there is no more death for me. Do not fear the anguish of death, for anguish is transient and death is a part of life. I say this to you, the one who has survived death.” The Ruler said, “Suffering does not come by itself – so that man does not exist, but suffering does. And if so, then suffering is a part of man. And if man commands over himself, then he also commands over suffering and can endure any suffering and overcome it. And suffering cannot kill a man unless he wills it. Am I right in saying this?” Ilan replied, “Correct. Right words are the way to right actions and right actions are the way to right living. Do not deceive yourself, do not pass by your own heart with indifference. The Ruler listened to him, bowed, and left.

ENON XVI

The Ruler said to Ilan, “You are so wise that there is Truth in your every breath. Tell me what should man rever and how?” Ilan replied, “Truly, it is impossible to live without reverence, – for where there is no reverence, enmity is born. All that is good is worthy of reverence. Above all else, revere the Truth – for without it man is blind; without it, he cannot be a real man, and without it, he is as if he does not exist at all. Walk the way of the Truth; protect it from lies and delusions; accomplish yourself through it – and let it accomplish itself through you. Revere Sharikash – for he is the wisest, the guardian of the Truth, the giver of knowledge. Be his helper in his work; and care of and increase what he has given you. You must also revere the other gods who make the laws of the world. Do not offer prayers to them, nor offer them gifts, but in your heart desire the proper accomplishment of their work. Revere the world, it exists for good. Preserve and guard it, protect it from evil, rejoice over it, know it, and increase its goods. All that you see around you are its parts. All beasts and birds, all fishes and creeping things of the earth and water, all insects and all things that grow, earth and water, winds and celestial bodies, all stones, and the smallest dust. All these things you should revere and protect; and things that are good for food, or other good use, you should not destroy in vain, neither you should destroy beyond the required measure. Proper consumption is also reverence; but over-consumption is evil. And revere everything made by man, his house, his clothing, his hoe, or anything else that he has made. Revere weapon, because it does its work well; it is an evil work, but it is not the weapon’s fault, it is man’s fault. And rain, and drought, and shaking of the earth, and everything else, and lightning, and all kinds of fire. Revere life and death, for everything being born and living, is born and lives in them. Do not revile life, and do not fear death, but gratefully accept their gifts. Revere the good for what it is, and revere the evil for the good that is born when struggling with it. Do not hate evil, as there is nothing in the world that is worthy of hatred. If you hate evil, you will become worse than it. Hate defiles good intentions and where there is no real good, you cannot overcome evil. Revere evil because it does its due work, but fight with it, thus you will revere it in the best way. Revere all that exists, for all things have their place and their cause. Now I will tell you about a man. He is the smartest, strongest, and kindest child in the world. Revere man – for he is truly created for good, and truly worthy of reverence. Honor all men, both good and bad. All men are good, but the bad in man is not he, but the filth of uncleanness. Honor a bad man for the good that is hidden beneath this filth. Take care of all men as much as you can, take care of them, and do good to them as you can. A good man has good deeds; help him in his work as much as you can, and give him adequate praise before others. The evil-doer shall be washed from his defilements, as much as he allows you, and show him his goodness, and help him to be freed from his evil. Resist the evil he does, however, without taking on hatred and anger. Revere all, – but obey only those who are wiser than you in goodness. When you obey an evil man, you multiply his evil in the world. Obey him only if you have promised to obey him before. It is like that with any ruler, and with others who are above you. Revere your friends; let good flow from your heart into the heart of your friend. Revere your relatives, and most of all your parents; even if they are not kind to you, do not do them any harm. The husband and wife should revere each other because the procreation of life is truly good, and raising a child is a great good. There is no true marriage without love and reverence, for a false marriage is false goodness. Revere your children, or are they worse than evil, and you revere even evil? They are good, they are life, they are people; revere them, take care of them, teach them good. Be the same with other children, for they are the same as yours. Revere your Teacher as well. He will guide you in the good – and without the good, you have no reason to live. Obey him in all things; do his work; give yourself to him. Do all you can for him, and remember, no matter how much you revere him and what you do for him, it will be less than what he deserves. That’s what I have said about reverence. Now answer, to your mind, have I said all?” The Ruler replied, “You have said everything; I find nothing more.” Then Ilan said, “No, I have not said everything, nor about everything. I’ll tell you more, revere yourself. And the essence of this reverence is not to give yourself to evil, do not make yourself filthy. Remember that good lives in you and do not let evil tear it. Guard and nurture your good, and do not bow down to evil, this is the proper reverence for yourself. Revering yourself is the same as guarding yourself in the good. If you fail to revere yourself properly, how can you revere anything else properly? But beware of what is superfluous, for superfluous self-reverence generates arrogance, which is one of the worst of all evils. The true sign of pride is when a man reveres himself more than any of the things which I have mentioned. Remember, you cannot revere yourself without revering yourself properly, and excess in this reverence is a road to evil. Now I have said everything. Having listened to him the Ruler said, “I see that all that exists is sacred. The cause of true good is not easy work. It must first be carried out within oneself so that it may be supported properly. Learning to revere is not easy; and doing it all the more. But you, the wise one, speak and I accept your words in my heart. Having said this, the Ruler bowed and left.

ENON XVII

The Ruler came to Ilan after three days on the fourth. He came and said, “Tell me how a man should follow the right way”. Ilan replied, “He must not separate his way and his life. They are one for him. If he loses his life, he will not lose the right way but will gain new life from it; if he loses the right way, life itself will become death for him. He must be one with his way. This way he will never lose his essence and his meaning, no matter how many lives he has lived. And he will never be lonely, never be weak, never be broken by adversity. And thus, he will never have to be ashamed of himself. Now let me say about the difference between the right way and the wrong way. A way that does not lead to good through good is wrong. A way that has a limit is wrong. A way that does not go higher and higher is wrong. A way that is not pointed to the lesser by the greater is wrong. A way that is not for everyone is wrong. A way that does not go through all that exists is wrong. And this is what a man who wishes to walk the right way must be. He must not desire bad things – never, whatever they may be. He must not wish for peace at the end of the path. He must not be content with the good that is but must always desire a greater good and work for it. He must not exalt himself in pride above things that are greater than he in wisdom and goodness. He must not desire the good only for himself, or think that it is not meant for everyone. He must not think that true knowledge, true love, and true unity can reject anything that exists. The one who is not as I have said is not on the right way. The one who wishes to walk on the right way must care for all that exists, not for himself alone. He who lives for himself alone, or a few people, or for people alone, is not on the right way. The one who is on the right way must look after himself. Above all he must be able to overcome the evil in himself; if he fails, how can he overcome the evil in the world? He must deny himself everything that is not good and expel the filth from himself. He must abstain from improper things; he must train himself to do them. He must deny all vices and temptations, however seductive they may be. It is a great struggle and great suffering, but it is the right way. The pleasure of vice is imaginary, and it seems to be true only to those who have not tasted genuine pleasure. But real pleasure – in real good, so the right way is the stream of endless pleasure. What has he who for the sake of the imaginary rejected the real? Truly, suffering in overcoming oneself is the beginning of great pleasure. A man who has embarked on the path of such overcoming must not yield to vice and thereby sully himself, for can a sullied man support the purity of the world? Woe to him who does not resist the vice, as for the sake of an imaginary pleasure, short-lived and harmful, he denies all the good of the world and deprives the world of its goodness. Is this not woe, is this not evil, is this not a crime? Therefore, it is necessary to keep oneself pure. It is also necessary to diligently perform the work which is the worthiest for a man. This work is good; therefore, evil will attempt it more than once. This man must resist in the battle with evil, and must not bow to it in submission. Evil may torment him terribly and his torment may be great, but he must endure it once or twice and countless times as long as it is necessary for the sake of the good. There is no torment stronger than a true man, and no power can overthrow him. Whoever does not wish to be defeated will not be defeated, and will be victorious. This is the real scourge, one of the vilest, to avoid torment through submission to evil. Whoever has done so is truly tainted, for he has preferred his well-being to the well-being of the world. Where can one find a worse vice, a worse abomination? We must resist and not submit to evil in the face of its torments, even the worst ones, and even death itself. Tortures are temporary, but the pleasure of the good does not pass away. Death is also temporary because after death man lives and then is born. What is temporary death compared to the everlasting good of the whole world? He who overcomes evil by dying, will overcome evil and will not disappear, but will live on, and if necessary, will be able to continue his work. He, who does not submit to torment and does not fear death, is the true source of the world’s good. He is like fire, and evil is like a cloud of small winged creatures that fly into the fire and are burned in it. Man is like I said when he does not want to live for his own sake alone, but for the sake of the world. The life of the whole world is in him, is there any death for this life? When a man is like that, he succeeds and there is no obstacle beyond his strength. His work is the work of the world. And how to do this in the best way, will be shown along the way, – for his wisdom arises from the mouth of Sharikash. Teachers are guides on this path; they are great both in knowledge and in the way. A teacher both shows the way and leads the way, so a man who wishes to follow the right way cannot be without a teacher. I have said enough.” The Ruler said, “I thank you for your speeches. If I am surprised at anything now, it is that you are here and dignify me with your attention. Now I am leaving, and will come back tomorrow.” Then he bowed and departed.

ENON XVIII

The ruler came to Ilan and said to him, “Tell me about the way a man dies and how he lives when his body is buried. If the body decays in the ground, or is burnt, or is eaten by predatory beasts, but the man lives, is the body a man? Could it be that he who sees the body does not see the man, and he who kills the body does not kill the man?” Ilan answered him, “Man is soul, mind, and body. Without the soul there is no man; without the mind, a man sees and knows nothing, and then he is weaker than a stone; without the body, he is the same as with the body, yet he is invisible and transparent to the hand. There is work in the visible world and there is work in the invisible world. The flesh is given to man to be able to do things that require muscle power, but especially to know the visible and tangible form of the world. This is necessary for the sake of developing feelings and a sharp mind in man that the world needs. The body knows when it must die, but it must die of decrepitude. Who kills a man commits a great crime, for the murdered man stops him from achieving what he was born for. A man must not kill himself, even if there is nothing in his life but suffering. He must cognize them because suffering is temporary, knowledge leads to Wisdom, and Wisdom leads to good. A dying man leaves his body as one leaves his dwelling. He enters the invisible part of the world where he sees, feels, walks, and speaks. He takes there all the evil that he has accumulated within himself and all the good. If there is something evil in him, it torments him there like a wild beast or torture; and it goes on for a certain period. But if there is good in him, there through it he gains great strength, and his wisdom is increased. Above the sky there is a great spring of goodness; it is the abode of those who in the visible world has followed the right path and attained great purity, wisdom, and strength. It is their good power that flows from there and washes away the defilement of the world. Of those who are in the invisible part of the world, some can see the visible world but others cannot; but very strong people can touch it and even make things happen in it. There are many wonderful things in the invisible world; but of these, I will not tell thee. People remain there without growing old and nourish their minds and their senses there. And everyone is born again when his time comes. Then one acquires a new body and acquires it for the sake of what I have said before. A man who has obtained the greatest Wisdom and the greatest power for good in both parts of the world turns into white fire and permeates the world as blood permeates the body. This is how he does the greatest good, and by himself he makes the world good, and enlightens the hearts of men, entering into them and converting them to goodness. This is what you may know now.” The Ruler listened to him, then he raised his hands and said, “How majestic is what you are talking about! It is greater than the sun. How great can a man be if the whole world can be filled with it as if the air were filled with the light of the sun! Am I right that everyone can attain it – even the last beggar and the worst villain?” Ilan replied, “You have understood correctly. Everyone can attain it, for a man is always a man and the right path is for everyone.” Then the Ruler fell into reflection, and then said, “If so, does it matter whether to be a beggar or a great ruler? ” Ilan replied, “For the essence of the way it doesn’t matter because the way is always the same. But for men, there is a difference, for can a beggar feed as many hungry people as a great ruler can feed?” Then the Ruler said, “I see that power is a gift gained for the good of men.” Ilan said, “The good of men is the good of the world and the good of the world is the good of men. The beggar has his good, and the ruler has his own; each one does good as he can, but the good is one. Whatever happens to you, live for the sake of the good, this is how you accomplish it, and yourself, and the world. ” When the Ruler heard him, he stood up and bowed low to him. And Ilan said to him, “You will come to me once more, one last time. The Ruler said, “My heart is full of sorrow as if you have already left me; I grieve for myself.” Having said this, he bowed again and departed.

ENON XIX

The Ruler came to Ilan after four days. He came and said, “Oh, the wise one, I am grieving. You will be gone, and I will remain different from what I was, and all things will be different for me. I will be like a stranger, or like a fish taken out of the water; everything will be unfamiliar to me in my state. And already now everything is not the same for me as before. What will you tell me, how should I live now?” Ilan said, “You are different from what you were before, and therefore all things are different. The earth is seen differently by a bird than by a field mouse. You were blind and now you are sighted, so rejoice. You know less than you could know; it is as if you are looking at the world half-eyed. But it is enough to see the right way; there you will also gain great insight. Rejoice, for you have become a stranger to evil. He who sees true goodness cannot abide in defilement. You are such that your past self is now a stranger to your present self. But you have desired it; thou you not seen this desire in yourself, but I have seen it in you. And if I was wrong, there would not be what there is now. Verily, you have much to rejoice over, there was a good desire worthy of man within you – and it was fulfilled. But insight alone is not enough, for insight is given for the action. You see what is good and what is evil, so do good and work out evil. Lead yourself unto good, and work to make the world a better place. If you see that your garment is not good, thou should put on another; if you see that your house is not good, you should build a new house. Do you understand my words? The Ruler replied, “The substance of your words is visible to me. I remember all that you have told me; I see that you are showing me a clear way. My heart fears it, – but also yearns to step on it so much, that it tears from my chest. I know that all that you have said is true, and I see for myself a succession of deaths in the future. I know that I will die more than once; but I also know that I cannot truly live without it.” Ilan said, “I see that you have already chosen what is right for you. The right way is the same for everyone – but the stones on it are different for everyone. Remember, whoever follows the right way will follow it. There was no other way and there will be no other way. Do not fear death, no matter how many times you face it; it cannot cut off true life. You should do what is right for man; goodness and Life will be with you always. Having listened to his words, the Ruler was sitting silently and thinking; then he said to Ilan, “Great good requires great effort; where is the strength to be found?” Ilan replied, “Whoever believes that man is weak is deluded by a pernicious delusion. The world has begotten man for a great cause; and could it not give him appropriate strength for it? Man’s strength is so great that he even does not know its limits. The one who is immersed in filth does not give vent to the good within himself and among others to the true power. An evil force is in reality negligible, compared to the force of good it is like a spark against the abyss of fire. And who rejects delusion for the sake of Truth and defilement for the sake of goodness, has true power at its best. Evil cannot overcome death. The power of good is almighty as it even turns death into life. This power is the property of every man; it is also yours. Now you are dead and you are born again. Much of what you had in you and around you has been lost; but only temporal has been lost. The good that was in you and around you remains, for true good does not pass away, it is only multiplied. Only a fool would look for support and strength in what is temporal, how can it hold him if it cannot hold itself? Seek strength in the immutable, it is always there, and it is always with you and in you. Whatever is with you is always a source of great power for you. This power is such that the one who has it can change the world. Good power is obtained through good, and its source is in the right way. This way leads first of all to the true essence of man; and it is in this that the world has put this great power that I am talking about. Be a true man and search for support in the eternal and thus you will obtain an unequaled power. The Ruler said, “Tell me of the immutable. Which of the existing things does not know ruin, decay, and oblivion? Ilan replied, “The good is such, the world is such, the laws of the world are such, the true man is such, the right way is such.” The Ruler listened to him and bowed with great reverence. Then Ilan said to him, “Here I have been as long as permitted; now I must leave. I will wait five more days and on the sixth day, I will leave. In the meantime, you should decide what will happen to you, whether you will come with me or stay and if you stay, how you will live. What I have told you, you have heard; now choose for yourself.” That is what he said; having heard him, the Ruler bowed and departed.

ENON XX

Five days later, on the sixth, a man came for Ilan and respectfully escorted him to the Ruler’s chambers. And the Ruler bowed before Ilan and said to him, “Greetings, Teacher.” Then he said, “I want to go with you – but I cannot. Here is the state which I founded; and I see much wrong with it. It is my fault; and can I go away? I may be able to undo some of what I have done; but if I do not try to do so, I will remain in filth, even while I am in the good. Go, Teacher; and your words will abide with me. The right way is with me. For me it lies here; I will stay, but I am on the right way. But if you tell me to follow you, then I will follow you. But I beg you, Teacher, if it is possible, do not tell me to do so, – for my heart urges me to stay.” Ilan was silent and then said to him, “Your heart does not lie. But do you know that you are staying for death? Power will kill you; remember what I said about how power kills. It might not kill the other – but it will kill you, for your way is not good for it.” The Ruler replied, “I remember your words, and I know that I stay to die. But is this not my way?” And Teacher Ilan said, “So be it.” Then the Ruler said to him, “I am staying and will be doing the proper thing until I die. When I die, then I will come to the invisible part of the world, and I will abide there as long as I should. I do not know what will happen to me there; but I beg you, Teacher, when you die, find me there, that I may see you and follow you. Find me there, Teacher, if it is possible.” Ilan replied, “I will search for you there, and if it is possible to find you, I will.” Then the Ruler bowed to him and said, “Here is my last request, Teacher. I cannot go with you; but take my son with you.” Ilan replied, “I see what you want.” Then the Ruler went out into the adjoining chamber and led me out of there. He said, “The other two are no longer children; and this is the youngest. His name is Bairtam, and he is not yet three years old. Be a father to him now, and teach him what you would have taught me if I had gone with you. Please take him with you. Will you take him?” The Teacher replied, “I will; do not worry about him.” The Ruler bowed again and went out again; and when he returned, he brought two bags. He said, “In one bag are clothes and food for the journey for you and the child, Teacher. And in the other bag are the scrolls on which I commanded your conversations to be scribed from the notes which the scribes made. Also in it are my words to my son. When he grows up, give him both your words and mine. Will you take them?” The Teacher replied, “So be it.” He took the bags and took me in his arms; and the Ruler took him outside, under the sky. There waited a warlord with four half a thousand soldiers to escort the Teacher to the borders of the land. And Ilan was given a carriage, and escorted with great honor to the outer limits of Spirtem, so that he could from there reach the new village of his disciples. The Ruler himself accompanied him, walking by the cart like a mere soldier. And when at the frontier the Teacher got out of the cart, then the Ruler took me from his arms, embraced me, and gave me back again. Then he bowed down and hugged the Teacher’s legs. And all the soldiers, both the five hundred and the warlord, seeing this, fell to their knees in fear. And the Teacher went away, taking me with him; and the Ruler returned to his capital.

Translated by Amradkhari