HPB-SB-12-45: Difference between revisions
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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |Voices from the Ancients|12-44.1}} | {{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued |Voices from the Ancients|12-44.1}} | ||
. | {{Style P-No indent|briated multitudes? Ye that have drunk of the wine of ignorance, it will ill become you unless you abstain in time.}} | ||
{{Style S-HPB SB. Continues on|12-46}} | Be ye sober and see ye with the eyes of the heart, and if ye all together cannot, then let those at least do so that are able. For the evils of ignorance inundate the whole surface of the earth, and deprave the incarnate soul, as they prevent it from arriving at the port of salvation. | ||
Therefore be ye not drawn in with the vortex of the common flood but turn away, ye that are able, to reach the port of salvation and keep therein. | |||
Seek ye a faithful guide to show you the portal of the understanding (gnosis) where the clear light shineth, the pure of darkness, where no one is inebriated, but all are sober looking to he that desires to be truly beheld. For he cannot be heard nor seen with the eyes, nor uttered, but only with the soul and heart is he perceived. But ye must first rend asunder the clothing ye wear, namely the clothing of ignorance, the cause of evil, the tie of fragility, the dark surrounding of the living death, the susceptible corpse of the grave that we carry about with us; the thief in the house, who mixes hate with love, and to whom hate is pleasing. | |||
Such is the coat of enmity that ye wear; it drags you down that ye cannot look above to behold the glory of truth and the God therewith enveloped, and that ye cannot hate the evil it causes you. Behold and understand the meshes wherein ye are entoiled, as the senses are made depraved instruments, they are clouded and obstructed by the multitude of gross matter and filled with accursed sensuality, so that ye can no more hear what ye should hear, and ye can no more see what ye should see. | |||
{{Style P-Subtitle|{{Style S-Small capitals|the pythagorean system.}}}} | |||
The Pythagorean system, says Cleobolus, is founded upon temperance, and love of work. Pythagoras instead of making religion serve to establish morality, causes morality to demonstrate religion, and that that religion only is true which benefits humanity; thus the errors of impiety and of superstition are equally avoided. The object of this religious system is the love of all humanity. This system is a special gift to the poor and unhappy, to whom it offers continual consolation, and whom it inspires with infinite courage by demonstrating to them that all happiness lies within their own being, and if they only will it so, they are not less happy than those who are apparently more fortunate. | |||
Without morals no civil institution can endure. The system of Pythagoras has all the essentials to render its ethics popular, it is simple in its principles and easy to follow in practice, for it is not merely intended for philosophers, who are few, but for the common people whom it should chiefly persuade; and as the masses of the people are mostly unhappy, they should therefore adhere to a system which proves itself the most useful to follow. The Pythagorean system of morality is purely humanitarian, and rests chiefly upon the bases of equality and charity; finally, it is independent of all opinion, as it is founded only upon those ideas whereupon all rightminded men are agreed, namely, the innate sense of justice and true morality. He who will instruct the people in the truths of the Pythagorean system, will assuredly greatly benefit the human race, and his name will endure throughout the ages. | |||
{{Style P-Subtitle|{{Style S-Small capitals|porphyry*}}}} | |||
From our works our happiness results.... Those who would lead a perfect life must accord to nature only that which is absolutely necessary, as the senses are only satisfied at the cost of the intellect…Those people who think to live a partly sensual life gradually degenerate into barbarity…The only means of arriving at the end for which we are destined is by freeing ourselves from sensual pleasures… Earthly attachments cause the soul to become gross and corporeal; the memory and imagination when heated by the senses, set in motion a multitude of passions. Therefore great care must be taken to avoid all occasions of encountering these enemies of our happiness; for this reason the Pythagoreans and ancient sages dwell in desert places, and even if the body was in the city, the soul despising the surroundings, was absent… | |||
That which is necessary for man is very little, easily obtainable, and can be used without impairing the justice and tranquility of the soul. | |||
The use of flesh so far from being conducive to health is contrary to it, and health is recovered by abstaining from flesh. Corruption is caused by the mixing of contraries, and as by eating that which has had animal life, that which is dead becomes joined to that which is living, it necessarily communicates corruption, even as the joining of the ''body ''to the soul. As man is born he becomes defiled through his union with the body; when he dies his soul is also defiled as it issues from an impure corpse, and it is further defiled by the passions which are {{Style S-HPB SB. Continues on|12-46}} | |||
{{Footnotes start}} | |||
<nowiki>*</nowiki> From his treatise ''On Abstinence from the Flesh of Animals.'' | |||
{{Footnotes end}} | |||
Latest revision as of 06:39, 19 October 2025
< Voices from the Ancients (continued from page 12-44.1) >
briated multitudes? Ye that have drunk of the wine of ignorance, it will ill become you unless you abstain in time.
Be ye sober and see ye with the eyes of the heart, and if ye all together cannot, then let those at least do so that are able. For the evils of ignorance inundate the whole surface of the earth, and deprave the incarnate soul, as they prevent it from arriving at the port of salvation.
Therefore be ye not drawn in with the vortex of the common flood but turn away, ye that are able, to reach the port of salvation and keep therein.
Seek ye a faithful guide to show you the portal of the understanding (gnosis) where the clear light shineth, the pure of darkness, where no one is inebriated, but all are sober looking to he that desires to be truly beheld. For he cannot be heard nor seen with the eyes, nor uttered, but only with the soul and heart is he perceived. But ye must first rend asunder the clothing ye wear, namely the clothing of ignorance, the cause of evil, the tie of fragility, the dark surrounding of the living death, the susceptible corpse of the grave that we carry about with us; the thief in the house, who mixes hate with love, and to whom hate is pleasing.
Such is the coat of enmity that ye wear; it drags you down that ye cannot look above to behold the glory of truth and the God therewith enveloped, and that ye cannot hate the evil it causes you. Behold and understand the meshes wherein ye are entoiled, as the senses are made depraved instruments, they are clouded and obstructed by the multitude of gross matter and filled with accursed sensuality, so that ye can no more hear what ye should hear, and ye can no more see what ye should see.
The Pythagorean system, says Cleobolus, is founded upon temperance, and love of work. Pythagoras instead of making religion serve to establish morality, causes morality to demonstrate religion, and that that religion only is true which benefits humanity; thus the errors of impiety and of superstition are equally avoided. The object of this religious system is the love of all humanity. This system is a special gift to the poor and unhappy, to whom it offers continual consolation, and whom it inspires with infinite courage by demonstrating to them that all happiness lies within their own being, and if they only will it so, they are not less happy than those who are apparently more fortunate.
Without morals no civil institution can endure. The system of Pythagoras has all the essentials to render its ethics popular, it is simple in its principles and easy to follow in practice, for it is not merely intended for philosophers, who are few, but for the common people whom it should chiefly persuade; and as the masses of the people are mostly unhappy, they should therefore adhere to a system which proves itself the most useful to follow. The Pythagorean system of morality is purely humanitarian, and rests chiefly upon the bases of equality and charity; finally, it is independent of all opinion, as it is founded only upon those ideas whereupon all rightminded men are agreed, namely, the innate sense of justice and true morality. He who will instruct the people in the truths of the Pythagorean system, will assuredly greatly benefit the human race, and his name will endure throughout the ages.
From our works our happiness results.... Those who would lead a perfect life must accord to nature only that which is absolutely necessary, as the senses are only satisfied at the cost of the intellect…Those people who think to live a partly sensual life gradually degenerate into barbarity…The only means of arriving at the end for which we are destined is by freeing ourselves from sensual pleasures… Earthly attachments cause the soul to become gross and corporeal; the memory and imagination when heated by the senses, set in motion a multitude of passions. Therefore great care must be taken to avoid all occasions of encountering these enemies of our happiness; for this reason the Pythagoreans and ancient sages dwell in desert places, and even if the body was in the city, the soul despising the surroundings, was absent…
That which is necessary for man is very little, easily obtainable, and can be used without impairing the justice and tranquility of the soul.
The use of flesh so far from being conducive to health is contrary to it, and health is recovered by abstaining from flesh. Corruption is caused by the mixing of contraries, and as by eating that which has had animal life, that which is dead becomes joined to that which is living, it necessarily communicates corruption, even as the joining of the body to the soul. As man is born he becomes defiled through his union with the body; when he dies his soul is also defiled as it issues from an impure corpse, and it is further defiled by the passions which are <... continues on page 12-46 >
* From his treatise On Abstinence from the Flesh of Animals.