ethics
Paradox As Teaching
Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.
1,119 passages · 18 traditions
neoplatonism188
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter I
“Hermes, the God who presides over language, was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests; and the power who presides over the true science concerning the Gods 18 is one and the same in the whole of things. Hence our ancest…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter III
“In the first place, therefore, you say, “ it must be granted that there are Gods .” Thus to speak, however, is not right on this subject. For an innate knowledge of the Gods is coexistent with our very essence; and this knowledge is superio…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IVa
“With respect to your inquiry, “ what the peculiarities are in each of the more excellent genera, by which they are separated from each other?
” if you understand by peculiarities the specific differences under the same genus, which are dis…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IVb
“This, therefore, subsists contrarily to what you suppose, for the purpose of discovering the peculiarity which you now investigate.
In short, whether you think that there is one genus of the Gods, one of dæmons, and in a similar manner of…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter Vb
“Again, however, according to another mode of considering the subject, it is necessary to ascribe to the Gods the whole of that which is united, of whatever kind it may be; that which is firmly established in itself, and which is the cause o…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VI
“What, therefore, shall we say concerning the media? I think, indeed, that from what has been before said, they will be manifest to every one; for these give completion to the indivisible connexion of the extremes. Nevertheless, it is necess…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VII
“Of the extremes, therefore, one is supreme, transcendent, and perfect; but the other is last in dignity, deficient, and more imperfect. And the former, indeed, is capable of accomplishing all things at once, uniformly in an instant; but the…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIIIa
“But neither must we admit that cause of the distinction of these genera which you subjoin, viz.
“ that it is an arrangement with reference to different bodies; as, for instance, 39 of Gods to etherial bodies, but of dæmons to aerial bodies…”
Show all 188 →christian_mysticism162
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X Concerning ” Omnipotent ,” ” Ancient of Days “; and also concerning ” Eternity “ and ” Time .” 1.
Now ‘tis time that our Discourse should celebrate God (Whose Names are many) as “Omnipotent” and “Ancient of Days.” The former titl…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1b
“For where Scripture speaks of things as “eternal” it doth not always mean things that are absolutely Uncreated or verily Everlasting, Incorruptible, 171 Immortal, Invariable, and Immutable ( e.g.
“Be ye lift up, ye eternal doors,” 461 461…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1c
“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc.
Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1b
“For even as things which are intellectually discerned 52 52 i.
e.
The Transcendent Truths which are beyond ordinary knowledge.
νοητά .
The word νοῦς = Mind in the sense not merely of abstract intellect but of the spiritual personality.…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1e
“These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation 72 72 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς.
to Its beneficent Emanat…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1h
“that which makes an individual thing to be one thing); (2) Mental or Spiritual intercourse; (3) Physical intercourse; (4) Sense perception.
Here it = either (1) or (2), probably (1).
limit, infinity, everything that exists.
And yet since…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1i
“1 .
as “God of Gods” and “Lord of Lords”, 108 108 Ps.
cxxxvi.
2, 3 .
and “Holy of Holies,” 109 109 Isa.
vi.
3 .
as “Eternal,” 110 110 Deut.
xxxiii.
27 .
as “Existent” 111 111 Ex.
iii.
14 .
and as “Creator of Ages,” 112 112 Gen.…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1m
“65 In the whole of this passage God is spoken of as at the same time Efficient, Formal and Final Cause of the soul’s activity.
D.
teaches that God is present in all things, but not equally in all.
Cf.
Intr., p.
14 66 Gen.
i.
67 Three…”
Show all 162 →western_esoteric149
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Philosophy of Pythagorash
“This fifth element, or ether, was called by the Hindus akasa .
It was closely correlated with the hypothetical ether of modern science, and was the interpenetrative substance permeating all of the other elements and acting as a common solv…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Fraternity of the Rose Crossh
“The rose as a religious emblem is of great antiquity.
It was accepted by the Greeks as the symbol of the sunrise, or of the coming of dawn.
In his Metamorphosis, or Golden Ass, Apuleius, turned into a donkey because of his foolishness, re…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Theory and Practice of Alchemyq
“But most men either revile, or contemne that, our Manifesto, (the Fama and Confessio Fraternitatis ) or else waiving the Spirit of God, they expect the proposals thereof from us, supposing we will straightway teach them how to make gold by…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Hermetic And Alchemical Figures of Claudius De Dominico Celentano Vallis Novib
“Those black clouds will [descend] to the body whence they came, and the junction of body, soul, and spirit has been completed and turned to ashes." The eighth bottle is divided horizontally by a golden band, from which rises a golden stem e…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter I (part 4)
“New forms of knowledge.
The ideas of Plotinus.
Different forms of consciousness.
Sleep (the potential state of consciousness).
Dreams (consciousness en-closed in itself, reflected from itself).
Waking consciousness (dualistic sensation…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Page 4 (part 3)
“Just as Goethe's Werther , with its sex-sentimentality, is said to have provoked an epidemic of suicides, so may Tertium Organum —which restores love to that high heaven from whence descend every beauty and benison—inaugurate a renascence o…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Page 4 (part 4)
“These people of the fourth dimension are in the world but not of it: their range is far wider than this slum of space.
In them dormant faculties are alert.
Like birds of the air, their fitting symbol, they are at home in realms which othe…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter I (part 5)
“It is not true because our experimental knowledge is not a confused perception of a real world .
It is a very acute perception of an entirely unreal world appearing round about us at the moment of our contact with the world of true causes,…”
Show all 149 →gnosticism138
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1a
“(Above image of the Gospel of Thomas courtesy of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate University) Visit the Bookstore for a complete selection of translations and books about The Nag Hammadi Library The Nag Hamma…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1b
“TRUTH MADE NAMES Truth made names in the world, and without them we can’t think.
Truth is one and is many, teaching one thing through the many.
RULERS The rulers wanted to fool us, since they saw we were connected with the good.
They too…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1c
“And Jesus said, “Whoever will not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him.” What does he mean?
His flesh is the word and blood the holy spirit.
Who has received these has food and drink and clothing.
I condemn those who sa…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1d
“When the child is grown, however, then the father turns over all he possesses.
THE LOST Those who have gone astray are those born of the spirit.
And they are usually lost because of the spirit.
So from one single breath of spirit the fir…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1e
“If you say, “I am a Roman,” no one will be upset.
If you say, “I am Greek, a barbarian, a slave, a freeman,” no one will be troubled.
But if you say, “I am a Christian,” they will tremble.
I wish I had that title.
The world will not end…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1i
“His seed was Jesus, and the plant was the cross.” The tree of life in the middle of that garden of paradise is an olive tree, and from the olive tree comes chrism, and from that oil comes the resurrection.
THE WORLD EATS BODIES The world e…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1j
“In the world these are the true people.
They are the attendants of the bridal chamber.
POWER AND WEAKNESS In this world, power and weakness mingle when man and woman have sex.
Joining is different in the eternal realm, though we use the…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1m
“If we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within us.
If we join it, it will fulfill us.
THE STRONG AND WEAK, THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN Now we have the manifest things of creation.
We say, “The strong are they who are held…”
Show all 138 →platonism115
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1b
“I thought that in going to the other world he could not be without a divine call, and that he would be happy, if any man ever was, when he arrived there, and therefore I did not pity him as might seem natural at such a time.
But neither co…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1c
“They are two, and yet they grow together out of one head or stem; and I cannot help thinking that if Aesop had noticed them, he would have made a fable about God trying to reconcile their strife, and when he could not, he fastened their hea…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1d
“Socrates replied: And have you, Cebes and Simmias, who are acquainted with Philolaus, never heard him speak of this?
I never understood him, Socrates.
My words, too, are only an echo; but I am very willing to say what I have heard: and in…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1e
“And I rather imagine that Cebes is referring to you; he thinks that you are too ready to leave us, and too ready to leave the gods who, as you acknowledge, are our good rulers.
Yes, replied Socrates; there is reason in that.
And this indi…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1h
“And now that the hour of departure is appointed to me, this is the hope with which I depart, and not I only, but every man who believes that he has his mind purified.
Certainly, replied Simmias.
And what is purification but the separation…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1i
“They are temperate because they are intemperate-which may seem to be a contradiction, but is nevertheless the sort of thing which happens with this foolish temperance.
For there are pleasures which they must have, and are afraid of losing;…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1j
“I reckon, said Socrates, that no one who heard me now, not even if he were one of my old enemies, the comic poets, could accuse me of idle talking about matters in which I have no concern.
Let us, then, if you please, proceed with the inqu…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1k
“That is clear, he replied.
Then the inference is, that our souls are in the world below?
That is true.
And one of the two processes or generations is visible-for surely the act of dying is visible?
Surely, he said.
And may not the othe…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1l
“But if, said Socrates, you are still incredulous, Simmias, I would ask you whether you may not agree with me when you look at the matter in another way; I mean, if you are still incredulous as to whether knowledge is recollection.
Incredul…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1m
“And yet from these equals, although differing from the idea of equality, you conceived and attained that idea?
Very true, he said.
Which might be like, or might be unlike them?
Yes.
But that makes no difference; whenever from seeing one…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1n
“For this is clear, that when we perceived something, either by the help of sight or hearing, or some other sense, there was no difficulty in receiving from this a conception of some other thing like or unlike which had been forgotten and wh…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1o
“For admitting that she may be generated and created in some other place, and may have existed before entering the human body, why after having entered in and gone out again may she not herself be destroyed and come to an end?
Very true, Si…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1p
“or are they each of them always what they are, having the same simple, self-existent and unchanging forms, and not admitting of variation at all, or in any way, or at any time?
They must be always the same, Socrates, replied Cebes.
And wh…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1q
“Then reflect, Cebes: is not the conclusion of the whole matter this?-that the soul is in the very likeness of the divine, and immortal, and intelligible, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable; and the body is in the very likeness…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1r
“And this, my friend, may be conceived to be that heavy, weighty, earthy element of sight by which such a soul is depressed and dragged down again into the visible world, because she is afraid of the invisible and of the world below-prowling…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1s
“The lovers of knowledge are conscious that their souls, when philosophy receives them, are simply fastened and glued to their bodies: the soul is only able to view existence through the bars of a prison, and not in her own nature; she is wa…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1t
“When Socrates had done speaking, for a considerable time there was silence; he himself and most of us appeared to be meditating on what had been said; only Cebes and Simmias spoke a few words to one another.
And Socrates observing this ask…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1u
“For when I consider the matter either alone or with Cebes, the argument does certainly appear to me, Socrates, to be not sufficient.
Socrates answered: I dare say, my friend, that you may be right, but I should like to know in what respect…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1v
“Now I, like Simmias, must employ a figure; and I shall ask you to consider whether the figure is to the point.
The parallel which I will suppose is that of an old weaver, who dies, and after his death somebody says: He is not dead, he must…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1w
“And now I must begin again and find another argument which will assure me that when the man is dead the soul dies not with him.
Tell me, I beg, how did Socrates proceed?
Did he appear to share the unpleasant feeling which you mention?
or…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1x
“I mean, he replied, as you might say of the very large and very small, that nothing is more uncommon than a very large or a very small man; and this applies generally to all extremes, whether of great and small, or swift and slow, or fair a…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1y
“And I would ask you to be thinking of the truth and not of Socrates: agree with me, if I seem to you to be speaking the truth; or if not, withstand me might and main, that I may not deceive you as well as myself in my enthusiasm, and, like…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1z
“Having, as I am convinced, rightly accepted this conclusion, and on sufficient grounds, I must, as I suppose, cease to argue or allow others to argue that the soul is a harmony.
Let me put the matter, Simmias, he said, in another point of…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1{
“For example, when the body is hot and thirsty, does not the soul incline us against drinking?
and when the body is hungry, against eating?
And this is only one instance out of ten thousand of the opposition of the soul to the things of th…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1|
“For any man, who is not devoid of natural feeling, has reason to fear, if he has no knowledge or proof of the soul's immortality.
That is what I suppose you to say, Cebes, which I designedly repeat, in order that nothing may escape us, and…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1}
“For I cannot understand how, when separated from the other, each of them was one and not two, and now, when they are brought together, the mere juxtaposition of them can be the cause of their becoming two: nor can I understand how the divis…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1~
“I might compare him to a person who began by maintaining generally that mind is the cause of the actions of Socrates, but who, when he endeavored to explain the causes of my several actions in detail, went on to show that I sit here because…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“I dare say that the simile is not perfect-for I am very far from admitting that he who contemplates existence through the medium of ideas, sees them only "through a glass darkly," any more than he who sees them in their working and effects.…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“Very true, he said.
Again, would you not be cautious of affirming that the addition of one to one, or the division of one, is the cause of two?
And you would loudly asseverate that you know of no way in which anything comes into existence…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“The reason why I say this is that I want you to agree with me in thinking, not only that absolute greatness will never be great and also small, but that greatness in us or in the concrete will never admit the small or admit of being exceede…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“And now, he said, I think that I may begin again; and to the question which I am about to ask I will beg you to give not the old safe answer, but another, of which I will offer you an example; and I hope that you will find in what has been…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“No other proof is needed, he said; for if the immortal, being eternal, is liable to perish, then nothing is imperishable.
Yes, replied Socrates, all men will agree that God, and the essential form of life, and the immortal in general, will…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“The wise and orderly soul is conscious of her situation and follows in the path; but the soul which desires the body, and which, as I was relating before, has long been fluttering about the lifeless frame and the world of sight, is after ma…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“But we who live in these hollows are deceived into the notion that we are dwelling above on the surface of the earth; which is just as if a creature who was at the bottom of the sea were to fancy that he was on the surface of the water, and…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“Those again who have committed crimes, which, although great, are not unpardonable-who in a moment of anger, for example, have done violence to a father or mother, and have repented for the remainder of their lives, or who have taken the li…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“In any way that you like; only you must get hold of me, and take care that I do not walk away from you.
Then he turned to us, and added with a smile: I cannot make Crito believe that I am the same Socrates who have been talking and conduct…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“Yet, said Crito, the sun is still upon the hilltops, and many a one has taken the draught late, and after the announcement has been made to him, he has eaten and drunk, and indulged in sensual delights; do not hasten then, there is still ti…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1
“He was beginning to grow cold about the groin, when he uncovered his face, for he had covered himself up, and said (they were his last words)-he said: Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?
The debt shall be p…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1b
“But when the lover of discourse begged that he would repeat the tale, he gave himself airs and said, "No I cannot," as if he were indisposed; although, if the hearer had refused, he would sooner or later have been compelled by him to listen…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1d
“But the non-lover has no such tormenting recollections; he has never neglected his affairs or quarrelled with his relations; he has no troubles to add up or excuse to invent; and being well rid of all these evils, why should he not freely d…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1e
“Many lovers too have loved the person of a youth before they knew his character or his belongings; so that when their passion has passed away, there is no knowing whether they will continue to be his friends; whereas, in the case of non-lov…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1f
“"I believe that I have said enough; but if there is anything more which you desire or which in your opinion needs to be supplied, ask and I will answer." Now, Socrates, what do you think?
Is not the discourse excellent, more especially in…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1g
“Who, for example, could speak on this thesis of yours without praising the discretion of the non-lover and blaming the indiscretion of the lover?
These are the commonplaces of the subject which must come in (for what else is there to be sa…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1h
“Once upon a time there was a fair boy, or, more properly speaking, a youth; he was very fair and had a great many lovers; and there was one special cunning one, who had persuaded the youth that he did not love him, but he really loved him a…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1j
“There are some soft of animals, such as flatterers, who are dangerous and, mischievous enough, and yet nature has mingled a temporary pleasure and grace in their composition.
You may say that a courtesan is hurtful, and disapprove of such…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1k
“I thought that you were only halfway and were going to make a similar speech about all the advantages of accepting the non-lover.
Why do you not proceed?
Soc.
Does not your simplicity observe that I have got out of dithyrambics into hero…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1l
“And I bethink me of an ancient purgation of mythological error which was devised, not by Homer, for he never had the wit to discover why he was blind, but by Stesichorus, who was a philosopher and knew the reason why; and therefore, when he…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1m
“For prophecy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Hellas, both in public and private life, but when in their senses few or none.
And I might also…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1n
“The beginning of our proof is as follows:- The soul through all her being is immortal, for that which is ever in motion is immortal; but that which moves another and is moved by another, in ceasing to move ceases also to live.
Only the sel…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1v
“For those who have once begun the heavenward pilgrimage may not go down again to darkness and the journey beneath the earth, but they live in light always; happy companions in their pilgrimage, and when the time comes at which they receive…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1w
“Why, he begins in this manner: "Be it enacted by the senate, the people, or both, on the motion of a certain person," who is our author; and so putting on a serious face, he proceeds to display his own wisdom to his admirers in what is ofte…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1x
“And now they live again in the grasshoppers; and this is the return which the Muses make to them-they neither hunger, nor thirst, but from the hour of their birth are always singing, and never eating or drinking; and when they die they go a…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1y
“But I seem to hear them arraying themselves on the opposite side, declaring that she speaks falsely, and that rhetoric is a mere routine and trick, not an art.
Lo!
a Spartan appears, and says that there never is nor ever will be a real ar…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1{
“To the debatable, clearly; for if not, do you think that love would have allowed you to say as you did, that he is an evil both to the lover and the beloved, and also the greatest possible good?
Soc.
Capital.
But will you tell me whether…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1|
“The two speeches, as you may remember, were unlike-I the one argued that the lover and the other that the non-lover ought to be accepted.
Phaedr.
And right manfully.
Soc.
You should rather say "madly"; and madness was the argument of th…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1}
“Yes, they are royal men; but their art is not the same with the art of those whom you call, and rightly, in my opinion, dialecticians:-Still we are in the dark about rhetoric.
Soc.
What do you mean?
The remains of it, if there be anythin…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1~
“Give an example.
Soc.
I will.
Suppose a person to come to your friend Eryximachus, or to his father Acumenus, and to say to him: "I know how to apply drugs which shall have either a heating or a cooling effect, and I can give a vomit and…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“I quite admit, Socrates, that the art of rhetoric which these men teach and of which they write is such as you describe-there I agree with you.
But I still want to know where and how the true art of rhetoric and persuasion is to be acquire…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“Then clearly, Thrasymachus or any one else who teaches rhetoric in earnest will give an exact description of the nature of the soul; which will enable us to see whether she be single and same, or, like the body, multiform.
That is what we…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“Phaedr.
If trying would avail, then I might; but at the moment I can think of nothing.
Soc.
Suppose I tell you something which somebody who knows told me.
Phaedr.
Certainly.
Soc.
May not "the wolf," as the proverb says, claim a heari…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“And this skill he will not attain without a great deal of trouble, which a good man ought to undergo, not for the sake of speaking and acting before men, but in order that he may be able to say what is acceptable to God and always to act ac…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“Then he will not seriously incline to "write" his thoughts "in water" with pen and ink, sowing words which can neither speak for themselves nor teach the truth adequately to others?
Phaedr.
No, that is not likely.
Soc.
No, that is not l…”
◆Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1
“But he who thinks that in the written word there is necessarily much which is not serious, and that neither poetry nor prose, spoken or written, is of any great value, if, like the compositions of the rhapsodes, they are only recited in ord…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“The true lover of learning then must from his earliest youth, as far as in him lies, desire all truth?
Assuredly.
But then again, as we know by experience, he whose desires are strong in one direction will have them weaker in others; they…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“SOCRATES - ADEIMANTUS Here Adeimantus interposed and said: To these statements, Socrates, no one can offer a reply; but when you talk in this way, a strange feeling passes over the minds of your hearers: They fancy that they are led astray…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“Him who is their partisan and cleverly aids them in their plot for getting the ship out of the captain's hands into their own whether by force or persuasion, they compliment with the name of sailor, pilot, able seaman, and abuse the other s…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1d
“There is reason in supposing that the finest natures, when under alien conditions, receive more injury than the inferior, because the contrast is greater.
Certainly.
And may we not say, Adeimantus, that the most gifted minds, when they ar…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1e
“I might compare them to a man who should study the tempers and desires of a mighty strong beast who is fed by him-he would learn how to approach and handle him, also at what times and from what causes he is dangerous or the reverse, and wha…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1f
“Now, when he is in this state of mind, if some one gently comes to him and tells him that he is a fool and must get understanding, which can only be got by slaving for it, do you think that, under such adverse circumstances, he will be easi…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1g
“Then, Adeimantus, I said, the worthy disciples of philosophy will be but a small remnant: perchance some noble and well-educated person, detained by exile in her service, who in the absence of corrupting influences remains devoted to her; o…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1h
“Yes, but not in a satisfactory manner; you frightened us by interposing objections, which certainly showed that the discussion would be long and difficult; and what still remains is the reverse of easy.
What is there remaining?
The questi…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1i
“No, my friend, and they have seldom, if ever, heard free and noble sentiments; such as men utter when they are earnestly and by every means in their power seeking after truth for the sake of knowledge, while they look coldly on the subtleti…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1j
“And if a necessity be laid upon him of fashioning, not only himself, but human nature generally, whether in States or individuals, into that which he beholds elsewhere, will he, think you, be an unskilful artificer of justice, temperance, a…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1k
“But, said I, one is enough; let there be one man who has a city obedient to his will, and he might bring into existence the ideal polity about which the world is so incredulous.
Yes, one is enough.
The ruler may impose the laws and instit…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1l
“Then the aspirant must not only be tested in those labours and dangers and pleasures which we mentioned before, but there is another kind of probation which we did not mention--he must be exercised also in many kinds of knowledge, to see wh…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1m
“Yes, I said, that they should begin by reproaching us with our ignorance of the good, and then presume our knowledge of it-- for the good they define to be knowledge of the good, just as if we understood them when they use the term `good'--…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“GLAUCON - SOCRATES Still, I must implore you, Socrates, said Glaucon, not to turn away just as you are reaching the goal; if you will only give such an explanation of the good as you have already given of justice and temperance and the othe…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“You mean the sun, as you and all mankind say.
May not the relation of sight to this deity be described as follows?
How?
Neither sight nor the eye in which sight resides is the sun?
No.
Yet of all the organs of sense the eye is the most…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1c
“I do not say heaven, lest you should fancy that I am playing upon the name ('ourhanoz, orhatoz').
May I suppose that you have this distinction of the visible and intelligible fixed in your mind?
I have.
Now take a line which has been cut…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“BOOK VII SOCRATES - GLAUCON AND now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:--Behold!
human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1c
“Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is ver…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1d
“But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1e
“Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst.
Quite true, he replied.
And will our pupils, when th…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1f
“But in music there was nothing which tended to that good which you are now seeking.
You are most accurate, I said, in your recollection; in music there certainly was nothing of the kind.
But what branch of knowledge is there, my dear Glau…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1g
“In these cases a man is not compelled to ask of thought the question, what is a finger?
for the sight never intimates to the mind that a finger is other than a finger.
True.
And therefore, I said, as we might expect, there is nothing her…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1j
“That is true, Socrates; but so little seems to be known as yet about these subjects.
Why, yes, I said, and for two reasons:--in the first place, no government patronises them; this leads to a want of energy in the pursuit of them, and they…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1k
“True, he replied.
The spangled heavens should be used as a pattern and with a view to that higher knowledge; their beauty is like the beauty of figures or pictures excellently wrought by the hand of Daedalus, or some other great artist, wh…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1l
“You mean, I said, those gentlemen who tease and torture the strings and rack them on the pegs of the instrument: might carry on the metaphor and speak after their manner of the blows which the plectrum gives, and make accusations against th…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1n
“And you would say the same of the conception of the good?
Until the person is able to abstract and define rationally the idea of good, and unless he can run the gauntlet of all objections, and is ready to disprove them, not by appeals to o…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1o
“And, again, in respect of temperance, courage, magnificence, and every other virtue, should we not carefully distinguish between the true son and the bastard?
for where there is no discernment of such qualities States and individuals uncon…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1p
“Yes, I said; and the capacity for such knowledge is the great criterion of dialectical talent: the comprehensive mind is always the dialectical.
I agree with you, he said.
These, I said, are the points which you must consider; and those w…”
◆Plato: Republic | Section 1q
“Now all this is very natural in students of philosophy such as I have described, and also, as I was just now saying, most excusable.
Yes, he said; and, I may add, pitiable.
Therefore, that your feelings may not be moved to pity about our…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1b
“But when I hear another strain, especially that of you rich men and traders, such conversation displeases me; and I pity you who are my companions, because you think that you are doing something when in reality you are doing nothing.
And I…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1c
“Welcome, Aristodemus, said Agathon, as soon as he appeared-you are just in time to sup with us; if you come on any other matter put it off, and make one of us, as I was looking for you yesterday and meant to have asked you, if I could have…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1h
“Now here and in Lacedaemon the rules about love are perplexing, but in most cities they are simple and easily intelligible; in Elis and Boeotia, and in countries having no gifts of eloquence, they are very straightforward; the law is simply…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1j
“And on the same principle he who gives himself to a lover because he is a good man, and in the hope that he will be improved by his company, shows himself to be virtuous, even though the object of his affection turn out to be a villain, and…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1q
“Many things were said by Phaedrus about Love in which I agree with him; but I cannot agree that he is older than Iapetus and Kronos:-not so; I maintain him to be the youngest of the gods, and youthful ever.
The ancient doings among the god…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1t
“to which you would find no difficulty in replying, of a son or daughter: and the answer would be right.
Very true, said Agathon.
And you would say the same of a mother?
He assented.
Yet let me ask you one more question in order to illus…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1u
“True, he said.
Then Love wants and has not beauty?
Certainly, he replied.
And would you call that beautiful which wants and does not possess beauty?
Certainly not.
Then would you still say that love is beautiful?
Agathon replied: I fe…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1v
“"And you mean by the happy, those who are the possessors of things good or fair?" "Yes." "And you admitted that Love, because he was in want, desires those good and fair things of which he is in want?" "Yes, I did." "But how can he be a god…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1w
“The truth of the matter is this: No god is a philosopher.
or seeker after wisdom, for he is wise already; nor does any man who is wise seek after wisdom.
Neither do the ignorant seek after Wisdom.
For herein is the evil of ignorance, tha…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1x
“All creation or passage of non-being into being is poetry or making, and the processes of all art are creative; and the masters of arts are all poets or makers." "Very true." "Still," she said, "you know that they are not called poets, but…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1}
“Thereupon he was led in by the people who were with him; and as he was being led, intending to crown Agathon, he took the ribands from his own head and held them in front of his eyes; he was thus prevented from seeing Socrates, who made way…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1~
“Well, said Eryximachus, before you appeared we had passed a resolution that each one of us in turn should make a speech in praise of love, and as good a one as he could: the turn was passed round from left to right; and as all of us have sp…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1
“When we hear any other speaker, even very good one, he produces absolutely no effect upon us, or not much, whereas the mere fragments of you and your words, even at second-hand, and however imperfectly repeated, amaze and possess the souls…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1
“Now I feel that I should be a fool to refuse you this or any other favour, and therefore I come to lay at your feet all that I have and all that my friends have, in the hope that you will assist me in the way of virtue, which I desire above…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1
“You may imagine Brasidas and others to have been like Achilles; or you may imagine Nestor and Antenor to have been like Perides; and the same may be said of other famous men, but of this strange being you will never be able to find any like…”
◆Plato: Symposium | Section 1
“Agathon arose in order that he might take his place on the couch by Socrates, when suddenly a band of revellers entered, and spoiled the order of the banquet.
Some one who was going out having left the door open, they had found their way i…”
◆Plato: Timaeus | Section 1m
“They are all parts of time, and the past and future are created species of time, which we unconsciously but wrongly transfer to the eternal essence; for we say that he "was," he "is," he "will be," but the truth is that "is" alone is proper…”
◆Plato: Timaeus | Section 1t
“To which end we must consider the nature of fire, and water, and air, and earth, such as they were prior to the creation of the heaven, and what was happening to them in this previous state; for no one has as yet explained the manner of the…”
◆Plato: Timaeus | Section 1u
“But much the safest plan is to speak of them as follows:-Anything which we see to be continually changing, as, for example, fire, we must not call "this" or "that," but rather say that it is "of such a nature"; nor let us speak of water as…”
◆Plato: Timaeus | Section 1v
“In the same way that which is to receive perpetually and through its whole extent the resemblances of all eternal beings ought to be devoid of any particular form.
Wherefore, the mother and receptacle of all created and visible and in any…”
◆Plato: Timaeus | Section 1
“Let us once more consider the phenomena of respiration, and enquire into the causes which have made it what it is.
They are as follows:-Seeing that there is no such thing as a vacuum into which any of those things which are moved can enter…”
← Collapsetaoism110
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 9
“It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness. When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor canno…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 13
“Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind). What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 18
“When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. (Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy. When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships,…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 30
“He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Tao will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return. Wherever a host is stationed, briars and thorns spring up. In the s…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 31
“Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them. The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the most honourable place,…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 44
“Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life:--which brings Sorrow and pain more near? Thus we may see, Who cleaves to fame R…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 46
“When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no cala…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 54
“What (Tao's) skilful planter plants Can never be uptorn; What his skilful arms enfold, From him can ne'er be borne. Sons shall bring in lengthening line, Sacrifices to his shrine. Tao when nursed within one's self, His vigour will make true…”
Show all 110 →buddhism66
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1b
“70-75.' I do not deny that this may have been the traditional interpretation, at all events since the days of Buddhaghosa, but the very legend quoted by Buddhaghosa in illustration of this verse shows that its simpler and purely moral inter…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1c
“The play on the words anikkasâvo kâsâvam, or in Sanskrit anishkashâya h kâshâyam, cannot be rendered in English.
Kashâya means 'impurity,' nish-kashâya, 'free from impurity,' anish-kashâya, 'not free from impurity,' while kâshâya is the na…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter I, Section 1d
“He suffers when he thinks of the evil he has done; he suffers more when going on the evil path.
18.
The virtuous man is happy in this world, and he is happy in the next; he is happy in both.
He is happy when he thinks of the good he has…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1a
“p.
9 CHAPTER II.
ON EARNESTNESS [1] .
21.
Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvâ n a), thoughtlessness the path of death.
Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already.
22.
Those who are…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1b
“A Bhikshu (mendicant) who delights in earnestness, who looks with fear on thoughtlessness, [25.
Childers explains this island again as the state of an Arhat (arahatta-phalam).
28.
Cf.
Childers, Dictionary, Preface, p.
xiv.
See Vinaya,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1b
“That s ru means 'to run,' and is in fact a merely dialectic variety of sru, has been proved by Burnouf, while Boehtlingk thinks the substitution of s for s is a mistake.
 s rava therefore, or âsrava, meant originally 'the running out towa…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1c
“I translate it therefore in a more general sense, let him not return or turn away from the battle, let him watch Mâra, even after he is vanquished, let him keep up a constant fight against the adversary, without being attached to anything o…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1a
“p.
16 CHAPTER IV.
FLOWERS [1] .
44.
Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama (the lord of the departed), and the world of the gods?
Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right)…”
Show all 66 →renaissance_hermeticism63
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTIONl
“There he passed the first day of that imprisonment which was to last for eight years.
The next day he went over the lagoon in a gondola, in the company of his jailors, who took him to the prison of the Holy Office, and left him there.
Lev…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialoguec
“Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide!
Muses, with whom I converse!
Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished.
Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place!
Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines.
Fount…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogued
“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialoguef
“One thing is certain, that he who loves wisely in youth will in age not go astray.
But derision is for those of mature age, into whose hands Love puts the alphabet.
Cic.
Tell me now why Fate is called blind and bad.
Tans.
Again, blind…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogueg
“"Steals it from me," he says of Jealousy, not simply in order that it may not be present to me; removing it from my eyesight, but in order that good may not be good, but an acute evil; sweet, not sweet, but an agonized longing; while the he…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialoguea
“.
Tansillo .
There are several varieties of enthusiasts, which may all be reduced to two kinds.
While some only display blindness, stupidity, and irrational impetuosity, which tend towards savage madness, others by divine abstraction bec…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogueb
“It is not a fury of black bile which sends him drifting outside of judgment, reason, and acts of prudence, and tossed by the discordant tempest, like those who, having violated certain laws of the divine Adrastia, are condemned to be scourg…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogueh
“In which generation finding themselves once more through the changes which permutably succeed, they return again to the superior forms.
Cic .
So that they mean, that souls are impelled by the necessity of fate, and have no proper counsel…”
Show all 63 →hermeticism33
◆Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1b
“But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1f
“All this befell me from my Mind, that is Man-Shepherd, Word (Logos) of all masterhood, by whom being God-inspired I came unto the Plain of Truth.
Wherefore with all my soul and strength thanksgiving give I unto Father-God.
31.
Holy art T…”
◆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…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 3: The Sacred Sermon | Section 1
“The Sacred Sermon 1. The Glory of all things is God, Godhead and Godly Nature. Source of the things that are is God, who is both Mind and Nature - yea Matter, the Wisdom that reveals all things. Source [too] is Godhead - yea Nature, Energy,…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1b
“And having raised themselves so far they sight the Good; and having sighted it, they look upon their sojourn here as a mischance; and in disdain of all, both things in body and the bodiless, they speed their way unto that One and Only One.…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1b
“Would that it were possible for thee to get thee wings, and soar into the air, and, poised midway 'tween earth and heaven, behold the earth's solidity, the sea's fluidity (the flowings of its streams), the spaciousness of air, fire's swiftn…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1c
“And for this cause hath He all names, in that they are one Father's.
And for this cause hath He Himself no nome, in that He's Father of [them] all.
Who, then, may sing Thee praise of Thee, or [praise] to Thee?
Whither, again, am I to tur…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 6: The All-Father | Section 1a
“In God Alone Is Good And Elsewhere Nowhere <This sermon on the nature of the Good, like To Asclepius (CH II), relies heavily on the technical language of classical Greek philosophy - a point which some of Mead's translations tend to obscure…”
Show all 33 →greek_mystery27
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 5)
“And in the same place, Proclus has preserved to us another copy of Orphic verses, which are also found in the writer (de Mundo); previous to which he observes, that the demiurgus, or artificer of the world, being full of ideas, comprehended…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 6 (part 2)
“Footnotes 109:* As these Hymns, though full of the most recondite antiquity, have never yet been commented on by any one, the design of the following notes, is to elucidate, as much as possible, their concealed meaning, and evince their agr…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXV
“XXV. TO THE EARTH * The FUMIGATION from every kind of SEED, except BEANS and AROMATICS. O Goddess, Earth, of Gods and men the source, Endu'd with fertile, all destroying force; All-parent, bounding, whose prolific pow'rs, Produce a store of…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXVIII. PROSERPINE (part 1)
“XXVIII.
TO PROSERPINE.
A HYMN DAUGHTER of Jove, almighty and divine, Come, blessed queen, and to these rites incline: Only-begotten, Pluto's honor'd wife, 3 O venerable Goddess, source of life: 'Tis thine in earth's profundities to dwell,…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn XLI. MISES (part 1)
“XLI.
TO MISES.
The FUMIGATION from STORAX.
Call Thesmophorus * , spermatic God, Of various names, who bears the leafy rod: Mises, ineffable, pure, sacred queen, Two-fold Iacchus, male and female seen: Illustr'ous, whether to rejoice is t…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXV. THE MUSES (part 3)
“So in the poetic chain, it is requisite there should be something divine, which, through proper mediums, may connect the last to the first monad.
This Fury Homer, as well as Plato, calls at one time in the plural number Muses, and at anoth…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 10 (part 1)
“p.
53 SELECT SENTENCES OF SEXTUS THE PYTHAGOREAN 1.
To neglect things of the smallest consequence, is not the least thing in human life.
2.
The wise man, and the despiser of wealth, resemble God.
3.
Do not investigate the name of God,…”
◆The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 11
“p. 62 PYTHAGOREAN SENTENCES FROM THE PROTREPTICS OF IAMBLICHUS 1. As we live through soul, it must be said that by the virtue of this we live well; just as because we see through the eyes, we see well through the virtue of these. 2. It must…”
Show all 27 →sufism19
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEa
“HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains, Lamenting its banishment from its home: "Ever since they tore me from my osier bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears.
I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And t…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Ia
“The Prince and the Handmaid.
A prince, while engaged on a hunting excursion, espied a fair maiden, and by promises of gold induced her to accompany him.
After a time she fell sick, and the prince had her tended by divers physicians.
As,…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II
“The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV
“Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Va
“The Lion and the Beasts.
In the book of Kalila and Damna a story is told of a lion who held all the beasts of the neighborhood in subjection, and was in the habit of making constant raids upon them, to take and kill such of them as he requ…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Vc
“The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant.
The earthly Adam was taught of God names, 4 So that his glory reached the seventh heaven.
He laid low the name and fame of the angels, 5 Yet blind ind…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Vd
“But the light that lights the heart is the Light of God, Which is distinct from the light of reason and sense.
At night there is no light, and colors are not seen; Hence we know what light is by its opposite, darkness.
At night no colors…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY Ve
“"In yourselves are signs; will ye not behold them?" (Koran li, 21).
12.
See Gulshan i Raz, I.
92.
Mr.
Mansel (Bampton Lectures, p.
49) says: "A thing can be known as that which it is only by being distinguished from that which it is n…”
Show all 19 →egyptian12
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 14 (part 7)
“Thou hast knit (10) together the mountains, thou has made mankind and the beasts of the field, thou hast created the heavens and the earth.
Worshipped be thou whom the goddess Maat embraceth at morn and at eve.
Thou dost travel across the…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 19 (part 4)
“The draught-board of the ancient Egyptians is often a rectangular wooden box, the top divided into squares, containing a drawer in which the men are kept (British Museum, No.
21,576).
Draught-boards were also made of blue glazed faïence ,…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 44)
“The preservation of the corruptible body too was in some way connected with the life in the world to come, and its preservation was necessary to ensure eternal life; otherwise the prayers recited to this end would have been futile, and the…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 87)
“Auset or Isis , the seventh member of the company of the gods of Annu, was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus; her woes have been described both by Egyptian and Greek writers.[2] Her commonest names are "the great goddess, the divin…”
◆The Egyptian Heaven and Hell | Chapter 18 (part 1)
“SEVENTH DIVISION OF THE TUAT.
I.
KINGDOM OF OSIRIS ACCORDING TO THE BOOK AM-TUAT.
The name of this DIVISION, or HOUR, is THEPHET-SHETAT, the name of the Gate is RUTI-ASAR, and the goddess of the Hour is KHEFTES-HAU-HESQ-NEHA-HRA.
On loo…”
◇The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 13)
“222) 8.
Ibid.
, t.
viii., p.
88 (l.
565 ff.).
9.
Ibid.
, t.
iii., p.
214 (l.
268).] {p.
lxxiii} Further, this identification of the deceased with the God of Heaven places him in the position of supreme ruler.
For example, we ha…”
◇The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 19)
“The whole passage reads:--[2] "(496) The heavens drop water, the stars throb, (497) the archers go round about, the (498) bones of Akeru tremble, and those who are in bondage to them take to flight when they see (499) Unas rise up as a soul…”
◇The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 2)
“Verily it shall be cast forth by my healing words of power, and I will drive it away from before the sight of thy sunbeams." The holy god opened his mouth and said, "I was passing along my path, and I was going through the two regions of my…”
Show all 12 →jewish_mysticism12
◆The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1a
“CHAPTER V.
1.
(It is written) Isa.
i.
4: "Woe unto the sinful nation, unto the people heavy with iniquity, unto the seed of evildoers, &c." (Here the author of the "Siphra Dtzenioutha" reasoneth concerning the small word HVI, "woe," whi…”
◆The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1g
“The four wheels are their correlatives under the second Sephira, on their four sides--namely, the four elements of the air, fire, water, and earth, which are the abodes of the spirits of the elements, the sylphs, salamanders, undines, and g…”
◆The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1h
“35: "Ye shall not do iniquity in judgment, in dimension, in weight, and in measure." (Where these four are mystically intimated.) 37.
(There is one) rigorous judgment (of severity),another that is not rigorous (that is, of the kingdom).
T…”
◆The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1i
“And IVBL, Yobel , "jubilee," is H, He (the first He of the Tetragrammaton); and He is the spirit rushing forth over all (because the mother is the world to come, when in the resurrection all things will receive the spirit); and all things s…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XLII
“XLII. The Dwelling-places of Wisdom and of Unrighteousness . CHAPTER XLII. 1. Wisdom found no place where she might dwell; Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens. 2 Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Page 107
“CII. Terrors of the Day of Judgement: the adverse Fortunes of the Righteous on the Earth . Chapter CII. 1. In those days when He hath brought a grievous fire upon you, Whither will ye flee, and where will ye find deliverance? And when He la…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter CIII
“CIII. Different Destinies of the Righteous and the Sinners: fresh Objections of the Sinners . CHAPTER CIII. 1. Now, therefore, I swear to you, the righteous, by the glory of the Great and Honoured and 2 Mighty One in dominion, and by His gr…”
◆The Greater Holy Assembly (Idra Rabba Qadisha) | Idra Rabba, Chapter 1 (part 1)
“p.
109 HADRA RBA QDIShA (HA IDRA RABBA QADISHA); OR, THE GREATER HOLY ASSEMBLY.
CHAPTER I.
THE INGRESS AND THE PREFACE.
1.
TRADITION.--Rabbi Schimeon spake unto his companions, and said: "How long shall we abide in the condition of one…”
Show all 12 →celtic10
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAINc
“The man looked upon me, and he smiled and said, ‘If I did not fear to distress thee too much, I would show thee that which thou seekest.’ Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the man perceived it, he said, ‘If thou wouldest ra…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWCf
““Tell me, my soul,” said the man, “which of the youths thinkest thou plays best.” “I think,” said Peredur, “that the yellow-haired youth could draw blood from the other, if he chose.” “Arise thou, my life, and take the cudgel and the shield…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale KILHWCH AND OLWENq
“Throughout the world there is not a leash that can hold him, except the leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin.” “It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest think that it will not be easy.” “Though thou get this, there is yet that which…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale THE DREAM OF RHONABWYh
“And Arthur looked at Owain and said, “Forbid thy Ravens.” “Lord,” answered Owain, “play thy game.” And they played.
And the knight returned back towards the strife, and the Ravens were not forbidden any more than before.
And when they had…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINb
“And just as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains.
Then she transformed herself in…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINc
“Elphin of notable qualities, Be not displeased at thy misfortune; Although reclined thus weak in my bag, There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector Thou hast not much to fear; Remembering the names of the Trinity, Non…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINg
“And so, when the bards and the heralds came to cry largess, and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the moment that they passed by the corner wherein he was crouching, Taliesin pouted out his lips after them, and played “…”
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINh
“I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass: I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan; I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene; I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen; I have been bard of the harp to L…”
Show all 10 →norse7
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1c
“Gunnloth : the daughter of the giant Suttung, from whom Othin won the mead of poetry.
For this episode see stanzas 104-110.
14.
Fjalar : apparently another name for Suttung.
This stanza, and probably 13, seem to have been inserted as il…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1e
“Hotter than fire | between false friends Does friendship five days burn; When the sixth day comes | the fire cools, And ended is all the love.
52.
No great thing needs | a man to give, Oft little will purchase praise; With half a loaf | a…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1g
“The stanza-form is so irregular as to show either that something has been lost or that there have been interpolations.
The manuscript indicates no lacuna; Gering fills out the assumed gap as follows: "Certain is that which is sought from r…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1h
“In a brother's slayer, | if thou meet him abroad, In a half-burned house, | in a horse full swift-- One leg is hurt | and the horse is useless-- None had ever such faith | as to trust in them all.
89.
Hope not too surely | for early harve…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1l
“| and hear thou my rede,- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: I bid thee be wary, | but be not fearful; (Beware most with ale or another's wife, And third beware | lest a thief outwit thee.) [129.
Line 5 is a…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1m
“I ween that I hung | on the windy tree, Hung there for nights full nine; With the spear I was wounded, | and offered I was To Othin, myself to myself, On the tree that none | may ever know What root beneath it runs.
[138.
In the manuscrip…”
◆The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1n
“Knowest how one shall write, | knowest how one shall rede?
Knowest how one shall tint, | knowest how one makes trial?
Knowest how one shall ask, | knowest how one shall offer?
Knowest how one shall send, | knowest how one shall sacrifice…”
mandaean4
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 9
“JOHN AND THE BAPTISM OF JESUS (§ 30).
Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's
evenings.
YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights.—Glory rises over the worlds.
Who told Yeshu (Eshu)? Who told Yeshu Messiah, son of Miryam, who told
Yeshu…”
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 10
“"A blind man who writes a letter: a villain who has become virtuous. He
abandoned wantonness and abandoned theft and reached unto faith in almighty
Life.
"A desolate house who ascends again to the height: one of position who
has become hum…”
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 12
“Thereon they 3 fashioned for Yahyā a wife out of thee, thou Region of the Faithful. 4 From the first conception were Handan and Sharrath born. From the middle
conception were Birhām and R'himath-Haiyē born. From the last conception were
Nṣa…”
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 13
“"If thou knowest," he makes answer unto her, "that this does never
happen, why dost thou press me with asking: When dost thou return? I go hence
and return not. Happy the day when thou dost still see me. If there were a
going-away and retur…”
finnic3
◆The Kalevala | Rune VIIIb
“Come, sweet maiden, to my snow-sledge, I am not despised as hero, Not the meanest of magicians; Come with me and I will make thee Wife and queen in Kalevala." Thus the Maid of Beauty answered— "Would consider thee a hero, Mighty hero, I wou…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XXf
“"Osmotar, the beer-preparer, Kapo, brewer of the barley, Spake these words in saddened accents: 'Woe is me, my life hard-fated, Badly have I brewed the liquor, Have not brewed the beer in wisdom, Will not live within its vessels, Overflows…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XXIId
“Not to sleep art thou conducted, Not to happiness, nor joyance, Wakefulness, thy night-companion, And thy day-attendant, trouble; Often thou wilt drink of sorrow, Often long for vanished pleasures.
"When at home thou hadst no head-gear, Th…”
upanishads1
◆Îsâ-Upanishad | Îsâ, Section 1a
“p.
308 p.
309 VÂ G ASANEYI-SA M HITÂ-UPANISHAD, SOMETIMES CALLED Î S ÂVÂSYA OR Î S Â-UPANISHAD p.
310 p.
311 VÂ G ASANEYI-SA M HITÂ-UPANISHAD.
1.
ALL this, whatsoever moves on earth, is to be hidden in the Lord (the Self).
When thou…”