Select Works of Plotinus · 636 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 609

Section 2 2. Now the reasoning faculty which undertakes this problem is not a unity but a thing of parts; it brings the bodily nature into the enquiry, borrowing its principles from the corporeal: thus it thinks of the Essential Existence as corporeal and as a thing of parts; it baulks at the unity because it does not start from the appropriate principles. We, however, must be careful to bring the appropriately convincing principles to the discussion of the Unity, of perfect Being: we must hold to the Intellectual principles which alone apply to the Intellectual Order and to Real Being. On the one hand there is the unstable, exposed to all sorts of change, distributed in place, not so much Being as Becoming: on the other, there is that which exists eternally, not divided, subject to no change of state, neither coming into being nor falling from it, set in no region or place or support, emerging from nowhere, entering into nothing, fast within itself. In dealing with that lower order we would reason from its own nature and the characteristics it exhibits; thus, on a plausible foundation, we achieve plausible results by a plausible system of deduction: similarly, in dealing with the Intellectual, the only way is to grasp the nature of the essence concerned and so lay the sure foundations of the argument, not forgetfully straying over into that other order but basing our treatment on what is essential to the Nature with which we deal. In every entity the essential nature is the governing principle and, as we are told, a sound definition brings to light many even of the concomitants: where the essential nature is the entire being, we must be all the more careful to keep to that, to look to that, to refer all to that.

Themes

◆Apophatic Theologytheology

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

The nature of the First is protected by negating its presence in material forms and denying it can be lessened.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The passage explicitly uses the metaphor of light dwindling from bright to dim to explain the diminution of power in emanation.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The passage discusses powers entering into participants, implying a divine presence within the multiple.

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◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

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

[auto] The passage states that the First cannot be present in material masses as Forms without compromising its identity.

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◇Divine Simplicitytheology

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

[auto] The text argues that the First must remain identical and undiminished even when its powers enter into multiplicity.

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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] The passage explicitly discusses powers emanating from the First and their relationship to the material universe in a progressive severance.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The 'First' is described as a singular, undivided source from which all existence and powers flow.

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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] The central argument concerns the partition of unity and the possibility of reconstituting the collective unity from multiple participants.

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Related passages · 4 parallels

◆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 divine unity and its relationship with the material world. Plotinus explores the concept of the First and its emanations, while Hierocles comments on the Golden Verses of Pythagoras, discussing the order and function of the Gods in the universe. Both texts emphasize the interconnectedness and unity of divine principles.

◆platonism|Plato: Republic|Section 1d

“And when I speak of the other division of the intelligible, you will understand me to speak of that other sort of knowledge which reason herself attains by the power of dialectic, using the hypotheses not as first principles, but only as hy…”

Both passages discuss the nature of the intellectual or higher realm and the distinction between it and the corporeal or sensory realm. They emphasize the importance of appropriate principles and methods for understanding the higher realm, showing a genuine conceptual parallel.

◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVII (part 1)

“p. 198 CHAPTER XVII A living and rational universe. Different forms and lines of rationality. Animated nature. The souls of stones and the souls of trees. The soul of a forest. The human "I" as a collective rationality. Man as a comp…”

Both passages explore the nature of reality and the limitations of human perception. Passage A discusses the distinction between the corporeal and the intellectual, while Passage B explores the idea of a living and rational universe, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things. Both texts highlight the need to understand reality beyond superficial appearances.

◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXI (part 6)

“Of course absurdity , as such, is indeed not an index of the attributes of noumena, but the attributes of noumena will certainly be expressed in what are absurdities to us. To hope to find in the world of causes anything logical from our s…”

Both passages discuss the limitations of human perception and reasoning when trying to understand higher realities. They emphasize the need to transcend conventional ways of thinking to grasp more profound truths, with Passage A using the analogy of a two-dimensional being trying to understand a three-dimensional world, and Passage B discussing the need for appropriate principles to understand the Intellectual Order.