Fourth Lecture
Secondly, that people gradually developed a sense of the external world; that the world is an external expression of the spirit. This was what Zarathustra had to teach the Persian people, this was his mission. That was the meaning of his doctrine of the sun; [that] Maya is [the] expression of spiritual essence[s]. Man can perceive spirit not only within himself but also through the veil of external illusion. Thus, Zarathustra taught his people the doctrine of light in this world. The tenor of his teaching was something like this: Oh, we humans are still imperfect in terms of our senses and [our] minds. But we will gradually educate ourselves. Behind the illusion is the spiritual meaning of the world, and we will develop in such a way that this spirit will approach us.
Cite:
GA 117a/1910-01-07/p010 · edition English