Brief Notes on Various Topics -- 2

3 February 2024

Brief Notes on Various Topics – 2

1.  I began my reading of the Enneads of Plotinus in January.  This is a yearly practice for me, as I have mentioned before.  This year, though, I have found myself more at ease with the style of his writing.  Before I would refer to Plotinus as a ‘difficult’ author.  But this time I feel at ease with his mode of discourse; I would almost call it ‘friendly.’  I think this is a teaching in the way repetition can sometimes bring clarity and insight. 

2.  The more I read Plotinus, along with relevant scholarly material about Plotinus, the more I think that Plotinus is the pinnacle of the Platonist tradition.  I’m not saying that other Saints and Sages of the Platonist tradition do not speak to me or that I don’t learn from them; for example, I have a fondness for Plutarch and many others.  But Plotinus is exceptional and I don’t know of any other writer in the Platonist tradition (other than Plato, of course) who matches his skill, clarity, insight, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. 

3.  It’s possible to view asceticism as a craft that has a set of skills to practice.  I think people tend to view asceticism in an all or nothing way rather than as something that grows over time.  For example, refraining from alcohol can be accomplished over time.  Someone might start out by refraining from drinking during the week, only indulging on weekends.  Or they might confine their alcohol consumption to a single drink in the evening and thereby reduce their consumption.  Over time this kind of commitment can grow until the practitioner ends up not consuming alcohol at all.  The same can be applied to other ascetic practices such as restraining sexual desire and refraining from eating or using animal products.  When looked at in this way, I think the Ascetic Way becomes more accessible.

4.  It is natural that disagreements about doctrine arise in a spiritual tradition.  We live in the realm of differentiation, very far from the unity found in the noetic realm, and unimaginably distant from the unity of the One.  Platonism is no exception.  But it is not necessary to understand all the nuances around doctrinal disputes in order to practice Platonism.  To begin Platonist practice you just need a general sense of the metaphysical cosmos as Platonism sees it.  To begin Platonist practice you need to find Platonist writings attractive and worth reading; a kind of intuition that there is profundity within them.  And to begin Platonist practice you need to be motivated enough to take the first steps on the Ascetic Way.

5.  I was a Buddhist monastic for about six years.  That was many decades ago.  But even though I returned my monastic precepts, meaning I returned to lay life, I retained a positive feeling for the monastic calling.  I have a friend who describes himself as a ‘Platonist Monk.’  I like the term.  I haven’t found it in the writings of Platonism, but I have encountered its spirit in those writings.  I think it is a good term for a certain type of Platonist; namely someone who takes the ascetic teachings of Platonism seriously and does their best to embody these teachings in their daily life.