A Q. and A. on the cenobium vs. eremiticism

 

Q. We talked about the cenobitical vs. the eremtical life approaches.  A point that I didn't think of while we were talking, but was hovering in the back of my mind, is that cenobitical approaches live in accordance with a rule (like the Rule of St. Benedict).  That is to say that every member of a cenobium has to align their daily activities in accordance with an objective rule that is the basic structure of that way of life.  I think this has advantages for spiritual practice.  It means that those who participate in this way of life have abandoned personal choices in many areas of life (e.g. when to eat, what to wear, etc.).  I see this as a form of renunciation that opens up the possibility of a higher goal in life, beyond that of self-satisfaction in making one's own choices.  

 

A. Would you like me to respond briefly to this observation?  We could always talk about it more sometime if you like, but a few quick thoughts follow.  I understand that this is a common argument made by the cenobium in its favor, but I don't think it is really valid or is a superiority of cenobitical monasticism over eremitical.  (By the way, as I'm sure you know, all the monastic traditions that I know of--Buddhist, Jaina, Hindu, Christian, Quanzhen Daoist--started as eremitical and then only in time developed cenobitical forms that eventually took over and declared themselves to be superior, but were never able to entirely eliminate the original eremitical ideal.  Reform movements within them tended towards a return to the original eremitical way as superior for actual spiritual practice and attainment.  And there have always been individual renunciant practitioners within them who were truly striving for liberation who took to and remained in the eremitical life of spiritual necessity, who were the greatest in their systems, and often the systems always retained this as an option.  Anyway, it would take a long time to discuss all of this and various examples in detail.)

Eremitical renunciants, at least real ones, also very much, at least as much, follow an objective rule that is the basic structure of their way of life and renounce and give up personal choices of the lower self and self-satisfaction therein.  They, however, have to have the discipline to do it themselves without external enforcement and be able to do it with understanding of the principles and reasons involved (though some may not always have had such understanding).  Further, their objective rule or way is, at least ideally or at least for Platonists, the actual 'rule' or requirements in the very nature of reality, not a more or less conditioned rule created by a specific temporospatial figure or group.  They must conform themselves to the 'paradigm laid up in heaven for those who want to see it and seeing it establish a colony in themselves', which is the most objective and least self-satisfied and of idiosyncratic choices 'rule' or 'way' possible.  This, I think, even more, much more, opens the possibility of a higher goal in life, indeed the highest.

Many of the arguments that the cenobium and other institutionalized spiritual groups use for their advantages, including, I think, this one, I think are confusing conditioned, and ultimately mundane, personal development with actual unconditioned based spiritual advancement.  Of course, individual eremites can confuse these also, but real spiritual practice has to be based on a genuine aspiration and determination from within that comes from the Good starting to re-manifest Itself from within the practitioner/ascetic, and thus is very far from a self-satisfied personal choice.  (The decision to follow a cenobitical rule and be part of the group and let them make the choices in certain regards can be just as much a self-satisfying personal choice without necessarily having real unconditioned spiritual motivation.)

These are big and most important topics that are a lot to go into, but here are a couple quick thoughts of mine to go with yours.  Incidentally, as I guess you know, historically, many eremitical monastics have actually had written 'rules' like those of cenobites that they had to follow given to them by preceptors or institutional authorities or written by themselves.

If it is of any help to think of it in this way, not going to social or worldly events like the fine dining experience that you narrowly escaped is an objective rule for eremitical renunciants and one that is inscribed in Reality Itself and something that you don't really have a personal choice about--you simply can't do such things but have to be 100% focused on the askesis, especially given impermanence and your age and condition and the urgency of 'the Great Matter of Birth and Death'.

If Platonism had ever manifested as an organized religious institution or an organized monastic institution, it would have become, by definition, another thing of this world, another conditioned phenomena, and, like all things of this world and conditioned phenomena, been subject to impermanence, change, decay, decline, corruption, destruction, and disappearance.  It would have lost its pure transcendence and liberative power, like all the other systems that did become institutions for the many.  It would have become, to whatever degree, just a shadow or phantom, rather than a real being, like everything else in the sense world, including the other religious and spiritual systems and institutions that are part of the sense world.

 

We are trying to get free entirely from this world and all phenomenal sensory spatio-temporal individuated worlds.  We renounce this world entirely and completely as far as we can in all its respects and hold only to the Absolute, to Transcendence.  Organized, institutionalized monasticism doesn't actually do this.  It just creates another alternative conditioned phenomenal world of its own, complete with costumes, uniforms, rituals, ceremonies, ranks, hierarchies, positions and offices, laws and codes, etiquettes, properties, finances and maintenances,  family structures and bonds and attachments, politics, entertainments, emotional appeals and satisfactions, etc., etc.--all the things of this world that we have renounced and they are supposed to have renounced!  Thus, while it is certainly much better than ordinary worldly life and can be a useful, and, for many, necessary, half-way house, it is difficult to attain full true liberation within it.  This is why most of the real people, even if they formally belonged to a monastic order and were initially brought up in the cenobium, even in the highly institutionalized systems, tended to eventually become hermits, solitaries, forest ascetics, etc. to try to really practice and pursue liberation and perfection.

Platonist Contemplative Asceticism in the Present Day

Platonist Contemplative Asceticism in the Present Day

By Eric S. Fallick

We find ourselves separated from the One, the Good and trapped in the cycle of repeated birth and death in individuated sensate existence in space-time, in genesis, in becoming, with all its attendant and intrinsic misery and pain. Under these circumstances, the only at all sane and joyful thing to do is to strive single-mindedly and exclusively, as much as possible, to attain release from the cycle of reincarnation, liberation, and re-union with the Good, to re-become the One. How is this to be done? There is only one way, that of thorough renunciation of the world and exclusive devotion to asceticism and contemplation, as incomprehensible and incredible and uncongenial as this may be to the deluded worldlings of this modern brave new world where the whole idea of true renunciation and contemplative asceticism has almost been completely lost and so few are left who really understand and are willing to follow the Path.

What does this renunciation and practice entail? There are some essential and indispensable minimum requirements. Celibacy, literally and completely and in its fullest and broadest sense, is a first requirement and dividing line from the worldly life. Essential also is vegetarianism, or, preferably, veganism. This includes not only not eating any animals or anything derived from animals, but also non-harming in all respects, including not wearing leather, not using any animal products, not killing insects, and, in general, not harming or killing any sentient beings at all, human or animal, in any way as much as possible. Also necessary is complete teetotalling or abstinence from alcohol or any other intoxicants or intoxicating non-medicinal drugs of any sort. Complete honesty in all one’s speech and dealings is, of course, necessary, as contrary as it actually runs to the way of the world. One also should not earn one’s living or gain necessary worldly survival items by any means that harms other beings physically, morally, or spiritually. Being completely devoted to spiritual practice, one should avoid attending worldly entertainments, watching television and movies, etc. One should also avoid attending worldly social events, engaging in idle worldly talk, etc. as much as possible in one’s individual circumstances. In general, the principle is to be totally and exclusively devoted to and engaged in spiritual practice and study, beyond what is minimally necessary to maintain this psycho-physical existence until we can be rid of it in final liberation, and to avoid all worldly things and activities and engagements. The individual needs to work out the exact details of what to do in each situation and in their own particular circumstances with understanding, sincerity, and discernment and in accordance with the essential principle of renunciation and the desire to be solely devoted to attaining release and re-union. An extensive or exhaustive list of individual detailed rules is unnecessary and ineffective and only leads to legalism and self-deception and obsessive-compulsiveness.

Established and continually further establishing oneself in full renunciation as the practice progresses, doing the best one can and always working for the renunciant ideal in accordance with the necessities of one’s circumstances and minimum psycho-physical survival, study and meditative reading is also an important and valuable part of the Path. The dialogues of Plato (starting with and especially the Phaedo) and the Enneads of Plotinus (and, allegorically understood, the Odyssey of Homer), supplemented by such works as the Dissertations of Maximus of Tyre, Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, etc. are the principal texts for reading and study, but much can also be learned from the different texts of the different systems. In general, I think that wide study of and working knowledge of the different ascetic, renunciant, monastic, contemplative, and mystical spiritual systems of the world is quite helpful and useful, especially in the circumstances of the present time. To be able to read the essential texts in the original Ancient Greek, though a non-trivial endeavor to say the least, is also helpful as translations cannot be relied upon and are always missing something.
With renunciation and knowledge, one can devote oneself to the actual practice of formal sitting in contemplation. This is the central practice and focus of the contemplative ascetic and the core and thrust of the effort towards the One and out of becoming, and is how the contemplative ascetic spends the greater part of his time apart from all the necessary activities for psycho-physical survival. I have described Platonist contemplation practice in detail in The Practice of Contemplation and given beginning instructions in Q. and A.’s, including beginning meditation instructions. It is important to have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the practice of contemplation and of the texts on contemplation.

Hopefully, a reasonably clear picture has been given of the proper renunciant and contemplative ascetic life and what it entails. It is the life that is engaged with and involved with the world and worldly activities of any and every sort only to the minimum extent absolutely necessary to maintain the psycho-physical organism (and that always done only strictly in accord with the principles of morality, honesty, and non-harming) and totally and solely and sincerely devoted exclusively in intention and concern and, as much as possible, in deed to spiritual, ascetic, and contemplative practice to attain liberation from becoming and re-union with the One/Good. Something, however, more may be said about its practical implementation in the circumstances of the present day. People, as another symptom of becoming, genesis, and the delusion associated with it, tend to see renunciation and contemplative asceticism in terms of institutions, institutionalized monasticism, rituals, initiations, titles, uniforms, merit badges, etc. This is, of course, particularly the case in terms of organized, institutional cenobitical monasticism. Eremtical monasticism has always tended less in this direction, has usually been the original less structured form from which cenobitical monasticism has eventually evolved and has often later even been associated with a rejection of institutionalized forms and an attempt to return to original ideals, but the same tendencies tend to come in in people’s perceptions here also. In traditional societies, there has usually been at least some sort of niche or place and respect for renunciants and eremitical renunciants, but this is largely gone in the modern world. Platonism, while being the purest, most austere, most rigorous, and most otherworldly of renunciant and ascetic systems, has never had an institutionalized monastic structure and never become an institutionalized religion for the many. Thus, each Platonist contemplative ascetic and renunciant has always had to work out the particular and practical circumstances and logistical arrangements of his eremitical renunciant contemplative ascetic life and practice on his own, or with whatever few fellow travelers he might in some cases be fortunate enough to find, on a sort of ad hoc basis following and in strict adherence to the renunciant principles such as outlined above with care and discernment relying on his own developed understanding in his particular time and place and circumstances. He has often or generally had to do this without any of the financial, material, logistical, moral, social, psychological, or emotional support or props of the monastic institutions, cenobitical or eremitical, and institutionalized systems. Thus, this may still be done in implementing eremitical contemplative asceticism and renunciation in the adverse and unsupported time and place and circumstances of the present day.

In the atomized, anonymous, urban modern world, if one has sufficient devotion, determination, resolve, sincerity, understanding, and discernment, it is possible to practice devotedly and fully as an eremitical renunciant and contemplative ascetic alone and incognito and without support in the midst of the city. One can try to find a job or work of right livelihood to just earn the necessary minimum subsistence level income with a minimum of distraction. One can try to find simple minimum housing to rent even if it means sharing with worldlings while not doing anything they do and doing only one’s contemplative renunciant life. One can obtain and prepare simple food in a manner requiring a minimum amount of time and attention, considering only maintenance of the body and health, not taste. One can be purely celibate surrounded by women and pornographic and sex-obsessed society and culture. One can be vegan and non-harming surrounded by inter-species cannibals and killers. One can be teetotaling with drinkers and smokers and so forth all around. One can abstain completely from entertainments, including the ubiquitous electronic entertainments, among those who know little else. And so forth--one can be solely concerned with transcending this world and with the higher supra-sensory realities among worldlings who know nothing beyond the senses and the fleeting phantoms of this world. It is, of course, very difficult to do this, especially without any kind of support at all and especially in the procrustean modern society that has no place or respect for renunciants and presents all sorts of obstacles and difficulties to and discrimination against any who don’t fit into the norms of society. It presents all sorts of logistical headaches and great emotional and psychological hardship and loneliness (as the true renunciant life always does), but it is, at present, the only feasible and spiritually effective and viable option for pursuing the true wholly dedicated Platonist contemplative ascetic way and release from becoming, and this is all that really matters. As the Ancient Greek saying goes, “noble and beautiful things are difficult”.

Again, the principle, whatever the particular details of practical implementation for a given individual in a given time and place, is to totally renounce this world and the things of the senses as much as possible outwardly and inwardly in all respects and solely and exclusively as much as possible devote oneself in every way, in intention, desire and deed, to striving for re-union with the One, the Good, and release from becoming, genesis. One must turn both the love and eye of the soul completely around from this world of the senses and becoming to the One or the Good and bring all one’s life and actions and attitudes around in accord with this to the exact opposite of that of the worldlings and the world around one. This must be done even while all the time attending to the burdensome necessities of maintaining the psycho-physical organism until we can be rid of it and even if one is without any support at all--financial, physical, logistical, moral, spiritual, emotional, social, institutional, or psychological--in the quest. There simply is no other possible way to go and the thought of just wallowing in becoming in this and future births like all the worldlings around one cannot even be entertained even for an instant.

Ⓒ 2019 Eric S. Fallick

A Couple of Q. and A.'s About Beginning Renunciation

Q. I am a 18-year-old (nearly 19) soon-to-be renunciant and ascetic,
hopefully, as it cannot be ignored that you cannot have the world
and the great rewards of salvation and freedom. I found your blog in
my investigation of Platonism, as it is a pure system where the
majority of (if not all of it completely!) it's teachings are true. Of
course, as I am new to studying it, I have to keep researching, and
read all of Plato. Your blog has been extremely helpful in this
effort, and the starting point of renunciation for any genuine
spiritual practice is self-evidently true. How doing this reflects God
("the One" or "the Absolute" as you call Him) is amazing. Though, to
begin, although some things can be renounced immediately with ease
("don't read fiction books, apply yourself to spiritual text" and
"don't lust after sweets, and don't eat meats", etc), I had a few
questions about the whole process, and your experience with it.

The first is about how to begin the initial efforts and survive the
fatigue when the excitement of a new, more proper, life begins. I
expect there to be failings and relapses (though it should be avoided
at all cost). I see one method to possibly use is continued meditation
on why you began this, escape from the world, and how perfect God is.
How did you overcome this period? How would you recommend someone who
has lived a very sedentary, and "pleasurable" life to do this? After a
while, does it just become more natural? If so, how long is this?

The second is about the temptation to return to the world and it's
ways if it arises. What methods do you have for overcoming this? Or is
it that after a while, and true cognitive change has happened,
temptation doesn't really happen (or is very weak)?

I hope that you can answer these, and again I thank you for your blog
and your efforts to spread this information.



A. Thank you very much for reading and appreciating my writings. Of course, I greatly encourage and exhort you to retain your new-found understanding of the necessity of renunciation and asceticism and to practice this for the remainder of this birth and, indeed, for all future births until you attain liberation. Please stick to it no matter how difficult it may be in this present world where there is so little, to say the least, appreciation, respect and support for renunciation and true spiritual practice. I hope, as you kindly say, my writings may be of modest help in this regard.

I began, or renewed, my spiritual practice in earnest in this birth when I was just your age forty years ago. Not encountering any renunciants or real spiritual practitioners, not even the degree of guidance or encouragement that my writings might provide, I had to learn on my own by 'the school of hard knocks' and gradually come to understand the necessity of renunciation and move in that direction despite all the silly people around me discouraging it. It was by reading the records of the ancients, the primary source texts of, at that time, Buddhism, that I understood that the moderns are for the birds and that it was clearly necessary to follow the real Path of the ancients and of all ascetic practitioners of all time, regardless of whether anyone else was or not. Thus, for example, it wasn't until four years later at the age of 22, while I was living at a so-called Zen Community in NY (which I long since repudiate as being completely fraudulent, corrupt and silly), that I took my vow of celibacy on my own (though I had never actually not been celibate and was still virginal anyway). I had already gradually become a most committed and ardent vegetarian by the time I turned 20. I had never been a drinker or party person and had always been of sort of naturally monastic and solitary temperament. I was, however, in my youth and when I was your age, what you have described in your email as 'one who has lived a very sedentary and "pleasurable" life'. I was, and have always been, not very tough physically and have always had much anxiety and was quite a 'wimp' as it were. I just kept gradually working and gently pushing myself and becoming more and more dedicated and ascetic and devoted as my understanding and devotion increased--though, as I say, in various respects other than physical and emotional toughness, I was already naturally of monastic, ascetic, renunciant temperament. The most important thing is to have great sincerity and devotion and dedication and determination to attain release and be devoted to true spiritual practice and renunciation no matter what, and then just gradually and steadily work towards renouncing more and emulating the ideal. Be patient and steady and don't be dismayed by any lapses of the sort that you refer to that may occur. If you fall down, always just pick yourself right up and keep on going. You seem to show remarkable insight into how things could work, recognizing that after the initial excitement fades the spiritual path is really a lot of hard continuous work. The kind of meditation that you suggest is a good way to keep yourself going on the right track and also to overcome any temptation to return to the world as you ask about in your second question.

In regard to both your questions, yes, it does get easier and more natural as you go on, and you backslide, even in thought, less. The more disciplined you are the easier and more natural discipline becomes. Once the cognitive shift has really been made and the aspiration for the Way has really been awakened in the soul, there is less and less serious temptation to return to the world--in fact, the thought of doing so is horrifying and revolting. How long this will take in a particular individual case such as your own, I can't say. Everyone is different and has their own individual karma to deal with. But I can say that it will definitely become easier and more natural and inevitable over time, the more diligent and devoted you are within your capacities (though again go gradually without overreaching yourself too much if it becomes discouraging). Also, some things are more difficult than others. For example, sexual desire is one of the very most difficult things to eradicate and deal with and you can expect to struggle with it and have it around for very many years to come. Of course, we don't act on it at all and don't really dream of doing so, even when thoughts and fantasies run off at length in that direction, but we still have to deal with it and be very careful about it. Perhaps, more renunciants, especially now, have fallen because of women than anything else. Other things, though, also can be hard to leave--even such as if you are still living at home and your family has a television and you get drawn into watching it!

A couple of concrete suggestions: It is very important, however much long struggle it may take, to establish a regular routine of going to bed early and getting up very early before dawn to spend time in meditation/contemplation practice. Being disciplined in different areas reinforce each other and make it all easier. A regular daily meditation/contemplation practice is essential to, is the essence of, the Path and of great assistance in developing renunciation and asceticism, indeed, is part and parcel with it. Read regularly and widely in the records and writings of the authentic great ascetics and renunciants of the past of the various systems (much is available in English). This will be of great help and importance in gaining understanding, getting encouragement, and sticking to your devotion. I'm afraid that, except perhaps for myself, you are not very likely in this present age of darkness and this modern brave new techno-world to encounter any living examples to help you and provide support, so you need to take the renunciants of the past (and future and present, though just not visible) as your support, 'the communion of saints' as the Catholics say. Vegetarianism, or, ideally, veganism, is of the greatest and most essential importance and not really very difficult at all and can be implemented rapidly and will be of great help in supporting all your other efforts. Similarly, it should go without saying that any alcohol or intoxicants or illicit drugs (not to say that I think you are doing any of that anyway) are to be immediately and permanently stopped. Even decent ordinary worldlings don't drink and spiritual practice can't even be begun without teetotaling, and, besides, you are legally underage for that anyway. If you can keep 'the big three'--celibacy, vegetarianism, and teetotalling--and keep a regular schedule of meditation/contemplation practice and be devoted to meditation/contemplation practice and spiritual and ascetic reading and study to the best of your ability, the rest will gradually fall into place.

I hope this answers your inquiries somewhat. Again, be patient and diligent and work steadily, gradually, and devotedly, and keep clearly in mind that there is no question that renunciation and asceticism and devotion to contemplative practice is the only way to go and any alternative can't even be entertained.

An Ancient Urban Hermit

An Excerpt from Damascius' Life of Isidore/The Philosophic History

translated from ancient Greek by Eric S. Fallick


Isidore made friends with this man who surpassed all people in piety and in a life of wholly loving wisdom, except for Isidore himself. And the man so greatly excelled in true way of life and speech that what is usually said in a proverb was fulfilled in deed by him: he lived hidden and unnoticed, so that I would expect none of the people then living, neither younger nor older, knew he was the sort of man I say. Nor would anyone else have known the kind of person this Sarapio was, nor would I myself know now, if the philosopher (i. e., Isidore) himself hadn't told me about him. For he said he couldn't ever persuade him to meet with another man; especially when he grew old, he no longer often came down from his own house, but he lived alone in a tiny house, having in reality taken up a solitary life, only having dealings with some of his neighbors for absolute necessities. He did, though, say that Sarapio was especially prayerful and in the manner of a common man wandered about to all the holy places when he was lead by the custom of a holiday, but mostly he spent the whole day at home living, not some human life, but one simply to be said to be divine, always recounting both aspirations and virtues in regard to himself or the Divine, but much more meditating in silence. Being devoted to the search for truth and contemplative by nature, he didn't think it worthwhile to waste time with the more technical details of philosophy, but stuck to more powerful and inspired understandings; on which account he possessed and read pretty much only the writings of Orpheus, always putting each arising question to Isidore, who was, so to speak, the utter tops in theological knowledge, and who was the only one he received and was acquainted with as a friend. And indeed it seemed to Isidore that he saw in Sarapio the life of the fabled Golden Age of Cronos. For he continuously did and said nothing else than collecting himself and always, as far as possible, concentrating on the inward and quite indivisible.

He thus very much looked down on money and property, so that he possessed nothing whatever besides two or three books, including also the poems of Orpheus. He thus very much looked down on the pleasures relating to the body, so that even from the first he indeed only provided the body with necessities, and was through his whole life undefiled by sexual pleasures. And he thus had no care for honor from people, so that not even his name was known in the city. Nor would it have been known afterward, if some god had not wished to favor humanity with an example of the life of the Golden Age of Cronos, in order that the story would not seem to be a myth, without history having been called to witness. For the so-called Cheiron stood rather at the boundary of the reigns of Cronos and Zeus, whence his double form. But this Sarapio known by the philosopher, let him have been recorded as of such a kind. He made Isidore his heir, not having any family, nor anyone else worthy to receive his property, by which I mean his two or three books.



Translation ©2003 Eric S. Fallick platonicascetic (at) (Gee) mail (period) com

Homer on the Limitations of Institutionalized Monasticism

Homer on the Limitations of Institutionalized Monasticism:
The Aeolus Episode of the Odyssey

by Eric S. Fallick

The Odyssey of Homer is a great and wonderful spiritual treasure left to us from antiquity. Although it is little appreciated as such now, it is actually an amazing spiritual guidebook and practice manual describing in a symbolic, allegorical, and anagogical manner the journey of the practitioner's soul through successive rebirths in its striving to obtain liberation from the cycle of becoming and return to its home in transcendent Reality. Like all real spiritual texts, the Path it describes and prescribes is that of contemplative asceticism, renunciation and meditation, and knowledge or wisdom. In fact, the asceticism and renunciation and mysticism it commends is of the most severe, pure, world-denying, uncompromising, abstract, and transcendent nature. (This, of course, does not mean it recommends the sort of self-torture practices that are sometimes included, unfortunately and incorrectly, under the rubric of asceticism.) No compromise is made with this world and ordinary human attachments and desires, which ultimately have to be transcended and given up completely to reach the Goal, difficult as this may be. So pure and austere and transcendent is this renunciation and contemplation, that it recognizes that institutionalized, ritualized, organized, corporate renunciation is not really full or true renunciation since, while incorporating some of the absolutely essential renunciant practices such as celibacy, vegetarianism, teetotaling, lack of personal possessions, devotion to practice, etc., it otherwise merely reproduces different forms of the same social structures of this world and caters to and provides for the same human emotional needs, desires, and attachments (all of which need to be transcended) within institutional monastic structures. Actual liberation, according to Homer, requires a long and painful process of totally stripping away the burden of the lower self and its needs and desires and totally reorienting the soul towards the Absolute. Institutionalized monasticism and renunciation does not, according to Homer, accomplish this, but ineffectually attempts to achieve transcendent contemplation while leaving the burden of the lower self and passions intact. Thus, it doesn't really work and must be considered as at best a way station towards more complete, full, independent, unsupported, and untethered renunciation and contemplative asceticism and complete otherworldliness.

The Aeolus episode at Book 10, lines 1-76 of the Odyssey relates Homer's view of the inadequacy of institutionalized monasticism and may serve as an example of relatively manageable size for an attempt at illustrating the symbolic, anagogical meaning of the text. I would, therefore, like to try here to give a literal prose translation of the text followed by an exposition of its undermeaning.

And we came to the Aeolian island: and there dwelt Aeolus son of Hippotas,
dear to the deathless gods, on a floating island: and, indeed, around it all was
an unbreakable bronze wall, and smooth stone runs up.
And of him twelve children have been in the halls, on the one hand six daughters,
on the other hand six sons being in the prime of youth:
there he indeed gave the daughters to the sons to be wives.
And they always dine beside their dear father and devoted mother, and a myriad good things
lie beside them, and indeed the house full of the savor of roasting fat resounds around
the courtyard during the days: and during the nights, on the other hand, they sleep beside
their revered wives in both blankets and perforated beds.
And we came to their city and fine house.
And for a whole month he held me dear and inquired about each thing, about Ilium
and the ships of the Argives and the return of the Achaeans: and I, for my part, related everything to him in due fashion.
But when then I also asked for the way and bid him to send me, he did not
at all refuse, but fashioned a conveyance.
But he gave me a leather bag having stripped it off of a nine year old bull,
and there he tied up the ways of the roaring winds: for the son of Kronos
made him manager of winds, both to make to cease and
to set in motion, which wind he would want.
And he tied it up in the hollow ship with a shining silver cord, so that
nothing would blow past even a little bit: but for me he sent forth a breath of the West
Wind to blow, so that it would bear both the ships and ourselves: nor then was
it going to be brought to completion: for we were lost by the senselessness of ourselves.
For nine days then we sailed both night and day alike, but on the tenth already
the fatherland country appeared, and then being near we were seeing the
people tending the fires: then sweet sleep came upon me having toiled,
for always I wielded the lower part of the sail of the ship, nor gave it to another of
my companions, in order that we would quickly come to the fatherland:
but my companions began addressing each other with words, and they said that I was
bringing home for myself both gold and silver as gifts from great-hearted Aeolus son of Hippotas.
And thus one was saying, seeing, to another one near:
Ah me! How this person is dear to and honored among all peoples,
of whomever he would come to both the city and the land.
Many are the fine treasures of spoil he is bringing for himself from Troy, but
we on the other hand having completed the same way come back home
together having empty hands: and now Aeolus showing
favor has given these things to him with love.
But come, quickly let us see what thing these things are,
how much certain both gold and silver are present in the bag.
Thus they said, and evil counsel overcame the companions:
they loosed the leather bag, and all the winds rushed out.
And at once snatching them up a storm wind bore them seaward wailing,
from the fatherland.
But I myself awakening turned over in my blameless spirit,
whether falling from the ship I should perish in the sea,
or quietly should bear it and still be among the living ones.
But I endured and stayed, and covering myself I lay in the ship.
And the ships were borne by an evil storm of wind back again
to the Aeolian island, and the companions groaned.
But there we went onto the land and drew water, and at once
the companions took dinner by the swift ships.
But when we had partaken of bread and drink, then I myself taking with
me a herald and a companion went to the famed house of Aeolus:
And I found him dining beside his wife and his children.
But coming into the house we sat down on the threshold by the
doorposts: but they were astonished in spirit and asked right out:
How have you come, Odysseus? What evil spirit assailed you?
Surely indeed we cordially sent you off, so that you would come to
your fatherland and house and if anywhere is dear to you. Thus they said, but I spoke among them feeling pain at heart:
Both my evil companions injured me and besides them stubborn sleep.
But cure it, friends: for the power is in you.
Thus I said addressing them with soft words, but they became silent: but the
father replied with a word: go quickly from the island, most reproachable of the
living: for it is not lawful for me to provide for or send forth that man who would
become hateful to the blessed gods: go, since then you have come to this place
becoming hateful to the gods.
Thus saying he sent me away from the house moaning heavily. …

Odysseus, the true divine soul or self and the contemplative ascetic and renunciant practitioner, is struggling to return to Ithaca, his true home, the higher transcendent realm of the Divine Mind-Thought and ultimately the One Itself, from which he has fallen into the ocean of genesis, of becoming, of birth and death, of individuated subjective experience in space-time. He is aware of being lost, but at this point doesn't know exactly how to get back, although he does know where it is he wants and needs to return to. He also at this point still has his ships and most of his crew, which represent the lower self or soul involved in the psychophysical complex and the accompanying passions, emotions, defilements, etc. He still is attached to this lower self and its faculties and still identifies with them and wants to bring them back with him. He doesn't yet understand that these are a great burden binding him to the prison of this world and preventing his return, and that he will have to get rid of or lose all of them and everything, however painful he may experience the process of doing so to be, before he can go back to Ithaca, that is, awake to true Reality. To return to the One, the Simple, the Pure, the Good, the Beautiful, one must oneself become unitary, simple, pure, good, and beautiful, stripping away everything that has accumulated around the true divine soul, so that it can become like the One it is returning to and realize that it is in fact the emanation of that One. Odysseus has, however, at this point already blinded the eye of the cyclops, made the initial separation from the senses and the bestial self involved wholly in the senses, which, while bringing all the karmic obstructions of matter, Poseidon, against him to be worked through, means that his eventual return to Ithaca, to Reality, alone, stripped entirely of the lower self, is already fated.

Now he comes to the island of Aeolia, of Aeolus son of Hippotas, which represents organized, institutionalized, ritualized monasticism. Incidentally, it may be noted that the course of spiritual practice described in the Odyssey is more iterative than necessarily linear, and one may go through the same episodes repeatedly in the course of the many lifetimes of the Path in various ways and at various levels. Aeolus and Aeolia imply in the Greek quick-moving, swift, wriggling, nimble, shifty, slippery, glittering, changeful of hue, and the like. This indicates both the cleverness of legalistic maneuvering and manipulation of ritual, along with politics, that tends to characterize institutionalized renunciation, and also the colorful and impressive appearance created by uniforms, corporate ritual, art and architecture, etc. He is the son of Hippotas, son of a horseman, because he 'descends' from a religious founder who instituted means and/or structures to try to tame the lower, bestial self and the beast of the body, the horse. He is dear to the gods because such are all sincere spiritual strivers. He lives on a floating island representing the fact that the institution is somewhat separated from the rest of the world but is still subject to various historical, temporal, and cultural vicissitudes like any institution in this world. It is surrounded by an unbreakable bronze wall and sheer stone cliff because it is cloistered and self-contained with its own corporate and administrative existence. His symmetrical even dozen six sons and six daughters married to each other show the uniform and uniformly, ritually reproduced disciples constituting the monastic order and indicate, along with Aeolus and his wife, the sort of non-biological procreation that maintains monastic orders and actually, and unfortunately, replicates worldly family structures within them. (There is, of course, no actual sexual implication in the symbolic description here using the language of ordinary conjugal arrangements.) Their continual dining represents the ongoing organized routine, largely centered on obtaining and preparing and consuming meals, maintaining the physical plant and income generating activities and services, and performing corporate ritual, that much constitutes cenobitical monastic life, and winds up really taking the place of individual spiritual striving. These activities visibly and audibly fill the monastery, so the savor of roasting fat resounds through the courtyard during the day, and at night they rest together in their uniform, appointed accommodations, their blankets and perforated beds. A myriad good things lie beside them suggesting the relative economic and physical security of institutionalized, corporate, and especially cenobitical renunciation, as opposed to the great insecurity of individual renunciation.

Odysseus, then, comes to this pleasantly accommodated monastic institution, and is cordially welcomed since he is, at least initially, recognized as a fellow renunciant, even if an independent one. In fact, they question him at great length concerning Ilium, the initial attempt to wrestle noetical beauty away from the material realm, the ships of the Argives, the means by which independent renunciants traverse the ocean of becoming, and the return of the Achaeans, how fully focused renunciants have attempted to return to awakening. Odysseus, the true contemplative ascetic, does not, however, wish to be retained here long, however nice it may be, but asks to return to the aim of his spiritual practice, Ithaca, and for help and conveyance in getting thereto. Aeolus gladly obliges him since, although he has not returned himself, he has various traditional methods that he believes are effective in suppressing and controlling and altering the passions and defilements, the son of Kronos has made him manager of winds, that is, passions and defilements. He teaches Odysseus the methods, which Odysseus diligently practices. He binds the winds, passions, in a leather bag made from a bull nine years old, that is, suppresses the passions and defilements by a long practice of physical restraint of the bestial self through regulated, ritualized activity, and secures it with a silver cord, that is, the practice of the mundane constitutional virtues without actual wisdom. He sends forth the West Wind, the positive emotion and enthusiasm generated by communal ritual, to help them on their way. But it can't actually work in the long run. The passions and defilements have only been suppressed and mitigated, not destroyed, and the whole lower self has not been gotten rid of and the process of doing so has not been gone through.

They set sail for Ithaca, that is, Odysseus, with the passions temporarily bound and with his lower self mostly still intact, diligently practices contemplation or meditation and comes within sight of the higher realm, Ithaca. Then he suddenly falls asleep, that is, he enters a state of deep contemplation or samadhi as would be necessary for contacting that higher Reality. But, alas, in this case it is only a temporary glimpse and meditative state. The elements and faculties of the lower self still being there unchanged and now being released from the control of the higher, divine self which is occupied in its meditative state, erupt into their characteristic greed, envy, egotism, etc. They think Odysseus has gold, silver, and gifts in the bag, that they are being deprived of the pleasures and gratifications of the ordinary emotions by the ritualized ascetic practice Odysseus has been following under Aeolus's guidance. So they open the bag, while Odysseus is in samadhi he can't attend to the ritualized mundane practice of keeping the defilements and karmic habit patterns in check, sitting on them, so to speak, without having actually destroyed them with real wisdom and true practice and knowledge, and release all the suppressed passions, the blustering storm winds that blow them back out into the sea of material existence and back to the ultimately mundane temporospatial realm of the monastery. Even the faculties of the lower self now realize their mistake and are upset, and Odysseus, the higher soul, having now emerged from the meditative state and rejoined with the lower self and still identifying with it is so distraught that he briefly considers giving up the Path altogether, perishing by falling entirely into the sea of material existence, but of course he endures and they come back to the island of Aeolus.

At first, upon arrival, they pause to draw water and take dinner. Sadly, even in the midst of spiritual crises we still have to maintain and tend to the basic needs of the body. Odysseus then goes back to the famed house of Aeolus where he finds them dining as ever. They are shocked to see him because, although they have never actually returned yet themselves, they have never doubted that their traditional methods should allow one to do so, and ask what happened. Odysseus, still distraught, but also still not realizing that the methods he has been given are not efficacious, especially when he still has the whole apparatus of the lower self which he still doesn't understand that he must be rid of, explains what happened, perhaps not even realizing that entering samadhi was really a good thing, and asks for them to help him to try again. They, however, are unable to understand the limitations of their system, and so the only thing they can conclude is that the individual renouncer and soul they have tried to help must be cursed, have heavy karma, and be a bad soul, even though he is actually better fated than they are, and send him away. So sad Odysseus leaves with much of the Path and many trials through a number of lifetimes ahead of him leading to his eventual success and freedom.


© 2011 Eric S. Fallick platonicascetic (at) (gee) mail (dot) com