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Select Works of Plotinus · 250 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 245 (part 2)

But suppose the reflections on the mirror remaining and the mirror itself not seen, we would never doubt the solid reality of all that appears. If, then, there is, really, something in a mirror, we may suppose objects of sense to be in Matter in precisely that way: if in the mirror there is nothing, if there is only a seeming of something, then we may judge that in Matter there is the same delusion and that the seeming is to be traced to the Substantial-Existence of the Real-Beings, that Substantial-Existence in which the Authentic has the real participation while only an unreal participation can belong to the unauthentic since their condition must differ from that which they would know if the parts were reversed, if the Authentic Existents were not and they were.
Related passages · 1 parallel
sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY XII
Joseph a‚Žd the Mirror. An old friend came to pay his respects to Joseph, and, after some remarks upon the bad behaviour of his brethren, Joseph asked him what present he had brought to show his respect. The friend replied that he had long…”
Both passages explore the concept of reality and illusion, using the metaphor of a mirror to illustrate the relationship between the authentic and the unauthentic, the real and the apparent. They both suggest that the unauthentic or imperfect serves as a reflection of the authentic or perfect.
Select Works, Section 245 (part 2) — Select Works of Plotinus — Guru