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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Symposioum of Plato ' The non-dual reality



 Symposioum of Plato 
The non-dual Reality

To this I will proceed; please to give me your very best attention:

Diotima
‘He who has been instructed thus far in the things of love, and who has learned to see the beautiful in due order and succession, when he comes toward the end will suddenly perceive a nature of wondrous beauty (and this, Socrates, is the final cause of all our former toils)—a nature which in the first place is everlasting, not growing and decaying, or waxing and waning; secondly, not fair in one point of view and foul in another, or at one time or in one relation or at one place fair, at another time or in another relation or at another place foul, as if fair to some and foul to others, or in the likeness of a face or hands or any other part of the bodily frame, or in any form of speech or knowledge, or existing in any other being, as for example, in an animal, or in heaven, or in earth, or in any other place; but beauty absolute, separate, simple, and everlasting, which without diminution and without increase, or any change, is imparted to the ever-growing and perishing beauties of all other things.

He who from these ascending under the influence of true love, begins to perceive that beauty, is not far from the end. And the true order of going, or being led by another, to the things of love, is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is.

Socrates
This, my dear Socrates,’ said the stranger of Mantineia, ‘is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute; a beauty which if you once beheld, you would see not to be after the measure of gold, and garments, and fair boys and youths, whose presence now entrances you; and you and many a one would be content to live seeing them only and conversing with them without meat or drink, if that were possible—you only want to look at them and to be with them.

But what if man had eyes to see the true beauty—the divine beauty, I mean, pure and clear and unalloyed, not clogged with the pollutions of mortality and all the colours and vanities of human life—thither looking, and holding converse with the true beauty simple and divine?


Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may. Would that be an ignoble life?’


Original  text in ancient Greek language

Diotima
πειρ δέ μοι, φη, τν νον προσέχειν ς οόντε μάλιστα. ς γρ ν μέχρι νταθα πρς τ ρωτικπαιδαγωγηθ, θεώμενος φεξς τε κα ρθς τ καλά, πρς τέλος δη ἰὼν τν ρωτικν ξαίφνης κατόψεταί τι θαυμαστν τν φύσιν καλόν, τοτο κενο, Σώκρατες, ο δὴ ἕνεκεν κα ο μπροσθεν πάντες πόνοι σαν, πρτον μνε ν κα οτε γιγνόμενον οτε πολλύμενον, οτε αξανόμενον οτε φθίνον, πειτα ο τ μν καλόν, τ δ ασχρόν,οδ τοτ μέν, τοτ δ ο, οδ πρς μν τ καλόν, πρςδ τ ασχρόν, οδ νθα μν καλόν, νθα δ ασχρόν, ς τισ μν ν καλόν, τισ δ ασχρόν· οδ α φαντασθήσεται ατ τ καλν οον πρόσωπόν τι οδ χερες οδ λλοο δν ν σμα μετέχει, οδέ τις λόγος οδέ τις πιστήμη, οδέ που ν ν τέρ τινι, οον ν ζῴῳ ν γ ν οραν ν τ λλ, λλ ατ καθ ατ μεθ ατο μονοειδς ε ν, τ δ λλα πάντα καλ κείνου μετέχοντα τρόπον τιν τοιοτον, οον γιγνομένων τε τν λλων κα πολλυμένων μηδν κενο μήτε τι πλέον μήτε λαττον γίγνεσθαι μηδ πάσχειν μηδέν

 ταν δή τις π τνδε δι τ ρθς παιδεραστεν πανιν κενο τ καλν ρχηται καθορν, σχεδνν τι πτοιτο το τέλους. τοτο γρ δή στι τ ρθς π τ ρωτικ έναι π λλου γεσθαι, ρχόμενον π τνδε τν καλν κείνου νεκα το καλο ε πανιέναι,σπερ παναβασμος χρώμενον, π νς π δύο κα π δυον π πάντα τ καλ σώματα, κα π τν καλν σωμάτων π τ καλ πιτηδεύματα, κα π τν πιτηδευμάτων π τ καλ μαθήματα, κα π τν μαθημάτων π᾽ἐκενο τ μάθημα τελευτσαι, στιν οκ λλου ατο κείνου το καλο μάθημα, κα γν ατ τελευτν στι καλόν.  

Socrates
νταθα το βίου, φίλε Σώκρατες, φη Μαντινικ ξένη, επερ που λλοθι, βιωτν νθρώπ, θεωμέν ατ τ καλόν. άν ποτε δς, ο κατ χρυσίον τε κα σθτα κα τος καλος παδάς τε κα νεανίσκους δόξει σοι εναι, ος νν ρν κπέπληξαι κα τοιμος ε κα σ κα λλοι πολλοί, ρντες τ παιδικ κα συνόντες ε ατος,ε πως οόν τ ν, μήτ σθίειν μήτε πίνειν, λλ θεσθαι μόνον κα συνεναι. τί δτα, φη, οόμεθα, ε τ γένοιτο ατ τ καλν δεν ελικρινές, καθαρόν, μεικτον, λλ μ νάπλεων σαρκν τε νθρωπίνων κα χρωμάτων κα λλης πολλς φλυαρίας θνητς, λλ ατ τ θεον καλν δύναιτο μονοειδς κατιδεν; ρ οει, φη, φαλον βίον γίγνεσθαι κεσε βλέποντος νθρώπου κα κενο δε θεωμένου κα συνόντος ατ

  οκ νθυμ, φη, τι νταθα ατ μοναχο γενήσεται, ρντι ρατν τ καλόν, τίκτειν οκ εδωλα ρετς, τε οκ εδώλου φαπτομέν, λλ ληθ, τε το ληθος φαπτομέν· τεκόντι δ ρετν ληθ κα θρεψαμέν πάρχει θεοφιλε γενέσθαι, κα επέρ τ λλ νθρώπων θανάτ κα κείν;  



 Peace  love  harmony