1 October 2022

The Silence of Xenocrates 

“He [Xenocrates} was the least puffed up of men; he would often, in the course of a day, withdraw into himself, and it is said that he used to assign an entire hour to silence.”

(Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laertius, translated by Pamela Mensch, edited by James Miller, Oxford University Press, 2018, page 184)

There are frequent references to contemplation in Platonism.  By contemplation I mean practices that cultivate interior states of mind, or an interior focus, a turning away from sensory stimulation in order to awaken to the interior light and wisdom that flows from The Good, The Beautiful, The One, and The Eternal.

The contemporary philosopher Mark Anderson refers to this passage about Xenocrates in Anderson’s book Pure:

“According to reports recorded by Diogenes Laertius, Xenocrates ‘practiced an internal care and devoted an hour every day to silence’ . . .  “

(Pure, Mark Anderson, Sophia Perennis, San Rafael, CA, 2009, page 102)

Anderson connects this practice of interior silence to Xenocrates’s commitment to vegetarianism, viewing both practices as forms of purification.  From this perspective, the practice of vegetarianism and the practice of interior silence are seen as having equal importance in the Platonic tradition.

For those of us wanting to practice Platonism today this understanding offers us a way of living a life that is conducive to the Return to the One that is at the heart of Platonism.  The two practices of vegetarianism and interior silence balance each other and mutually re-enforce each other.  Vegetarianism is a transformation of one’s relationship to the mundane world.  Interior silence is a transformation of one’s relationship with the soul. 

By adopting these two practices we open the gate to the Platonic Way of Life.

 

29 September 2022

Contemplating Eternity 

“But now, whenever, concentrating the attention of my soul on something, I am able to say this about it, or rather to see it as a thing of such a kind that nothing at all about it has ever come into being – for if it has, it is not always existing, or not always existing as a whole – is it, therefore, already eternal, if there is  not also in it a nature of such a kind as to give an assurance about it that it will stay as it is and never become different, so that, if you look attentively at it again, you will find it as it was?  What then, if one does not depart at all from one’s contemplation of it but stays in its company, wondering at its nature, and able to do so by a natural power which never fails?  Surely one would be (would one not?), oneself on the move towards eternity and never falling away from it at all, that one might be like it and eternal, contemplating eternity and the eternal by the eternal in oneself.”

Plotinus, Ennead III.7.5, On Eternity and Time, translated by A. H. Armstrong, Loeb Classical Library, page 311.

When I ponder this passage, I am reminded that Platonism is a mystical path.  And I see mysticism as a shifting of attention from the ephemeral to the eternal, a shifting from the sensory to the non-sensory. 

The understanding of Platonism is that ultimacy is beyond name and form, beyond words and concepts.  However, when speaking about the ultimate the Platonic tradition relies on three terms: The Good, The One, and The Beautiful. Inspired by passages like this one, I would add a fourth term: The Eternal.  All of these names assist practitioners on the mystic path by disclosing an aspect of reality that pulls them beyond that which is transitory. 

In my personal journey The Eternal has had a big impact for me, helping me to shift my attention, the attention of my soul, to that which resides beyond the shadows of sensory experience.  This process I call ‘distinguishing eternity’ and it is a gradual dawn of clarity as to the reality of the presence of eternity within and spread out over all of the cosmos.

 

 

 28 – 9 – 2022

The Presence of the Past

I think of the Platonic tradition as a philosophical conversation that has unfolded over many centuries.  The conversation is about the nature of eternity and the relationship between the ephemeral and the eternal.  It’s core text consists of the Dialogues of Plato.  Over the centuries philosophers have found these Dialogues to be inspiring and they have commented upon, unpacked, restated, and expanded upon the insights found therein.

This relationship to the Dialogues of Plato found in the Platonic tradition, differs from the way the past is usually related to in modernity.  In modernity, the present is considered to be more insightful, more profound, more knowledgeable, ethically superior, and in general simply better in every way than what is found in the past.  The past is steeped in ignorance and barbarism and modernity has overcome the past.  I refer to this view as ‘chronocentrism’.

This view of the past means that the past is to be rejected because it is inherently flawed, that it has nothing to offer.  The past is not considered to be a repository of wisdom; rather the past is a swamp of misguided views, a swamp that must be drained.

This leads to methodologies like deconstruction which claims to uncover the true meaning of ancient culture; an uncovering that always exalts the insights of the contemporary moment as opposed to ancient insights.  In contrast to deconstruction, the ongoing conversation of the Platonic tradition builds upon the prior insights of the Platonic tradition and sees its past as a source of nourishment, insight, and reliable guidance.

The Platonic tradition resembles an eternal spring whose waters refresh and nourish all who come to its shores. 

 

26 September 2022

For a long time I have thought about writing an online blog about Platonism as it is lived by those who self-identify as Platonists in the 21^st century.  A full life of work, poetry, friends, and other commitments meant that I was unable to bring such a project to fruition.  A recent retirement which has given me more time for continued studies of the Platonic tradition, and an ongoing deepening appreciation of the Platonic tradition, has led me to start this blog at this time.  I see this blog as having several purposes:

1.  Most of the material written about Platonism at this time comes to us from the communities of dedicated scholars who take an interest in Platonism, whether that is their main focus or one of several.  I am not a scholar and I don’t know Greek.  I am, therefore, unable to enter into issues that depend on that kind of knowledge and background.  Instead, I will be writing about what it means to be a Platonist from the point of view of someone inspired by Platonism who, we might say, is a dedicated layperson; someone who finds the Platonic tradition uplifting, inspiring, and a good guide for a life well lived.

2.  I think that modernity possesses a number of unique obstacles to accessing Platonism and I hope, now and then, to focus on these obstacles and how they impact Platonism at this time.

3.  I see Platonism as a way of life and not only a way of thought.  Therefore, issues of Platonic practices and commitments, what are often called ‘purifications’, will be an ongoing topic of discussion.  These include abstaining from alcohol, vegetarianism/veganism, and sexual restraint. 

4.  I see Platonism as primarily what we would today call a ‘spiritual’ tradition; that is to say I see Platonism as having a soteriological purpose, the purpose of guiding its practitioners to the transcendental, what the Platonic tradition calls ‘The Good, The Beautiful, and The One’.  How Platonism works as a spiritual tradition, and how it contrasts with other spiritual traditions, will be another topic for this blog.

5.  I am intrigued by the prospects for Platonism in the future.  Accordingly, I am likely to indulge in some speculations as to how Platonism might continue to flourish.

There are, no doubt, other topics that will appear.  I plan to post irregularly, when I feel that I have something to share with others.

I have chosen the pen-name ‘Xenocrates’ for this blog.  Xenocrates was the third head of the Platonic Academy, following Plato himself, and Speusippus.  Over time I have developed a special fondness for Xenocrates and felt inspired by his example.

Best wishes,

Xenocrates