But he who fights with his weapon, protects himself, and does not surrender to his enemy is destined for "slaughter" (sacrifice). Every soul that descends to the realm of nature must inevitably tread one of these two paths:
Either slaughter or captivity. Whoever chooses captivity has chosen prolonged torment, the degradation of labor, and the humiliation of servitude.
And whoever chooses "slaughter" (sacrifice) dies with dignity, and his death becomes life for him; he is thus relieved from captivity, its degradation, and its prolonged humiliation 1 .
O soul: Whenever you intend to abandon base and vile actions, seek out their fountainhead and avoid it—which is the love of the world. And whenever you intend to perform noble and divine actions, seek out their root, plant it, and nurture it—which is asceticism (Zuhd) regarding the world. Let the performance of this be free from hypocrisy and camouflage.