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Select Works of Plotinus · 44 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 49

Section 16 16. Those that refuse to place the Sage aloft in the Intellectual Realm but drag him down to the accidental, dreading accident for him, have substituted for the Sage we have in mind another person altogether; they offer us a tolerable sort of man and they assign to him a life of mingled good and ill, a case, after all, not easy to conceive. But admitting the possibility of such a mixed state, it could not be deserved to be called a life of happiness; it misses the Great, both in the dignity of Wisdom and in the integrity of Good. The life of true happiness is not a thing of mixture. And Plato rightly taught that he who is to be wise and to possess happiness draws his good from the Supreme, fixing his gaze on That, becoming like to That, living by That. He can care for no other Term than That: all else he will attend to only as he might change his residence, not in expectation of any increase to his settled felicity, but simply in a reasonable attention to the differing conditions surrounding him as he lives here or there. He will give to the body all that he sees to be useful and possible, but he himself remains a member of another order, not prevented from abandoning the body, necessarily leaving it at nature's hour, he himself always the master to decide in its regard. Thus some part of his life considers exclusively the Soul's satisfaction; the rest is not immediately for the Term's sake and not for his own sake, but for the thing bound up with him, the thing which he tends and bears with as the musician cares for his lyre, as long as it can serve him: when the lyre fails him, he will change it, or will give up lyre and lyring, as having another craft now, one that needs no lyre, and then he will let it rest unregarded at his side while he sings on without an instrument. But it was not idly that the instrument was given him in the beginning: he has found it useful until now, many a time.
Themes
◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

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

[auto] The body is treated merely as a residence requiring useful care, while the true self remains a member of another, higher realm.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The passage establishes a sharp contrast between the Intellectual Realm (Good) and the accidental/mixed state of material life.

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] True happiness is defined as 'not a thing of mixture,' implying the divine source is simple and unmixed compared to the material world.

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◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

[auto] The text describes salvation and happiness as achieved by fixing one's gaze on the Supreme and becoming like it through direct orientation.

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◇Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

[auto] The passage refers to 'The Supreme' and 'That' as the singular source from which the Sage draws all good and wisdom.

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◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The passage explicitly states the wise person becomes 'like to That' and lives by It, indicating a merging with the divine.

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◇Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

[auto] The Sage draws his good from the Supreme, implying a journey or orientation back to the divine origin rather than remaining in the accidental.

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◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

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

[auto] The text contrasts placing the Sage 'aloft in the Intellectual Realm' against dragging him down to the accidental.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1n
“And the Divine Yearning brings ecstasy, not allowing them that are touched thereby to belong unto themselves but only to the objects of their affection. This principle is shown by superior things 106 through their providential care for the…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the Sage or the individual who is united with the divine or the Supreme. They emphasize the idea of transcending the physical and mundane to attain a higher state of being and happiness, drawing from the divine source.
◆christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|VIIa
“OUTWARD AND INWARD MORALITY I Cor. xv. 10 .—“The Grace of God.” Grace is from God, and works in the depth of the soul whose powers it employs. It is a light which issues forth to do service under the guidance of the Spirit. The Divine L…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of transcending the physical and mundane to achieve a higher state of being and union with the divine. They both discuss the role of divine grace or the Supreme in elevating the soul and the necessity of aligning one's life with this higher reality.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 7 (part 5)
“13.) Man can attain real similarity to God and perfect beatitude only by decisively willing to put his will into the Son, as the Heart or Light of the Father. "God has the eternal and unchangeable will to generate His Heart and his Son, an…”
Both passages discuss the attainment of a higher state of being through alignment with a divine principle. Passage A emphasizes the Sage's connection to the Intellectual Realm and the Supreme, while Passage B focuses on the soul's union with the Heart or Light of the Father. Both highlight the transformation and happiness derived from this alignment.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 13 (part 12)
“In the place which formerly was the seat of self-will there is now nothing, and wherever there is nothing there the love of God is solely active." ( Supernatural Life , xxviii.) "A true Christian knows himself to be a servant of God, whose…”
Both passages discuss the idea of the sage or true Christian transcending the physical world and focusing on a higher, divine reality. They emphasize the detachment from worldly concerns and the alignment with a supreme, divine will.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 14 (part 7)
“This light moderates the action of the fiery will still active in them, the blessings of their good deeds surround them, the hope for still greater glorification is their life, and from the trouble and persecution which they have suffered t…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the enlightened or blessed soul and its relationship to the divine. They emphasize the transcendence of the material world and the focus on the divine or intellectual realm for true happiness and fulfillment.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialogued
“Be it far from me to make complaint of love, Love, without whom I will not happy be, And though through him these weary toils I bear. Yet what is given my will shall not reject. Be clear the sky or dark, burning or cold, To that one ph[oe…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the sage or enthusiast who is unwavering in their devotion to a higher ideal or love, and who finds ultimate happiness and fulfillment in this devotion. They both emphasize the transcendence of the sage's state and the rejection of a mixed or accidental life.
◆taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 23
“Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and E…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning with a higher principle or nature (Tao in Passage A, the Supreme in Passage B) for achieving true happiness and harmony. They also discuss the transient nature of worldly concerns and the need to focus on the eternal or divine.
◆taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 55
“He who has in himself abundantly the attributes (of the Tao) is like an infant. Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds of prey will not strike him. (The infant's) bones are weak and its sinews soft, bu…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning with a higher principle (Tao in Passage A, the Supreme in Passage B) for achieving a state of harmony and true happiness. They both advocate for a life guided by wisdom and an unchanging essence, contrasting with the transient and mixed states of the world.
◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 128 (part 6)
“There is the great Mass (of nature);--I find the support of my body in it; my life is spent in toil on it; my old age seeks ease on it; at death I find rest on it:--what has made my life a good will make my death also a good. 'Here now is…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul or life and the body or physical existence, emphasizing the transcendence of the higher self over the physical form. They share a mystical perspective on the nature of existence and the ultimate detachment from bodily concerns.