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between many people, he never made a single enemy amongst the politicians,” 14 another indication of his ability to remain inwardly centered in spirit while outwardly acting in the world.
    The primary goal of the mystic philosopher, as Plotinus teaches in the Enneads, is to bring the movable center of his or her consciousness into alignment with the unmoving center of existence, the One. A person’s illusory and shifting sense of individuality thus must be distinguished from a true sense of self. If one traces his or her I-ness back to its source, as one would trace a line (or radius) back to the center of the circle from which it emanates, then the core of one’s self will be found to be identical with the core of everything.
    Truth trumps tradition
    W ISDOM LIES WITHIN , not without. The only way to know divine truth is to unite one’s consciousness so fully with it as to become it. Since union with anything or anyone outside of one’s own self is impossible, this leads the philosopher to be more respectful than reverential of other people, regardless of their seeming spiritual attainments. Though Plotinus had a tremendous respect for his fellow Greek philosophers, alive or dead, we can be sure that he agreed with Plato: “But a man is not to be reverenced more than the truth, and therefore I will speak out.” 15
    Hence, Porphyry tells us that Plotinus writes what is in his own mind rather than bowing to tradition. After a student would read a commentary by another philosopher on a text from Plato or Aristotle, “Plotinus borrowed nothing at all from these commentaries; on the contrary, he was personal and original in his theoretical reflection, and brought to his investigations the spirit of Ammonius.” 16 In a treatise about time, for example, Plotinus says:
But, as it is, we must first take the most important statements about it and consider whether our own account will agree with any of them. [III-7-7]
     
    And after observing that the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus has left us guessing about what he really meant, Plotinus makes a telling statement that could apply equally to portions of his own writings:
He has neglected to make clear to us what he is saying, perhaps because we ought to seek by ourselves, as he himself sought and found. [IV-8-1]
     
    It is much more important to actually tread the path that leads to the One, than to have an intellectual understanding of what lies along the path. Spiritual knowledge is gained by direct experience, not second-hand reports. Plotinus urges us to carefully examine the teachings of past philosophers (including him now) to sort out those who appear to have come closest to the truth and then to question how we can attain the same level of understanding.
Now we must consider that some of the blessed philosophers of ancient times have found out the truth; but it is proper to investigate which of them have attained it most completely, and how we too could reach an understanding about these things. [III-7-1]
     
    Plotinus doesn’t claim he has climbed to any philosophical heights that were not reached by at least some of his predecessors. What he has done, they did, and we can also do. The door that leads to the chamber of spiritual truth always has been, is now, and always will be wide open. All that changes is how those who have passed through this door attempt to describe the indescribable perennial philosophy.
Our doctrines are not novel, nor do they date from today: they were stated long ago, but not in an explicit way. Our present doctrines are explanations of those older ones, and they use Plato’s own words to prove that they are ancient. [V-l-8] 17
     

Philosophy as a Way of Life
     
    U NDENIABLY , there is an adventurous spirit in Plotinus’s philosophy. Bernard McGinn says: “Plotinus’s ability to combine abstruse philosophical analysis with a tone of deep personal feeling is unique—reading him is like being invited to embark on a journey of