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Select Works of Plotinus · 494 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 470

Section 3 3. We may be told that nothing prevents an identity being thus multiple. But there must be a unity underlying the aggregate: a manifold is impossible without a unity for its source or ground, or at least, failing some unity, related or unrelated. This unity must be numbered as first before all and can be apprehended only as solitary and self-existent. When we recognize it, resident among the mass of things, our business is to see it for what it is- present to the items but essentially distinguished from them- and, while not denying it there, to seek this underly of all no longer as it appears in those other things but as it stands in its pure identity by itself. The identity resident in the rest of things is no doubt close to authentic identity but cannot be it; and, if the identity of unity is to be displayed beyond itself, it must also exist within itself alone. It may be suggested that its existence takes substantial form only by its being resident among outside things: but, at this, it is itself no longer simplex nor could any coherence of manifolds occur. On the one hand things could take substantial existence only if they were in their own virtue simplex. On the other hand, failing a simplex, the aggregate of multiples is itself impossible: for the simplex individual thing could not exist if there were no simplex unity independent of the individual, [a principle of identity] and, not existing, much less could it enter into composition with any other such: it becomes impossible then for the compound universe, the aggregate of all, to exist; it would be the coming together of things that are not, things not merely lacking an identity of their own but utterly non-existent. Once there is any manifold, there must be a precedent unity: since any intellection implies multiplicity in the intellective subject, the non-multiple must be without intellection; that non-multiple will be the First: intellection and the Intellectual-Principle must be characteristic of beings coming later.
Themes
◆Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

The opening command 'Still, do not... look for The Good through any of these other things' suggests turning inward away from distraction.

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◆Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The 'divine Intellect' is mentioned as the cause of intelligent life, functioning similarly to a mediating ordering principle.

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◇Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

[auto] The text describes an 'intellective act' where one sets down what can be taken to mind as The Good.

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◇Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The divine is described by what it is not ('not in any combination') and by the inability to fully possess or articulate it.

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◇Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The text notes that one will 'never tell it entire' and the experience will 'pass from you', indicating concealment.

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] The text describes The Good as 'standing to itself not in any combination', emphasizing its undivided nature.

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◇Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

[auto] It describes The Good as the 'Source of essence and of existence' from which life and intellect 'grow'.

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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 emphasizes an 'intellective act' and direct vision of the object rather than looking for traces through other things.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The instruction that 'you must yourself be the divine Intellect' places the divine reality within the self.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The passage refers to 'The Good' as a singular principle ('one such there must be') from which all existence flows.

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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 that to possess the power of the principle 'one must be identical with it' and 'you must yourself be the divine Intellect'.

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◇Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

[auto] The phrase 'the unheld in which all have hold' uses paradox to describe the nature of the Good.

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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 passage outlines the journey to grasp 'The Good' which is the 'Source of essence and of existence'.

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◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] Achieving the Good requires becoming 'the divine Intellect in Act', implying knowledge of one's true nature.

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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 seeker is urged to 'throw forward all your being' in a venture toward the divine principle.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] It asserts that to possess the principle 'one must be identical with it', implying a fundamental unity.

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Related passages · 8 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 11, Section 1b
“Plotinus says the Godhead is indivisibly divided. doth not leave Its own Unity, but, even in the act of going forth to all things, remains entirely within Itself through the excess of that all-transcendent Unity: concerning these things ‘t…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and the nature of the divine, emphasizing the idea of a singular, indivisible source that underlies all things. They explore the relationship between unity and multiplicity, and the transcendence of the divine unity.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1c
“Emily Brontë: “Every existence would exist in Thee.”) And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One. 507 507 All things possess the same Super-Essence, and that is why…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and the underlying principle that unifies all things. They explore the idea of a singular, self-existent unity that precedes and underlies the multiplicity of existence, though they do so within different philosophical and religious frameworks.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1f
“Thus in the form “1 x 1” the first figure represents the unity underlying all numbers, the second figure represents unity as a particular number among other numbers. The first figure may thus be taken as a symbol of the Godhead, the second…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a singular, underlying unity that precedes and underlies all multiplicity. They explore the relationship between unity and multiplicity, and the nature of the ultimate reality as a simplex unity that is distinct from the manifold of created things.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 2, Section 1k
“Indeed, He is not an unity in this sense, and doth not participate in unity nor possess it; 224 224 These two phrases well express the meaning of the title “Beyond things and supernally infusing Unity” (ὑπερηνωμένη), which I have generally…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and multiplicity, exploring the idea of a singular, self-existent unity that underlies all things. They both delve into the nature of this unity and its relationship to the manifold, though from different mystical traditions.
◆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 discuss the concept of a singular, transcendent unity or principle that underlies the multiplicity of existence. They explore the nature of this unity and its relationship to the manifold, emphasizing the primacy and simplicity of the ultimate reality.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 4)
“Let them, therefore, again go out with their will from their wilful ignorance or malignity and enter again into the will of God." ( Menschwerdung , 3, 5.) All this goes to show that it is useless and vain to seek for divine wisdom, meaning…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of looking inward to grasp the divine or ultimate reality. They share the idea that external things are mere traces or idols and that true understanding comes from a direct, internal experience of the divine.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 5 (part 1)
“p. 9 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF HIEROCLES. The Golden Verses may be divided into two parts, the first treating of the Practical or Human Virtues, whose aim is the making of Good Men; and the second,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and the path to understanding or attaining it. Passage A focuses on the concept of The Good as a principle that is beyond all other things, while Passage B discusses the contemplative virtues that lead to a divine-like state. Both emphasize the transcendence and the ultimate goal of union with the divine.
◆hermeticism|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…”
Both passages describe a supreme, transcendent deity that is the source and essence of all things. They emphasize the ineffable nature of this divine being and its all-encompassing presence, though they use different metaphors and philosophical frameworks.