Plato The Philosopher Epinomis
Is Epinomis, The Philosopher, a spurious text or was it written by Plato, a meditation teacher?
Is the dialogue the missing link — written proof that Plato was fully aware of the meditation system as taught by the Buddha in India and that Greek philosophers were meditators?
Was the “dialectics of philosophy” the Greek version of meditation techniques practiced in India, the so-called “unwritten doctrines”?
The Epinomis — also named The Philosopher — was the 13th book, an epilogue for the 12 books of Laws (Nomoi), a reference to Dependent Origination, metempsychosis in Greek. The three participants, a stranger from Athens, a Cretan and a Spartan, walked from Knossos to the temple of Zeus in Crete, the same journey was made about 200 years before by Pythagoras, the first to call himself a philosopher: “one who lives wisdom”.
When the cryptic text of The Philosopher is read in combination with the meditation diagram illustrated on the Phaistos Disk, a well informed overview of the meditation system appears: the system as described in The Philosopher follows the same order and details originally taught by the Buddha in the 6th century BC. The same system is still taught by meditation teachers, unchanged after more than 2,500 years.
A certain god introduces
“some science of numbers”
Did Plato write The Philosopher (c. 350 BCE) to describe his knowledge of the Buddha’s “higher teachings” to develop wisdom, the Abhidhamma?
Plato introduces “Some other science”, which “has given number to the whole race of mortals”, knowledge given by “some god”:
“
…a certain god himself, rather than a certain accident, gave it to us to preserve us …For how must we not conceive that he, who is the cause to us of every good thing, should not have been the cause likewise of intellect, the greatest good by far?”
– (Stallbaum page 10).
Buddha statue Sweden: 6th-century Gandhara style, Pakistan
Buddha statue 6-4th century BCE & coded coin, Massalia France
Buddha: seated teacher Gundestrup Cauldron Denmark 93-144 CE
The gift of “numbers” and of “numbering”: cryptic codes as meditation formulas
In The Philosopher Plato describes the “gift of numbers” and of “numbering”, clusters of numbers appear as cryptic codes that describe describe formulas.
The codes can still be deciphered by comparing Plato’s numbers — represented by symbols (ideograms) on the Phaistos Disk — to the meditation system as taught by the Buddha:
two (ᚂ 2 ᚢ) & three (ᚃ 3 ᚦ); one (ᚁ1ᚠ) & two (ᚂ 2 ᚢ);
three (ᚃ 3 ᚦ) & four (ᚄ 4 ᚨ) & many (ᚅ 5 ᚱ)
Meditation chart as taught at Pa Auk Monastery with Phaistos Disk symbols
Meditator: the 6th sense (hadaya vatthu in Pali) appears as light of wisdom
Philosopher’s numbers as symbols on the Phaistos Disk, a meditation diagram
Who will be the good and who will be the wise man?
Introduction of 4 elements: earth, water, fire, air & the 5th space/aether
Using images of star constellations in heaven as an allegory, Plato asks if Greek gods are real, or created for worship, an illusion only?
He then introduces the Four Great Elements meditation technique: all objects and living beings in the universe can be investigated when collapsed into 4 elements (earth, water, fire, air) dissolved as particles in space (aether) to destroy the illusion of existence: Brahmas, Devas, Humans, Daemons and Animals.
Star map Albrecht Dürer Germany (1471–1528)
Artist’s original sketchbook when practicing 4 Great Elements meditation technique
Fire element analysis: see documentary Sketch of an Excellent Man
31 planes of existence as described in Pali texts
The Athenian introduces the Teacher and Astronomy: symbols are created in the sky through numbers: “the 8 powers”
After searching “high and low for wisdom” Plato learned knowledge about “the soul” (6th sense) and “8 powers” (Eightfold Noble Path taught by the Buddha) from the Pythagoreans in Italy.
He explains a meditator’s experience of images dissolved as particles in space by using Astronomy as metaphor: symbolic observation of the sun (6th sense and light of wisdom), moon (what the Buddha taught), stars (images seen dissolved in space and particles) & 5 wandering planets (ideograms as formula: how to see Ultimate Reality: 5 clinging aggregates).
The 8 powers: metaphor of stars, sun and moon and 5 wandering planets to represent meditation concepts
Geometry and Stereometry: observation and analysis of Ultimate Mind & Materiality
The Athenian uses metaphors to describe “observation and analysis of Ultimate Mind and Materiality” (nāma and rūpa).
Following instructions in the text, secret formulas appear when cryptic numbers are aligned with symbols on the Phaistos Disk, a meditation diagram: Plato’s unwritten doctrines illustrated.
The Philosopher’s codes of Fortune:
Numbers represent formulas to explain steps of the meditation system that will lead to the end of Suffering caused by kamma, the goal is liberation from the endless rounds of rebirth.
The 8 powers: metaphor of stars, sun and moon and 5 wandering planets to represent meditation concepts
Plato philosopher: codes of fortune – meditation formulas
Plato’s “unwritten doctrines” described in The Philosopher was practiced in Europe for up to 1,800 years
Many archaeological treasures of Europe can be analysed with knowledge of the meditation system as taught by the Buddha, which was well known and practiced by philosophers in Europe from the 6th century BCE to the 12-13th century; a period of up to 1,800 years.
Through the round of many births I wandered in samsara, Seeking, but not finding, the builder of the house. Suffering is birth again and again. O, house-builder! You are seen. You shall not build a house again. All your rafters are broken. Your ridge-pole is shattered. My mind has attained the unconditioned, obtaining the destruction of craving. – Dhammapada 153-4
The above verse was uttered by the Buddha immediately after His enlightenment.
House= the body Builder of the house = craving (tanha); Rafters = defilements (kilesa); Ridge-pole = ignorance (avijja).
Newgrange Ireland c. 250 BC with engravings compatible with Plato’s dialogues
kerbstone 1 at Newgrange Ireland c. 250 BC illustration of 5 clinging aggregates compatible with Plato’s dialogues
Sketch of an Excellent Man
Pa Auk Tawya Meditation Monastery
DOCUMENTARY: 1h43 minutes
Available in 14 languages
In the Pa Auk Forest Monastery in Myanmar over a thousand people from all over the world are first taught 40 concentration techniques to be able to analyse the ultimate realities of Mind and Matter (Nāma and Rūpa) at subatomic particle level by “their own direct experience”.
They then proceed to practise Dependent Origination and Insight Meditation (Vipassanā) as described in the “Path of Purification” (Visuddhi Magga), a 1,500 year old summary of the Pāli texts: the legacy of the profound practical knowledge as originally taught by Gotama the Buddha.
For people in search of the truth it can be a life changing experience to learn about “the wisdom light” produced by a concentrated mind found in the heart base – the sixth sense – described in detail.
Rare footage of the Most Venerable Pa Auk Tawya Sayadaw explaining Vipassanã and Dependent Origination in English, illustrated by an artist/architect (watercolour, animation) make this subtle and profound knowledge enjoyable to watch even by non practitioners.
(Setti Wessels Myanmar 2015)