550

(1441) λδ´. The land of promise is the kingdom of heaven, of which dispassion and knowledge are the agents.

λε´. Intelligible Egypt is the darkness of the passions; into which no one descends, unless he falls into famine.

λστ´. Incline your ear often to spiritual words, and your mind will withdraw from impure thoughts.

λζ´. Only God is good and wise by nature; but the mind also becomes so by participation, if it is zealous.

λη´. Control your stomach and sleep, and anger, and your tongue; and you will not strike your foot against a stone.

λθ´. Strive to love every person equally, and you drive out all the passions at once.

μ´. The contemplation of sensible things is common to the mind and to sense-perception; but the knowledge of intelligible things is proper to the mind.

μα´. It is impossible for the mind to be at leisure for intelligible things, unless it cuts off its relation to sense-perception and to sensible things.

μβ´. Sense-perception has a natural attachment to sensible things, and being distracted by them, it draws the mind along with it.

μγ´.Devote sense-perception to the service of the mind, and do not give it an opportunity to distract it.

μδ´. When it happens that the mind is occupied with sensible things, distract sense-perception in turn, by raising the things at hand to the mind.

με´. A sign that the mind is at leisure for intelligible things is its contempt for all things that flatter the senses.

μστ´. When the mind is opened to the contemplation of intelligible things, it has a pleasure in them from which it is hard to part.

μζ´. When the mind is enriched with the knowledge of the Monad, then it also has sense-perception completely enslaved.

μη´. Prevent your mind from circling around sensible things, so that it may not reap pleasures and pains in them.

μθ´. For those whose mind is constantly at leisure for divine things, their passionate part has also become a divine weapon.

ν´. It is impossible for the mind to be formed by knowledge, unless one first brings the passionate part to its proper virtues by means of it.

να´. The mind becomes a stranger to the things of the world when it completely cuts off its relation to sense-perception.

νβ´. It is proper to the rational part of the soul to be at leisure for the knowledge of God; and to its passionate part, love and self-control.

νγ´.(1444) It is impossible for the mind to linger on a sensible thing, unless it possesses some passion for it.

νδ´. The mind that has been formed by knowledge is perfect. And the soul is perfect that has been mingled with the virtues.

νε´. The relation of the mind to sense-perception makes it a slave to the pleasures of the body.

550

(1441) λδ´. Γῆ ἐστιν ἐπαγγελίας ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἧς πρόξενοι γίνονται ἀπάθεια καί γνῶσις.

λε´. Αἴγυπτός ἐστι νοητή, σκοτασμός τῶν παθῶν· εἰς ἥν οὐδείς καταβαίνει, εἰ μή λιμῷ περιπέσῃ.

λστ´. Λόγοις πνευματικοῖς ἐπισυχνάσεις τό οὖς σου, καί λογισμῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἀπομακρυνεῖ ὁ νοῦς σου.

λζ´. Ἀγαθός καί σοφός φύσει μόνος ὁ Θεός· γίνεται δέ μεθέξει καί ὁ νοῦς, ἐάν σπουδάσῃ.

λη´. Κράτει γαστρός καί ὕπνου, καί θυμοῦ, καί γλώσσης· καί οὐ μή προσκόψεις πρός λίθον τόν πόδα σου.

λθ´. Ἀγωνίζου ἀγαπῆσαι πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἴσου, καί ἀπελαύνεις συλλήβδην πάντα τά πάθη.

μ´. Κοινή νοῦ καί αἰσθήσεως ἡ θεωρία τῶν αἰσθητῶν· ἰδία δέ τοῦ νοῦ ἡ γνῶσις τῶν νοητῶν.

μα´. Ἀδύνατον τόν νοῦν σχολάσαι τοῖς νοητοῖς, εἰ μή τήν σχέσιν τήν πρός τήν αἴσθησιν, καί τά αἰσθητά ἀποκόψῃ.

μβ´. Προσπάθειαν φυσικήν ἡ αἴσθησις ἔχει πρός τά αἰσθητά, καί συμπερισπᾷ τόν νοῦν περισπωμένη περί αὐτά.

μγ´.Ῥίψον τήν αἴσθησιν περί τήν τοῦ νοῦ ὑπουργίαν, καί μή δῷς αὐτῇ καιρόν ἀντιπερισπᾶσαι αὐτόν.

μδ´. Ὅταν συμβῇ τόν νοῦν σχολάσαι τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς, ἀντιπερίσπα τήν αἴσθησιν, πρός νοῦν ἀνάγων τά παρακείμενα.

με´. Σημεῖον, ὅτι σχολάζει ὁ νοῦς περί τά νοητά, τό πάντων καταφρονεῖν τῶν τήν αἴσθησιν σαινόντων.

μστ´. ∆ιανοιγόμενος ὁ νοῦς περί τήν τῶν νοητῶν θεωρίαν, δυσαπόσταστον ἔχει τήν περί αὐτά ἡδονήν.

μζ´. Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς πλουτήσῃ τήν τῆς μονάδος γνῶσιν, τότε καί τήν αἴσθησιν πάντη δεδουλωμένην ἔχει.

μη´. Κώλυε τόν νοῦν σου κυκλεύειν τά αἰσθητά, ἵνα μή ἡδονάς καί λύπας ἐν αὐτοῖς καρπώσηται.

μθ´. Ὧν ὁ νοῦς ἐν τοῖς θείοις σχολάζει διαπαντός, τούτων καί τό παθητικόν μέρος θεῖον γέγονεν ὅπλον.

ν´. Ἀδύνατον τόν νοῦν τῇ γνώσει ποιωθῆναι, εἰ μή πρότερον τό παθητικόν ταῖς οἰκείας ἀρεταῖς ἐξ αὐτοῦ πελάσει.

να´. Ξένος τῶν τοῦ κόσμου ὁ νοῦς τότε γίνεται, ὅταν τήν πρός τήν αἴσθησιν σχέσιν παντελῶς ἀποκόψῃ.

νβ´. Ἴδιον τοῦ λογιστικοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς, σχολάζειν γνώσει Θεοῦ· τοῦ δέ παθητικοῦ αὐτῆς, ἀγάπη καί ἐγκράτεια.

νγ´.(1444) Ἀδύνατον τόν νοῦν πράγματι χρονίζειν αἰσθητῷ, εἰ μή πάντως πάθος κέκτηται πρός αὐτό.

νδ´. Τέλειός ἐστιν ὁ νοῦς ὁ ποιωθείς τῇ γνώσει. Ψυχή δέ ἐστι τελεία, ἡ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀνακραθεῖσα.

νε´. Ἡ πρός τήν αἴσθησιν σχέσις τοῦ νοῦ, δοῦλον αὐτόν καθίστησι τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἡδονῶν.