The Impact of Proximity to and Remoteness from, The One
According to Mullah Sadra the more intense the existence in the arc of ascent the more free it is from the shackles of time and space, and the higher the grade of existence in the arc the more incorporeal it happens to be, such that the ontological intensity of an Existent is indirectly proportionate to the degree of it's association and attachment with matter; therefore the stronger the attachment and association of an existent with matter the more corporeal and weaker it is, in terms of Existence; and the farther removed an Existent is from attachment and association with matter the more intense it happens to be in terms of Existence.
Now since Pure Existence is the origin and source of all existence, and being such it is necessarily the Noblest and the Greatest of all existents, because every good and perfection emanates from this August Reality and traces its origin back to it; therefore just as the objects nearest to the Sun receive the greatest amount of light by virtue of this proximity and those farther removed receive a lesser share of the same light similarly beings nearest to The One in the heirarchy of existence receive a greater share of good and perfection from the emanating source and are consequently existentially more intense as compared to those that are remote from The One.
In Sadrian metaphysics Reality is synonymous with existence such that the greater and more intensified the existence the greater the reality of an existent and the weaker an existent the lesser its reality; similarly just as existence is held to be synonymous with reality similarly goodness and perfection are also identical to existence; therefore the greater the ontological intensity of an existent the more good and perfect it happens to be and the weaker its existence the less perfect and good it is; but since the weakness or intensity of existence is dependent upon how proximate or remote it happens to be from Pure Existence, therefore the goodness, perfection and the reality of a being is dependent upon and a consequence of its proximity or remoteness from The One, the Fountain of all Existence.
Therefore the nearer an existent is to The One or Pure Being, the more incorporeal, imperishable and immutable it happens to be since it finds itself liberated from the prison of time, space and matter; moreover the greater the proximity to the Divine the greater the causal capacity of an existent in terms of the ability to emanate and sustain the existence of its effects, both immediate and intermediate ones, without reliance upon matter from which to create, and also without dependence upon any other factors extraneous to its essence such as a will, an instrument or a suitable time; on the other hand the more remote an existent the more corporeal, perishable and changeable it happens to be since it discovers Itself confined within the prison of time, space and matter; in addition to these disadvantages the greater the remoteness from the Divine the weaker is the causal ability and consequently the greater the dependence upon factors extraneous to the essence such as a suitable time, a will or matter for creating it's effect.
Now since Pure Existence is the origin and source of all existence, and being such it is necessarily the Noblest and the Greatest of all existents, because every good and perfection emanates from this August Reality and traces its origin back to it; therefore just as the objects nearest to the Sun receive the greatest amount of light by virtue of this proximity and those farther removed receive a lesser share of the same light similarly beings nearest to The One in the heirarchy of existence receive a greater share of good and perfection from the emanating source and are consequently existentially more intense as compared to those that are remote from The One.
In Sadrian metaphysics Reality is synonymous with existence such that the greater and more intensified the existence the greater the reality of an existent and the weaker an existent the lesser its reality; similarly just as existence is held to be synonymous with reality similarly goodness and perfection are also identical to existence; therefore the greater the ontological intensity of an existent the more good and perfect it happens to be and the weaker its existence the less perfect and good it is; but since the weakness or intensity of existence is dependent upon how proximate or remote it happens to be from Pure Existence, therefore the goodness, perfection and the reality of a being is dependent upon and a consequence of its proximity or remoteness from The One, the Fountain of all Existence.
Therefore the nearer an existent is to The One or Pure Being, the more incorporeal, imperishable and immutable it happens to be since it finds itself liberated from the prison of time, space and matter; moreover the greater the proximity to the Divine the greater the causal capacity of an existent in terms of the ability to emanate and sustain the existence of its effects, both immediate and intermediate ones, without reliance upon matter from which to create, and also without dependence upon any other factors extraneous to its essence such as a will, an instrument or a suitable time; on the other hand the more remote an existent the more corporeal, perishable and changeable it happens to be since it discovers Itself confined within the prison of time, space and matter; in addition to these disadvantages the greater the remoteness from the Divine the weaker is the causal ability and consequently the greater the dependence upon factors extraneous to the essence such as a suitable time, a will or matter for creating it's effect.
Salam Alaikum.
ReplyDeleteIs there a possibility of ascent or descent up and down the arc or is it fixed?
Wsalam,
DeleteMotion which is defined as the transition or the transference of a body from a state of potentiality to a state of actuality, and being one of the Aristotelian categories, it is an accident; now an accident is a quiddity which is dependent upon a subject or a substrate for its subsistence or realization in concrete reality; and since motion is also an accident therefore it is also in need of a subject or a substrate in which to inhere for realization or subsistence in concrete existence; now this subject or substrate of motion is a body, which is defined as a three dimensional substance; now all bodies are corporealized and material and as a consequence of this are temporal and spatial realities that possess a specific direction and position, and being material in character all bodies are composites of an existent actuality and an expected potentiality for the reception of some new incoming form; without the existence of a potential for receiving form there can be no motion or movement; now the separate intellects are substances that are completely devoid of matter and material attributes such as being temporal or spatial or the possession of a particular direction and position; these Noble substances being incorporeal in character are also devoid of form since form is a substance that actualizes and perfects matter, but since these immaterial intellects are absolutely devoid of matter, therefore they do not possess any form as well; and since in order to be a body it is necessary to possess corporeal form therefore these incorporeal intellects are bodiless, and being such they cannot be subject to motion, and hence there can be no motion in the arc of descent; therefore in the arc of descent a cause will forever eternally remain nobler and more exalted than it's effects and an effect will forever remain inferior to its causes; however the human soul can through substantial motion which is a compulsory natural motion involving the gradual and incremental actualization of its latent potentialities, rise above this base material world to return back to it's original luminous abode of light, beauty and goodness in the proximity of Divine Realities.