Select Works of Plotinus · 3 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 7

Section 3 3. We may treat of the Soul as in the body- whether it be set above it or actually within it- since the association of the two constitutes the one thing called the living organism, the Animate. Now from this relation, from the Soul using the body as an instrument, it does not follow that the Soul must share the body's experiences: a man does not himself feel all the experiences of the tools with which he is working. It may be objected that the Soul must however, have Sense-Perception since its use of its instrument must acquaint it with the external conditions, and such knowledge comes by way of sense. Thus, it will be argued, the eyes are the instrument of seeing, and seeing may bring distress to the soul: hence the Soul may feel sorrow and pain and every other affection that belongs to the body; and from this again will spring desire, the Soul seeking the mending of its instrument. But, we ask, how, possibly, can these affections pass from body to Soul? Body may communicate qualities or conditions to another body: but- body to Soul? Something happens to A; does that make it happen to B? As long as we have agent and instrument, there are two distinct entities; if the Soul uses the body it is separate from it. But apart from the philosophical separation how does Soul stand to body? Clearly there is a combination. And for this several modes are possible. There might be a complete coalescence: Soul might be interwoven through the body: or it might be an Ideal-Form detached or an Ideal-Form in governing contact like a pilot: or there might be part of the Soul detached and another part in contact, the disjoined part being the agent or user, the conjoined part ranking with the instrument or thing used. In this last case it will be the double task of philosophy to direct this lower Soul towards the higher, the agent, and except in so far as the conjunction is absolutely necessary, to sever the agent from the instrument, the body, so that it need not forever have its Act upon or through this inferior.

Themes

◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The passage argues that the Soul does not share the body's affections like pain or sorrow, treating the body as an instrument that can cause distress without affecting the true self.

All passages →

Related passages · 8 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b

“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul or mind and the body or material world, discussing how the higher aspects of being (soul, wisdom) interact with or transcend the lower (body, sense-perception). They both emphasize the distinction between the intellectual or spiritual faculties and the physical or sensory experiences.

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 9, Section 1c

“For just as, supposing we were in thought to represent the soul itself in bodily shape, and represent this indivisible substance as surrounded by bodily parts, we should, in such a case, give the surrounding parts a different meaning suited…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul (or Soul) and the body, discussing the nature of their interaction and the implications of their connection. They both delve into metaphysical and philosophical concepts to explain how the soul interacts with the physical realm without being contaminated by its experiences.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 6)

“2.) There existed in man also the third principle, wherein resides sensual desire. He was not endowed with this principle for the purpose of surrendering himself to it, but that he might introduce it into the light of God, and glorify Him…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul (or higher self) and the body (or lower self), exploring how the soul interacts with and influences the body, and the potential for the soul to rise above bodily influences. They share a common theme of the soul's role in governing and transcending the physical realm.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 7)

“48.) "The soul and the Word are not one or one being. The soul is born from the centre of nature, from the essences, and belongs to the body, for she issues from the essences of the body, and attracts to herself the body; but the Word is f…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul and a higher, divine principle (the Word in Passage B and the higher Soul in Passage A). They discuss the interaction and distinction between these entities, with a focus on the soul's connection to and separation from the body or divine essence.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 13 (part 1)

“p. 263 CHAPTER XIII. REGENERATION. "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not of those things?" — John iii. 10. "Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."— Luke ix. 23. No man c…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between the spiritual and the material aspects of human existence. Passage A explores the interaction between the soul and the body, while Passage B discusses the spiritual regeneration of the human being through the divine spirit. Both texts emphasize the distinction between the higher, spiritual self and the lower, material self.

◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 5 (part 3)

“"Thou shalt not hope what thou ought'st not to hope," knowing the nature of all things, and what is possible. 55. The Gods near at hand are virtue and truth. p. 17 59, 60. The fatal strife is caused by our inclination "madly to run cou…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the body, exploring how the soul interacts with and is affected by the physical form. They share a mystical perspective on the purification and elevation of the soul.

◆hermeticism|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.…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul/mind and the body/material world, discussing the nature of their interaction and the distinction between the two. They both delve into mystical concepts of the soul's connection to the divine and the material realm.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LXI — Of the Forming of Man, of the External Senses, also those Inward, and the Mind; and of the Three-Fold Appetite of the Soul, and Passions of the Will|Chapter LXI, Section 1a

“CHAPTER LXI. Of the Forming of Man, of the External Senses, also those Inward, and the Mind; and of the Three-Fold Appetite of the Soul, and Passions of the Will . It is the opinion of some divines that God did not immediately create the…”

Both passages explore the relationship between the soul and the body, discussing how the soul interacts with and uses the body as an instrument. They both delve into the nature of sense perception and the affections of the soul in relation to the body's experiences.