Kontemplation

Contemplation – meaning the originary relation of every being with the One – permeates every dimension and form of being. Relying primarily on Ennead III 8 [30], this chapter characterizes contemplation in its diverse modalities of manifestation in Nature, Soul, and Intellect, and delineates it as generative self-transcendence, through which every being participates in the generativeness of the One. The emphasis on self-transcendence aims at highlighting Plotinus’ originality: contemplation does not involve absorption into the One, and hence annihilation of alterity, but is a generative encounter with the unconditional self-giving of the One, grounded on its freedom even from itself (VI 8 [39].19). This gives Plotinus’ notion of contemplation a deeply optimistic and dynamic character, in the light of which the human self may intend self-realization as a conscious participation in the unexhaustible creativity of the One.