He who does an injury is more unhappy than he who receives one.
It is the province of a magnanimous man to bear with mildness the errors of others.
The Golden Sentences of Democrates, 11-12
It is the province of a magnanimous man to bear with mildness the errors of others.
The Golden Sentences of Democrates, 11-12
Don't allow such considerations as these distress you. "I will live in dishonor, and be nobody anywhere." For, if dishonor is an evil, you can no more be involved in any evil by the means of another, than be engaged in anything base. Is it any business of yours, then, to get power, or to be admitted to an entertainment? By no means. How, then, after all, is this a dishonor? And how is it true that you will be nobody anywhere, when you ought to be somebody in those things only which are in your own control, in which you may be of the greatest consequence?
Epictetus, The Handbook, 24
Epictetus, The Handbook, 24
The Prometheus Trust, which publishes books on the Platonic tradition, will be hosting online studies of Plato’s dialogues. Their first meeting will be tomorrow at 6pm BST. See the link below for more information.
http://www.prometheustrust.co.uk/html/virtual_events.html
http://www.prometheustrust.co.uk/html/virtual_events.html
The classical virtues are Justice, Wisdom, Courage, and Self-control (or Temperance).
In the Platonic tradition, the latter three correspond to aspects of the soul.
Wisdom is the virtue of the mind.
Courage is the virtue of the Will (or passions).
Self-control is the virtue of the appetitive and desiring aspect of the soul.
Justice is the product of the correct ordering of the prior three virtues such that reason is the ruler of the will and the will is the ruler of the appetites.
In the Platonic tradition, the latter three correspond to aspects of the soul.
Wisdom is the virtue of the mind.
Courage is the virtue of the Will (or passions).
Self-control is the virtue of the appetitive and desiring aspect of the soul.
Justice is the product of the correct ordering of the prior three virtues such that reason is the ruler of the will and the will is the ruler of the appetites.
The gods do not send evil to us - the gods are not evil and therefore cannot be responsible for evil. What seems to us to be evil is in fact our own dissimilarity to and distance from divinity. And so there is no need to propitiate or bribe the gods since they do not need anything, cannot possibly depend upon us for happiness, and cannot be bribed. Rather, it is we who need some means of approaching and aligning ourselves with divinity. This is accomplished by ritualistic imitation of the divine world and the destruction of our animal nature in the sacrifice. As explained by Sallust:
"This solves the question about sacrifices and other rites performed to the Gods. The divine itself is without needs, and the worship is paid for our own benefit. The providence of the Gods reaches everywhere and needs only some congruity for its reception. All congruity comes about by representation and likeness. For which reason, the temples are made in representation of heaven; the altar, of earth; the images, of life (that is why they are made like living things); the prayers, of the element of thought; the mystic letters, of the unspeakable celestial forces; the herbs and stones, of matter; and the sacrificial animals, of the irrational life in us. From all these things the Gods gain nothing; what gain could there be to God? It is we who gain some communion with them." Sallust, On the Gods and the World, XV
"This solves the question about sacrifices and other rites performed to the Gods. The divine itself is without needs, and the worship is paid for our own benefit. The providence of the Gods reaches everywhere and needs only some congruity for its reception. All congruity comes about by representation and likeness. For which reason, the temples are made in representation of heaven; the altar, of earth; the images, of life (that is why they are made like living things); the prayers, of the element of thought; the mystic letters, of the unspeakable celestial forces; the herbs and stones, of matter; and the sacrificial animals, of the irrational life in us. From all these things the Gods gain nothing; what gain could there be to God? It is we who gain some communion with them." Sallust, On the Gods and the World, XV
Has someone been given greater honor than you at a banquet or in a greeting or by being brought in to give advice? If these things are good, you should be glad that he has got them. If they are bad, do not be angry that you did not get them. And remember, you cannot demand an equal share if you did not do the same things... You will be unjust and greedy, then, if you want to obtain these things for free when you have not paid the price for which they are bought.
Epictetus, The Handbook, 25
Epictetus, The Handbook, 25
Hierocles, who has transmitted [The Golden Verses of Pythagoras] to us with a long and masterly Commentary, assures us that they do not contain, as one might believe, the sentiment of one in particular, but the doctrine of all the sacred corps of Pythagoreans and the voice of all the assemblies. He adds that there existed a law which prescribed that each one, every morning upon rising and every evening upon retiring, should read these verses as the oracles of the Pythagorean school. One sees, in reality, by many passages from Cicero, Horace, Seneca, and other writers worthy of belief, that this law was still vigorously executed in their time.
Fabre d'Olivet, Examinations of the Golden Verses
Fabre d'Olivet, Examinations of the Golden Verses
The path of the philosopher is not a path for nerds. Socrates was respected for his fearlessness in war. Plato was a wrestler and emphasized physical training. The Golden Verses tell us to exercise and take care of our health.
If a good man sacrifices to the gods and keeps them constant company in his prayers and offerings and every kind of worship he can give them, this will be the best and noblest policy he can follow. ... The first weapon in our armory [to hit the target of piety] will be to honor the gods of the underworld next after those of Olympus, the patron-gods of the state... After these gods, a sensible man will worship the spirits, and after them the heroes. Next in priority will be rites celebrated according to law at private shrines dedicated to ancestral gods. Last come honors paid to living parents.
Plato, Laws, 716d-717b
Plato, Laws, 716d-717b
The Classical Wisdom Tradition
If a good man sacrifices to the gods and keeps them constant company in his prayers and offerings and every kind of worship he can give them, this will be the best and noblest policy he can follow. ... The first weapon in our armory [to hit the target of piety]…
We see that acknowledging the proper rank of beings in our prayers is important. In Plato, this rank is gods, spirits, heroes, ancestral gods, parents.
Similarly in the Golden Verses (1 - 5), we are clearly told to “honor the immortal gods first” followed by heroes, spirits of the dead, then parents and relatives.
Similarly in the Golden Verses (1 - 5), we are clearly told to “honor the immortal gods first” followed by heroes, spirits of the dead, then parents and relatives.
Those who would be gods must first become men.
Isidore of Alexandria
Isidore of Alexandria
Through contemplation we can graduate from the level of fragmented premise-to-conclusion intelligence to intuitive, timeless Intelligence.
The Classical Wisdom Tradition
Through contemplation we can graduate from the level of fragmented premise-to-conclusion intelligence to intuitive, timeless Intelligence.
This is only possible by first mastering the lower elements of your soul. In Platonism, “mastering” them more precisely means fixing them in their proper place in the natural hierarchy. For example, you cannot be as intellectually effective as you could be if your desires, appetites, and fears are overpowering your reason.
To climb a ladder, you must climb the rungs in order.
To climb a ladder, you must climb the rungs in order.
For we contain the images of first causes, and participate of total soul, the intellectual extent, and of divine unity. It is requisite, therefore, that we should excite the powers of these which we contain, to the apprehension of the things proposed. Or how can we become near to The One, unless by exciting the one of our soul, which is as it were an image of the ineffable one? And how can we cause this one and flower of the soul to diffuse its light, unless we first energize according to intellect? For intellectual energy leads the soul to the tranquil energy according to the one which we contain. And how can we perfectly obtain intellectual energy, unless we proceed through logical conceptions, and prior to more simple intellections, employ such as are more composite?
Proclus, Commentary on the Parmenides
Proclus, Commentary on the Parmenides
The Classical Wisdom Tradition
For we contain the images of first causes, and participate of total soul, the intellectual extent, and of divine unity. It is requisite, therefore, that we should excite the powers of these which we contain, to the apprehension of the things proposed. Or how…
One of the key insights of Platonism is that our subjective, interior “levels” correspond to objective metaphysical levels. In other words, the various states of being we experience (or can experience) internally - sense perception; desire and emotion; reason; intuition; mystical oneness - in fact form an internal hierarchy: they connect to, lead to, and are caused by prior levels. And just as the lower internal states (such as sense perception) correspond to an external reality, so do the higher states refer to an objective reality, and thus refer to an objective hierarchy of being which culminates in the ineffable One.
Iamblichus’ denoscription of the Pythagoreans’ daily routine:
After their morning walk they associated with each other, especially in temples, or, if this was not possible, in similar places. This time was employed in the discussion of disciplines and doctrines, and in the correction of manners. ... Then they perform libations and sacrifices, with fumigations and incense. Then followed supper, which closed with the setting of the sun. ... The supper was followed by libations, succeeded by readings. The youngest read what the eldest advised, and as they suggested. When they were about to depart, the cupbearer poured out a libation from them after which the eldest would announce precepts...
After their morning walk they associated with each other, especially in temples, or, if this was not possible, in similar places. This time was employed in the discussion of disciplines and doctrines, and in the correction of manners. ... Then they perform libations and sacrifices, with fumigations and incense. Then followed supper, which closed with the setting of the sun. ... The supper was followed by libations, succeeded by readings. The youngest read what the eldest advised, and as they suggested. When they were about to depart, the cupbearer poured out a libation from them after which the eldest would announce precepts...
In Republic 398d-399c, Plato comments on which musical scales are appropriate for a virtuous society. They are the Dorian and the Phrygian. (I am ignoring here the technical difference between scales and modes.)
He describes the Dorian scale as the “violent” aspect of the virtuous man (i.e., in battle) and the Phrygian scale as the peacetime aspect of the virtuous man. Phrygian is further specified as proper for prayers.
Interestingly, Plato bans the Major scale (called Lydian by the Greeks), which is one of the two used in virtually all modern music, describing it as drunken and lazy. The “lamenting” scales, which are either the same or similar to the other scale ubiquitous in modern music (i.e., Minor), he says are “useless even to decent women, let alone men.”
He describes the Dorian scale as the “violent” aspect of the virtuous man (i.e., in battle) and the Phrygian scale as the peacetime aspect of the virtuous man. Phrygian is further specified as proper for prayers.
Interestingly, Plato bans the Major scale (called Lydian by the Greeks), which is one of the two used in virtually all modern music, describing it as drunken and lazy. The “lamenting” scales, which are either the same or similar to the other scale ubiquitous in modern music (i.e., Minor), he says are “useless even to decent women, let alone men.”
If you (arbitrarily) begin on the note D, the two scales are as follows:
Phrygian: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
Dorian: D, E-flat, F, G, A, B-flat, C, D
My source for this is “Music in Ancient Greece and Rome” by John Landels, page 95.
Phrygian: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D
Dorian: D, E-flat, F, G, A, B-flat, C, D
My source for this is “Music in Ancient Greece and Rome” by John Landels, page 95.
In much of modern spirituality, reason is viewed suspiciously and as somehow anti-spiritual. In Platonism, on the other hand, reason is understood to be the fragmented manifestation in time of Knowing (or perhaps Intuition), which is divine. That is, reason is the inferior but nevertheless divine aspect of humanity, and it can be used to step upwards towards pure timeless knowledge.
The method of doing this is called Dialectic, and it is one of the Platonic techniques of meditation. I will post more information on this soon.
The method of doing this is called Dialectic, and it is one of the Platonic techniques of meditation. I will post more information on this soon.
He does not know God who does not worship him.
Sextus the Pythagorean
Sextus the Pythagorean
Platonic Meditation: Dialectic and Contemplation
"[Dialectic] is actually the capacity to say what each thing is, and in what way it differs from other things, and what it has in common with them... Then, it remains still ... no longer busying itself with many things, but having become one [with its objects], it just looks." Plotinus, Enneads 1.3.4
Dialectic
In the Platonic tradition, "meditation" can be broken into two main components: dialectic and contemplation.
Dialectic uses reason to bring the mind up to a point of knowing. Reason is the nobility of the soul and an important spiritual tool; reason is not antithetical to spirituality. Indeed, rationality, at the individual level, corresponds to the Philosopher King at the political level and to Jupiter among the Gods.
The dialectical method consists of considering a proposition from multiple angles with the aim of arriving at a precise definition. Crucially, the object of this definition, if it is accurate, has a real existence and can be accessed by the mind.
For example, you might think about the nature of the soul, or what justice really is, or what Beauty Itself is.
The God Mercury (Hermes) is our guide through the dialectic process.
Contemplation
Our modern conception of meditation derives primarily from Hinduism and Buddhism. What we now tend to think of as "meditation" is akin to what in the Platonic tradition is called contemplation. It is a state of beholding and receptivity. For this reason, it usually follows and, so to speak, crowns dialectic meditation, since the soul will have been elevated to a purer state of knowing by dialectic from which it can now receive the rewards of its effort.
It is important to practice dialectic and contemplation within the context of devotion to the gods. Before you start, always ask that the gods guide you and grant you success.
- CWT Admin
"[Dialectic] is actually the capacity to say what each thing is, and in what way it differs from other things, and what it has in common with them... Then, it remains still ... no longer busying itself with many things, but having become one [with its objects], it just looks." Plotinus, Enneads 1.3.4
Dialectic
In the Platonic tradition, "meditation" can be broken into two main components: dialectic and contemplation.
Dialectic uses reason to bring the mind up to a point of knowing. Reason is the nobility of the soul and an important spiritual tool; reason is not antithetical to spirituality. Indeed, rationality, at the individual level, corresponds to the Philosopher King at the political level and to Jupiter among the Gods.
The dialectical method consists of considering a proposition from multiple angles with the aim of arriving at a precise definition. Crucially, the object of this definition, if it is accurate, has a real existence and can be accessed by the mind.
For example, you might think about the nature of the soul, or what justice really is, or what Beauty Itself is.
The God Mercury (Hermes) is our guide through the dialectic process.
Contemplation
Our modern conception of meditation derives primarily from Hinduism and Buddhism. What we now tend to think of as "meditation" is akin to what in the Platonic tradition is called contemplation. It is a state of beholding and receptivity. For this reason, it usually follows and, so to speak, crowns dialectic meditation, since the soul will have been elevated to a purer state of knowing by dialectic from which it can now receive the rewards of its effort.
It is important to practice dialectic and contemplation within the context of devotion to the gods. Before you start, always ask that the gods guide you and grant you success.
- CWT Admin