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The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 14 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann

Chapter 2 (part 1)

p. 58 CHAPTER II. THE UNITY OF THE ALL. "We are all one body in Christ, and have all the Spirit of Christ within our reach. If, then, we enter into the Christ, we may see and know everything by the power of His Spirit." ( Forty Questions , xxvi. 5.) That which is finite cannot conceive of the infinite; that which has a beginning cannot conceive of that which is without beginning and without an end. Who has measured space? Has it an end? and if so, what is there beyond the utmost limits of space? But if, there is no end to space, does not thought lose itself in seeking to penetrate into its depths? We cannot conceive of infinite space, but we can conceive of limited forms, which are space rendered objective; and in describing a form we describe space in a certain state or condition. Likewise, we cannot describe that which exists eternally in God, nor the eternal processes continually taking place within the divine life, in any other way than by speaking of them as if they had a beginning in time, and by using terrestrial terms, all of which are necessarily inadequate to produce a conception of that which cannot be conceived by the terrestrial mind, because it is infinitely above all terrestrial things. "I cannot describe to you the whole of divinity as it were in a circle, because God is immeasurable; nevertheless the Godhead is not inconceivable to the spirit resting in the love of God. Such a spirit may grasp eternal truth, one part after another, and in this way it may end in perceiving the whole." ( Aurora , x. 26.) "If I am to make comprehensible the eternal generation, unfolding, or evolution of God out of His own self, p. 59 [paragraph continues] I cannot speak otherwise than in a devilish (knowingly erroneous) manner, making it appear as if the eternal Light had ignited itself in the darkness, and as if the Godhead had a beginning. In no other way can I instruct you, so that you may form an approximate conception of it. There is nothing first and nothing last in this generation and evolution, nevertheless in describing it I have to put one thing after another." ( Aurora , xxiii. 17–33.) We do not mean to say that the Deity had a beginning; we merely wish to show the way in which the Godhead has revealed itself by means of nature. God has no beginning in time; He has an eternal beginning and an eternal end." ( Signature , iii. i.) "The Godhead is an eternal band, which cannot perish. It generates itself from eternity to eternity, and the first therein is always the last, and the last the first." ( Three Principles , vii. 14.) 1 . That which is subject to the conditions of time may conceive of temporal things; only that which is eternal in man can realise the existence of the eternal. "We cannot speak the language of the angels, and even if we were to speak it everything would appear to the inhabitants of this world as if it did refer to created beings, and before the terrestrial mind it would represent itself as terrestrial. We are ourselves only parts of the whole, and we can conceive and speak only of parts, but not of the whole." ( Threefold Life , ii. 66.) "I advise the reader, whenever I am speaking of the Godhead and its great mystery, not to conceive of what I say as if it were intended to be understood in a p. 60 terrestrial sense, but to regard it from a higher point of view, in a supernatural aspect. I am often forced to give terrestrial names to that which is celestial, so that the reader may form a conception, and by meditating about it penetrate within the inner foundation." ( Grace , iii. 19.) God is self-existent, self-sufficient, infinite Will, having no origin.
Themes
◆Divine Hiddennesstheology

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

The text states that what exists eternally in God cannot be described or conceived by finite minds.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

References are made to the 'eternal Light' igniting itself in the darkness as a metaphor for divine generation.

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◆Divine Simplicitytheology

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

The 'Unity of the All' and God as an 'eternal band' suggest a non-composite divine nature.

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◆Ein Softheology

The infinite, unknowable aspect of the divine prior to and beyond all emanation; the hidden root from which the Sephirot unfold.

The text discusses the infinite and unknowable nature of God, aligning with the core concept of the Ein Sof.

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◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The text mentions the 'eternal generation, unfolding, or evolution of God out of His own self', hinting at emanation.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

Knowledge of everything is presented as accessible through the power of Christ's Spirit rather than external means.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The author advises the reader not to understand the text in a 'terrestrial sense' but from a 'higher point of view', indicating esoteric instruction.

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◆Infinite Cosmoscosmology

The doctrine of the universe as boundless and without center or circumference, populated by innumerable worlds — Bruno's rejection of the closed Aristotelian sphere; the divine and the cosmos as ontologically infinite.

The passage questions the limits of space ('Who has measured space? Has it an end?') and discusses the concept of infinite space.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

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

The presence of the Spirit of Christ within reach suggests an internal divine quality accessible to the individual.

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◆Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

The Spirit of Christ is described as being 'within our reach,' implying internal access to the divine realm.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The passage refers to 'eternal processes continually taking place within the divine life,' indicating a dynamic deity.

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◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

Christ functions as the mediating principle through which believers may see and know everything.

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◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

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

The text states 'We are ourselves only parts of the whole', linking human existence to the divine totality.

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The text describes entering into Christ and becoming one body with Him as a means to know everything.

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◆Opposites Transcendedanthropology

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

The text states 'the first therein is always the last, and the last the first' within the Godhead.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

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

The passage uses paradoxical statements like 'eternal beginning and an eternal end' to describe the divine.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The text describes grasping eternal truth 'one part after another' to end in perceiving the whole.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The concept of being 'one body in Christ' with the Spirit within implies participation in the divine nature.

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◇Apophatic Theologytheology

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

[auto] The passage extensively discusses the inability of the finite mind to conceive or describe the infinite God, stating 'We cannot describe that which exists eternally in God'.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

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

[auto] The chapter title is 'THE UNITY OF THE ALL' and the text repeatedly emphasizes that 'We are all one body in Christ' and God is an 'eternal band'.

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Related passages · 76 parallels
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres|Section 1a
“Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men <This is the most famous of the Hermetic documents, a revelation account describing a vision of the creation of the universe and the nature and fate of humanity. Authors from the Renaissance onward have been…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite and eternal nature of God. They both use metaphorical language to describe the divine and acknowledge the inadequacy of human terms to fully grasp divine realities.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum|Section 1a
“To Asclepius <This dialogue sets forth the difference between the physical and metaphysical worlds in the context of Greek natural philosophy. Some of the language is fairly technical: the "errant spheres" of sections 6 and 7 are the celes…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite and eternal nature of the divine. They discuss the inadequacy of human language and concepts in describing the divine, emphasizing the need for a higher perspective.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 11: The Hymn|Section 1a
“Mind Unto Hermes <This complex text is written as a revelation from the divine Mind - the "Man-Shepherd" of CH I - to Hermes, concerning the nature of God and the universe. Difficult enough in its own right, it has been made rather more so…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine and the limitations of human understanding in describing the infinite and eternal nature of God. They both use the idea of a hierarchy or sequence to explain the divine, with Boehme using temporal terms and the Hermetic text using a sequence of entities.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 14: The Discourse of Hermes to Ammon|Section 1a
“p. 257 CORPUS HERMETICUM XIV. (XV.) [A LETTER] OF THRICE-GREATEST HERMES TO ASCLEPIUS UNTO ASCLEPIUS GOOD HEALTH OF SOUL! 1 (Text: P. 128-134; Pat. 49, 50.) 1. Since in thy absence my son Tat desired to learn the nature of the things…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine as an eternal, uncreated entity that is beyond human comprehension. They discuss the limitations of human language and thought in describing the divine, and the idea that the divine is the source of all creation.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter IXa
“I consider you, therefore, as asking, for it is your inquiry, “ Why, since the Gods dwell in the heavens alone, there are invocations by theurgists of terrestrial and subterranean Gods? ” For 45 what you assert in the beginning is not true…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence and unity of the divine. Iamblichus explains the divine nature as being present everywhere, similar to light, while the second passage describes the unity of the divine in Christ and the eternal nature of God, emphasizing that the divine is beyond human comprehension but can be grasped spiritually.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 77
“Section 2 2. For the moment let us define the nature of the Good as far as the immediate purpose demands. The Good is that on which all else depends, towards which all Existences aspire as to their source and their need, while Itself is wit…”
Both passages describe a transcendent, self-sufficient divine principle that is the source of all existence and beyond human comprehension. They also discuss the hierarchical nature of reality emanating from this divine principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 91
“Section 1 1. We hold that the ordered universe, in its material mass, has existed for ever and will for ever endure: but simply to refer this perdurance to the Will of God, however true an explanation, is utterly inadequate. The elements of…”
Both passages explore the nature of eternity and the divine will in sustaining the universe. They discuss the persistence of forms and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite and eternal aspects of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 246
“Section 14 14. But would this mean that if there were no Matter nothing would exist? Precisely as in the absence of a mirror, or something of similar power, there would be no reflection. A thing whose very nature is to be lodged in somethin…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the material world, discussing the limitations of the material in comprehending or participating in the divine. Plotinus discusses Matter's inability to fully participate in Reality, while the Christian mystic discusses the human inability to fully comprehend the infinite and eternal nature of God.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 256
“Section 4 4. We must, however, avoid thinking of it as an accidental from outside grafted upon that Nature: it is native to it, integral to it. It is discerned as present essentially in that Nature like everything else that we can predicate…”
Both passages explore the concept of eternity and the divine, discussing the limitations of human understanding in grasping these concepts. They both use analogies and metaphors to describe the divine nature and eternity, highlighting the challenges in defining and comprehending these abstract ideas.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 257
“Section 5 5. This Ever-Being is realized when upon examination of an object I am able to say- or rather, to know- that in its very Nature it is incapable of increment or change; anything that fails by that test is no Ever-Existent or, at le…”
Both passages explore the concept of eternity and the divine realm, emphasizing the unity and timeless nature of the divine. They share a mystical approach to understanding the eternal and the divine, though they come from different traditions.
66 more
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 258 (part 2)
“But the conception of Eternity demands something which is in its nature complete without sequence; it is not satisfied by something measured out to any remoter time or even by something limitless, but, in its limitless reach, still having t…”
Both passages explore the concept of eternity and the divine, emphasizing the limitations of human understanding and the nature of eternal existence. They share a mystical approach to describing the divine, though from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 259
“Section 7 7. Now comes the question whether, in all this discussion, we are not merely helping to make out a case for some other order of Beings and talking of matters alien to ourselves. But how could that be? What understanding can there…”
Both passages explore the concept of an eternal, unchanging principle that underlies all existence. Passage A discusses 'The One' and Eternity in the context of Plotinus' Neoplatonism, while Passage B discusses the Unity of the All and the eternal nature of the Godhead in the context of Jacob Boehme's mystical Christianity. Both emphasize the difficulty of describing the eternal with temporal language and the unity of the divine principle.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 267
“Section 1 1. Supposing we played a little before entering upon our serious concern and maintained that all things are striving after Contemplation, looking to Vision as their one end- and this, not merely beings endowed with reason but even…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence of a fundamental aspect of reality (Time in Plotinus, the Divine in Boehme) and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending these concepts. They both emphasize the unity and eternal nature of these fundamental aspects.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 276 (part 1)
“Section 10 10. And what will such a Principle essentially be? The potentiality of the Universe: the potentiality whose non-existence would mean the non-existence of all the Universe and even of the Intellectual-Principle which is the prim…”
Both passages explore the concept of a transcendent, ultimate reality that is beyond human comprehension and the limitations of human language. They both discuss the difficulty of describing this ultimate reality and the need to approach it through higher faculties or spiritual insight.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 329
“Section 9 9. But Zeus- ordering all, governor, guardian and disposer, possessor for ever of the kingly soul and the kingly intellect, bringing all into being by his providence, and presiding over all things as they come, administering all u…”
Both passages discuss the concept of eternity and the limitations of human perception in understanding eternal and infinite realities. They explore how human language and thought, bound by time and space, struggle to grasp the timeless and boundless nature of divine existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 331
“Section 11 11. The administration of the kosmos is to be thought of as that of a living unit: there is the action determined by what is external, and has to do with the parts, and there is that determined by the internal and by the principl…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and eternity within their respective mystical traditions. Passage A discusses the eternal perfection and unity of the heavens, while Passage B delves into the unity of the divine and the eternal nature of God, both using metaphors and descriptions that highlight the interconnectedness and timelessness of their subjects.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 332
“Section 12 12. It may be urged that all the multiplicity and development are the work of Nature, but that, since there is wisdom within the All, there must be also, by the side of such natural operation, acts of reasoning and of memory. But…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the divine as an eternal, unified entity that transcends time and human comprehension. They explore the idea of the divine's knowledge and the limitations of human understanding in grasping the infinite nature of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 348 (part 2)
“Thus anger has two phases; there is firstly that which, rising apart from all process of reasoning, draws reason to itself by the medium of the imaging faculty, and secondly that which, rising in reason, touches finally upon the specific pr…”
Both passages explore the idea of a spiritual or divine presence within the natural world, emphasizing the interconnectedness and perception of divine forces. Plotinus discusses the soul and perception within the earth, while Boehme talks about the unity of all things in Christ and the divine within nature.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 356
“Section 36 36. The Universe is immensely varied, the container of all the Reason-Principles and of infinite and diverse efficacies. In man, we are told, the eye has its power, and the bones have their varied powers, and so with each separat…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite and eternal nature of the divine or the universe. They both acknowledge the difficulty in describing the divine or the universe using terrestrial terms and concepts, highlighting the need for a higher perspective or spiritual insight.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 363
“Section 43 43. And the Proficient [the Sage], how does he stand with regard to magic and philtre-spells? In the soul he is immune from magic; his reasoning part cannot be touched by it, he cannot be perverted. But there is in him the unreas…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine or the ultimate reality. They discuss the interconnectedness of all things and the challenges in describing eternal or infinite concepts using finite terms.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 378 (part 1)
“Section 3 3. With this prologue we come to our discussion of Memory. That the soul, or mind, having taken no imprint, yet achieves perception of what it in no way contains need not surprise us; or rather, surprising though it is, we canno…”
Both passages explore the concept of perception and unity within a larger living being or divine entity. Plotinus discusses the idea of sympathetic relation and perception within a unified living universe, while Boehme talks about the unity of all things in Christ and the limitations of finite understanding in comprehending the infinite.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 424
“Section 8 8. This is the explanation of Plato's Triplicity, in the passage where he names as the Primals the Beings gathered about the King of All, and establishes a Secondary containing the Secondaries, and a Third containing the Tertiarie…”
Both passages explore the concept of an eternal, divine realm that transcends the physical world and is the source of all existence. They discuss the unity and perfection of this realm, emphasizing the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 426
“Section 10 10. We have shown the inevitability of certain convictions as to the scheme of things: There exists a Principle which transcends Being; this is The One, whose nature we have sought to establish in so far as such matters lend them…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine unity and the difficulty of human comprehension of the infinite. They discuss the relationship between the One (or Unity) and the manifold, using different terminology but sharing a similar mystical insight.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 427
“Section 11 11. Since there is a Soul which reasons upon the right and good- for reasoning is an enquiry into the rightness and goodness of this rather than that- there must exist some permanent Right, the source and foundation of this reaso…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine unity and the emanation of the intellect or mind from the supreme being. They discuss the challenges of understanding the infinite and eternal nature of the divine using finite and temporal terms, showing a genuine conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 461
“Section 8 8. So that we are left wondering whence it came, from within or without; and when it has gone, we say, "It was here. Yet no; it was beyond!" But we ought not to question whence; there is no whence, no coming or going in place; now…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending it. They emphasize the transcendence of the divine and the need for a higher, more purified state of being or consciousness to perceive or understand it.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 462
“Section 9 9. Everything brought into being under some principle not itself is contained either within its maker or, if there is any intermediate, within that: having a prior essential to its being, it needs that prior always, otherwise it w…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being uncontained, omnipresent, and the source of all being. They explore the concept of the divine as both present and not present in a physical sense, and emphasize the inability of finite beings to fully comprehend the infinite nature of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 464
“Section 11 11. It is infinite also by right of being a pure unity with nothing towards which to direct any partial content. Absolutely One, it has never known measure and stands outside of number, and so is under no limit either in regard t…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as infinite, beyond human comprehension, and not subject to temporal or spatial limitations. They emphasize the inadequacy of human language and perception in grasping the divine reality.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 468
“Section 1 1. There is a principle having intellection of the external and another having self-intellection and thus further removed from duality. Even the first mentioned is not without an effort towards the pure unity of which it is not so…”
Both passages discuss the nature of divine reality and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending it. They emphasize the transcendence of the divine and the need for a transformed state of consciousness to perceive it, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 469
“Section 2 2. Thus there is the primally intellective and there is that in which intellection has taken another mode; but this indicates that what transcends the primarily intellective has no intellection; for, to have intellection, it must…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being uncontained and omnipresent, yet beyond the limitations of space and time. They explore the idea of the divine as the source and container of all things, using similar conceptual frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 471
“Section 4 4. Another consideration is that if The Good [and First] is simplex and without need, it can neither need the intellective act nor possess what it does not need: it will therefore not have intellection. (Interpolation or corruptio…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as infinite and beyond human comprehension, emphasizing the limitations of human perception and understanding in grasping the divine reality.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 485
“Section 7 7. Consider the universe: we are agreed that its existence and its nature come to it from beyond itself; are we, now, to imagine that its maker first thought it out in detail- the earth, and its necessary situation in the middle;…”
Both passages explore the concept of the unity and creation of the universe from a divine source, emphasizing the limitations of human understanding and the eternal nature of the divine. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of all things and the difficulty of describing the divine using finite terms.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 487
“Section 9 9. Let us, then, make a mental picture of our universe: each member shall remain what it is, distinctly apart; yet all is to form, as far as possible, a complete unity so that whatever comes into view shall show as if it were the…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and the divine, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things and the difficulty of comprehending the infinite. They share a mystical approach to understanding the divine nature and the limitations of human perception.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 494
“Section 2 2. What is this other place and how it is accessible? It is to be reached by those who, born with the nature of the lover, are also authentically philosophic by inherent temper; in pain of love towards beauty but not held by mater…”
Both passages explore the concept of unity and the divine, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things and the difficulty of comprehending the infinite. They share a mystical approach to understanding the divine nature and the universe.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 543
“Section 5 5. A first point demanding consideration: Bodies- those, for example, of animals and plants- are each a multiplicity founded on colour and shape and magnitude, and on the forms and arrangement of parts: yet all these elements spri…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of human perception and intellect in understanding ultimate reality. They critique the reliance on sensory perception and emphasize the need for a higher, more abstract understanding of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 568
“Section 7 7. But Matter, it may be contended, is the source of existence to the Sensible things implanted in it. From what source, then, we retort, does Matter itself derive existence and being? That Matter is not a Primary we have establis…”
Both passages discuss the unity and eternity of existence, with Passage A focusing on the unity of Being and Intellect in Plotinus' philosophy, and Passage B discussing the unity of all things in the divine life according to Jacob Boehme. Both emphasize the interconnectedness and eternal nature of existence.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 592
“Section 2 2. Side by side exist the Authentic All and its counterpart, the visible universe. The Authentic is contained in nothing, since nothing existed before it; of necessity anything coming after it must, as a first condition of existen…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the ultimate reality or divine being as omnipresent and infinite, exploring the concept of unity and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine. They share a mystical perspective on the relationship between the divine and the created universe.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 595
“Section 5 5. Herein lies its greatness, not in mass; mass is limited and may be whittled down to nothingness; in that order no such paring off is possible- nor, if it were, could there be any falling short. Where limitation is unthinkable,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine or ultimate reality as being beyond finite measurement and description. They emphasize the limitations of human understanding in grasping the infinite and eternal nature of the divine, using similar conceptual frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 602
“Section 12 12. Think of a sound passing through the air and carrying a word; an ear within range catches and comprehends; and the sound and word will strike upon any other ear you may imagine within the intervening void, upon any that atten…”
Both passages discuss the concept of an all-encompassing, omnipresent divine reality that transcends spatial and temporal limitations. They explore the idea of the divine as an eternal, self-sustaining entity that is both immanent and transcendent.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 603
“Section 13 13. But how account, at this, for its extension over all the heavens and all living beings? There is no such extension. Sense-perception, by insistence upon which we doubt, tells of Here and There; but reason certifies that the H…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as being indivisible and omnipresent, exploring the limitations of human perception and language in understanding the infinite and eternal aspects of the divine. They both emphasize the transcendence of the divine beyond spatial and temporal constraints.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 605
“Section 15 15. But how did this intruder find entrance? It had a certain aptitude and it grasped at that to which it was apt. In its nature it was capable of soul: but what is unfitted to receive soul entire- present entire but not for it-…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine or the soul as something that transcends physical dimensions and cannot be measured or limited in a quantitative sense. They both emphasize the inadequacy of human language and concepts to fully grasp the nature of the divine or the soul.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 611
“Section 4 4. Then consider this god [in man] whom we cannot think to be absent at some point and present at another. All that have insight into the nature of the divine beings hold the omnipresence of this god and of all the gods, and reaso…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence and unity of the divine, emphasizing that the divine is not limited by space or time and is inherently one. They also explore the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite nature of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 613
“Section 6 6. The Intellectual Beings, thus, are multiple and one; in virtue of their infinite nature their unity is a multiplicity, many in one and one over many, a unit-plurality. They act as entire upon entire; even upon the partial thing…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the physical world, emphasizing the indivisible and omnipresent nature of the divine principle. They explore the limitations of human perception and understanding in grasping the infinite and eternal aspects of the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 619
“Section 12 12. To return: How is that Power present to the universe? As a One Life. Consider the life in any living thing; it does not reach only to some fixed point, unable to permeate the entire being; it is omnipresent. If on this again…”
Both passages discuss the concept of an infinite, all-encompassing unity that transcends finite understanding. They explore the idea of entering into this unity and the limitations of human perception in grasping it.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 621
“Section 1 1. It is suggested that multiplicity is a falling away from The Unity, infinity being the complete departure, an innumerable multiplicity, and that this is why unlimit is an evil and we evil at the stage of multiplicity. A thing,…”
Both passages discuss the omnipresence and unity of the divine, emphasizing that the divine is not limited by physical boundaries or time, and that the divine pervades all existence. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of the divine, though they come from different traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 629
“Section 9 9. It remains then to consider whether Being by its distinction produced Number or Number produced that distinction. It is certain that either Number was the cause of Being, movement, rest, identity and difference, or these the ca…”
Both passages discuss the concept of an infinite, all-encompassing divine presence that transcends the limitations of finite existence. They emphasize the idea that the divine is not confined to specific points or measurable quantities but is omnipresent and eternal.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 632
“Section 12 12. We may be told that unity and monad have no real existence, that the only unity is some definite object that is one thing, so that all comes to an attitude of the mind towards things considered singly. But, to begin with, why…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the infinite and the eternal. They discuss the inability of finite beings to fully grasp concepts that are beyond temporal and spatial constraints, using similar reasoning and metaphors.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 633 (part 1)
“Section 13 13. It cannot reasonably be thought that the notion of unity is derived from the object since this is physical- man, animal, even stone, a presentation of that order is something very different from unity [which must be a thing…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending it. They discuss the challenges of describing the limitless and the use of terrestrial terms to convey eternal truths, showing a genuine conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 637
“Section 17 17. But what of the Infinite Number we hear of; does not all this reasoning set it under limit? And rightly so if the thing is to be a number; limitlessness and number are in contradiction. How, then, do we come to use the term?…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the limitations of human understanding in grasping it. They discuss the nature of the infinite in their respective traditions, using metaphors and analogies to convey the idea that the infinite transcends finite human comprehension.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 645
“Section 6 6. But how can that higher soul have sense-perception? It is the perception of what falls under perception There, sensation in the mode of that realm: it is the source of the soul's perception of the sense-realm in its corresponde…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the limitations of human understanding in grasping it. They discuss the nature of the infinite in terms of intellectual and divine realms, using similar metaphors and conceptual frameworks.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 647
“Section 8 8. So much for the thing of sense; but it would appear that the prototype There of the living form, the universal horse, must look deliberately towards this sphere; and, that being so, the idea of horse must have been worked out i…”
Both passages explore the concept of the unity and multiplicity of existence, discussing how the infinite and eternal can be understood through finite and temporal terms. They both grapple with the idea of the divine as both one and many, and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 655
“Section 16 16. But even there we are not to remain always, in that beauty of the multiple; we must make haste yet higher, above this heaven of ours and even that; leaving all else aside we ask in awe "Who produced that realm and how?" Every…”
Both passages explore the concept of the divine unity and the manifestation of forms or ideas within the divine realm. They discuss the relationship between the eternal and the temporal, and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 659
“Section 20 20. Since we are not entitled to make desire the test by which to decide on the nature and quality of the good, we may perhaps have recourse to judgement. We would apply the opposition of things- order, disorder; symmetry, irregu…”
Both passages explore the concept of a divine, eternal reality that encompasses all existence. Plotinus describes a realm of complete Being where all forms of life exist, while Boehme discusses the infinite and eternal nature of God, which cannot be fully comprehended by finite human understanding.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 661
“Section 22 22. That light known, then indeed we are stirred towards those Beings in longing and rejoicing over the radiance about them, just as earthly love is not for the material form but for the Beauty manifested upon it. Every one of th…”
Both passages explore the concept of an unchanging, all-embracing principle that underlies the diversity and change in the universe. They discuss the challenge of comprehending this principle using finite, temporal language and concepts.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 710 (part 1)
“Section 6 6. In what sense, then, do we assert this Unity, and how is it to be adjusted to our mental processes? Its oneness must not be entitled to that of monad and point: for these the mind abstracts extension and numerical quantity an…”
Both passages discuss the concept of an ultimate, self-sufficient unity or divinity that transcends all need and is beyond comprehension. They explore the idea of a supreme principle that is the cause of all existence but does not depend on anything else.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Third Dialoguee
“This alone I will not leave (unsaid) that it is not without reason that the affection of the heart is said to be the infinite sea by the apprehension of the eyes.[X] For the object of the mind being infinite, and no definite object being pr…”
Both passages explore the concept of the infinite and the limitations of human understanding in comprehending it. They discuss the nature of the divine and the challenges of describing eternal and infinite realities using finite and temporal terms.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter I (part 3)
“______ Since the remotest antiquity the question of our relation to the true causes of our sensations has constituted the main subject of philosophical research. Men have always felt that they should have some solution for this question, s…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human perception and understanding of reality. They discuss how our sensory experiences and cognitive frameworks (like space and time in Ouspensky, and terrestrial concepts in Boehme) shape our understanding of the world, and how these frameworks may not capture the true nature of reality.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter II (part 1)
“p. 23 CHAPTER II A new view of the Kantian problem. The books of Hinton. The "space-sense" and its evolution. A system for the development of a sense of the fourth dimension by exercises with colored cubes. The geometrical conception o…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and the limitations of human understanding, with Passage A focusing on the development of a 'space-sense' and higher dimensions, and Passage B discussing the inability of finite beings to conceive of the infinite and the divine. Both texts emphasize the importance of expanding one's perceptual and conceptual frameworks.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter II (part 7)
“A man easily admits his incompetency in music, dancing, or higher mathematics, but he always maintains the privilege of having an opinion and being a judge of questions relating to "first principles." It is difficult to discuss with such me…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human perception and understanding, particularly in grasping abstract or infinite concepts like space and the divine. They both emphasize the difficulty in conveying these concepts using finite, terrestrial terms.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter V (part 1)
“p. 52 CHAPTER V Four-dimensional space. "Temporal body"— Linga Sharîra . The form of a human body from birth to death. Incommensurability of three-dimensional and four-dimensional bodies. Newton's fluents. The unreality of constant qu…”
Both passages explore the concept of higher dimensions and the limitations of human perception. Passage A discusses the four-dimensional space and the Linga Sharîra, while Passage B talks about the infinite nature of God and the limitations of human understanding. Both highlight the idea that our perception is limited and that there are higher realities beyond our immediate comprehension.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VI (part 1)
“p. 59 CHAPTER VI Methods of investigation of the problem of higher dimensions. The analogy between imaginary worlds of different dimensions. The one-dimensional world on a line. "Space" and "time" of a one-dimensional being. The two-di…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human perception and understanding when trying to comprehend higher dimensions or the infinite. Passage A uses the analogy of one-dimensional and two-dimensional beings to illustrate the difficulty of understanding higher dimensions, while Passage B discusses the inability of finite beings to conceive of the infinite and eternal nature of God.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VI (part 2)
“These will be considered as temporal phenomena, beginning at that moment when they become visible, and ending— ceasing to exist —at that moment when they become invisible. The one-dimensional being will not be in a position to imagine that…”
Both passages explore the limitations of perception and understanding based on dimensional constraints. Passage A uses one-dimensional and two-dimensional beings to illustrate how limited perception shapes reality, while Passage B discusses the human inability to fully comprehend the infinite and eternal nature of God due to finite and temporal constraints.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter VI (part 7)
“He would lack "necessary words." For instance, "section"—this would be for him a quite new and inconceivable word; then "angle"—again an inconceivable word; "centre"—still more inconceivable; the third perpendicular—something incomprehensib…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human perception and understanding when trying to comprehend higher dimensions or eternal truths. They discuss the inability of finite beings to fully grasp infinite or multidimensional concepts, drawing parallels between different mystical and philosophical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter X (part 2)
“______ The "infinite sphere" by which we represent the universe to ourselves is constantly and continuously changing: in every consecutive moment it is not that which it was before. A constant change of pictures, images, relations, is goin…”
Both passages explore the nature of perception and reality, suggesting that what we perceive as change or motion might be an illusion created by our limited consciousness. They both delve into the idea that our understanding of the world is constrained by our sensory and cognitive limitations.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter X (part 7)
“An age of great inspiration and unconscious productiveness is invariably followed by an age of criticism and consciousness. The one affords material for the analyzing and critical intellect of the other. Thus all those great characters wh…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of human language in expressing profound spiritual truths. They emphasize the symbolic nature of religious and mystical concepts and the need to look beyond literal interpretations to grasp deeper meanings.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XIII (part 7)
“153 has really entered a cul de sac out of which there is no escape, and the official recognition of the fact that the direction it has taken is entirely the wrong one, is only a question of time. _____ We may say—not as an assumption, but…”
Both passages explore the idea of a finite world being a limited perception of an infinite, incomprehensible reality. They discuss the limitations of human understanding and the relativity of knowledge, drawing parallels between the visible and invisible aspects of existence.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 9)
“In our language only an eternally becoming universe exists. The "Eternal Now" cannot be expressed in language. Thus our language pictures to us beforehand a false universe— dual , when in reality it is one ; and eternally becoming when it…”
Both passages explore the limitations of human language and perception in understanding the true nature of reality. They emphasize the unity and eternal nature of the universe, and discuss the difficulty of expressing these concepts within the constraints of human cognition.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 14)
“The mystery of infinity —the greatest of all mysteries—it tells us that all the visible universe and its galaxies of stars have no dimension : that in relation to infinity they are equal to a point , a mathematical point which has no extens…”
Both passages explore the concept of infinity and the limitations of human perception and understanding. They discuss how finite human consciousness struggles to grasp the infinite nature of the universe or the divine, using analogies and sections to make the infinite comprehensible.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XX (part 1)
“p. 243 CHAPTER XX The sense of infinity. The Neophyte's first ordeal. An intolerable sadness. The loss of everything real. What would an animal feel on becoming a man? The transition to the new logic. Our logic as founded on the obse…”
Both passages explore the concept of infinity and the human struggle to comprehend higher realities. They discuss the transformative experience of realizing a new, higher order of existence, and the emotional turmoil that accompanies this realization.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXI (part 1)
“p. 254 CHAPTER XXI Man's transition to a higher logic. The necessity for rejecting everything "real." "Poverty of the spirit." The recognition of the infinite alone as real. Laws of the infinite. Logic of the finite—the Organon of Arist…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of finite logic and human understanding when attempting to comprehend the infinite or the divine. They emphasize the need for a higher logic or perspective to grasp the nature of the infinite or the divine realm.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXI (part 3)
“All attempts to penetrate mentally into that higher, noumenal world, or world of causes, by means of the logic of the phenomenal world, if they did not fail altogether, or did not lead to castles in the air , gave only one result: in becomi…”
Both passages describe the experience of encountering the infinite or the divine, highlighting the limitations of human perception and the profound emotional and cognitive shifts that occur. They share a common theme of the inadequacy of earthly logic and language in comprehending higher realities.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXI (part 9)
“There cannot be anything which is measured by years, days, hours—there cannot be before, now, after. Moments of different epochs, divided by great intervals of time, exist simultaneously, and may touch one another. Along with this, all th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of reality beyond our finite perception, emphasizing the unity and interconnectedness of all things, and the limitations of human logic and language in describing the divine or ultimate reality.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 3)
“These Eleatic ideas—namely that there is and there can be only One Absolute Being, infinite., unchangeable, without a second, without parts and passions—are the same ideas which underlie the Upanishads and have been fully worked out in the…”
Both passages discuss the unity of the divine and the soul, emphasizing the concept of an infinite, unchangeable Absolute Being and the soul's return to or union with this divine essence. They also explore the limitations of human understanding in conceiving the infinite and the use of metaphorical language to describe divine truths.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 5)
“______ Whatever we may think of this philosophy, we cannot deny its metaphysical boldness and its logical consistency. If Brahman is all in all, the One without a second, nothing can be said to exist that is not Brahman . there is no room…”
Both passages explore the concept of an ultimate, infinite reality (Brahman in Vedanta and the Godhead in Boehme's theology) and the challenge of human comprehension of this infinite. They also discuss the nature of the phenomenal world in relation to this ultimate reality.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 25)
“I sensed the enormous heavy body— my body —all its motions, shudderings, waverings and vibrations, fire, pressure of steam and weight of engines were inside of me , the unmerciful and unyielding propelling screw which pushed and pushed me f…”
Both passages describe mystical experiences that emphasize the unity and interconnectedness of all things. They also discuss the limitations of human perception and language in conveying these experiences, highlighting the commonality of mystical insights across different traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Page 28 (part 1)
“p. 333 CONCLUSION In conclusion I wish to speak of those wonderful words, full of profound mystery from the Apocalypse and the apostle Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians , which are placed as the epigraph of this book. The Apocalyptic angel…”
Both passages explore the concept of transcending human limitations to comprehend higher realities, such as cosmic consciousness or the divine. They discuss the role of love and sanctity in achieving this understanding, and the idea of perceiving space and time in a transcendent manner.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Page 28 (part 2)
“We know that it must give it , but FROM WHAT could he know that? None of his contemporaries ever united sanctity with the idea of the comprehension of space; and in general there was no discussion at all about "space" at that time, at leas…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of human understanding and the need for expanded consciousness to grasp higher truths. They critique conventional ways of thinking and emphasize the importance of spiritual insight.