Brief Notes on Various Topics -- 23

8 May 2024

Brief Notes on Various Topics – 23

1.  Part of my experience with Platonism is that presentations centered on certain philosophical discussions that I initially found opaque gradually become clear and of interest.  In this cycle of reading Plotinus that I am currently engaged in, the discussion in Ennead VI about the Categories of Aristotle became much clearer to me.  Before I didn’t understand why Plotinus was so focused on this discussion.  This time around I see the discussion as a kind of refinement of the nature of the Platonic path, especially in terms of what the practitioner is looking for, and needs to pay attention to, in the material realm by clarifying the categories of material experience and their relationship to Noetic Being.

This kind of experience has happened before.  It shows me that Platonism is a gradual path, that wisdom blossoms slowly, and the benefits that persistent study has.

2.  I think that Platonism is an inherently mystical tradition, that Platonism is primarily a mystical tradition.  The word ‘mysticism’ has its difficulties; people mean many different things by the word.  I have searched for another word to use, but have not found any other word more suitable. 

I say Platonism is a mystical tradition because of the emphasis on the transcendental and how the transcendental is understood; I am referring to the beyond nature of the transcendental in Platonism.  That is to say that the transcendental has no marks or characteristics.  The Noetic has marks and characteristics, and the Henads of the Theurgists have marks and characteristics; but the Good, the One, and the Beautiful do not (the Good, the One, and the Beautiful are names for the transcendental (as is the term ‘the transcendental’) but the One is not the One, and the Good is not the Good, and the Beautiful is not the Beautiful.)  This can only be understood in contemplation.

As Plotinus says, “Take away everything!”

3.  I have posted poetry here.  These days most of my poetry is in the haiku form.  Recently a friend of mine asked about my inclusion in my haiku of what I would call ‘mental formations,’ meaning things like emotions, dreams, ideas, abstract notions such as numbers, hopes, and things like that.  I responded that my view is that mental formations are not ontologically different from sensory formations.  Just as visual appearances are embedded in becoming and begoning, so also are our ideas, dreams, hopes, plans, fears, and so forth.  They are part of the material world, part of the world of genesis and samsara that needs to be left behind.

4.  I’m reading a book titled The Crisis of Mysticism by Bernard McGinn.  It is about the Quietism controversy that emerged in the late 17^th century.  Early in the book McGinn points out that more than 100 books were placed on a list of ‘forbidden books’ because of their association with Quietism after Quietism was determined to be a heresy (which it is still considered to be today.)  Nearly all of these books were placed on the forbidden list for extremely tenuous reasons.  McGinn states that because of this there was a consequent great loss of mystical literature in Western culture.  I hadn’t thought of that before, but it explains why mysticism has been marginalized and distorted since the condemnation of the Quietists.

For Platonists I think this helps to explain why it is often difficult for modern philosophers to see Platonism as a mystical tradition.

5.  At times following a spiritual path is like hiking through an unknown landscape because a sense of caution naturally emerges.  Initially you are not sure what the landscape is offering, what are its dangers and what are its benefits.  At times like this the spiritual journey might slow down as one takes one careful step at a time.

6.  I recently had lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in about 35-40 years.  It was good to get together again after all that time.  He asked what I’ve been doing lately.  I answered that I was writing a blog devoted to Platonism.  There was no response and my friend quickly shifted the conversation to other topics.

That makes sense to me.  I think it is a natural consequence of pursuing a spiritual path; I mean that those who are not interested in spirituality of any kind, which includes a large portion of humanity these days, prefer to talk about other things.  I don’t mind.  On the other hand, it helps me to understand why having spiritual friends is so beneficial.