Select Works of Plotinus · 47 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor
Select Works, Section 53
Section 3 3. Yes, but if the well-being has lasted a long time, if that present spectacle has been a longer time before the eyes? If in the greater length of time the man has seen more deeply, time has certainly done something for him, but if all the process has brought him no further vision, then one glance would give all he has had.
Themes
◇Active Contemplationpraxis
A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.
[auto] The text describes a 'spectacle' before the eyes and questions the duration of this visual contemplative act regarding its efficacy.
All passages →◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology
Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.
[auto] The passage argues that immediate vision ('one glance') is sufficient for the experience if time adds no depth, emphasizing direct knowledge over temporal process.
All passages →