guru

Complete Works, Volume 4

Plotinus

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Pages and passages

1. Page 1075. INTRODUCTION TO THE NEXT BOOK. But why should we at all impute evil deeds to universa
2. Page 1077. THIRD ENNEAD, BOOK THREE. Continuation of That on Providence.
3. Page 1077. SOULS SHOW KINSHIP TO WORLD-SOUL BY FIDELITY TO THEIR OWN NATURE.
4. Page 1077. 1. The question (why some reasons are souls, while others are reasons merely, when at
5. Page 1077. es everything simultaneously in a unique (or all-embracing system). Thus divided, the
6. Page 1078. APPARENT CHANCE REALLY IS THE PLAN OF A DIVINE GENERAL PROVIDENCE. 2. Circumstances,
7. Page 1079. WE CANNOT QUESTION OUR ORDER IN THE HIERARCHY OF NATURE. 3. Although I am able to mak
8. Page 1080. THE CAUSE OF OUR IMPERFECTIONS IS DISTANCE FROM THE SUPREME. The Reason of the Univer
9. Page 1081. DOUBLENESS OF SOUL, REASONS AND PROVIDENCE. 4. If man were simple—that is, if he were
10. Page 1081. MEN'S BETTER NATURE IS NOT DOMINANT BECAUSE OF THEIR SUB-CONSCIOUS NATURE. Men (there
11. Page 1082. (After all), we have not yet reached any conclusion, because this substrate of man is
12. Page 1083. HUMAN CHARACTER MAY BE RESULT OF FORMER LIVES. Besides, our individual characters mig
13. Page 1083. CAUSES OF DETERIORATION. But why did the soul ever lose her way, or deteriorate? We h
14. Page 1084. THIS PROVIDENCE IS THE NORMATIVE, CURATIVE, SANATIVE ELEMENT OF LIFE.
15. Page 1084. 5. From first to last Providence descends from on high, communicating its gifts not a
16. Page 1084. forms some deeds, these, if there be any good in them, enter into the plan of Provide
17. Page 1085. THE PLANS OF PROVIDENCE LIKENED TO THE FOREKNOWLEDGE OF A PHYSICIAN. Consequently, ou
18. Page 1086. PREDICTION DOES NOT WORK BY PROVIDENCE, BUT BY ANALOGY. 6. If then (the bad things do
19. Page 1087. FACTS OF LIFE ARE LETTERS THAT CAN BE READ. In fact, the function of the diviner is n
20. Page 1087. ANALOGY DEMANDED BY THE UNITY OF GOD. Now, what is this analogy? It is a relation bet
21. Page 1088. EVIL IS INSEPARABLE FROM THE GOOD. 7. It is only because there are good things in the
22. Page 1088. THE PARABLE OF THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES. Indeed, the (supreme) Principle is that to
23. Page 1090. FIFTH ENNEAD, BOOK THREE. The Self-Consciousnesses, and What is Above Them.97
24. Page 1090. IS KNOWLEDGE DEPENDENT ON THE COMPOSITENESS OF THE KNOWER? 1. Must thought, and self-
25. Page 1090. A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE CAN HAVE SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. While, therefore, asserting that a si
26. Page 1091. THE SENSE-POWER OF THE SOUL DEALS ONLY WITH EXTERIOR THINGS. 2. Let us begin by a con
27. Page 1091. FUNCTIONS OF THE DISCURSIVE REASON OF THE SOUL. Besides the above, the soul possesses
28. Page 1092. CAN DISCURSIVE REASON TURN UPON ITSELF? That is the limit of the intellectual power o
29. Page 1092. THE HIGHEST PART OF DISCURSIVE REASON RECEIVES IMPRESSIONS FROM INTELLIGENCE. 3. Now
30. Page 1093. WHY DISCURSIVE REASON SHOULD BELONG TO THE SOUL RATHER THAN TO INTELLIGENCE.
31. Page 1093. But why should this whole (soul-) part that is superior to sensation be assigned to t
32. Page 1093. ion, and it is we who feel. Is it also we who conceive and who simultaneously are con
33. Page 1094. WE CAN THINK IN CONFORMITY WITH INTELLIGENCE IN TWO WAYS.
34. Page 1094. 4. We ourselves are kings when we think in conformity with intelligence. This, howeve
35. Page 1094. is inferior to intelligence, and that it is the image of intelligence, that it contai
36. Page 1096. MAN IS SELF-CONSCIOUS BY BECOMING INTELLIGENCE. Will he who thus knows himself conten
37. Page 1096. INTELLIGENCE IS NOT DIVISIBLE; AND, IN ITS EXISTENCE, IS IDENTICAL WITH THOUGHT.
38. Page 1096. 5. Does pure Intelligence know itself by contemplating one of its parts by means of a
39. Page 1096. things. Consequently, contemplation must be identical with that which is contemplated
40. Page 1097. THOUGHT IS IDENTICAL WITH THE INTELLIGIBLE WHICH IS AN ACTUALIZATION.
41. Page 1097. On one hand, therefore, intelligence, and on the other the intelligible and existence
42. Page 1097. the actualization of the thought to which it is identical, the intelligible to which
43. Page 1098. SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS MORE PERFECT IN INTELLIGENCE THAN IN THE SOUL. 6. Reason, therefor
44. Page 1099. THE SOUL MUST BE TAUGHT SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS BY CONVERSION.
45. Page 1099. We must, therefore, teach our soul how Intelligence contemplates itself. This has to
46. Page 1099. virtue of which it is not only probable, but even necessary for it to know itself. Ot
47. Page 1100. WHATEVER INTELLIGENCE MAY BE THOUGHT TO DO, IT MUST KNOW ITSELF.
48. Page 1100. 7. It may be objected that the Intelligence contemplates the divinity. If, however, i
49. Page 1100. itself, and be fire in actualization, in order later to impart some traces of its nat
50. Page 1102. WHAT INTELLIGENCE LOOKS LIKE IN THE INTELLIGIBLE.
51. Page 1102. 8. What qualities does Intelligence display in the intelligible world? What qualities
52. Page 1102. united to light; for it is the colors that our vision beholds. On the contrary, Intel
53. Page 1102. t. It sees itself by itself, without having need of anything else; it sees itself in
54. Page 1104. WE CAN REACH A CONCEPTION OF INTELLIGENCE BY STRIPPING THE SOUL OF EVERY FACULTY EXCE
55. Page 1104. 9. We must, therefore, contemplate the soul and her divinest part in order to discove
56. Page 1104. lse; what Intelligence gives is not given to itself, but to other things; neither doe
57. Page 1106. ELEVATION OF THE SOUL MAY BE GRADUAL, IF UNABLE TO ATTAIN IMMEDIATE ELEVATION. If one
58. Page 1106. THE TRANSCENDENT FIRST PRINCIPLE HAS NO NEED OF SEEING ITSELF. 10. But enough of this
59. Page 1106. THE CONTEMPLATION OF INTELLIGENCE DEMANDS A HIGHER TRANSCENDING UNITY.
60. Page 1106. Let us now return to our most important problem. Intelligence needs to contemplate it
61. Page 1106. . What would it say? What would it understand? If the indivisible asserted itself it
62. Page 1108. HOW INTELLIGENCE BECAME MANIFOLD. 11. Intelligence, therefore, becomes manifold when
63. Page 1109. THE ONE IS THE PRINCIPLE OF ALL WITHOUT BEING LIMITED THEREBY. That which is above th
64. Page 1110. NO MANIFOLDNESS OF ANY KIND CAN EXIST IN THE FIRST. 12. It may be objected, that noth
65. Page 1111. PERMANENT ACTUALIZATIONS ARE HYPOSTASES.
66. Page 1111. Another objection is, that from an intelligence that is simple, manifold actualizatio
67. Page 1111. He would have initiated movement; and we would have to conceive of a movement before
68. Page 1112. THE SUPREME IS ABSOLUTELY INEFFABLE.
69. Page 1112. 13. This Principle, therefore, is really indescribable. We are individualizing it in
70. Page 1112. ned towards itself while thinking; for consciousness is the sensation of manifoldness
71. Page 1114. WE COME SUFFICIENTLY NEAR TO HIM TO TALK ABOUT HIM. 14. How then do we speak of Him?
72. Page 1115. RADIATION OF MULTIPLE UNITY.
73. Page 1115. 15. How does He give them? Is it because He possesses them, or because He does not po
74. Page 1115. ldness, it does not contain parts separated from each other, and all subsist together
75. Page 1116. THE SUPREME PRODUCES MANIFOLDNESS BECAUSE OF ITS CATEGORIES. We have seen that existe
76. Page 1117. THE GOOD MUST BE SUPERIOR TO INTELLIGENCE AND LIFE.
77. Page 1117. 16. We have shown elsewhere that something must follow the One, and that the One is a
78. Page 1117. ond, and its permanence indicates its satisfaction with the entities it possesses. En
79. Page 1119. THE SUPREME AS SUPERESSENTIAL AND SUPEREXISTENT. 17. What better thing is there then
80. Page 1120. ECSTASY IS INTELLECTUAL CONTACT WITH SUDDEN LIGHT. Have we said enough, and can we st
81. Page 1122. THIRD ENNEAD, BOOK FIVE.114 Of Love, or "Eros."
82. Page 1122. LOVE AS GOD, GUARDIAN AND PASSION. 1. Is Love a divinity, a guardian, or a passion of
83. Page 1122. PASSIONAL LOVE IS TWOFOLD. To begin with passion, it is a matter of common knowledge
84. Page 1122. LOVE IS RECOGNITION OF HIDDEN AFFINITY. The real cause of love is fourfold: the desir
85. Page 1123. EARTHLY BEAUTY IS AN IMAGE OF INTELLIGIBLE BEAUTY. Of course, those who, here below,
86. Page 1124. BEAUTY IS IMMORTAL. They who join to this passion as much of a desire for immortality
87. Page 1124. PASSIONAL LOVE MAY BE ELEVATING, THOUGH OPEN TO MISLEADING TEMPTATIONS. Thus he who d
88. Page 1125. THE PLATONIC MYTH OF LOVE. 2. Now let us speak of the Love which is considered a deit
89. Page 1125. INTERPRETATION OF THE PLATONIC MYTH. To explain if Love be born of Venus, or if he we
90. Page 1126. LOVE, LIKE HIGHER SOUL, OR LIGHT, IS INSEPARABLE FROM ITS SOURCE. In fact, that which
91. Page 1126. WHO CELESTIAL VENUS IS. Celestial Venus (the universal Soul, the third principle or h
92. Page 1127. LOVE POSSESSES DIVINE BEING. 3. We are therefore forced to acknowledge that Love is a
93. Page 1128. CELESTIAL LOVE MUST ABIDE IN THE INTELLIGIBLE WITH THE CELESTIAL SOUL. Such is the lo
94. Page 1128. THERE IS A LOWER LOVE, CORRESPONDING TO THE WORLD-SOUL. But as it was similarly neces
95. Page 1129. ALL SOULS HAVE THEIR LOVE, WHICH IS THEIR GUARDIAN. 4. Does each soul include such a
96. Page 1130. THE HIGHER LOVE IS DEITY, THE LOWER IS A GUARDIAN. We shall have to assume also a mul
97. Page 1130. IT IS AN ERROR TO CONSIDER THE LOVE AS IDENTICAL WITH THE WORLD. 5. What is the natur
98. Page 1131. ALL GUARDIANS ARE BORN OF NEED AND ABUNDANCE. 6. To explain the nature and birth of L
99. Page 1131. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEITIES AND GUARDIANS. First, we shall have to consider the differ
100. Page 1132. A GUARDIAN IS THE VESTIGE OF A SOUL DESCENDED INTO THE WORLD. But how did the Guardia