29 October 2022

Rogatianus

In The Life of Plotinus by Porphyry there is a section where Porphyry briefly touches on a number of Plotinus’s followers.  These are brief sketches of individuals who attended the lectures Plotinus gave in Rome.  In spite of their brevity, Porphyry gives us a glimpse of the interests and personalities of many people who became followers of Plotinus.  One of these was named Rogatianus.  Here is what Porphyry writes about him:

“A good many members of the Senate also attended his (Plotinus’s) lectures, of whom Marcellus Orrontius and Sabinillus worked hardest at philosophy.  There was also Rogatianus, a senator, who advances so far in renunciation of public life that he gave up all his property, dismissed all his servants, and resigned his rank.  When he was on the point of appearing in public as praetor and the lictors were already there, he refused to appear or have anything to do with the office.  He would not even keep his own house to live in, but went the round of his friends and acquaintances, dining at one house and sleeping at another (but he only ate every other day).  As a result of this renunciation and indifference to the needs of life, though he had been so gouty that he had to be carried in a chair, he regained his health, and, though he had not been able to stretch out his hands, he became able to use them much more easily than professional handicraftsmen.  Plotinus regarded him with great favour and praised him highly, and frequently held him up as an example to all who practiced philosophy.”

(Porphyry, The Life of Plotinus, Plotinus I, translated by A. H. Armstrong, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1966, pages 27 & 29)

When I read this, I am impressed by the numerous asceses, or ascetic practices, that Rogatianus embodied after he entered the Way of Philosophy.  These include giving up status, giving up wealth, giving up political power, adopting a rigorous program of fasting, etc.  What this teaches me is that there are many practices that can be adopted on the Ascetic Way.  Each of these practices can be cultivated and nourished as we become more familiar with the Way of Philosophy.

 

 

26 October 2022

Asceticism

In my post on the ‘Geography of Platonism Today’, which I posted a few days ago, I mentioned ‘Ascetic Platonism’ and suggested that the dialogue Phaedo is a primary source for understanding the Platonic tradition as an ascetic tradition.  Here is an example of the kind of teaching found in Phaedo I refer to:

Socrates: “Now, my friend, see if you agree with me; for, if you do, I think we shall get more light on our subject.  Do you think a philosopher would be likely to care much about the so-called pleasures, such as eating and drinking?”

Simmias: “By no means, Socrates,” said Simmias.

Socrates: “How about the pleasures of love?”

Simmias: “Certainly not.”

Socrates: “Well, do you think such a man would think much of the other cares of the body – I mean such as the possession of fine clothes and shoes and the other personal adornments?  Do you think he would care about them or despise them, except so far as it is necessary to have them?”

Simmias: “I think the true philosopher would despise them,” he replied.

Socrates: “Altogether, then, you think that such a man would not devote himself to the body, but would, so far as he was able, turn away from the body and concern himself with the soul?”

Simmias: “Yes.”

Socrates: “To begin with, then, it is clear that in such matters the philosopher, more than other men, separates the soul from communion with the body?”

Simmias: “It is.”

 

(Phaedo, Plato I, translated by Harold North Fowler, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1914, pages 225-227.  I have added the speakers’ names.)

 

Socrates:  “Now, my good man, see if your opinion is just the same as mine.  For I think we’ll know more about what we’re looking into by beginning with this: Does it appear to you that being serious about the so-called pleasures, such as those of food and drink, goes with being a philosophical man?”

Simmias: “Least of all, Socrates,” said Simmias.

Socrates: “And what about the pleasures of love-making?”

Simmias: “No way.”

Socrates: “And what about any other servicing of the body?  Does such a man seem to you to regard any of them as worthy of honor?  For instance, there’s the attainment of diverse cloaks and sandals and the other, body-related beautifications.  Does he seem to you to honor them?  Or does he hold them in dishonor, except insofar as there’s an urgent necessity for him to have his share of them?”

Simmias: “Seems to me he holds them in dishonor,” he said, “at least the one who’s truly a philosopher.”

Socrates: “All in all, doesn’t it seem to you,” he said, “that the business of such a man is not with the body; instead, he stands apart from it and keeps turned toward the soul as much as he can?”

Simmias: “Seems so to me.”

 

(Plato: Phaedo, translated by Eva Brann, Peer Kalkavage, and Eric Salem, Focus Philosophical Library; Hackett Publishing Company; Indianapolis, Indiana, 1998, pages 35 and 36.  I have added the speakers’ names.)

 

When I read this passage, I am impressed by the way Socrates defines a philosophical life as an ascetic life.  Socrates, on his last day on earth, is impressing upon Simmias, and his other students who are standing nearby, the centrality of renunciation for a philosophical life. 

When I read this passage, I understand that the basic mode, or way, of living a philosophical life is to turn away from the sensory world, from sensory stimulation, to that of the soul.  I see this as a mystical teaching, meaning a teaching that guides its practitioners away from the ephemeral to that which is eternal.  The ephemeral is the world of the senses.  The eternal is the realm of the transcendental, beyond, and before, what can be sensed.

When I read this passage, I am inspired to take this teaching seriously.  Taking this teaching seriously means to apply this teaching of withdrawing from the world of the senses in order to cultivate the soul, for the soul is the presence of eternity within the ephemeral individual.

24 October 2022

Love of Reading

I see reading as a central practice of the Platonic tradition.  The reading, and rereading, of the Dialogues of Plato are the ground from which the garden of Platonism flourishes.  A few comments on reading in the Platonic tradition follow:

1. For Platonists reading Platonic literature is a pleasure rather than a task or duty.  I think that Platonists feel that way because Platonic literature transmits insight, wisdom, beauty, and the presence of the transcendent.  This is not easy to explain, and it doesn’t happen every single time a Platonist reads the Dialogues or the Enneads, but it happens often enough that the experience is nourishing to the soul.

2. I see the Dialogues of Plato and the Enneads of Plotinus as the two great wings of the Platonic tradition.  This is not meant to diminish other examples of Platonic literature.  As mentioned in a previous post I have a great fondness for The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.  But I find in Plato and Plotinus a sense of completeness, a sense of subtlety, a feeling that they are based on an almost unimaginable depth of experience, and because of this I think these two surpass other examples of Platonic literature even though those other examples have their virtues.

3. I think that for a Platonist daily reading of the core texts is essential.  I think it is as important as contemplation or vegetarianism or refraining from alcohol and drugs.  I think this kind of reading is a form of purification.  First, it purifies the practitioner by using their time wisely; instead of spending time on worldly concerns, the time spent reading the core literature of Platonism is a gentle teaching on how one should spend the time of one’s life.  As the reading progresses, and understanding increases, the value of this practice of reading becomes apparent.

4. I have a two-year reading program.  In the first year I read the Platonic Dialogues.  In the second year I read the Enneads of Plotinus.  With each reading I develop a greater understanding of what Plato taught, the path Plato points to, and how to instantiate these teachings in my own life.

5. At times Plato warns against writing and literature.  In Phaedrus Socrates offers that reading can make someone think they are wise when they are not.  It is an amazing passage in the Dialogues and I suspect it is there as a warning to followers of the Platonic Way.  I see it as a warning to not use these works for worldly purposes or to inflate the individual ego. 

6. The literature of Platonism is vast.  Beyond the Dialogues of Plato and the Enneads of Plotinus there are additional sources of wisdom.  My two favorites are Porphyry and Boethius.  And there are also a large number of commentaries, ancient and modern, that are helpful.  Reading this additional literature allows the reader to hear the Platonic teachings in a new voice, with different applications and concerns.  Gradually there develops a sense of a great chorus of voices, all singing in harmony, participating in a complex polyphonic display of awesome beauty.

7. Platonic literature is not an easy read.  The level of difficulty varies, but overall, I would say, for the most part, they are complex.  There are exceptions; works like Phaedo and The Symposium have immediate accessibility.  But I bring this up because I think it is helpful to recognize the complexity and not expect to understand some of the more profound works on a first reading; I am thinking of works like Plato’s Dialogue Parmenides or Plotinus’s Sixth Ennead.  Works like these are absorbed over repeated readings (as an aside this is also true for a work like Phaedo; the difference is that Phaedo, because of its setting, and its narrative, is accessible the first time around as a story.  In contrast, Dialogues like Parmenides, Timaeus, and The Laws, are more difficult). 

A lifelong dedication to reading Platonic literature is needed to open up some of the deeper, one might almost say esoteric, aspects of these works.  I know that every time I have reread one of these works my understanding has deepened.  Just this year while I was reading Meno a teaching fell into place.

8. On a practical level it is good to set aside a regular time for this kind of spiritual reading.  I recommend setting aside a specific time on a daily basis.  But life circumstances vary, and an individual will best know how to integrate regular reading of the Platonic classics into their lives.

Above I mentioned my two-year cycle of reading, one year for Plato's Dialogues, followed by a year for Plotinus's Enneads.  One virtue of this kind of structured approach is that the time commitment on a daily basis, is not that great.  When the Dialogues and the Enneads are spread out over a whole year, it ends up that one is reading something like three to five pages a day.  One can read more, of course, but in this very busy modern world I have found that extending the reading over a full year is doable.

I also think that it is good to have what I think of as a ‘ceremony of respect’ when starting and concluding the reading.  It can be as simple as a brief bow at the beginning and ending, or it can be elaborate with candles and incense, for example.  Again, individuals will find the right surrounding structure that best suits them. 

9. Words can be vehicles for the transmission of wisdom, nourishment for the soul, and a map to eternity. 

 

 

20 October 2022

The Geography of Platonism Today

Platonism is a tradition that has developed over thousands of years.  Over this long span of time different interpretations of Platonism have emerged.  I think of these interpretations as communities, or loosely defined subdivisions, of the City of Platonism.  They all share a common polis, but each subdivision of the City of Platonism has its own rules and regulations and its own self-understanding.  Perhaps a good comparison would be the Cantons of Switzerland.  Here are some of the Cantons of Platonism as I see it at this time:

1. Academic Platonism – This is where most people are introduced to Platonism today.  Plato is viewed in this context as an important figure in the history of Western culture.  My personal experience, which has been affirmed by others, is that contemporary Academic Platonism is interested in Plato for the structure of Plato’s arguments, and for Plato’s place in the history of Western Philosophy.  But many contemporary academic philosophers reject Platonism as a living option and topics such as rebirth or the goal of attaining transcendence tend to be dismissed these days because they clash with the dominant views of materialism and reductionism. 

There are academics who find Platonism inspiring, but there are not many of them.

2. Christian Platonism – Early Christian authors such as Justin Martyr and, most famously, Saint Augustine, retained significant Platonist views when they converted to Christianity.  This has left a deep imprint on Christian theology and mysticism.  This has continued to be the case, though the explicitly Platonist interpretation of Christianity has been muted by the turn to Aristotelianism in the Middle Ages.  Nevertheless, Platonic Christianity has its articulate spokespeople today; Peter Kreeft is a good example.

3. Mathematical Platonism – There has always been a strong connection between mathematics and Platonism because numbers are a fine example of Plato’s doctrine of forms.  Mathematicians who hold to the view that numbers and their relations are discovered, rather than numbers and their relations being human creations, are Platonists and most of them are consciously aware of that. (As an aside, if you go on youtube and search for discussions on this topic you can find many.) Platonism nourished mathematical knowledge and was, in turn, nourished by mathematical approaches to philosophical issues.  For example, Proclus wrote a commentary on Euclid’s Elements and sought to adopt Euclid’s structure in Proclus’s The Elements of Theology. 

4. Aesthetic Platonism – In the arts, such as poetry, music, architecture, and painting, there are some who understand their own art or craft in Platonic terms.  The exalted place that Beauty has in the Platonic tradition, particularly in the writings of Plotinus, means that this is an easy connection to make.  Music and poetry are understood to be means for connecting with higher hypostases and even with Beauty itself.  Often this is heavily mixed with occult procedures, rituals, and history so that it is not always easy to see the specifically Platonic views.  But there were, and are, people who understand the connection and find the Platonic world view nourishing for their own aesthetic efforts.

5. Thomas Taylor Platonism – Thomas Taylor (15 May 1758 to 1 November 1835) was a British Platonist who was dedicated to translating the works of many Platonist authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Maximus of Tyre, Proclus, et al.  Taylor was the first to translate into English the entire works of Plato and Aristotle.  Taylor’s understanding of Platonism was heavily influenced by the works of Proclus (8 February 412 to 17 April 485).  Proclus was the head of the Athenian Academy and a prolific commentator on Plato, as well as writing original interpretation of Platonism such as the above-mentioned Elements of Theology.  Proclus’s approach is analytical in many ways, but it is also interested in the practice of Theurgy which becomes a central concern for Proclus and those who align with Proclus’s interpretation, such as Thomas Taylor.

Taylor’s translations have been the foundation for a contemporary understanding of the Platonic tradition.  It operates through the Prometheus Trust, whose home base is in England.  The Prometheus Trust is dedicated to making available Taylor’s translations, offering classes in the Platonic tradition, and in general supporting the presence of the Platonic tradition in the English-speaking world.  My observation is that many contemporary Platonists have studied with the Prometheus Trust or are in some way connected with the Trust; there are, for example, a number of youtubers, such as Mindy Mandell, who have this kind of connection.

I think it is instructive that the Prometheus Trust is not part of any academic institution; in fact, it is critical of Academic Platonism, which is understandable.  In some ways I feel that the Prometheus Trust offers a model for others who want to nourish the presence of Platonism in the world today. 

6.  Ascetic Platonism – There are some contemporary Platonists who are inspired by Plato’s, and others’, ascetic writing.  That is to say that they view Platonism as an ascetic spiritual tradition.  The Dialogue Phaedo is the primary resource for these ascetic teachings, though one can find the ascetic perspective scattered throughout the works of Plato and Plotinus. 

Ascetic Platonism understands Platonism as a spiritual tradition that closely resembles the monastic traditions found within Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.  For example, Eric Fallick, a Platonist Ascetic, writes, “Platonism is a spiritual or religious or soteriological system that offers a path to release from the endless cycle of reincarnation and its concomitant misery.  It belongs to a family of such systems comprising Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Orphism, Pythagoreanism and Platonism . . . “ (Eric Fallick, An Extremely Brief Introduction to Platonism, www.platonistasceticism.blogspot.com; also Eric Fallick’s book Platonist Contemplative Asceticism: Practice and Principle is a good resource for this perspective.)

It is difficult to know how much of a presence Ascetic Platonism has.  There is no organization dedicated to presenting this view, and asceticism as such is highly marginalized in modernity.  Nevertheless, I suspect that there have always been ascetic Platonists; you read stories about them here and there in the Platonic tradition.  And this way still has a presence even in the midst of modernity.

7. No doubt, I have left out some Platonist Cantons; for example, I suspect that there is at this time a Hindu Platonist Canton or Region, which means a Platonism that is informed by the Hindu tradition and Hinduism’s structures of interpretation.  But I have only been able to see it at the margins and don’t really know much about it.

Personally, I see all this activity as a sign of health.  In a time when materialism and reductionism dominate the world, it is a sign of the strength of the Platonic tradition that it has the capacity to flourish even in a cultural situation that would, at first, seem hostile to its presence.

 

 

14 October 2022

From Plotinus’s On Difficulties about the Soul II:

“. . . and the needs of the body and the passions make us have continually different opinions.  Then there is ignorance of the [true] good, and the soul’s not knowing what to say when it is dragged in every direction, and still other results from the mixture of all these.  But is it actually our best part which has different opinions?  No, perplexity and variety of opinions belong to the gathering [of our various parts and passions]: from our best part the right account of the matter is given to the common gathering, and is weak because it is in the mixture, not by its own nature.  But it is as if in the great clamour of an assembly the best of the advisers does not prevail when he speaks, but the worse of those who clamour and shout, but he (the best) sits quietly unable to do anything, defeated by the clamour of the worse.  And in the worst kind of man there is the common gathering and his human nature is composed of everything in the manner of a bad political constitution; in the middling man it is as it is in the city in which some good can prevail as the democratic constitution is not entirely out of control; but in the better kind of man the style of life is aristocratic; his human nature is already escaping from the common gathering and giving itself over to the better sort.  But in the best man, the man who separates himself, the ruling principle is one, and the order comes from this (the One) to the rest.  It is as if there was a double city, one above and one composed of the lower elements set in order by the powers above.”

(Plotinus, Ennead IV.4.17, On Difficulties about the Soul II, translated by A. H. Armstrong, Loeb Classical Library, 1984, 179-183.  Note: The square brackets are inserts by the translator, A. H. Armstrong.  The parentheses are inserts by me.)

As I read this passage, I feel that it accurately describes my own life which has been pulled this way and that by the kinds of mechanisms that Plotinus describes.  I describe my spiritual journey as having many setbacks and that it has had a five-steps-forward, then two or three steps back, kind of rhythm.  I think this is common.  There are those who hear about the path and then follow it forward, but I think they are extremely rare.  It is more common to become distracted, step off the path, enticed by some attraction, and then if one is fortunate, one comes to one’s senses and returns to the path.  A consequence of this is that initially progress on the Platonic path is difficult to discern.  I have found that it is only when I look back over a longer period of time, say ten years, that it becomes clear how much I have learned and how much has changed.  And this helps to build a foundation for a more secure onward journey on the path.

Plotinus seems to have realized this.  I don’t know if this is based on his own experience, but it does indicate in Porphyry’s biography of Plotinus that Plotinus spent quite a few years searching for a knowledgeable teacher in Alexandria before finally finding Ammonius Saccas.  That period of searching may be what informs a passage like this which has the authenticity of experience for me.  I find that gratifying as it means that Plotinus also felt, early in his life, the attraction of ephemeral distractions.  And it also means that overcoming those distractions is possible for people like myself.

 

 

10 October 2022

Porphyry on Vegetarianism

“Abstinence from [eating or sacrificing] animate creatures, as I also said in my first book [letter], is not advised for everyone without exception, but for philosophers, and among philosophers chiefly for those who make their happiness depend on God and the imitation of God.”

(Porphyry, On Abstinence from Killing Animals, translated by Gillian Clark, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 2000, page 55)

When I read this, I understand traditional, classical, philosophy, and Platonism in particular, to be a tradition that was distinguished by commitments to behave in specific ways; what today we might call ethical commitments or restrictions.  Porphyry’s view is that in order to be a philosopher you have to be a vegetarian; that is to say that vegetarianism is a defining feature of what it means to be a philosopher.

Porphyry in Abstinence is writing to a friend who had been committed to the philosophical way of life, but had recently abandoned that life, signaling his departure from philosophy by resuming the consumption of animals, or meat.  It appears that Porphyry wrote four letters to his friend (we don’t have his friend’s responses, if there were any).  The above quote is from the second letter.  Earlier, in the first letter, Porphyry writes:

“First, then, you should know that my discourse will not offer advice to every human way of life: not to those who engage in banausic crafts [banausic means practical, utilitarian], nor to athletes of the body, nor to soldiers, nor sailors, nor orators, nor to those who have chosen the life of public affairs, but to the person who has thought about who he is and whence he has come and where he should try to go, and who has principles about food, and about other proper behavior, which are different from those in other ways of life.”

(Ibid, page 40)

This makes sense to me.  Athletes in training are often encouraged by their coaches to eat in a certain way.  Porphyry is making a similar point about the philosopher; that philosophers need to pay attention to things like the food they eat. 

I think the main reason Porphyry argues that the philosophical life in particular requires a commitment to a vegetarian diet is that abstinence from eating animals assists philosophers in their contemplative practice.  I mean that eating meat makes the mind sluggish and distracted, while being vegetarian makes the mind lighter and makes it so the mind finds contemplation more agreeable.

In the first quote Porphyry says refers to ‘the imitation of God’ as a reason for abstaining from killing (eating or sacrificing) animals.  This is another aspect of the philosophers’ commitment to vegetarianism.  Porphyry is saying that vegetarianism brings you closer to God by imitating God.  How does that work?  One way of looking at this is that The Good, The One, and The Beautiful are self-sufficient; that ultimate nature does not exist at the expense of other things.  Similarly, when we commit ourselves to a vegetarian diet, we significantly mimic that manner of existing; that is to say our own life is not lived at the expense of others or by causing harm to others.  While it is not possible to live such a life completely in the material world, nevertheless, every step made in that direction is of benefit, both to ourselves in this life and future lives, and also to countless other living beings.

 

 

8 October 2022

More on Grace

Yesterday I posted about grace in the Platonic tradition.  Here are a few more observations:

1. In comment 4 yesterday I think I could have been clearer.  To put it more simply, I understand The Eternal as having three aspects: the everywhen, the everywhere, and the everything. 

The everywhen refers to The Eternal as always existing, as never not existing.  This speaks to The Eternal’s relationship to time.

The everywhere refers to The Eternal as always present throughout all space.  This speaks to The Eternal’s relationship to space.

The everything refers to The Eternal as the source of awe which arises in our interaction with ordinary things when we intuit the presence of The Eternal within the ephemeral.  This experience of awe is grace.

2. Sometimes people dislike the idea of grace because it seems to run counter to our sense of fairness and/or justice.  Yesterday I used the metaphor of moonlight falling on a mountain path that, without the moonlight, we would not see.  But the moonlight shows this path to anyone who comes along, not just good people, or people who ‘deserve’ to be shown the path.

But there are many situations in which we assist people who may lack in virtue.  We might drive someone to a 12-step program even though they may have directly harmed us, in the hope that this may lead to them not engaging in this kind of behavior in the future.  We may assist our children even if we have questions about our children’s character.  We may donate to a charity without knowing if any of the people receiving assistance from the charity are ‘deserving’ of such charity.  These kinds of things happen frequently.

The truth is, the material realm in which we live is inherently imperfect and human beings are imperfect participants in this imperfect world.  I think that is part of what it means when we think of this material world as ‘fallen’.  Whatever capacity we possess to assist others is small, due to being entangled in material concerns.  But The Eternal is not entangled in these material concerns; it is transcendental to the material dimension.  Because of this, The Eternal’s capacity for assistance is limitless and that limitless capacity is its grace.

7 October 2022

Grace

Socrates:  At the moment, if through all this discussion our queries and statements have been correct, virtue is found to be neither natural nor taught, but is imparted to us by a divine dispensation without understanding in those who receive it . . .

Meno: I think you put it excellently, Socrates.

Socrates: Then the result of our reasoning, Meno, is found to be that virtue comes to us by a divine dispensation, when it does come.

(Meno, Plato, translated by W. R. M. Lamb, Loeb Classical Library, 1924, pages 369 and 371)

Socrates:  But now, if we in this whole account both searched rightly and were speaking rightly, virtue would be neither by nature, nor something teachable, but has come by divine dispensation without intelligence in those to whom it might come . . .

Meno:  You have spoken most beautifully, it seems to me, Socrates.

Socrates:  Then from this reasoning, Meno, virtue appears to have come to us by divine dispensation, for those to whom it may come.

(Meno, Plato, translated by George Anastaplo and Laurence Berns, Focus Philosophical Library, Newburyport, MA, 2004, page 45)

I tend to see grace as an essential feature of Platonism.  By that I mean that without grace the mystical return to The One would not be possible.  I see the passage quoted above as supporting this point of view.  There are contemporary Platonists who disagree with this perspective, some do so strongly.  Here are a few observations:

1. We tend to understand grace through the lens of Christianity; this makes sense because the Christian perspective on grace is central to that tradition and because Christian perspectives have permeated Western culture, it is natural that we in the West would defer to a Christian understanding of grace when talking about grace.

2. I think of grace in Christianity as being derived from Platonism; that is to say I think the view of grace existed first in Platonism and then was adopted, with modifications, by early Christianity, in Latin Christianity primarily by Augustine.  This is a complex topic.  As Phillip Carey writes in Inner Grace, “Divine grace is built into the very structure of Platonism, in which all good is a participation in a higher Good . . . “ (page 5). 

3. I think that our understanding of grace can be deepened by engaging non-Monotheistic traditions where grace plays an important role.  I am thinking primarily of Pure Land Buddhism.  In the Pure Land tradition, the emphasis is on how ordinary human beings have to rely on the compassion of celestial beings, Bodhisattvas, to become uplifted and, ultimately, enlightened.  I see this as similar to how the Platonist has to rely on the energy emanating from The One, The Good, and The Beautiful in order to access the mystical ascent. 

4. I understand grace in Platonism as a consequence of understanding the ultimate as The Eternal.  I see The Eternal as having three aspects: 1) the always existing or always present or omnipresent, 2) the everywhere nature of The Eternal, meaning that there is no place that the Eternal is not present, and 3) the everything nature of The Eternal, meaning that all things are derived from, touched by, and participate in The Eternal.  I see The Eternal as The One in the mode of grace.

5.  None of this is to say that people do not have to make effort, that they need to cultivate virtue, that they need to engage with purifications, in order to climb the path to union with The One.  I suspect that some who dislike the idea of grace see grace as undermining the need for individuals to commit themselves to spiritual practice.  But I think both are true.  It is like moonlight shining on a mountain path that you could not see but for the moonlight, but you still need to take the steps on this difficult path.

 

 

3 October 2022

The Consolation of Boethius

Decades ago, I had to go to the hospital for surgery.  As I was gathering things, I looked at my shelves for a book or two to take with me.  At the time I didn’t self-identify as a Platonist; instead, I thought of myself as a Buddhist.  I had studied and practiced Buddhism for over 30 years, I had been a former Buddhist monastic, and I had taught classes in Buddhist thought at Junior Colleges and a few other locations.  I had a lot of Buddhist books, but for some reason none of them seemed to speak to me at this time, meaning none of them felt like they would assist me in my precarious situation.

Tucked away on a shelf, almost hidden, was a copy of The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.  I had read it many years before in college and when I saw it, I took it off the shelf and put it in my small bag of things to take with me.  It turned out to be perfect; I found it uplifting, insightful, and beautifully crafted.  Since then, I have reread it every two or three years, and it has continued to have the same uplifting effect.

Over the years I have run into many people who have had a similar experience with Consolation.  The book is an antidote to the difficulties of life, putting them in perspective, and deepening our understanding of how these difficulties happen, and how wisdom opens a door that leads us beyond these difficulties.

In the English-speaking world Consolation has had a stellar career; it was translated into Anglo-Saxon by King Alfred, into Middle English by Chaucer, and into Early Modern English by Queen Elizabeth I.  In the medieval period the verse sections of Consolation were turned into songs; some of these songs have recently been reconstructed.  Today there are many translations of Consolation, indicating that it still has a wide appeal.

For those unfamiliar with Consolation, Boethius lived in the late 5^th, early 6^th, centuries.  He was classically educated and was intent on translating Greek philosophy into Latin.  Boethius entered into the political life of that time, rising to a very high position.  His two sons also attained high position.  Suddenly, Boethius was accused of treason by factions at court and he was arrested and thrown in prison.  A year later he was executed.  He wrote The Consolation of Philosophy while in prison.

In the opening of the Consolation Boethius laments his fate.  As Boethius falls into despair, the Goddess Philosophy appears to him in his prison room.  She takes it upon herself to remind Boethius of the teachings of philosophy, the nature of the world, and the wisdom that leads to the transcendence of the world and its sorrows.  The book is a dialogue between Boethius and Philosophy in both prose and verse.  It is thoroughly Platonic in its views, in its mode of discussion, and in its understanding that philosophy is salvific.  There are discussions about fate, wisdom, transcendence, the task of philosophy, and what it means to live a life of wisdom.  And there is a wonderful section on the nature of love:

What binds all things to order,

Governing earth and sea and sky,

Is love.

If love’s rein slackened

All things now held by mutual love

At once would fall to warring with each other

Striving to wreck that engine of the world

Which now they drive

In mutual trust with motion beautiful.

And love joins peoples too

By a sacred bond,

And ties the knot of holy matrimony

That binds chaste lovers,

Joins too with its law

All faithful comrades.

O happy race of men,

If the love that rules the stars

May also rule your hearts!

(Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, translated by S. J. Tester, Loeb Classical Library, 1973, page 227)

Looking back on my decision to take the Consolation with me to the hospital, I see it as a personal step, or decision, to move away from Buddhism and to enter into the house, or academy, that Platonism built.  I didn’t register it that way at the time as the decision to take Consolation with me was almost impulsive.  But what I learned from that experience is that philosophy is, as I said above, salvific, that philosophy offers deep consolation for the ups and downs of life, and leads those who will listen to its teachings to the realm that lies beyond all sorrow.

 

 

2 October 2022

Maximus of Tyre on Contemplation

“But the Divine itself cannot be seen by the eye or spoken of by the tongue or touched by the flesh or heard by the ear; it is only the noblest and purest and most intelligent and subtlest and most venerable aspect of the soul that can see it in virtue of their similarity, and hear it in virtue of their kinship, grasping it all at once in a single act of comprehension.  So, just as if someone desires to see the sun, he does not seek to grasp it with his sense of hearing; and if someone is passionate for vocal harmonies, he does not pursue them with his eyes – it is sight that is passionate for colours and hearing for sounds – just so what intellect ‘sees’ and ‘hears’ is the Intelligible . . .

How then does the intellect see, and how does it hear?  By bringing to bear an upright, vigorous soul, by fixing its gaze firmly on that pure light and not falling prey to vertigo, nor sinking back towards the earth, but blocking off its ears, and turning ears and eyes in upon itself; by forgetting the groans and lamentations and pleasures and fancies and honours and dishonours below and entrusting its guidance to true Reason and vigorous Love – Reason to instruct it on the correct path, Love to watch over it and to ease the labours of the journey with its persuasive charm. As the soul advances thither and distances itself from things below, the clear radiance of what lies ahead of it, stage by stage, serves as a prelude to God’s true nature.  As it advances, it hears of God’s nature; as it ascends, it sees it.  The end of the journey is not the heavens nor the heavenly bodies.  For though these are indeed things of wondrous beauty, in that they are his true and legitimate offspring, in harmony with supreme Beauty, yet must we go beyond even these and emerge beyond the heavens, into the region of true Reality and the peace which reigns there , , ,”

(Maximus of Tyre, The Philosophical Orations, Oration 11, translated by M. B. Trapp, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997, pages 103 and 104)

Maximus was a Platonist philosopher of the second century; his exact dates are unknown as are details about his life.  His essays, which seem to have been publicly given speeches, hence ‘Orations’, were collected at an early date and have circulated ever since.  Oration 11 has had a profound influence on the understanding of contemplation in various Christian traditions such as Catholicism and the Quaker tradition.

When I read this Oration, I am struck by the centrality of contemplation in the Platonic tradition; it is the beating heart of philosophy as understood in Platonism.  Contemplation is the means whereby the mystical ascent to that which lies beyond sense experience, and is the source of all sensory experience, is attained.