Ousia

In the context of the Palamite theology that undergirds the later Philokalia, ousia refers to the divine essence — God as God is in Himself, utterly beyond human comprehension or participation. The Philokalia teaches that while the divine essence remains forever inaccessible, the divine energies are genuinely participable. This distinction protects both God's transcendence (the essence) and God's immanence (the energies).