Monday, June 15 morning

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0:04Are we live? Okay, good morning. We are live in Beijing. Uh, welcome to our very first YouTube live stream. First, I would like to thank Carol um of the Yale Beijing Center. She and her team have put everything together uh and it's going to be a fantastic uh two weeks with Carol and her team. So, thanks so much Carol for putting this together. I would also like to thank everyone uh who is in the room today. uh some of you some of you have come a very long way. I promise you this will be a very interesting class. I hope this is a life- transforming experience uh for you. Dante is the greatest writer of all time. Um and third, I want to thank everyone uh who is participating in the live stream all around the world. Um we are having someone monitor the chat. So if you have a question feel free to ask a question on chat and we will respond in real time. So um we will begin class but first I would like to introduce Carol uh and maybe introduce your beautiful center. Thank you. Thank you Jim. Um so hello and welcome. My name is Caroli Rafferty. Um I am a Yale College alumni and Jang's classmate. Yeah. Um, for we we saw each other at Yale. That's right. Yeah. For those new to Yale Center Beijing, um Yale Center Beijing since 2014 is Yale University's first universitywide center outside of

2:04its campus and a place for intellectual dialogue and the exchange of ideas. Um through workshops such as today, we seek to advance Yale University's mission to create, disseminate, and preserve knowledge. So why are we here? Jang and I were classmates and schoolmates about 25 years ago. We are now both parents of three children. Yep. And like many parents, we um wish to not only pass on knowledge to the next generation, but also wisdom, a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. Yale's motto is Luke's at the very top in Latin and the tumim in Hebrew which means light and truth. So through the exploration of Dante and the great books, we hope you will encounter beauty, light, and truth and also be able to wrestle with humanity's oldest questions. What does it mean to be human? How should we live? What is worth striving for? Um, and that's why we're so excited to be doing this workshop together. and Dante will answer these questions. Yeah. And without further ado, I'll turn back to um Jang and begin our journey with Dante and the great books. Okay. Thank you so much. Okay. So um as you can see from the screen, we will be using um this website that anyone can use. It's all free. Uh the website address is there. Um so the divine

4:07comedy is divided into three parts. Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. What we will do um which is very strange is we we are going to actually start in part three. It'll become obvious to you over time why we're doing that. Okay. So today we are going to start with counter one of paradise and the translation we will use is manabal manab. So if you are watching this on the live stream, uh please go to the website or you can just actually just watch the screen because we will have the we will have the entire text on the screen. But this web this resource is extremely valuable um and we will be using it this entire two weeks. Okay. So the first thing I asked you guys to do was write one paragraph about what heaven is. Do we have any volunteers who can share? Yes. What is Yes. Go ahead, please. And you'll need to either use a handheld or press down on one of the mic. Yeah. Uh continuously. Thanks. Uh heaven is a place of fulfillment, peace, and harmony where every entity can coexist. negative feelings and behavior do not occur. Uh we feel elevated by the fact that it feels like a destination and we are the best versions of ourselves. Uh it's like we're above uh all what we have been through to only keep the best. Heaven has more to my eyes of a feeling aspect than a visual one. Uh I could still imagine having bright vibrant colors uh flowers and animals. Great. That's beautiful. Thank you so much. Anyone else? Yes. Uh, personally, I do not believe in existence of heaven. Or if by some chance it does exist, I do not believe in its ubiquity. Yeah, that's not the answer I want, though. And um, yeah, well, that's a surprise

6:09because I didn't think that was the answer you want. Uh, um, if there exists a heaven in any means of the word for any religion, I would think that it's a place of joy, but also of exclusion and stagnation. The ideas of heaven are so radically different from one religion to another that reconciliation seems impossible in which case heaven must be segregated. There is no change in heaven. It being in definition a deathless and perfect place and so heaven is stagnation. Heaven is a construct comprised of the idea of what is good held by each individual faithful. It is not essentially good except to the one who created it. It is the ultimate expression of blind faith. Okay. Um, so that's very interesting because to answer this question, you're using logic and reason and this is something that they might ask you to do on on the AP literature examination. For this class, if we are truly to embrace Dante, we have to use our intuition and imagination. Okay, that's that's something that um will become much more clear as we read Dante. But the imagination is what will lead you to the truth. All right. Uh we have we have someone here. Yes. Um to me paradise is a place for eternal peace and happiness. There's no past and future just eternal. Everyone there are full of meaning and purpose. The kind of joy and beauty in heaven is unfathomable. All the love and consciousness is intertwined together. That's beautiful. Yes. So perfection something that is pure joy um beyond our imagination. Yeah. Good. Anyone else? Uh, yes. I think it's where God is. So, it's the typical Christian or Catholic view of life everlasting in the presence of God, eternal life, singing and worshiping God and doing whatever you love most in your little house and mention that God has rewarded you based on what you have done in your present life, I guess. Yeah. So, that's very interesting because what you just said is exactly what Augustine wrote in the city of God.

8:11He explained um heaven as a place where you are right beside God and you're all singing together in unison. Have you read a Austin Augustine before? Okay. But but that's a very Augustine answer. Yes. Hello. Can you hear me? Thank heavens for us to meet God and to have a spiritual intellectual connection with God and other divine forces. It's a place where we put down our ego and fear and engage in the act of a salvation and personal enlightenment. Good. Yeah. So ego and fear are things that bind us to this material world. Thank you. Yes. Can you hear me? Okay. Uh so I uh if I were in heaven and maybe uh Bruce Lee would eat me into the kung fu universe because I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee and kung fu and philosophy and uh then I could see my grandma and who smile at me and embrace me into the arms and I also can see the tree like stuffs and which can let people to see the messages from the living world and people who come from living world would be nice to come to this new world and since there's no rule no law but only the people who believe in their faith and destiny and meanwhile I also can sense the god or Buddha like who just sitting right there and keep lecturing to the people with their wiser man thoughts and of course there was a boat which can transfer people from the dark sea uh to the other shores and uh there must be a lady beauty who spent surprise happiness and merry seas to all of them and if people who want to fly must be permitted so uh they could fly high above the ocean and lastly when I was in that world and there was no flash no uh so people don't need to worry about overweight or ugly outlook since everyone looked as light bulb or a luminous existence that is my imagination. Yeah, that's very interesting. So what you're saying is that heaven is individualized meaning that whatever you perceive it is it becomes. Okay, that's very interesting idea. Any more ideas? Okay. All right. Good. All right. So

10:11let's begin. All right. So we're going to go to caner one of paradise and we are going to use the minimum um transl uh lation. And to set context again there are three different parts to the divine comedy. There's infernal, there's purgatory and then there is paradise. And what's happening is that the divine comedy it is a pilgrim's journey where Dante is traveling across the universe in order to meet God and he now has reached paradise and his guide in paradise uh is Beatatrice his long lost love and now they are um flying throughout the cosmos on their way to meet God and the um heavens is divided into nine different spheres. Okay. And the point I'm trying to make is that Donniey's perception or conception of the heavens is unique. No one else has imagined heaven the way that Dante has and no one will probably ever imagine the way uh that he has. Okay. So what what what we end up trying to do these first two days is try to figure out what Dante's cosmology is, what his understanding of the heavens is and why he has constructed the heavens in the way that he has. Okay. So for the first day, we're going to go very slowly. We're going to establish the themes, the motifs, the concepts that's going to help us truly understand uh the divine comedy. Okay. So, um, Carol, could you please go ahead and read the first three lines, the Yes. The glory, the glory of Is it picking up? Okay. The glory of the one who moves all things,

12:13permeates the universe, and glows in one part more, and in another less. Okay. All right. So um we're going to analyze these three lines. But before I do so, I want to introduce you to two literary concepts that we that we'll be using a lot uh when we analyze divine comedy. The first is the idea of paradox. And this is actually the main literary device that Dante will use throughout the divine comedy where things are not as simple as they seem. There's a contradiction in the idea and it is your responsibility to try to unpack or reconcile the contradiction and through this process it is going to heighten your imagination and draw you closer to God. Okay. So, so this is the main literary device we'll be analyzing throughout these two two weeks. Okay. The idea of paradox. Second idea that we will be looking at is possibilities. Possibilities are created by two concepts. ambiguity as well as economy. Economy for those of you who study poetry, it just means to use as few words as possible to describe as much as possible. Ambiguity means that a sentence or word can can contain multiple meanings. Okay. So these are the two major literary devices we will be studying um in the divine comedy. So first question is what is the paradox in these three lines? What's the paradox here? Yes. Well, I'm just shooting in the dark here. I'm not sure if I'm right, but I would think that the glory of the one who moves all things. By definition, God is only potent and only present. However, it says in the third line that it permits the universe and glows in one

14:13part more and in another less. Meaning that there's inequality even in heaven. Yeah, that's exactly with the wrong choice is probably being created and only or cannot ask the writer the guy who wrote this thing. Okay, these are not the same people. There is the protagonist, there is the historical Dante and there's the writer, the poet. Okay, let me ask you this question. Right? Not the protagonist, the poet. All right. So, what's happening is that this journey that Dante went on in the heavens, this is a long time ago and Donnie the poet is sitting at home. No, they are protagon. It's not in the literature. But who's the main protagonist of Divine Comedy? a common man Dante. Okay, poet. So again, this is paradoxical where he is invoking Apollo in order to describe a Christian heaven. Okay, come on. Go. that person told was running from Apollo because Apollo was chasing her. And that person told Athena No.

17:03medieval Christian art and even the Catholic Church in Dante's time uh suppressed creatively and promoted God-fearing humility. So, how is that different? Okay, that's a good question. So, we're talking about medieval Christian Europe in the year 1300, right? But this is referring to Jesus at the time of his crucifixion which is about the year 33 around 33. Okay. All right. What if Okay. You for the Christians in this room what why did Jesus have to die? Why was his crucifixion his death such a historical event? Why? Yes. because there's no way for man himself to atone for his sins and man cannot um be sinless, stainless, so to pay the price for his actions. So, and what what was Jesus? So, Jesus was the faultless lamb who can die for people. No, no, no. What was Jesus? Son of God. Yes. So, God himself has to come. The son of God who is what? Who's the Messiah? Finland who is but but but but is he a man or is he not a man? He's both. So he's exactly. Do you understand this? Okay. You understand this is important. He is both son of God and he's a man as well. Do you understand? Okay. And it's it's if you're not a Christian, it's kind of weird, but for like 2,000 years, they argue about this. Okay. But Jesus, if you want to understand Christianity, you need to understand that Jesus was both a man as well as a God. And if you're a man and you're able to redeem all humanity, now you have agency. Right? Now you're are able to mark a new period in human history. So what's happened is that in the pagan worldview, the

19:06universe it's a circle. It's a procession of equinoxes, okay? It's an endless seamless uh cycle. Okay? Like the like the seasons, there's winter, which gives rise to spring, which gives rise to summer, then autumn, and so on and on and on. There's nothing you can do about it. Okay? But with Jesus, the circle now becomes a line, right? The circle becomes a line. So when you put together the four circles and the three crosses, you get a new beginning of human history in which the individual matters now. Yes. But that was what the Catholic Church wanted to suppress, right? Like this this knowledge that you can free yourself. So the Catholic Church said, "No, you need us to get to heaven." Right. So, exactly. So, and this is what Donnie is saying. He's saying that the Catholic Church and Jesus and Christianity, these aren't necessarily the same things. Okay. All right. So, with his poetry, Dante is trying to create a new understanding of Christianity. And this again is what gives rise to ren the Renaissance as well as modernity. Okay. But does this make sense to you? Okay. And what and what he's doing that's really important is he's creating paradoxes, right? What is what is why is paganism a symbol of paganism the four circles why is it linked to the symbol of Christianity the the three crosses and the answer is because for humanity to progress you need both traditions in place okay without these traditions together there is no path to enlightenment there's no path to Apollo this is the best path possible Okay, does that make sense? And again, this is my interpretation.

21:07Poetry can only be interpreted. Okay? And I'm sure there's going to be a lot of Dante scholars who are going to be very angry at me for making this interpretation, but I think this is a possible interpretation that aligns with other things that Dante will say throughout the divine comedy. Okay, are we clear? Yes. So, uh, in summary, the idea is like the sun shines on the world and it doesn't just shine on Christians, it shines on everyone. That's what Dante believes. Okay. But what what he's going to do later on that is even more revolutionary is say it's not God's choice whether or not to shine on you. It's your choice whether you want God to shine on you or not. Does that make sense? All right. Um but this this this comes later. All right. So, any more questions before we move on? Okay. Let's let's continue. Um it's entry from that point of the horizon brought morning there and evening here. Okay. So he's talking about the sun, right? Almost all of that hemisphere was white while ours was dark. When I saw Beatatrice turn around and left that she might see the sun, no eagle has ever stared so steadily at it. And as a second ray will issue from the first and reassend, much like a pilgrim who seeks his home again, so on her action, fed by my eyes to my imagination, my action drew, and on the sun I set my sight more than we usually do. more is permitted to our powers there than is permitted here by virtue of that

23:08place made for mankind as its true home. I did not bear it long, but not so briefly as not to see it sparkling round about like molten iron emerging from the fire. And suddenly it seemed that day had been added to day as if the one who can had graced the heavens with a second sun. The eyes of Beatatrice were all intent on the eternal circles. From the sun I turned aside. I set my eyes on her and watching her within me. I was changed as Glock as changed tasting the herb that made him a companion of the other sea gods. Okay. So f something that's really confusing about the divine harmony is that different universes are existing in parallel with each other right. So there is the universe of the Greeks right where Paul was the sun. Now he's switching to the Christian universe where God is the sun. Okay. So all these universes are existing in parallel with each other. Um and the reason why is that we are in heaven. We are in um paradise. And so this is the spirit world. Okay. So let me ask you this question. It's a hard question, but think about this. Pretend you're a ghost or a spirit. Okay? Can you perceive time and space? Is it possible for you to perceive time and space? Yes. No. Because I mean you're immortal or like you live forever. Why would you perceive be able to perceive time then? I mean it wouldn't make sense, right? If

25:08like spirits never die off or they they've always been there since the universe existed. Well, I understand. But you you can still keep time, right? Why can't you perceive time and space? The answer is no. You can't perceive time and space. But there's a really good reason why you cannot. Do you guys have you guys thought about this? Yes. I would think it's because you can't interact with time and space. Your soul is immune to the influences of time and space. You don't have a body to be uh battered on the wall. Yeah. So the trick, the key is to understand that without a body, it's impossible for you to understand time and space. Okay. And this is what Emil Khan tells us what time and space is. Is space is sensation. Sensation is made possible through the five senses. Okay? Distance is because you have a body. If you didn't have a body, you wouldn't have a con conception of distance. Okay? And what time is, time is sequence, which is cause and effect. Caused by sensation, right? I first had this feeling, then I had that feeling. That's time. So a body it is impossible for you to experience time and space. Okay. So we are in a universe where time and space don't exist. Evan exists at once and forever. Okay? Different universes exist at the same time. This is why all this is possible. And what Donnie is doing is he's using words to decipher this universe to make it comprehensible to us because we are stuck in time and space but they are beyond time and space. Okay. Does that make sense? Okay. Yes. And how are these like spirits invoked or are are they like everywhere like at the same time or like how are these spirits invoked in in humans or like because is it through emotions? What I I don't understand the question. C could can you repeat that? Yeah. Like these spirits there's there's multiple, right? So

27:09um and in the Greek world they I mean in the Greek world you you would say they they did have a body because you know there's all these gods that came down to earth so they had to like inhabit a body in the end but the Greek world in the Greek world what happened was these spirits took possession do you understand they didn't come to us as material forms they took possession of animals like zeus or they took possession of people, right? But where then then they were a able to perceive time and space. That's right. But only if they they can take possession of your of someone's body. Okay. Okay. Does that make sense? Right. So that's what is doing. He's trying to have Apollo possess him. So he's able to use the powers of Apollo. Okay. All right. Uh let's keep on going. Passing beyond the human cannot be worded. Let Gauas serve as simile until grace grant you the experience. Whether I only was the part of me that you created last you governing the heavens know it was your life that raised me. When that wheel which you make eternal through the heavens longing for you drew me with the harmony you temper and distinguish. The fire of the sun then seemed to me to kindle so much of the sky that rain or river never formed so broad a lake. The the nearness of the sound and the great light incited me to learn their cause. I was more keen than I had ever been before. And she who read me as I read read myself to quiet the commotion in my mind opened her lips before I opened mine. Okay. All right. So do you guys understand the sequence of events? Right. So he starts off invoking a poll

29:10and says I had this great dream or experience 20 years ago. Please Apollo give me the power to describe what I saw with words because what I saw was beyond time and space. It is beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals. Okay. Like like us the readers today. Okay. And now what he's doing is he's now describing as a pilgrim his experience 20 years ago with Beatatric. Okay. Keep on going. opened her lips before I opened mine to ask, and she began, "You make yourself accused with false imagining. You cannot see what you would see if you dispelled it. You're not on the earth as you believe, but lightning flying from its own abode is less swift than you are, returning home." Okay, so they are in the heavens, which is beyond time and space. But in order for Dante to understand what's going on, the universe has constructed the universe in a way for Dante to process. So it's linear. There is a bit of time and space. Okay? And what Beatric is saying is saying to her to him basically is here you have to completely rely on your intuition and your imagination. Okay? Do not try to use logic. Do not try to take what you learn in on earth and apply it here. It will just confuse you. Okay. So before you can meet God, we have to go on this journey to dispel your false imaginings. Okay. Let go of your ego, to let go of your doubts, let go of your fear so that you can truly embrace God. Yes.

31:12I don't know if this is going to be talked about later, but is this kind of also an allegory for Christianity because some sort of Christian apologists have argued before that uh obviously faith is what you need to for for Christianity and by using logic that's where we can sort of fall into sin. Um he will address this later on. Okay. He will talk to Paul who is the person who says this, right? For Paul, faith is um um um to believe without without evidence. Um yes, he'll talk about this later on. Yes. Okay. All right. Any more questions before we go on? Are you guys following along? Because it gets harder and harder. Okay. Yes. I have a quite innocent question. I just feel curious like why there's no need for logic in the heaven because it seems like in order maybe for communication in the world I think it's necessary to have it anywhere right because I mean if people don't do not use logic for their like daily conversation how could that be I mean in adding place can someone help help me answer this question Yeah. Uh, so you're in heaven. You're in spirit. Your body is not there. You don't need to move your uh teeth, move your meat crab to talk. You can just telepath it around. Yeah, I know. I mean I mean it doesn't means like you have to physically to make a sound of vibrant to like let others to receive your message. But I mean because like even if you're a spirit, you still have your answers, right? So, how could you guys like using the to make your counselors have the agreements even if you don't have you don't have to use the logic? Yeah, that's exa that's exactly the point. You you don't have to make people agree with you. You can just think about

33:12it and everyone will understand what they what you mean. Yes. Oh yeah. Because uh I think Bruce Lee used to say that don't think feel. So maybe I think Bruce Lee just like kind of philosopher, right? He just said just like maybe like Danting said, don't think, feel. Okay. All right. So, so, so let me answer your question, okay? Because this is a question that most high school students are going to have. Um, if you're in high school, logic does matter because you have to take tests. Okay? But that's the point of logic, to take tests and to pass tests and make the teacher give you a good grade. Okay? Logic system we develop in order to uh control the way you behave and think in our world. Okay. But our world is just a subset of the entire universe and quite honestly um there are many issues with logic. Okay. So for example um mathematics and science um really constrain your capacity to perceive the the world and this something that will become much more clear as you continue to read the black comedy. Okay. All right. Um but but but what Donnie will say is that logic are like chains chains. Okay. To keep you in a certain mindset. The imagination is like a bird that can float around everywhere. And so to truly understand God, to truly understand divine harmony, you have your mind has become almost like a bird and just fly around and follow your intuition. Okay. All right. Uh let's keep on going. While I was freed from my first doubt by these brief words, she smiled to me. I was yet caught in new perplexity. I

35:12said, "I was content already. After such great wonder, I rested." Great. Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry. Okay. All right. So, um, while I was freed from my first thought doubt by these brief words, she smiled to me. I was yet caught in new perplexibility. Okay. So, what is his first out? Am I really here? Okay. Yes. Okay. Yeah, he's not. Okay. Anyone else? What is his doubt? It's really I'm not Am I really here? He's not sure where he is. Right. Okay. And what Petus is telling him is that we are in a new universe that is beyond time and space. Okay. So, they're going to go visit the moon and Venus and the sun and Jupiter and Saturn. These are not our Jupiter or Saturn. Okay. Okay. These are metaphor metaphors. This is another universe. Okay. That's his first um doubt. Okay. But once you have this first doubt, what other questions might you have? Uh can I stay? Can I stay? Yeah. How does this realm work? Yeah. How did I get up there? Yeah. Like it's like this first thing like we're in a new universe. It raises all sorts of different questions. Okay. And so this is what makes Dante Dante's conception of the universe unique because heaven it is not

37:14perfection. It is not the end. It's just another journey. It's just another place for you to ask questions. Okay. Does that make sense? All right. So, um Yeah. Okay. Uh can can you keep on reading? Uh Carol? Sure. I said, "I was content already after such great wonder. I rested. But again, I wonder how my body rises past these lighter bodies." Okay. So, he's trying to figure out how this universe works, right? because they're flying throughout the cosmos and he's like why am I flying right he's completely confused by what's going on but but again what what's important to understand is like there is no time and space in this universe time and space has construct has been constructed for Donny's personal benefit so that he can ex he he can understand what's going on all right does that make sense keep on going at which after a sigh of pity. She settled her eyes on me with the same look a mother casts upon a raving child. And she began, "All things among themselves possess an order, and this order is the form that makes the universe like God. Here do the higher beings see the imprint of the internal work, which is the end to which the pattern I have mentioned tends." Within that order, every nature has its events according to a different station nearer or less near to its origin. Therefore, these natures move to different ports across the mighty sea of being, each given the impulse that will bear it on. This impulse carries fire to the moon. This is the motive force and mortal creatures. This binds the earth together, makes it one. Not only does

39:15the shaft shot from this bow strike creatures lacking intellect, but those who have intelligence and who can love. Okay. So, so what what you're saying here is like God created the universe in a certain structure. Okay? And God permeates the entire universe and touches all. Okay? And there is a logic, a reason or co coherence to the universe. What Dante's is going to do is try to figure out what this logic is. What is the organizing principle of the universe? Why has God constructed the world the way he has? Okay, keep on going. And even this is true even in heaven. Okay, so there's there's a hierarchy even in heaven. Keep on going. The providence that has arrayed all this forever quiet with its light that heaven in which the swiftest of the spheres revolves to there as toward a destined place we now are carried by the power of the bow that always aims its shaft at a glad mark. Yet it is true that even as a shape may often not accord with art's intent, since matter may be unresponsive, death, so from this course the creature strays at times because he has the power once impelled to swarm elsewhere. As lightning from a cloud is seen to fall, so does the first impulse. When man has been diverted by false pleasure, turn him toward earth. You should, if I am right, not feel more marvel at your climbing than you would, were you considering a stream that from a mountain's height falls to its face. It would be cause for wonder in you if no longer hindered you remained below as if on earth a living flame stood still. Then she again she again turned her gaze

41:17heavenward. Okay. So here she's trying to explain how the universe works, how it moves. Okay. Can someone in simple terms explain to me what she's saying here? Can you decipher interpret what she's saying here? Yes. Uh God assigned you a bunch of weights. If you're light, you go up. If you're heavy, you go down. If you're light and you're still down, then you should be worried. Incorrect. Yeah, good guess though. But that's not that's not that's not what she's saying at all. Uh what what what do you think the problem with this would be? Why would Dante take objection to this idea? You said that God assigns weights, right? Why would Donnie be angry about this idea? Uh, technically he's a human. However, right here he is like on the doorstep of heaven. So, how did he get there? Okay, so let's first try to unpack this idea. God assigns weights. Okay, and there are lots of Christians who do believe this. Okay. Um, this is something that John Calvin would argue, but Dante would find this really objectionable. He'd be very angry at this idea. Why exactly? It's unjust. Do you understand? Like, how can you justify giving someone a heavy weight and someone a light weight? Why would God do that? What's the rationale for that? And there's also a mention of natures and many forms of natures. So multiple standards, multiple perspectives. Exactly. Okay. So God shines everywhere. Okay. And God would never be judgmental. That goes against the nature of God. Okay. So God is not not is not judgmental. God is all forgiving, all generous. So that can't possibly be the

43:17answer that God has assigned weights. So what's what's another explanation? Yes. But if he didn't sideways and if he isn't judgmental then how are some people in heaven and some people are infernal? Yeah. Exactly right. That's what I'm asking you. Yes. Or is it we give ourselves the weights? Exactly. Can you explain that? Uh because we have obviously through this conception we have free will. So yeah if we if we obviously end up with the heavy weights it's because we've done the greater sin. What is God? Yes. Yes. Well, also what similar to what he said is just that we can't forgive ourselves. So, we're not able to like but we have we we could forgive ourselves but some people are sins so great that they're not in the they don't have the power to forgive themselves or they think they don't have the power. Good. Okay. All right. So, what is God doing? What does God what does God want? What is God doing? Bishious tell us explicitly what God is doing. What is God doing? What is God's action? What is God trying to do? Yes. So if the weights are the ones you put on yourselves, then God is trying to tell you to take them off yourself. Okay? So what Bishop is saying is that God is trying to draw you to him. You understand, right? He's he he he's he's like a tractor beam, right? He's he's locked you on. He's going to draw you to him. Okay, that's what God is trying to do. And like what are you doing? I imagine God is like a she he's like watching a movie, right? He's he's sitting back and watching everybody on their own free will, navigating and exploring their different perspectives, um their different uh uh views of of of of things. And as they kind of go towards him or away from him, is God watching you?

45:25Why would Dante say God is not watching you? Well, well, I think God just keep watching all of us. Yes. I think this kind of confession and uh if you think you're guilty, then you you you thought of God is there. For example, if you still do steal something and you think it's okay, nobody watch it. But your guilty is still there. So if your guilt is still there, it means that God is there. So maybe it is what I Yeah. What I thought. Yeah. Yes. Again, is it more our agency? Are we watching God rather than him watching us? Okay. Can you explain that? Um it's more like obviously when when we decide within ourselves that we want salvation or we want to not sin and do the right thing, we will look to God. It's not that he's sort of watching over us. So, so the the key is this. God is always welcoming you. Okay? God is always trying to draw you to him. But because of the law of free will or free choice, it's entirely your choice what to do. You could welcome God, embrace God, and then move towards uh the light, which is what Danti is doing. But you can also turn away from God um and do whatever you want. Okay? And this is how the universe works. And this is the basic pre premise that you have to work with. Like everything that you do is entirely because you choose to do it even though you may not think it's your choice. Okay? This is the fundamental law of the universe. It's all everything is free choice. So God doesn't is not going to watch you. God's going to welcome you, but it's entirely your choice whether or not to move towards God through your actions. Okay? For your desire and will. Does that make sense? Okay? And this is the premise that Beatric is going to elaborate on um and expand on as they move across the

47:28heaven to to let Donnie understand you do this means you choose to do it. And why would God give you free choice? And why is God doing this? Why is free choice, free will, the ultimate law of the universe? Why has God constructed the universe in such a way? Yes. because that way you are willingly uh loving him or like following he his rules or stuff so that you're not forced to enter heaven or forced to uh obey God's commands. Okay. Okay. Yes, that is true. But I'm saying like why does God give you free will? A very physics imagination of it. If if God is if you imagine God as energy and God energy tends to accumulate it tends to want more of it. So so as as you have free will all these agents having free will gravitate towards that source of energy that source of energy becomes larger. I don't know I think it makes sense but I'm not yes kind of cuz God doesn't have his own free will so he uses it through us. Uh God doesn't have free will. That that that doesn't make any sense. He's God, right? Like he he can't sin. Yes. I think it's exactly because God is omnipotent. He can do everything he wants, but he chooses to uh give the freedom of choice to people to see. But why? Just to see what people react as an experiment. Well, he's experimenting on us like like mice in in in a lab, right? Yes. Uh I think he wants humans to reach him. So he would need a way for people to not reach him to make a contrast for people uh making their journey like closer and closer to him. This sounds like an like like a mice experiment, right? You have this like

49:28maze and you want the mouse to come to you, right? Is that what God is doing? Yes. Maybe because God made men in his own image and he wanted men to have agency just like him. But why does God want men have agency? Yes. Uh because there's no good if there's no evil. Like like if if they are willing to do good there, there's actually good. Okay. So again, God wants to create good. So he has to create evil as well. It all sounds like an experiment, right? And you have you have to ask yourself, would God actually do any of this? Yes. But this is a bit of a radical opinion, but what if God just didn't create us? Then he's not God. No, like what if we're independent from him? Okay. Um, okay. But yes, yes, yes. Um, he doesn't want blind obedience from humanity because if we are all forced to believe him, then he wouldn't be God anymore. Okay. Uh, yes. Um, in the passage, uh, Dante writes, "Everything has an order." Right. That's right. So, you know, rocks fall downward, the fire burns upwards. So, it seems like those things don't really have free will, but as humans, we can stray from the path and like what whatever you write. So, so as humans like we can we don't we don't automatically have that order. Okay. No. Okay. So, we know this free will. Okay. We know what makes us distinctly human is our free will. But I'm saying why do we have this? Why did God give us this? Yes. Because God is actually within us. So, he wants to experience it. God is within us. So, he wants to experience free will. But God already has free

51:28will. God is God. God can do whatever he wants. But in the in the material world. In the material world, huh? Does God care? Yeah. You keep on keep on going. Well, I like to say rather than making an experiment, I would like to say the god will like play a role like much more like a judger because if people have the free will, they will do this stuff follow their true heart by their true meaning. So that means there will be no camouflage that can make someone feel uh confused. Then the gods can make the real judgment based on people's action and their true thoughts. Okay. All right. So guys, again, this is a problem because you're overthinking this. It's not that hard. If you were a child, okay, how do you know your parents truly love you? What is that one signal that your parents truly love you unconditionally? What is it? You can do whatever you want. Exactly. Free will. You understand? Well, h how about this kind of like the judge in law is called uh motivation. Not a judge. Okay. It's kind of motivation like maybe No, no, no. Okay. God is perfection. God is a creator, right? God and God to show he loves everything in the universe gives freedom to the universe. Free will. Does that make sense? Okay. And again, just think about your parents. Just think about how if you're a parent, how you treat your child. How do you know you truly your parents truly love you? Because your parents support you unconditionally. You understand? That's what God is. God loves you unconditionally. God would never ever ask you to do anything. God will not ask you to do good. God will

53:28not ask you to do evil. Okay? God will not ask you to aspire to him. Free will is the ultimate law of the universe because that is how God expresses his love to you. God exists to love you. Does that make sense? Uh well uh I don't I don't know but uh you know I'm also a father and I think my son I can't just give them unconditional love because if I think it is condition is you don't take responsible for him. For example, if he's not my son, he can do everything what he want. I don't care. But if he is my son, I have to tell him that. But I am my son. You have to listen. Okay. This is okay. I don't want to turn the debate. All we're trying to read the line comedy. We're trying to understand what Dante is saying here. Yes. I kind of uh hold the same opinion where it's like, yeah, I agree with the idea that if someone loves you, they will support you unconditionally. And if you want to do something, they will support that. But I don't think it's giving it's the same thing as free will because the free will is saying if I don't want to go to sleep, my parents just won't let me go to just let me stay up all night. And if I don't want to eat my vegetables, my parents let me eat candy. Like that doesn't seem like like uh uh them showing that they love me. So like I don't think that that free will necessarily is the same thing as you know being supportive no matter what. Yeah. And and there but like you you need to understand there are rules to the universe. Okay. For example, we don't have the power to like blow up the entire universe. Do you understand? There are limits to what we can do. God does set limits to us. Does that make sense? Okay. Uh yes. Maybe I want to maybe I want to pose a question at the very least. Um it seems like Eve ate the apple from the tree of

55:30the knowledge of good and evil. And prior to that, Adam and Eve didn't have knowledge of this good and evil, which perhaps would negate a bit of this free free will without understanding the dichotomy. And so perhaps you could say either humans took for themselves this free will or that they were deceived and they were forced upon them by the serpent or the devil or whoever you want to say and were forced this free will. Does that seem to fit at all here? Um okay. So yes, but the the fact that the tree existed in the garden in the first place already shows that God has given free will from the beginning. So he has like you know a recommendation I I recommend you not to eat this fruit but if you want it's there you know like so from the very beginning there is free will. It's not like humans seek free will got the fruit and then got free will but it's like it's there. Yeah. So, so I mean the we'll get to the garden, okay? But um there are like so many ways you you can understand what happened, okay? But like what Donnie will say is that um exactly that which is if if God didn't want us to um didn't want us the opportunity to exercise our free will, he would not have put the tree there in the first place. and he would not have said, "Hey, this that tree, don't touch it." Okay. I mean, yeah. Uh, did you have a comment? Yes. Oh, well, this is a bit of a meta narrative, but what what if God is perfection? God is everything good. God loves us. So, no matter what God does to us, that's a form of his love. If he gives us free will, that's his love. If he doesn't, that's his love. If he did, then we can only assume that he loves

57:30us. Okay. All right. So um let me clarify something okay this Dante is beyond time and space do you understand? So we cannot use our logic we cannot use our language to explain what's going on but Dante is trying to use our logic our language to explain to us what's going on. Okay. So this is not a literal explanation. Oh, God is this force that loves us. It's a metaphorical explanation that helps us understand our place in the universe. Does that make sense? If you want to really go into literal, then go study quantum mechanics, right? How the universe is entirely energy, vibrations, quantum fields. But but the question then for Donnie is like, what does this mean, right? If the universe is entirely energy, how does energy flow work? And what does this mean for us? And what Donn is trying to do is he's trying to explain to us what our place is metaphorically, poetically. Does that make sense? And the best way to understand God is that God is this force that loves us unconditionally and calls us back to him, which is what will enable us to be happy. But it's entirely our choice whether or not to go to him. He's trying to explain to us why we make certain choices that we do. Okay? Do you understand? So this is poetry. This is a metaphor. This is not quantum mechanics. Does it make sense guys? All right. Any more questions before we move on? Okay. So I'm trying to establish the major themes that we'll be exploring throughout the divine comedy. Okay. All right. Are we all clear? All right. Let's let's move on to count two, please.

59:41Yeah. Oh, you who are within your little bark, eager to listen, following behind my ship, that singing crosses to deep seas. Turn back to see your shores again. Do not attempt to sail the seas I sailed. You may by losing sight of me be left astray. Okay. So now he's talking directly to us the reader, right? He's the poet. He's talking to us the the the reader. Keep on going. The waves I take were never sailed before. Manurva breathes. Apollo pilots me. And the nine muses show to me the bear. Okay. So again, he's invoking all possible inspirations to help him through this process. Okay? And no one's ever been on this journey before. And quite honestly, no one else will be will ever go on this journey again. Okay? Keep on going. You other few who turned your minds and time unto the bread of angels which provides men here with life, but hungering for more, you may indeed commit your vessel to the deep salt sele keeping your course within my wake ahead of where waves smooth again. Those men of glory, those who crossed to culit where they saw Jason turn into a plowman were less amazed than you will be amazed. So again, he's referencing Greek mythology. Jason in the Argonauts. Okay, keep on going. The thirst that is innate and everlasting, thirst for the godly realm bore us away as swiftly as the heavens that you seek. Okay, so what he's saying is that our fundamental hunger, our fundamental need, our thirst is to return to God. Okay, and he feels God is close to him. So he is moving really uh quickly towards him. Beatrice gazed upward. I watched her,

61:43but in a span perhaps no longer than an arrow takes to strike, to fly, to leave the bow, I reached a place where I could see that something wonderful drew me. And she, from whom my need could not be hidden, turned to me. Her gladness matched her loveliness. Direct your mind to God in gratefulness, she said. He has brought us to the first star. Okay. So again um heaven is divided into a hierarchy. Okay. Different uh planes. The first plane is the moon. Okay. So they are on the moon right now. It seemed to me that we were covered by a brilliant solid dense and stainless cloud much like a diamond that the sun has struck. into itself the everlasting pearl received us. Just as water will accept a ray of light and yet remain intact. If I was body and on earth we cannot see how things material can share one's space. The case when body enters body, then should our longing be still more inflamed to see that essence in which we discern how God and human nature were made one? What we hold here by faith shall there be seen not demonstrated but directly known even as the first truth that man believed. I answered with the most devotion I can summon. I thank him who has brought me far from the mortal world. But now tell me what are the dark marks on this planet's body that there below on earth have made men tell the tale of Cain. Okay. So, they're on the moon. Okay. And D has a question which is why are there dark spots on the moon? Actually, uh, Carol, could you um can we just like Google the moon? Sure. Yeah. So, you guys have looked up the moon, right? They're like dark spots on the moon and

63:44and like you're like, "What are they doing there?" Right? Like you you guys see the moon, right? Explain. Does anyone know why there are dark spots on the moon? because there's craters from meteoroids. Yeah, that's the center explanation. Okay. Um the center explanation is that there are some craters and these craters have certain material that is not reflective. They absorb the light. Okay. All right. But Don is asking this question like my first question is where are the dark spots on the moon? Okay. He said he's in heaven and he's asking like why are there dark spots on the moon? Okay. So for him it's an scientific journey, right? Okay. Uh can we keep on going? Uh, Carol, she smiled somewhat and then she said, "If the opinion mortals hold falls into error when the census key cannot unlock the truth, you should not be struck by the arrows of amazement once you recognize that reason even when supported by the senses has short wings." Okay, so here she's saying, "Okay, reason, logic don't work in the universe." Okay, there is severe limitations to science, to logic, to reason. All right, and so now we're forced to use our intuition and our imagination. Okay, if you truly believe in science, it's going to only carry you so far. Okay, keep keep on going. uh cognitive wise imagination. Okay, that's a good question. Okay. All right. So, let's figure this out. Reason and imagination are not the same thing. Okay. Logic, intuition are not the same thing. Before I answer, does does anyone

65:44want to try? What's the difference? Have you guys thought about this? What's the difference between reason and imagination? I don't know. I'm going to try but I I might be very wrong. But I think that like logic is more like about ration while imagination can be like very rational like um yeah like it could for example um different people have like different Yes. Yeah. I would say logic is um the people in the past like what they experience and summarize and put it into a theory or you can say logic is when it's what people think when they are in a normal state of mind and when they go crazy or when they just something happened to their brain and they're thinking something else they that's they can be more imaginative this way probably yes I think to an extent uh logic and reason they try to explain the material world. But when we go into the realm of intuition and imagination, we can go beyond the constraints of m the material world and just like do whatever we want and kind of like it's like the human the human nature. We want to experience things that are greater than this world that we live in. So that's why sometimes we are drawn to poetry and writing and things like that. Okay. All right. Intuitively I think uh the difference between intuition and uh logic is that logic is uh you know it's like human being have a multiplex of uh ways of thinking or uh you know um experiencing the universe. But logic is uh the conscious human effort involving language and other uh you know centralized method to experience the universe. Whereas uh uh uh intuition is

67:44uh invoking the whole physical or mental capacity without even being conscious. Okay. All right. So this is harder. Okay. But I I need you guys to understand the difference between reason and imagination. Okay. Okay, the central difference is this. When you reason, what you're really doing is dividing things into categories. Does that make sense? In order for you to reason, you have to categorize something. For example, you're a girl, you're a boy, girl, boy. Okay? And then from that, once I have these categories, I can start to reason things out. Okay? But the but but the but the categorization is problematic because like by categorizing what I'm doing is I am reducing I'm subtracting I'm simplifying okay the imagination is different because the imagination is about symphysis it's about adding okay so you don't have this categorizing process you can take leaps okay you can build things on top of each other so that that's what B is saying here. If you try to categorize things, you're going to run into problems because categorization by itself is problematic. Does that make sense? Okay. You're try if you're trying to reason out why the moon has dark spots, right? You're like, the moon is a planet. Uh the planet Well, I mean, do you understand what's going on? Okay. You're trying to put things into categories and as a result, it's going to confuse you. All right. Yes. Is it also like if you use logic you can come up with many answers to one question but if you have intuition or imagination there is just one truth like your gut feeling. Yeah. Yeah. That's what Donn is going to say like intuition is probably your best guide. Okay. Uh any any more? Yes. Yeah. Maybe I think just like you know in ancient China people just don't believe in logic. They just believe in the for example likeing or we can call love or something. So you have to show your love to your mother. You have to

69:44show love to your master. You cannot ask keep asking the question why I show love. What you can give me in return. But reason is different. You have to get something in return like you know why I love you because I I I I need you, right? Why I need you? Because you can give me something that I need. Right? So I think maybe that is difference. Okay. So um so categorization is important because categorization allows you to better manipulate the material world. Okay, does that make sense guys? Once you're able to categorize things, you're also able to break things down to its uh uh basic elements and then manipulate them to create technology. Okay, does it make sense? But there's a limitation to this and the imagination is what carries you through to the um deep secrets of the universe. Okay. And that and that's what Beatus is saying here. Okay. You are looking at the moon from a logical rational perspective and that will not let you see the truth. Okay. The heart, the imagination will let you see the truth. Can can you can can you continue please? Sure. But tell me what you think of it yourself. And I what seems to us diverse up here is caused I think by matter dense and rare. Okay. Right. What's his explanation for this? It's a very simple explanation. Why are the dark spots dark spots on the moon? Matters dense and rare. What does he mean by this? Can can you explain please? Like like if you're just trying to figure this out logically, what's the most logical explanation why for why there are dark spots on the moon? Uh there are different materials or craters or asteroids. No, that's not the most logical

71:44explanation. What what's the most logical explanation? Dirt has different colors. No guys, why are there dark spots on the moon? Why is it that some parts reflect and some parts don't reflect? Why? Yeah. Uh it would be cuz like it creates depth and so the more far away the darker like same as a cave would be. Yeah. Right. Okay. So what we assume is that there are certain parts of the moon that are hollow. Does that make sense? like just from logic perspective like well there are parts of the moon that are hollow and that's so the light just passes through right and there's some parts of the moon that is pretty dense and so the light reflects back I'm just saying from a logical perspective when you use categorization right and analysis you get to this conclusion okay if something is hollow it does not reflect light if something is not hollow light bounces back okay we're just using logic here and that's what Don is saying. It doesn't make sense. Okay, keep keep on going. And she you certainly will see that your belief is deeply sunk in error if you listen carefully as I rebut it. What what is really interesting about the Divine Comedy is they're in heaven and they're having a sonic debate. Okay, they're having an argument about the nature of science. Keep on going. The eighth sphere offers many lights to you and you can tell that they in quality and size are stars with different visages. If rarity and density alone cause this, then all the stars would share one power distributed in lesser, greater or equal force. But different powers must be fruits of different formal principles. Were you correct? One only would be left, the

73:46rest destroyed and more. Okay, stop. Okay. All right. So, what she's saying here is okay, we are looking at the heavens and the different stars have different lighting. Okay. And she's saying like if we can just reduce everything to logic then this logic controls the universe and therefore the entire stars are lit by this logic. Okay. Um but she's going to tell us that can't be true. Okay. There's another force that's at work. Keep on going and more where rarity the cause of the dim spots you question. Then in part this planet would lack matter through and through. Or else as in a body lean and fat can alternate so would this planet alternate the pages in its volume. Okay. So what you're saying is this. Okay. If it is true that density is what determines light, then what you're saying is there are parts of the moon that are hollow or they have a deep cavity. Okay, does that make sense, guys? Okay, either possibility. Either there are parts of the moon that are hollow or there's a deep cavity inside the moon. So, the light just goes into it. Okay, only one of these two possibilities. And now what she's going to do is she's going to refute both of these arguments. Keep on going and more here. And more were rarity the cause of the dead question. I I'll just repeat it. And more were rarity the cause of the dim spots

75:46question than in part this planet would lack matter through and through. Or else as in a body lean and fat can can alternate so would this planet alternate the pages mid volume to validate the first case in the sun's eclipse the light would have to show through just as when it crosses matter that is slender. This is not so. Therefore we must consider the latter case. If I know that too, then your opinion surely is confuted. Okay. So, she's saying it is not possible for the moon to be hollow at any point. Why? It is not possible for the moon to be at hollow at any point. Why? Because Yes. Anyone? Eclipse. There's eclipse. Even the eclipse, right? You guys understand? Eclipse. Right? So it's not possible for the moon to be a hollow at any point. Otherwise, you wouldn't have a eclipse. Okay? Keep on going. If rarity does not run through and through the moon, then there must be a limit where thickness does not allow the light to pass. From there, the rays of sun would be thrown back. Just as from glass that hides lead at its back, a ray of colored light returns, reflected. Now you will say that where a ray has been reflected from a section farther back that ray will show itself to be more dim. Okay. So so wait that's that's the logical argument right? Well maybe the moon is not is not completely hollow but there are parts that are so deep the light just is trapped. Okay. Keep on going. Yeah. An experiment were you to try it could free you from your cabbble and the source of your arts core springs from experiment. Okay. What's she saying here? She's saying like if you don't believe me and I'm

77:46Beatrice, I am a representative of God. If you don't believe me, what should you do? Do it for yourself, man. You understand? You don't have to believe me. I am not forcing you to believe anything. You have the power to know the truth for yourself. Okay, do an experiment. Keep on going. Taking three mirrors, place a pair of them at equal distance from you, set the third midway between those two, but farther back. Then, turning toward them at your back, have placed a light that kindles those three mirrors and returns to you reflected by them all. Although the image in the farthest glass will be of lesser size there you will see that it must match the brightness of the rest. Okay. So do you guys do you guys understand the experiment? Okay. What I'm doing is I am putting mirrors in front of me. Okay. Maybe 10 ft away in front of me and I'm putting like a mirror 10,000 kilometers away and I'm shining a a light at both. Okay. Would the brightness differ between these two mirrors? Yes or no? No. It's the same brightness. Okay. That 10,000 kilometer mirror might be like you can't actually see it, but if you actually go there, it would just be as bright. Okay. And this is an experiment you you actually do at home. You don't have to believe me. You can just go home and try this experiment. No matter how far it is from you, it will still be as bright. Okay? Does that make sense? All right. So, it's not possible for the cavity theory to be true as well. So, through logic, for reason, she's able to refute your logic and reason as well. Okay. So, this is a science debate. You're on going. Now, just as the sub

79:48matter of the snow, beneath the blows of the warm rays, is stripped of both its former color and its cold, so is your mind left bare of error. I would offer now to you a new form, light so living that it trembles in your sight. Why is Beatatrice wasting everyone's time? Why is she doing this? Why not tell Dante, "Donnie, you're a moron." And here's the truth. Why is she engaging in this dialogue, this Socratic dialogue? What's the point of this? Yes. So, uh I'm thinking that Dante hasn't fully convinced himself that he is in heaven yet. So, his imagination is not solidified there. So, if he unconvinces himself that he's in heaven, then he will just fall away and he will wake up and he'll be back on earth. So Beatrice is trying to prevent that by convincing him and by solidifying his imagination in heaven. Do you think this conversation actually took place? Okay. So why is this conversation happening? I think this is Dant Dante the poet actually structuring it in such a way to demonstrate the kind of the difference between what what we mentioned earlier knowledge and imagination. Yes. Uh I think it's just for the reader to so the reader can like reason it out through like Dante Dante's experience in heaven. So like as a reader we use logic to understand Dante maybe. Okay. But I'm saying like why go through this very long process? Why not just tell us what's going on? Yes. I think it's just kind of the uh we can call it the emotional things or you know the point they don't just always

81:48think logically. They sometimes think just initiatively. It means we can call original thinking just like uh Elon Musk said original thinking is not the the one but zero. So did let me ask you this question. It's a really weird question. Okay. And we'll end the first session with this question. Okay. The question is this. Dante wrote this in 1321. Did he could he possibly imagine that in the year 2026 that we would be in Beijing on this day? It's a multicultural, multilangual group of group and that we would be discussing his divine comedy trying to figure out his intention. Could he imagine this in the year 1321? What do you think? It's pretty amazing, right? Like like he wrote this in Italy in the year 1321. He didn't even know where China was that then. Never experienced the world. Could he have imagined that in the year in 2026 that we would be together trying to figure out his intention? Could he have could could he have imagined that? Who says yes? Someone say yes just for fun. Yeah. Why I say yes? Because just like Shakespeare who says that uh maybe uh the things that we can be forgotten but worse will be remembered forever. So every writer want their own work can become masterpiece including tenting I suppose. Yeah. Yes. If what he writes is close to the truth and close to what is true, it will stand withstand the test of time. Right. So it's pretender 50 years from now, a thousand years from now, 2,000 years from now. Yeah. Okay. Good.

83:50Right. Um, anyone else like like could he have known that one day we'd be reading this and discussing this in Beijing in 2026? um know maybe when um he was on this journey he might have like seen this. So like that's why he after 20 years he was like very adamant that I'm going to be documenting this conversation and leaving this work in for example in vernacular so that more people are Do you think he actually had this conversation in heaven? Do you think any of this is actually true? Uh yes, I think uh I think to analyze this you need to strip the situation of his trappings. So you said we're here in Beijing and we're here this group of people specifically talking about it. Of course he could not have seen these trappings. These are material trappings. But uh if we delve down into the archetype of what we're doing which is discussing his work which is deriving knowledge deriving nourishment from it then this archetype is a constant across all ages and he could absolutely have foreseen that this was going to happen. Okay that's right. So 500 years from now, is it possible that another group of people will be watching this video and analyzing what we're discussing? Is Is that possible? What would make it possible? Why would they be doing this? Well, they'll be reading Dante. Dante. I'm not sure if they'll be watching the video, but how can you be sure they'll be reading Dante? Uh, yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Um, well, maybe because like Dante knew that his book would change the course of history or we would think in this room

85:50that this Did Dante know that? Well, not for certain. Oh, he did know that. Really? Yes, he did. Okay. He didn't know that when he wrote this. What happened to him after he finished the line comedy? Do you guys know he died? Right after he finished my com. He died. Yeah. He died. Yes. Well, I think uh these topics are eternal and that's what make us human. So even after maybe 5,000 years will somebody will still um learn from these topics and try to um learn from people that's um talk these topics before. Okay. Uh yes, you may need to turn on and upon that um and just say that people are going to forever have curiosity and uh seek questions about God and they will never be answered until we die and find out. Yeah. Okay. So, um I would just say that if you just look into your heart, you know what is eternal, what is true. Okay. If you know it that is eternal and what is true then you know that this will both extend into the future as well as extend back into the past. Okay. And this is something that you can't actually logically explain something that is just done through faith and intuition. Okay. All right. So we'll end the morning session on this note and then we'll come back at one o'clock. All right. Okay. All right. Thanks. Thanks. Okay, thank you.

89:34B hey sure. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. So sure. Sasha. Hey. Hey. Social. Sure. Yeah, son. Yeah, son.

93:02Keep the pain.

97:05Yeah, let's wait. I'm I'm pretty busy this week. Okay, let's wait. Yeah. Yeah. Well,

104:05Okay. Uh, welcome back to the live stream. Um, so, uh, for those of you watching online, please note that every day we start class promptly at 10 o'clock. Then we'll break at 12 for lunch. Uh and then we come back at 1:00 and we continue until 3:00. Okay. So the live stream is from 10 a.m. until 300 p.m. But please note there's an hour break in between um just so that we can rest and get some food to uh eat. Okay. So um again for the first day we're establishing themes and ideas that structure the divine harmony and then um after we do that then I'm I want to expand and give you questions and exercises that help you promote your intuition your your imagination because that's what's going to allow you to fully understand the divine comedy. Something that's really important for you guys to keep in mind is that right now uh I'm offering you my interpretation. Okay. Another caveat that's very important is that we are reading this in English. This is one of dozens of translations. So there's going to be problems in interpretation because we because we don't speak Italian. So if you really want to understand divine comedy, if you really want to experience daunting for yourself, you have to read aloud divine comedy in Italian as it was designed. Okay? And like it was it's a and like the thing that is um the thing I believe divine comedy is that it's an act of divine inspiration. meaning that Dante wrote this um by channeling God and the universe and only by reading aloud the Italian

106:05the Tuskin can you experience this for yourself. Okay? Because when you do so you will be channeling Dante himself. So um I hope that this class will only be the beginning of a j lifelong journey. Okay. I think it'll be a lifelong journey into truly experiencing uh Dante. Um another thing that I do in this class which may be a bit weird is I treat the divine comedy as perfection. Meaning that every word, every idea is perfect. And if we don't understand it, it's because of the limitations of our own intuition and imagination. Does that make sense? Okay. So if we're be a bit confused, it's not his fault, it's our fault. Um and uh I work under this assumption. All right. Okay. So let's continue from uh let's continue. Uh can you continue to read uh Carol and thanks so much for reading by the way. Thank you. Now, just as the subatter of the snow, beneath the blows of the warm rays, is stripped of both its former color and its cold, so is your mind left bare of error. I would offer now to you a new form, light so living that it trembles in your sight. Okay, so the idea here is if you truly want to understand something, you need to engage in debate, right? Because this is the year 1321 and the idea is just obey the Catholic Church just obey your priests and you'll understand. And what finally is saying no you have to engage in open debate psychotic debate if you truly want to understand. So as a teacher you have to allow your students to make errors. Okay. All right. Keep on going. Within the heaven of the godly peace revolves a body in whose power lies the being of all things that it

108:06unfolds. Okay. All right. So, this is really interesting and I I want to think about this. So, um the metaphor that's being used is body, right? The universe is a body. Okay. So, as an exercise, I want to think about what other metaphors we could use to describe the universe. Right? The metaphor that's being used here is body, but I want to explore other possibilities. What's some other possibilities for how to describe the universe? Anyone? Yes. A big ball. A big ball. Okay. A big ball. All right. That's interesting. What else? Yes. God. God itself. Okay. That's a possibility. What else? In Chinese mythology, they describe it as a turtle that's standing on top of an elephant that's standing on top of something else. I don't know how I don't know how how to describe that. Okay. turtle on top of an elephant. So, is it fair to say that there are multiple dimensions and they're all interlocking? Okay, so maybe um interlocking dimensions. Okay, this is new to me. You guys are far more creative than I am. Yes. What else? Press on the mic. Energy and vibration. Okay. Uh energy. Sure. What else? Yes. Uh the soul. H the soul. The soul. The soul. Okay. The soul. Okay. What else? Uh uh have have a cave. A cave. Okay. That's interesting. Okay. Again, you guys are far more crit than I

110:07am. I would not never come up with these on my own. Anyone else? Okay. How about garden? Okay. about a factory. Um, there's a TV show that describes the universe as a Jeremy Barmy. So, there's an I and then so like the word Jeremy Barmy because the word Jeremy and the J the J and the Y connect. So the idea is that the universe is a loop that goes in a Jeremy bar, but then there's a eye and if you accidentally end up on that eye, you're stuck forever. This is way too complicated for for me. Um, okay. All right. Okay. This is like beyond my intention. Okay. All right. My the point I'm trying to make is that depending on the metaphor, you will perceive the universe in a different way. Okay. So if you just say the energy is the universe is energy, it's basically complete chaos, right? chaos and renness. Um to say the soul, it's like a fractal, right? Basically, your soul is a universe and then it mirrors the entire universe. Okay. Uh a cave is basically just a simulation. Is that is that fair to say? A cave would be a simulation. It's not real. Okay. Um, a uh God would be um the mind of God. Okay. We're living in a dream basically. And a ball I I would not know how to describe a ball, but a ball I think would be what? Why would you say it's a ball? I should clarify. I mean like a crystal ball, like a little simulacum, and inside is everything. And you can shake it up and it'll change a little. So So it's still a simulation. No. No, not a sim simulation. It's a ball which contains energy which is more

112:07like a crucable a reactor. Yeah, I'm so confused. A reactor. Okay. Um Okay. So, a garden is something like God um as the gardener, right? Does that make sense? We're all just a flower in the garden. God's always taking care of us, right? Nurturing us, cultivating us. A factory is like a machine where there are certain laws to the universe and we're governed by these laws. Okay. So the B that even body is interesting because it is distinct from all other of these metaphors. Why would what does a body signify? Right? You have a body, you have a brain, you have arms. Why would that be a good metaphor for the universe? Uh yes. Uh like it would mean that we are like really part of the universe and that we can also reflect like upon ourself compared to the universe like what it is. Yes. Thank you. So we directly interact with it. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Uh just that the body is a metaphor for the universe as in as a human the body is all that there is. Everything is contained within. Okay. Yes. Um, in a body there are organs and they all have a purpose and they all work together. So everything is connected. So there's two things. One is everything is connected. Two is everything has a role. Good. Yes. A body can like receive ideas and then enact them. The brain, right? Yeah. Basically. And so what what's a brain? Ideas or the mind? Okay. Anyone else? Yes. Maybe at the back. Um maybe the body of Christ or something. Each has a role or like the head will be leadership and then the other parts hands and feet are like the actions. Yes. A body can die.

114:08Yeah. A body can die. Yeah. Okay. Um Yeah. All right. Yes. Maybe the cells because uh body has cells, right? Many many stars. Yes. Okay. Stars is like cells. I guess it's interesting that if if humans are the image of God and then he's taking this metaphor as the universe and he's creating a metaphor as the image of of humans as well. Right. Yes. Right. So the universe is a human as well. Yes. Anyone else? Okay. So some key ideas that we want to remember um that we can construe from body from the using body as metaphoric for universe is first of all interconnectedness right everything is interconnected together um the role meaning every part of the body is important right if you lose a finger if you lose a cell it's going to cause problems for you the last of is and this is really important is the idea of intentionality intentionality. A body cannot be random, right? Energy can be random. Um but a body there has to be some intentionality, a design to it. The the body has a purpose. It has direction, right? It's not just random chaos. So that's the idea uh inherent in the body metaphor. Okay. All right. Let's continue. That follows. Yeah. The sphere that follows where so much is shown to varied essences bestows that being to stars distinct and yet contained in it. The other spheres in ways diverse direct the diverse powers they possess so that these forces can bear fruit, attain their aims. So these

116:08organs of the universe proceed as you now see from stage to stage receiving from above and acting downward. Okay. So all these different spheres that we see in the heavens, they're like organs in a body, right? And what's really important to understand is that each organ has its own distinct role and purpose. If you lose an organ, that's a problem. Okay? So there's an intentionality uh and each spear has a certain purpose and it's all to a design. Okay? And I keep on going. And and by the way, we'll be visiting these spheres one by one. Okay? Keep on going. Um so do so do these organs of the universe proceed as you now see from stage to stage receiving from above and acting downward. Now do attend to how I pass by way of reason to the truth you want that then you may learn how to cross the ford alone. To cross the ford alone means to learn so that you can be fully independent. Right? You are in this class in order to be able to read divine comedy by yourself one day. Right? Keep on going. The force and motion of the holy spheres must be inspired by the blessed movers. Just as the smith imparts the hammer's art. And so from the deep mind that makes it wheel, the sphere at many lights adore and receives that stamp of which it then becomes the seal. So God is the brain and all the spears or different organs. Okay, keep on going. And as the soul within your dust is shared by different organs, each most suited to a different potency, so does that mind unfold and multiply its bounty through the varied heavens. Though that intellect itself revolves upon its

118:08unity. Okay. With the dear body that it quickens and with which as life in you, it too is bound. Each different powers forms a different compound because of the glad nature of its source. The power mingled with a sphere shines forth as gladness through the living pupil shine. From this and not from matter rare or dense derived the differences from light to light. This is the forming principle producing conforming with its worth the dark the bright. Okay. All right. So do you guys understand the point here? I know that in school you study evolution, you study physics and you believe that the universe is emergent, meaning there are some basic principles and then from this will emerge other things. Okay. And what Dante is saying is that's just a wrong way to understand the universe. There is intentionality. There is interconnectedness. And the reason why the moon shines differently from other spheres is that God manifests differently in different places. Okay? And it's all to a certain design and intention. And Beatric says you must understand this idea if we are to move on. Okay. So before we move on, are there any questions? Yes. How could like like why why could our understanding of the world as having evolved from basic principles not not co

120:08is there any answer to this? Does anyone want to respond to this idea? Why why is this in you're asking like why is this in contradiction, right? Okay. Well, I mean like there's a debate between evolution and intelligent design, right? Where the people who believe in evolution said it is not because of God, it's not because of intention, it's because of survival of the fittest, because of Darwinism. Right? And so what is the the the the question? Can you try to hide the use the handheld maybe? You have to turn it on. Yeah. So like why could not God not have designed Darwinism? God designed Darwinism and allow Darwinism to take its course because that's what God wants. Okay. So, um this is a different conception of God. Okay. So, there are you can say that God is an architect who designed the rules of the universe and no longer cares. Does that make sense? Because he's already designed the game and we just play the game and he doesn't really care what happens. What Dante is saying is like, no, God is still with us and God um shows his approval by shining his light in us. Does that make sense? All right. Okay. Do do you understand this idea? It's the difference between a game developer and a game game master who plays his own game. Uh it's it's it's a rough metaphor. Yes. But but yeah, the idea is that um in evolution, what they're saying is that the universe is independent of God. Does that make sense? Yeah. Okay. God doesn't interfere in the

122:08universe. What Peter is saying to Dante is like, "No, God is always present. We know because the spheres shine differently." Okay. All right. Any more questions before we move on? It's really important you guys make sure you understand otherwise you you get more and more confused as we go along. Yes. Uh so you you mean the god just like uh you know the sun or just like a mirror. So the god just shine upon all of us and we can reflect to god back. Right. So the metaphor that vicious us is the body. Right? So god is the brain. Okay. So we're always interfacing with with God. All right. Okay. All right. Let's continue to candle three, please. That sun which first had warmed my breast with love had now revealed to me, confuting, proving the gentle face of truth, its loveliness. And I Sorry, what is the sun? Apollo. But what else? God and what else? Inspiration. Okay. God, Apollo, and what else? Who's talking who who is he talking to? Beatatric. Beatatrice, right? So, how can we reconcile this? This is a paradox. Who who is he talking to? God or Polo or Beatatrice? This is a paradox. So, how can we reconcile this? Yeah. So I'm going to borrow from William I'm going to borrow from William Blake here. So William Blake has his god and he also has the gods emanations. You can consider emanations as representatives of the god. So beatress here is on behalf of Apollo on behalf of god uh in

124:08a more concrete form in order to show Dante. Exactly. Okay. Does that make sense to you guys? Okay. Well, ultimately the secret is that God is love. Okay? And love can take different manifestations. We can use different ways to describe this love. It can manifest itself as Apollo can itself as Beatric, but it's really the same force. Okay. All right. Okay. Let's keep on going. And I in order to declare myself corrected and convinced lifted my head as high as my confessional required. But a new vision showed itself to me. The grip in which it held me was so fast that I did not remember to confess. Just as returning through transparent, clean glass or through waters calm and crystalline so shallow that they scarcely can reflect, the mirrored image of our faces meets our pupils with no greater force than that a pearl has when displayed on a white forehead. so faint the many faces I saw keen to speak. Thus my mistake was contrary to that which led the man to love the fountain. As soon as I had noticed them, thinking that what I saw were merely mirroring, I turned around to see who they might be, and I saw nothing. And I let my sight turn back to meet the light of my dear guide, who, as she smiled, glowed in her holy eyes. There's no need to wonder if I smile, she said, because you reason like a child. Your steps do not yet rest upon the truth. Your mind misguides you into emptiness. What you are seeing are true substances placed here because their vows were not fulfilled. Okay. So, Dante is um in the spears and he sees people and he's completely confused by this because why why is this happening, right? Why is everyone not with God? Why

126:10are people separated from God? Okay. And Bus is saying um is trying to explain to him. Keep on going. You're okay. Thus speak and listen. Trust what they will say. The truthful light in which they find their peace will not allow their steps to turn astray. Then I turned to the shade that seemed most anxious to speak. And I began as would a man bewildered by desire too intense. Oh spirit born to goodness, you who feel beneath the rays of the eternal life, that sweetness which cannot be known unless it is experienced. It would be gracious of you to let me know your name and fate. At this, unhesitant with smiling eyes. Our charity will never lock its gates against just will. Our love is like the love that would have all its court be like itself. Within the world, I was a nun, a virgin. And if your mind attends and recollects, my greater beauty here will not conceal me. And you will recognize me as Picarda who placed here with the other blessed ones and blessed within the slowest of the spheres. Our sentiments which only serve the flame that is the pleasure of the Holy Ghost delight in their conforming to his order. And we are to be found within a sphere this low because we have neglected vows. So that in some respect we were deficient. Okay, so this is really interesting. Okay, so there's a hierarchy to the heavens and at the very bottom are those who are inconstant meaning those who have failed to fulfill their vows. Okay, so keep on going. And I to her within your wonderful

128:11semblance there's something divine that glows transforming the appearance you once showed. Therefore by recognizing you as Flo but what you now have told me is of health. I can identify you much more clearly. Okay. So Picard is actually someone that Dante the historical figure knew in real life. Okay. So throughout the divine comedy there are mythical myth mythical figures but there also people who were part of Dante's life. Now some background back background about Dante is that he was essentially an aristocrat in Florence who participated in uh politics. There was a there was many struggles for power in Florence and this was true for throughout Italy. Okay. And this power struggle is something that we will discuss as as we move along. Okay. But just remember, there's a power to struggle. Ricard is someone that Donnie knew in real life. Keep on going. But tell me, though you're happy here, do you desire a higher place in order to see more and to be still more close to him? Together with her fellow shade, she smiled at first. Then she replied to me with such gladness, like one who burns with love's first flame. Brother, the power of love appeases our will. Though we only long for what we have, we do not thirst for greater blessedness. Should we desire a higher sphere than ours, then our desires would be discordant with the will of him who has assigned us here. But you'll see no such discord in these spheres. To live in love is here necessity if you think on love's nature carefully. The essence of this blessed life consists in keeping to the boundaries of God's will through which our wills become one single will. So that as we are ranged from step to step throughout this kingdom all this kingdom wills that which will please the king whose will is rule and in his will there

130:14is our peace that sea to which all beings move. The beings he creates or nature makes such as his will. Okay. So Dante asked her a question. The question is clearly there's this hierarchy in heaven and you are in the outer sphere right you're the core is God. So do you desire as a person to move closer to God basically graduate right to move from the outer sphere to the inner sphere. What is her response? No. Why not? They said we are content here. Yeah. But why? Yes. Uh she is content because she has to be absolutely obedient to God and God says that you she has to be content here. So she has to be content. If she is not content then she would not even be worthy of this first sphere. Okay. Yeah. Does that make sense guys? Okay. That's exactly what she says. But what's a paradox here? What's a paradox here? Yeah. Her her free will couldn't get her higher, right? But she but she doesn't want to go higher. That's the thing though, right? Yeah. So then God's God's making the decision for her, though, right? That's right. And she accepts that that decision. But that's a paradox. Why? Uh it would place God as a judge. And we said that he wasn't putting persons into places, right? No, I but that's my interpretation. I'm saying like like within the structure there's a paradox. What's a paradox? There's a logical contradiction here. She says, "God has willed me to be here

132:17and it is my role, my duty to obey his will. Therefore, I'm happy where I am." But what's the problem with this with with this logic? Yes. Um, so I'm thinking say this is the first sphere and there's the second sphere and eventually someone will have to advance from the first sphere to the second sphere, right? And the second sphere is supposed to be better than the first sphere. So you'll be happier in the second sphere than you were in the first sphere. However, according to this logic, one could never advance. One could never change because if you want to advance to the second second sphere, then you are not even worthy of the first sphere. If you don't want to advance to the second sphere and God forced you to advance to the second sphere anyways, then you will be less happy in the second sphere than you were in the first sphere, which is not fitting with the second sphere. Yeah, it makes absolutely no sense. Do you understand the logic here, right? If if it if it was just a case where you just obey God's will and then everyone's in heaven, there would be no hierarchy in heaven. Why is there a hierarchy? Does that make sense? Okay. So, why is she stuck where she is? Why is she in the lower sphere? See me? Cuz she's contented. Yeah. Because she's happy where she is, right? She wants to be there. That's a problem. Okay. All right. All right. Do you guys understand this? All right. Okay. Let's let's keep on reading, Carol. Then it was clear to me how every place in heaven is in paradise. So grace does not reign equally from the high good. But just as when our hunger has been sated with one food, one food, we still long to taste the other. While thankful for the first, we crave the latter. So was I in my words and my gestures asking to learn from her what was the web of which her shuttle had not reached the end. A perfect life she said and her high merit and heaven up above a woman

134:20whose rule governs those who in your world would wear none's dress and veil. so that until their death they wake and sleep with that spouse who accepts all vows that love conforms unto his pleasure. Still young I fled the world to follow her and in her orders habit I enclosed myself and promised my life to her rule. Then men more used to malice than to good took me violently from my sweet cloister. God knows what after that my life became. This other radiance that shows itself to you at my right hand, a brightness kindled by all the light that fills our heaven. She has understood what I have said. She was a sister and from her head too by force the shadow of the sacred veil was taken. But though she had been turned back to the world against her will, against all honest practice, the veil upon her heart was never loosed. This is the splendor of the great Costanza who from the Suabians second gust and gendered the one who was their first, their third and final power. Okay, so explain what's going on. Okay, so Donna is asking her um why are you here? And she says, "Well, what happened was that um my brother is this very powerful duke and I fell in love with God and I wanted to serve God. So I followed um a woman into the nun." Okay. I became a nun, right? I made my vows to God. My brother, the Duke, needed me as a pawn for his power pal fix, right? He wanted to marry me off to to someone else to form an alliance. So he sent his soldiers to force me back to him and then he

136:21married me off. But even though I was married, even though I gave children, I never abandoned my love for God. In my heart, I maintain loyalty to God. So even though my body uh no longer was chased, my heart was chased. Okay? And it's not just me, but my friend here, same situation where she was also a nun and she was also stolen to be married off by her brother. Okay. And so it seems as though they've done nothing wrong yet at the same time they are in the lower sphere. Okay, which basically tells us God doesn't really approve of their actions. This is a paradox, right? They did everything right. They did nothing wrong. They were forced to get married. What did they do wrong? They didn't nothing, right? They didn't like have ambition. They didn't try to exercise their free will. Wait, wait, wait. How could they exercise their free free will? By refusing. Yeah, but there are soldiers with swords dragging her away. What could she have done? She could have tried to escape or killed herself. Okay. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah. Uh, she she couldn't she couldn't off herself because uh in Catholicism that's that's a sin. Exactly. Thank you. Yes. Yes. Okay. This is a really important constraint. Okay. So, in the Catholic religion at this time, the worst sin in the world is suicide. You understand? You kill someone that's not as bad as if you kill yourself. So, suicide is the worst sin. Okay.

138:21And why they made this a sin is it was very common for women who are who are raped to kill themselves. Why? Yeah. But but why kill yourself? No one would want to marry them. Right. But they were Christians. You understand? They were Christians. So they thought if I kill myself I just be go with Jesus. Oh right. And that's why the church has said no you can't kill yourself anymore. Okay. In fact Augustine wrote an entire essay on this saying like the worst sin is suicide. Much more much worse than rape. Because look at the end of the day they're ripping your body. They can't touch your soul right? So what matters is your soul. Your body doesn't matter. Your body belongs to this earth which is nothing but your soul belongs to God which is everything. Okay? So don't worry if you get raped. Don't worry if you get married. Doesn't matter. What matters is your faith. And what? So why is she in the lowest sphere? She did everything right. What's what's wrong with this? Yeah. Uh maybe God think that the body or the soul is what I gave to you. But if you just uh deny it, it means that you deny me. So maybe you need to be tortured. Okay, let's let's elaborate on on your idea here. Okay, I think you can't kill yourself, right? So, what do you do? So, you you should run away, but they'll just catch you, right? Cuz your brother fight back like a Disney princess. Like, you fight back. You fight back. Yes. Actually, I was going to say that. What about if she used the free will and she does fight back and dies honorably and then it's not really suicide? It's still suicide. But is Dante saying that in this case suicide is okay? Like is he going against Dant would never say suicide is okay?

140:22Okay. Yeah. But but but but again like like what's going on here? Is he is he trying to kind of criticize the the the Christian churches? No. Okay. No. He does. He Yeah. Could he be bringing randomness and luck into this at all? Does she she had a bad luck? Does Does Tony believe in in randomness and luck? Okay. Yes. So, uh this lowest sphere is for people who have broken their promises. When you enter a nony, you make a vow to be chance to be a virgin forever. And no matter how you did it, no matter who forced you to do this, you still broke that promise in the eyes of God. And so God will assign you where you need to go. I I understand this, but this morning we just said that God was all forgiving, all loving and non-judgmental. This is clearly judgmental. Clearly, she does nothing wrong. Why is she here? What's going on here, guys? Yeah. Forgive herself. So she confined herself to that sphere. Yeah. Well, that that is true. She she she did say that I belong here and I'm happy here. Right. But the question is like how did she end up here? That's a question, right? What did she do wrong? She clearly did something wrong. What was it? Okay. So, I'm going to write down a phrase. Okay? And you guys have all heard this phrase before, but you tell me what it means. Where there is a will, there is a way. There is a way. What does it mean? Like how Rapunzel was stuck in the tower, she escaped. So, if she had a

142:24will, she if she had a will to escape, she could have escaped. And even if she died, she would have been she would have died honorably in trying to exercise her free will. Okay. Anyone else? I I don't understand how this works. Where there's a will, there is a way. What does this mean? Okay. Yeah. You really want to escape and you escape. But but how does that work? Yeah. Well, you like manifest a way or like you imagine a way in your mind out out of it and then some in some way the universe will give you a way to get there. Exactly. Okay. Could could you repeat that? This is exactly this is exactly it. Okay. Okay. Make sure everyone understands this idea. Say it again. Well, the if you like can imagine the will that you want, then you the the universe will be able to showcase a way for you and then you will be able to walk it. Does that make sense to you guys? Okay, let let me explain the process. First of all is the will you really really want it. Okay, when that happens is you don't know how an idea will come into your mind. You will imagine a way and then what will happen is that this manifestation, this imagination, the universe will respond and shape reality in a way that allows you to manifest your will. Does that make sense, guys? Okay. So, the problem is that she did not want it enough. You understand? It isn't that she broke a will. It says she was not faithful enough. If you really wanted to escape, then an idea would have come into your mind to show you the way and then you just go do it and the universe bends reality in a way that allows you to escape.

144:26Okay? But the key is the will, right? And what this is saying is like you can do everything you anything you want. The universe will grant it to you. The question is do you really really want it or not? And clearly she did not. And how do we know she does she wanted? She's here. Oh yeah, sure. She's she's here. What else? It happened to her anyways. She No, but what's her problem right now? She doesn't want to go anywhere else. Do you understand? That's the problem. Oh, it's not that she's here. It's like she doesn't want to go beyond this point. She's like, I'm perfectly happy here, man. I've been to heaven. I'm awesome. You know, like I've been to Yale. I'm the worst student at Yale, but I'm happy being the worst student at Yale. Like that. That's like literally what she's saying. Okay. Right. All right. Any more questions? You guys, you guys, this is a really important idea if you want to understand Dante. Okay, you are always in communication with the universe, right? It's only a question of like how focused, how intentional, how much will do you have in achieving what you want. All right. So, if you don't get Yeah. I I just want to add that like um that's what like free will is about like free will is not just being able to do what to what you want but like being able to will what you want. Exactly. It's all it's more about the will than like the the action. Yeah, that's exactly correct. Yes. Yes. Have like n chase will to power idea or is it different? Okay, let's just say for whatever reason

146:26you want to become king, right? And what's the question? Is dentist's idea about will kind of the same as Nietche's idea about will to power like Yes. Yes. It's very similar. Yes. Is it it reminds me of a concept we learned in psychology where it's called self-efficacy. It was brought up by Bora. The idea is that um like the number one reason why you're able to accomplish something is you believing in yourself that you can accomplish that thing. Exactly. Right. And it's the word we we it's it's like we the popular phrase is manifestation. You understand? You manifest it. Okay. Meaning you imagine it but you're able to imagine it because you will it into being, right? Which which is Nichi's point. Okay. And I mean like it's really important to understand that um what they're all saying is that there's really no good and evil in the universe. There's just will. Okay? And so it's entirely your choice how to live it. And and I know this sounds a bit weird, but um we'll try to unpack it as we go along. Okay. This this idea here. Okay. Uh, you also had had a had a comment or a question. Yeah. I just wanted to clarify. Did she like not want to escape bad enough or did she not want to ascend to the next sphere bad enough? Okay. All right. So, so, so, so let's go deeper into this. Okay. You're Picarda. Okay. You're in a convent. You're happy in the convent. Soldiers come to you. Okay. Let's try to imagine her state of mind. What what is she thinking? What what are some of the emotions going through her mind? What what is she thinking right now? She's in the convent. There's like an army like outside the convent demanding that she go with them, right? And they're they're like mean. They have like swords. They they're they're really mean people. And like quite honestly, they could come and

148:27kill everyone in the convent, right? What is she thinking right now? What's her thought process? like she's um really in despair because obviously as like one woman she um cannot face off this group of people. Fear and despair, right? Yeah. And then maybe like she will pray to God because like hopefully God will save her, but maybe it wasn't like strong enough. And and and what will God Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. And what will God say to this? You're you're you're afraid. You're in a spirit. You pray to God. Please save me. Please save me. Please save me. So what's wrong with that? Yeah. Well, um I just wanted to say that God just needs your trust. So if you trust God and you love God enough, then you wouldn't fear death and you wouldn't be afraid of the soldiers. Yeah. That's the problem. The fear is a problem. You understand? The fact that you fear means you don't really truly believe in God. It truly it doesn't it tells uh God you don't really really want to be saved. Okay? It's that fear. You understand? Yeah. Okay. So, that's why she's stuck where she is because she's afraid. It's not like she's happy, but she's afraid of the unknown. She's afraid of that leap of faith that you have to put into God. That's her limitation. Yeah. Can I ask a follow-up question? So, is it still possible for her to change in heaven? like maybe develop like a will to advance or Of course it is. What's the problem? Oh, so um at first I thought like what she did as a human like to find like where she will go in like heaven and uh no it doesn't. Oh okay. Yeah. But but what's the problem with her? Um like she doesn't want to advance. Exactly. Do you understand? Okay. Okay. Okay. And and why and why why doesn't she want to

150:27um what's the reason why she doesn't want to she's like content or like No, it's not because she's content. It's because But why does she have a will she's afraid? Do you understand? It's a fear. You understand? Oh, okay. Okay. Right. It's a fear. And the fear that she's she just scared that like she cannot advance or Yeah. She's afraid of disappointment. She's afraid of failure. Oh, okay. Okay. Right. So, she's stuck saying, "Okay, well, God just wants me here, so I'm just going to stay here." Yeah. It's a weak pretext. It's a rationale. So, it's like comforting yourself when you got like a bad grade or something, right? It's Yeah. It's a very human reaction. We do this all the time, right? Yeah. Yeah. We We said we're happy, you know, being the worst student at Yale, but you're not. Okay. Okay. Yeah, I get it. Thank you. All right. Any more questions or comments? Yeah. Oh, yeah. So, uh I just want to know the difference between worship and believe. For example, I believe in God, but it doesn't mean that I worship God because I think worship is a higher much higher belief than does God care if you worship him or not? Does God care if you worship him or not? Does God care if you're a Christian or not? And also like it doesn't matter. Do you understand? What matters are your actions, right? What matters if it's your actions that define who you are, right? If you are Picarda and you're like, if you like, okay, let's let's use your imagination. There's a army surrounding the convent. Okay? The army says, "You come out now or come in and we'll kill everyone in the convent." Okay? And Picarda is fearless and she has total faith in God. What could she have done to get herself out of the situation?

152:31Guys, use your use your imagination. What could she have done? Imagine yourself as Paka. You're in a comment. Yeah. Maybe like I would actually do it, but I will probably pretend to suicide or whatever. Like if you guys dare to come in, I'll just kill myself. Yeah. Do you understand this? You just stand on top of the roof and says, "Okay, guys, you come in the door. I'll jump jump down. Right. If you're the army, what's your job again? What's your job as the army? To get her safely to the Exactly. Right. And so what would the army do? Try to go up to the castle and like bring her down. No, they wouldn't. They'd be afraid, right? Cuz where are they now? No, no, no. I'm saying where are they? What what what building or is in front of them? God. God is in front of them. You understand? Who do you think has taken possession of Picarda right now? If you see a woman, okay, who's like a princess and she's standing on top of a roof and says, "Hey guys, you come in, I'll jump I'll jump down." Who do you think you're fighting now? God. You're fighting God now. Okay. And so they're going to run away, right? They go back to the Duke and says, "Hey, man. Uh, your sister's crazy." What's the duke going to do? Marry another woman. Well, he'll probably come himself. Okay. And now he's outside the nunnery and she's doing the same thing again, right? You come in and jump down the the roof. What's she What's he going to do? try to persuade her but fail maybe. And then what's he what's what's he going to do then? Go away. He has to go home now. You understand? Cuz like you can't deal with this crap, right? But but you see what's happened. Just

154:31the will like Yeah. Like uh this this is actually a question directed at something you said earlier. So you said earlier that your actions define where where where you are on this celestial ladder. However, uh spoilers but but like in pugator are the good pagans. So the good pagans who did not believe in God but did good deeds. So if your deeds define who you who you are then why are the good pagans stuck there? Um, okay. We have not read complete the divine comedy. What you'll find is that even though Catholic Church says that your Christian identity determines if you go to heaven or hell, D doesn't believe this. Okay. Right. Does that make sense? Yeah. As you keep on reading, you'll find that there are pagans who are in heaven. Okay. So, they're just not good though. Yeah. All right. Yeah. um about the like the imaginative situation that um when she that she says that she's going to like part of the the castle, what if the soldiers just think that she's lying and then like and or if she says that but she doesn't really believe it, would they still like come and get her or would they be convinced by her? Well, imagine if you were a soldier, what what would you be thinking? She's bluffing. You mean she's bluffing? Yeah, she could be bluffing. And and and are you going to take the chance? No. You're not going to take a chance. Do you understand? Okay. Because I mean like Okay. I mean, you have to like imagine yourself in that situation. Okay. You're the soldier. Ricard is doing this crap on you, right? You have to think God has taken possession of her and and they are in a

156:33nunnery. Do you understand? Okay. So the human reaction would be like I need to get out of here man. This is not a good situation for me. Right? Because if I go back and I tell the Duke, uh, your sister's crazy and she won't come home. What what will the Duke do? Off with your head. Um, well, I think it's the problem with their livelihoods because maybe they're paid by the Duke and then like if they aren't paid that they wouldn't be able to feed like their families back home, I think. Okay. Well, imagine two situation. The first situation is you go back to the toen says your sister's crazy and uh we have to like come back. Second situation is like we thought your sister was bluffing so we storm the nunnery and she jumped off the roof. Now she's dead. Yeah, the first one's better. The first one is probably better for you. Okay. It's a lot better for you, right? Okay. So again, I'm not saying uh this is what's going to happen. I'm I'm saying like if you have the will, there's always going to be a way. And that's something that Dante is trying to portray here. Okay. All right. Okay. Uh let's keep on reading. This said, she then began to sing a Maria and while singing vanished as a weighty thing will vanish in deep water. My sight, which followed her as long as it was able to once she was out of view, returned to where its greater longing lay, and it was wholly bent on Beatatric. But she then struck my eyes with so much brightness that I at first could not withstand her for. And that made me delay my question. So, um, Dante has met Ricardo and now he

158:34wants to ask a question. What is his question? We just spent the last hour talking about it. What question does Dante really really want to ask furist now? What did she do wrong? Right? Like I don't understand this at all. She did nothing wrong. Okay. All right. Uh let's continue to two count four. Before a man bid into one of two foods equally removed and tempting, he would die of hunger if his choice were free. So would a lamb stand motionless between the cravings of two savage bulls. In fear of both, so would a dog between two deer. Thus I need neither blame nor praise myself when both my doubts compelled me equally. What kept me silent was necessity. So Donnie is very confused. So confused that he's in fear. Okay, he has anxiety over this. Again the question is what did wrong here? He's really confused by this. Keep on going. I did not speak, but in my face were seen longing and questioning more ardent than if spoken words had made me made them evident. Then Beatatrice did just as Daniel did when he appeased Nebuchadnezzar's Netzer's anger, the rage that made the king unjustly fierce. She said, "I see how both desires draw you so that your anxiousness to know is self-tangled and cannot express itself. Your reason, if my will to good persists, why should the violence of others cause the measure of my merit to be less?" Okay, so they understand this. Okay,

160:36what' she do wrong? She was forced to leave the convent. She had no choice in the matter. So why is she stuck in the lowest sphere? Okay, keep on going. And you're also led to doubt because the doctrine Plato taught with fine support by souls appearing to return to the star. These are the questions that within your will press equally for answers. Therefore, I shall treat the most insidious question first. Neither the serif closest unto God, nor Moses, Samuel, nor either John, whichever one you will, nor Mary, has, I say, their place in any other heaven than that which houses those souls you just saw. Nor will their blessedness last any longer. But all those souls graze the imperion, and in each of them has gentle life, though some sense the eternal spirit more, some less. They showed themselves to you here not because this is their sphere but as a sign for you that in the imperion their place is lowest. Okay. So this is a really important idea to keep in mind. Okay. This is a metaphorical represent representation of the heavens. In the actual heavens there is no time and space. So there is no hierarchy. Okay. But there are certain souls that um are not as worthy as other souls and so they are now visually depicted in the low in the lower spheres. Okay. So this is just an optical illusion in order to for us to better understand what's going on. Keep on going. Such signs are suited to your mind since from the sense only can it apprehend what then becomes fit for the intellect. Okay. So again, there's no time and space here, right? So only by adding in time and space can we truly understand what's going on. I'm going

162:37and this is why the Bible condescends to human powers assigning feet and hands to God, but meaning something else instead. and Gabriel and Michael and the angel who heals the eyes of Tobit are portrayed by holy church with human visages. That which to said in reasoning of souls does not describe what you have seen since it would seem that as he speaks you think. He says the soul returns to that same star from which so he believes it had been taken when nature sent that soul as form to body. Okay. All right. So um so the idea here is that we all come from the soul world. Okay. And in the soul world uh we come with a purpose and after we die we go back to the same place that we come from. But then this raises the question then is what is the point of life then? Right? If you're going to end up in the same place you started out with who cares what you do here? Right. Uh yes. Did did you have a comment or question? Yeah. Well, through like life on earth on earth, you can learn and have experiences and then they can shape you and maybe like make you more enlightened and um help. Yeah, but you still end up in the same place. But that well well you could change, right? Like you can change your your opinion by yourself. You will basically on this on this world. But back in the old world, the real world, the world of the heavens, you're still stuck where you are. But this is what Timis is saying. Okay. Not not what Donnie is saying. Don D would obviously say that no, you can't actually ascend. Yeah. Uh so I would say that's a very materialist view of life. So we're going to die anyways. So why not have fun? Like if you're stuck if you're stuck there, then all you have is every day you can sing, I guess. But here you can drink, you can drink beer,

164:39you can have a wife, you could you could do a lot of things and it's the fund that matters. Why not, you know, like because you can't, as you say, you can't get drunk and throw up there. So do it here, man. Right. What? What? And like, you know, have lots and lots of sex, man, and go kill someone just for fun, right? What's stopping you? Okay. All right. I'm not saying go do these things. I'm just saying like, you know, but anyway, keep going. But his opinion is perhaps to be taken in other guys than his words speak, intending something not to be derided. If to these fears he wanted to attribute honor and blame for what they influence, perhaps this error reaches something true. This principle ill understood misled almost all of the world once so that hove and mercury and Mars gave names to stars. The other doubt that agitates you is less poisonous for its insidiousness is not such as to lead you far from me. To mortal eyes our injustice seems unjust. That this is so should serve as evidence for faith, not heresies depravity. but that your intellect may penetrate more carefully into your other query. I shall, as you desire, explain it clearly. If violence means that the one who suffers has not embedded forces in any way, then there's no excuse these souls can claim. For will, if it resists, is never spent, but acts as nature acts when fire ascends, though force a thousand times tries to compel. Okay. So here it she's explaining exactly what we discussed. Okay. As long as you have the will, it becomes like a fire ascending and there's no force in on our planet that can stop our will. You understand? Same idea here where if you really want it, you're going to imagine

166:41uh a solution that's a fire ascending and then the universe will will bend itself to accommodate you. Okay. Keep on going. So that when will has yielded much or little, it has abetted force as these souls did. They could have fled back to their holy shelter. Okay. So yeah, that's it. Okay. The reason why these soldiers were able to arrest you and take you back is you let them do it. You agreed to it. Don't say you were forced to do it. Okay? You could have run away. You you have done a lot of things. Okay, keep on going. Had there well been as whole as that which held Lauren Fasta the great and that which made of Mucus one who judged his own hand, then once freed they would have willed to find the faith from which they had been dragged. But it is all too seldom that a will is so intact. Okay. All right. So, Mousius is a great story. Have you guys ever heard the story of Mousius? All right. So what happened was um that the Romans were a small republic and they were surrounded by this huge empire. They were under siege and they were starving. So one young nobleman Mousius and he's like 20 years old. He he suggests that he goes and assassinate the king. Okay. So he gets permission from the father from the uh Roman elders, the senators. He swims across the tyber, sneaks into the enemy camp, and he's trying to assassinate the king. The problem is that it's payday. And so there are two people on stage, the king and the secretary. They both look alike. They dress alike. Okay. And so Mus is like, "I don't know who's the king, right? I have one dagger. I'm gonna leave and I'm going to kill someone, but I might miss

168:43and you know it's 50/50. Okay. What would you do in that in that situation? What would you do? Hm. No. Well, you can't, right? Do you understand? If you kill one, the soldiers have to come and arrest you, right? So, what do you do? What would you do? Seriously? Uh maybe I would like have to kill one of them. I don't care who is real. I just queue because I queue at and it means my will is there. So yeah, so most people would just go home or or like just wait. Okay. But Mousius is like screw this. I'm going to take a chance. Okay. So he kills one and it's of course it's the secretary. So now he's arrested and the king says to him, "You see that fire over there? This fire is burning. Okay, it's a bonfire. And if you don't tell me exactly who you work for and how many compatriots you have and what your plan is, I'm going to burn you in that bonfire. Okay. You either confess and tell me everything. I'm going to burn you alive. So what does Mousius do? Yeah. I think he like stuck his hand in the fire and said that he's not afraid. Yeah, that's what he does. Okay. He just put his hand in the fire and it's burning. Okay. And while this is happening, he's laughing. The king is like, "You Romans are such crazy bastards that I'm going to go run away now." Okay. And so this probably not a true story. Um, but it shows you the power of the will. Whereas as long as you believe, as long as you are willing to act, the universe will bend itself to um your will. Okay, this is very different from the idea of strategy, right? Or you know, let's be really really clever. Okay, this is something very different.

170:45It's a different power. All right. Okay, keep on going. And through these words, if you have grasped their bent, you can eliminate the argument that would have troubled you again and often. But now another obstacle obstructs your sight. You cannot overcome it by yourself. It is too worrying to try. I've set it in your mind as something certain that souls in blessedness can never lie since they are always near the primal truth. But from Picarda, you were also able to hear how Constance kept her love of the veil. And here Picarda seems to contradict me. Before this, brother, it has often happened that to flee to flee menace, men unwillingly did what should not be done. So did Elkman. To meet the wishes of his father, kill his mother not to fail in filial piety. He acted ruthlessly. Okay. All right. So often in life when we make decisions we often contradict principles. Okay. So for example this man uh als um his father ordered him to kill his mother. Obviously murder is wrong but you also have to respect your father right? This disobeying your father is wrong. Murdering your your mother is wrong. What do you do? Okay often in life we have these moral dilemmas and keep on going. At that point, I would have you see the forces to which one yielded mingles with one's will, and no excuse can pardon their joint act. Absolute will does not concur in wrong, but the contingent will through fear that its resistance might bring greater harm consents. Therefore, Picarda means the absolute will will when he she speaks and I the relative so that the two of us have spoken truth. Okay. All right. So this is a really important idea we need to unpack. Okay, there's a difference between absolute

172:45will and relative will, contingent will. What's the difference? Yes. So absolute will is I will love God no matter what. And teaching will is I will love God. And then someone tells you if you love God, I'll kill you. And so you say, okay, okay, I don't I don't Um okay any other theories? I'd say they come from different places. Absolute will comes from imagination. It comes from your own story. Whereas relative will comes from reasoning logic you know comparing outcomes. Okay. Any other explanations? Absent will contingent will what is the difference? the same as absolute morality and relative morality. What's the difference between these two things? So I don't know like absolutely that no matter what it's going to happen but contingent it's kind of like because I don't want more harm to be done kind of like what the book silence is about where the priest the Catholic priests in order to protect the Japanese believers said that they are going to not be priests and take wives. Okay. Um, we'll go to you then you. Okay. Yeah. Um, I would say contingent will is um constrained by reality and absolute will is like it's always there like absolute will is God basically the will of God. And so how can we describe these beings more simplistically? Absolute will is what? Condition will is what? Can I answer? Yeah. H can I answer? Yeah. Um so contingent will well it will be the ind individual human and the absolute will be by God this place in us.

174:47And what is our connection to the God? How do we connect to God through through love? Okay. Yes. Yeah. Um so like I would say that absolute will is active. It is the will that finds the way. It creates its own condition for it is unstoppable. Contingent will operates within the confines of the material. It reacts to what is put before it in order to follow itself. But right. So both both you and you are right. Okay. But I'm saying attitude together. What do you get? Like like very simplistically, what is the difference? Uh yeah. Did you have a comment or question? Um yeah, but it's not not related. I think um absolute will would be faith and then um contingent will would be belief and one needs justification, the other doesn't. Okay. Yeah. Uh absolute will is when you're aligned with God and contingent when you're not. Okay. But but but how can we say this very simplistically? I'm going to give it a go try. So maybe absolute will is like perfect and then like um contingent will is imperfect. So it will if you don't like exercise it well it will be like faulty and lead to like bad things. Okay. All right. So AB like like let's put this very simple. Okay. After wills a soul, right? The soul is always in connection with the god. Contingent will the body. the the body needs to respond to the material universe, the material world. So the m the contingent will can be afraid. So what Patric is saying is that when Ricardo was acting, her absolute will was still true to God, but her contingent will um defy God. Okay, does that make sense? Okay, but but why would this be a

176:49problem? Yeah, I have a question. Do these two will can they coexist at the same time? Absolute will and contingent will. Okay, so um Dante is putting this very simplistically. Okay, what he's saying is that there are two wills. The absolute will, your soul, the contingent will your body responds to uh worldly problems. But um you can think of the will existing in infinite dimensions. Does that make sense? Infinite dimensions. So, there's infinite wills and um Yeah. And what what are you trying to do as a person? You're trying to create harmony across these infinite dimensions of wills. Okay. You're trying to align the absolute will with a contingent will. And why would you want to do that? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Maybe it's just like uh I remember Bruce Le said try to be combined to harmony. So maybe in China maybe most people just just left to keep balance. They don't like to choose the two extreme whether you're a spiritual thing or whether you're a material thing. They just Yeah, I understand that. Yes. Keep on going. Uh yes. Well, if you align all contingent wills and create absolute will, you create godhood or you become God, right? No, no. You're not trying to become God. You're trying to be you're trying to be closer to God. Do you understand? There's a difference. But like if you can like all the wills of the people if you can like um make them objective then that would be being like God. So through doing that through power like no that's not what Dante would say. Some some other people would say that but not but not Dante. Okay. All right. So um the idea here is there are different expressions manifestations of your will.

178:49Okay, there's the absolute will which is always in connection with God and then there's a contingent will which is your choices on this world. And what we're trying to do is we're trying to harmonize these two wills in order to become closer to God in order to make the right decisions. Okay. So her car in her instance her absolute will was loyal to God but her contingent will uh surrender to fear. Okay. And that's what her problem was. Does that make sense guys? Any questions before we move on? Yeah. Um so how can we combine these two wheels together like better? Uh any response to this? How do you combine these two together? Well, maybe uh because white people just feel scared about death because they don't know where they're going to go, right? But if we know where we're going to go, there must be some kind of universe in that place. Maybe they don't need to scare about it. The fears is come from unknown. But if we know something, then we don't think the fear problem. So historically there have been two solutions. Okay. Okay, the first solution is knowledge nosis to like just continue to read Dante, explore and just discover the secrets of the universe. And once you have the knowledge, you lose fear, right? Because why do you why are you afraid of death? Because you're afraid because you're afraid that if you die, you'll just be nothing. But if you actually know the secrets of the universe, you recognize that death is just a release or it's just a beginning of something else. So you lose that fear. Okay. So knowledge is one possibility. But another possibility is the idea of love. Okay. To just love someone so intensely that you give yourself to that person and you lose

180:50your fear. And when you love someone unconditionally, what happens is the absolute will and the contingent will combine together because all your actions are dictated by your uh love for that person. This is what Dante will will tell us later on. Hey, does that make sense? Knowledge or love. Okay. All right. Uh, can you continue to read, please? Such was the rippling of the holy stream issuing from the fountain from which springs all truth. It set to rest both of my longings. Then I said, "Oh beloved of the first lover, oh you divine, whose speech so floods and warms me that I feel more and more life. However deep my gratefulness it cannot match your grace with grace enough. But he who sees and can may he grant recompense. I now see well. We cannot satisfy our mind unless it is enlightened by the truth beyond whose boundary no truth lies. Mind reaching that truth rests within it as a beast within its layer. Mind can attain that truth. If not, all our all our desires were vain. Therefore, our our doubting blossoms like a chute out from the root of truth. This natural urge spurs us toward the peak from height to height. Lady, my knowing why we doubt invites sustains my reverence asking you about another truth that is obscure to me. I want to know if in your eyes one can amend for unkempt vows with other acts. Good works your balance will not find too scant. Then Beatatrice looked at me with eyes so full of sparks of love, eyes so divine that my own force of sight was overcome, took flight, and eyes downcast I almost lost my senses. Okay. So, um this is very much a student

182:53teacher relationship, right? Where Beatus is the teacher and Dante is a student. And as the teacher, what Beatrice really wants is for the student to ask questions, to doubt, to challenge because only through this process can a student achieve full understanding. Okay. So um why is Beatric excited about the question that Dante asked. Okay, so we've had this long discussion about Picarda, right? We now know what she did wrong and we now know why she is in a lower sphere. But then Dante asked this question and he asked this question and the question is so she screwed up. Okay, she um was taken by the soldiers from the nunnery. So she that showed a lack of will. But is it possible for her to redeem herself by committing acts of charity so wonderful that it redeems her from her lack of will. Does that make sense, guys? Like so she she become she's a non uh she's taking away and now she becomes a queen and she's like you know what I want to be the best queen in the world I'm going to give all my wealth to all the poor people in the world. That makes sense right? What do you guys think? Would that work? Except that wouldn't solve the core problem of her still being fearful of failure, right? Fearful of transcending. Okay. Can can you explain some more, please? The reason why Picardia was was was not able to transcend get to the next level was because she was fearful at the core

184:53in life in her journey. She she's still going to get back to that same situation where she'll have to choose, right, between a rock and a hard place, right? So then if she doesn't have the will to to to transcend that then um you know you you're still not the next like you're still not in the next sphere. Okay. Okay. So that's logically correct. Yes. Okay. But but but let's go deeper. Yes. Yeah. So I was thinking that she could not be redeemed by this because um essentially she is doing all these like acts of charity uh for like the result of her redeeming herself. So she's not being genuine about these like acts of kindness. And I don't think that that's able to redeem her. Yeah. But who cares? She's still helping a poor. Yeah. But then that act would not be like totally good because it would be for like a selfish purpose. Like if that makes sense. I I understand that makes sense. But I'm I'm trying to logically understand what's going on. So I mean she breaks her vow then she goes and like helps a billion people live happier lives, right? She's a great queen. Wouldn't that redeem her in the eyes of God? Yes, but like No, actually would not. The answer is it would not redeem her in the eyes of God. But I'm I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. So, I guess like my answer to that would be like she is pushing herself to do all of these things because she still is worried that like God is not going to like forgive her and then that she's going to end in like a bad circle in heaven. So, she is still worried. So, like she's still not like acting upon that will. Okay. I I don't understand because she just helped a billion people live happier lives and it's coming from a place of anxiety and fear. She's afraid that God will punish her. But the

186:53results are good. So, who cares? Quality over quantity in this case. Can you can you explain what this means? the the the fundamental nature of her soul or of her being of her existence in her own eyes. There's always going to be that as she progresses until she overcomes this fear of failure. She can help a billion a trillion she going to get back to that same spot. You're going to have to choose and you're going to have to choose to overcome your fears. Okay. Yes. The way you're posing the question sounds very consequentialist with ethics like we we're caring about the outcome but this would have been in in a time of like arisatilian virtue ethics and so we would be caring far more about the four virtues than than the outcome. Okay. But but I I I understand this. I understand this is a different time, but I'm saying like um in the grand scheme of things, if this person Barta is helping a billion people live happier lives, who cares what her motivation is? Who cares why she's doing any of this? Right? I'm saying I'm saying this not in any cont. I'm just saying like generally speaking, the general principle. Yeah. Um, it's the it's the Constantine argument all over again. So, if you watch the movie Constantine, so Constantine uh did some bad things and then he tried to save himself by doing a lot of good things. In his case, it was exercising demons. And he got really mad when God and his angels kept telling him that, "Oh, you're going to go to hell anyways." And he asked the angel, "Why can't I go to heaven?" And angel was like, "Oh, it's because none of the things you did was selfless." You see, Ricarda helped all of these people live better lives. But these people literally have nothing to do with her own soul. Like when God God is not judgmental.

188:53When God looks at you, let's say when he looks at you, he he does not see your deeds, he sees your salvation through your spirit. And in this case, she has not attained salvation through her spirit. She has tried to use good deeds to make make up for this, but she has not attained this. Yeah, that that is correct. Yes, that is closer to what I want. Yes. Anyone else? Yes. Yeah. But I think this make me have question because I just want to know the difference between a demon and a god because demon also said that I mean to be God. So demons the demons there are no demons. There's only God. Oh, there only God. Right. So, so therefore I think the god is out to give you something for not only return but the crane maybe just try to make a deal with you or maybe just you know sign a track contract or what? Okay. Okay, guys. All right. Okay. All right. Um so we could be here like all day. Okay. But but let me explain what the idea here is to understand what's going on. I need to explain to you Emo Kant's categorical imperative. Okay. The categorical imperative by Emanuel Kant and there are three principles to the categorical imperative which is the highest moral law in the universe. Okay. The rule of life that allows you to be closer to God. The categorical imperative. Okay. So the first idea is um you are a reflection of the universe. So just imagine that whatever you do the entire universe will do. If you laugh the universe laughs with you. If you are angry the universe is angry with you. Okay. So imagine that you are just a fractal or reflection of the entire universe and whatever you do the entire universe will do as well. Okay. Now we understand

190:56why whatever Pakora does doesn't redeem her because her act of fear, her act of uh incontinence, of going with the soldiers and not keeping her vows, it changes the nature of the universe. And that doesn't really matter if she made a billion people richer. Doesn't it doesn't matter, okay? The universe is poorer because of her fear of her lack of faith. That's number one. Number two is free will. Everything you do, you do because it is your choice. So back to the original point which is like you know you're like I have to go help if I go help a billion people then I should be able to go to heaven, right? Or Constantine says well I killed a lot of demons so therefore I should go to heaven. That's not the way it works. Okay? Everything you do has to become because of free will. And the last is humans are the ultimate end. Okay? You cannot say, okay, to save a billion people, I need to kill that one person. That goes against the category imperative. I know it sounds stupid. Wait a minute. I I kill one person, I save a billion people. You can't do that. Okay? That's not how the universe works. Every soul is precious to God. Every soul is unique to God. Therefore, you cannot kill another soul in order to advance a greater good. Okay? God would never ever ask you to kill someone else in order to achieve a higher good. So this is the cate category imperative. And the categorical imperative is really a way for us to understand the morality of Dante's cosmology of his universe. Okay, does that make sense? That's why there's no way for Picarda to redeem herself in the eyes of God.

192:56All right. So this raises an interesting question. What can Para Pardo do to redeem herself then according to the categorical imperative according to Dante? How Well, if she becomes queen and she saves a billion people, that doesn't work. So, what can she do? She can run away and go back to the non-inary. Yes, that is a possibility. Yes. Uh maybe just sharing as much love as she can to her like children's. That's no different from making film people happier, right? Yeah. But it would be more like personal and like connected to the soul, I guess. Like uh cuz also giving money to people isn't really about love uh in a way. Yeah. Yeah. But but but why is she being but why is she loving her children so much? Why why is she so nice to her children? Then it goes back to the Constantine problem, right? It's the same thing where Kim was doing a lot of good by killing these demons and God says we don't care. Same thing where you know if Ricarda has 10 kids and they all love her and she loves him back, God's not going to care either. The same situation, right? So I'm saying like what can she do to redeem herself in the eyes of God? Uh yes then you well if there's no way then there's no free will right so there has to be a way yes repent how I'm just asking this question how can you repent yes if there's free will then her like her will should be able to change so like instead of wanting to be closer to God thus being in anunnery she change her free will. She changed her will.

194:58How? I don't understand. Like her will is now I will be a good king and a good mother, a queen and a good mother. We just said that. We just said that doesn't work. But that was because she was coming from a place of fear if she comes from a place of will. Right. And so, okay. So, now what's happening is that her contingent will is now harmonizing with her absolute will, which forces her to do what? Yes. So this is this this is like prosperity gospel. Okay, this is really stupid. This is really entitled. But what if uh Ricarda just stops begging begging God to like oh God please notice me. What if Ricarda goes okay I am worthy of this now? Is she begging God for anything? Yeah. Well, the solutions that we just proposed, like doing all these good deeds, that's a roundabout way of begging to be honest. But is she doing she doing any of these things? Is she doing any of these things? Yeah, she isn't. No, she isn't. What What What is she feeling right now? Like, what's she feeling right now? She's in heaven. How does she feel? Content. She's pretty content. Okay. So, so this is all hypothetical. I'm saying if she really wanted to redeem herself in the eyes of God, what would she do? Maybe she can increase her will, but I do want to ascend into like a closer space to God. Exactly. Okay, that that's it. Okay. Do you understand? If all she's like the way she redeems herself is saying, I'm not happy being the dumbest kid at Yale. I want to be like second dumbest kid at you or something. Okay? Anything. Who cares? But that would make her redeem redeem herself in the eyes of God because now she's exercising more will. When you do that, you're showing your faith, love, and trust in God. That's what God wants. None of this crap like, "Okay, I'll donate a billion dollars to charity, okay? Or I'll be really nice to

197:01my kids." He God doesn't want that crap. God wants you to love yourself. Okay? So in other words, who really put her in the lowest sphere? It's herself. Do you understand? It's all free will. It's all free choice. Wherever you are in the universe, it's because you choose to be there. Does that make sense? No one put you there. Okay? When says, "God put me here and I'm thankful to God," she is insulting God. Okay? Because God would never do that to you. God would never make you the dumbest kid at Yale. All right? If you choose to do that. Am I talking too much about Yale? That's fine. Yeah. It makes it more alive, right? Sorry about that. All right. Okay. Um All right. So, let's go on. Okay. All right. If in the fire of love I seem to flame beyond the measure visible on earth, so that I overcome your visions forth, you need not wonder, I'm so because of my for perfected vision. As I grasp the good, so I approach the good in act. Indeed, I see that in your intellect now shines the neverending light. Once seen, that light alone and always kindles love. And if a lesser thing aure your love, it is a vestige of that light which though imperfectly gleams through that lesser thing. You wish to know if through a righteous act one can repair a promise unfulfilled so that the soul and God are reconciled. Though Beatress

199:01began this kanto and as one who does not interrupt her speech so did her holy reasoning proceed. The greatest gift the magnan magnanimity of God as he created gave the gift most suited to his goodness gift that he most prizes was the freedom of the will. Okay guys do you guys see this? Okay she's saying because God loves us he gives us free will. That is his greatest gift to us. Okay, that's how we know he loves us. I'm going those beings that have intellect, all these and none but these received and do receive this gift. Thus you may draw as consequence the high worth of a vow when what is pledged with your consent and counters God's consent. For when a path is drawn between a man and God, then through fe free will, a man gives up what I have called his treasure, his free will. What then can be a fitting compensation to use again what you had offered would mean seeking to do good with ill god gain. But now you understand the major point. But since the holy church gives dispensations, which seems in contrast with the truth I stated, you need to sit at table somewhat longer. The food that you have taken was tough food. It still needs help if you're to digest it. Open your mind to what I shall disclose and hold it fast within you. He who hears but does not hold what he has heard learns nothing. Okay, stop. Okay. All right. So, let's try to figure this out. Okay. So D asked this question for Carta um did wrong um but is there a way to to compensate for what she did? What is Beatric's answer? What is the logic here?

201:01Just summarize for me what she's saying. The logic is this, right? God loves us and God's greatest gift to us is to give us free will. So, we can do whatever we want. Okay. And what does what does Picard do with this free will? Free choice. Doesn't do anything. Uh, excuse me. away her own free will. She she promised her free will to God so that the two are now bounded together. Okay. So what's happened is that God gave Picarda free will and then Picarda gave her free will to God so that so that now they are eternally married. Right? They're eternally married. You can't divorce. You cannot betray the person. Okay. So what Carter did was not was not just not keep a vow. She betrayed God. Right? That is what Peter is saying. This is pretty extreme. Do you guys are you guys okay with with this kind of argument? So her mistake was promising her free will to God. Um so yes and what and and so like do you think do you think it's been harsh you think? Uh no. Yeah. I think this is a pretty slippery

203:03slope to slide on. I I think it's is it's a it's a slope. It's it's it's a it's a logical issue. So, you're taking something that's pretty small and you're blowing it up out of context. Like everything can stand for something like his uh Ricardo's vows to God can stand for God himself. And if they can stand for God himself, then he betray then she betray God and becomes bigger and bigger. And that's a problem. Okay. Let Let's use an analogy. Okay, let's just say that um a man and wife got married. Okay, it's a marriage. The wife betrays the husband or some affair. How could the wife redeem herself in the eyes of the husband? Yeah. Well, actually this is very sensitive because uh uh I think the a loving fair is kind of third wheel, right? So if there's third will then I think the wife should make apologize. So the god will forgive the people who make apologize. Okay. Okay. Okay. So your wife cheats on you and she apologizes and you're like fine, I forgive you. Are you really going to forgive her? Uh physically, yes. Mentally, no. What can she do to redeem herself in your eyes? If you're the husband and she cheats on you, there's no way. I don't think there is. I don't know. Okay. Right. I mean, if No. Okay. Like, let's switch this. Okay. You're you're the wife and the husband cheats on you. What could he do to redeem your redeem himself in your eyes?

205:03What? Oh, out of battery. Yeah. Okay. Uh yeah, there there's another one over here. Yes. So I I wasn't going to say that he can't redeem himself. I was going to say that uh he can only be redeemed when I decide that he is redeemed. Like he has no choice in the matter. I decide whether or not he's redeemed. Why? I I go ahead. I I think a better way of framing it is uh whoever that cheats, right? The wife or the husband in this case, if the husband cheats, right? How would the husband be able to redeem himself in the eye of himself aso in his own journey right as opposed to relative to because there's a judgment right if the wife needs to judge whether the husband is redeemed that's rel so in the eyes of the husband himself who cheated how do you get back to that place before you cheated right so I think uh I guess the only solution is similar like you break the cycle if you find yourself in a cheating situation again if you decide not to cheat I think That's Oh, no. You already cheated. Or you pretend that you didn't cheat. Well, I think that's how it works, man. Well, in your next marriage. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. So, maybe I want to reiterate what she was thinking because um humans aren't God. And so, wait, what? What? Humans aren't God. Yeah, that's right. They're not God. And so, but but this is a this is a judgment that that the wife is dealing with the cheater and she's trying to regain trust. But God doesn't have this issue of of trust or judgement. I understand. I understand. So I'm saying like can you give me the concrete thing you can do to redeem yourself? Well, you'd change your character and then you would gain trust by that change

207:03character. So someone who cheats at 18, maybe they don't cheat at 40. So it just takes time and regain trust. But but but but how can you regain trust? By not cheating in the future. I mean, by being a different person, you can't go back in time and not and unche, right? So, all you're going to do is is find yourself like he's saying and like she's saying, you're just not going to do it. You're going to be a different What's the problem with cheating? C can we first explain why? Look, okay, so you have this random one night affair. Who cares? Why what does it matter? Yeah, sure. I think the you know just like Clinton used to say I just have a se I don't have sex relationship with with the the girl but he said I I have have sex so a relationship maybe is is kind of thing is more than three times for sex that is relationship that is evil because that is for once I think it's a mistake it's okay to learn mistake it can't be understand Ah yeah very yes uh I think the the only way would be if the party who sort of committed the sin did the cheating the other partner can see that they feel genuinely uh bad for what they did cuz you can cheat and not really care or just serve I understand I understand all this but I'm saying like okay first let's establish what cheating does why is cheating a bad thing like who cares yes because you have broken a vow of covenant And that you have to redeem or paid in blood. What vow? So if they are married then it's the vow that they made before God. They're going to be man and wife till death do them part. And and how did they make this vow? In front of God. And and what do they how did they make this vow? Um at a ceremony. At a ceremony. And what did they do? They spoke it out loud. They spoke it. They signed it. They spoke it aloud.

209:04Yeah. Okay. Do you understand? Mhm. All right. So there's now this bond. Yeah. Right. Yes. So when you cheat, what you're doing is you're have broken it. You're breaking this bond. That's a problem. Yeah. It's a huge thing, especially in a covenant, right? Because covenant basically means if you break it, you have to die or pay the price. I shall be like the animal that got cut in half. That's the initial covenant that was in the Bible. That's right. So what you've done is you've changed the nature of the relationship from one based on trust. Yeah. To one now that is one of suspicion. Yeah. Right. Hey, that's a problem. The sex is not the issue. The affair is not the issue. The the trust is the issue. Yes. So I this is why being with God is better than being with your boyfriend or girlfriend because your boyfriend or girlfriend cannot read your mind. Like you can you could try to convince them. You can kneel on a keyboard and you can tell them I've changed. I promise. But they can choose to not believe you. But the good thing with God is that he can see all of you. If you bear yourself to him, then he can see all of who you are, all of who you have become. And if you have truly moved on, if you have truly become a better person, then he would know it. Okay, let me ask you this question. Okay, let's imagine your husband and she your wife once. Okay, what are you most likely to do next? Come on, guys. You'll do it again. And then what? You'll do it again. And then what? You do it again. Do you understand? So you bring that vow not only changes your relationship with your wife, it changes also who you are, your understanding of yourself, right? Doesn't make sense. That's why bring a vow is that serious. It's not like, okay, well, I got drunk and I did something stupid. No, no, no, no. It's you've just changed your understanding of yourself. We we can also say you change how God perceives

211:06you. You like, well, God doesn't really care if I cheat, so I'll do it again. Do you understand? Okay. So, what this is what Donn is saying. These are very serious things. If you make a vow before God and before people, you're making a contract with yourself. And if you break this contract, you'll probably keep on doing it because it's changed the nature of your soul. Right? And there is no redemption for this. There's nothing you can do to repair this. Does that make sense? Okay. All right. Your answer, your question you kept asking us is, "What can we do now?" And your answer seems to be nothing. But what's the problem? What's the problem with this? Why is this so serious? Everything else is like, well, you know, if you just want to change, you'll change. But but this is really serious. Why? You broken your your vow to God essentially. That's right. And so what what what should you not do then? So I understand that. So you're just saying once you've broken your vow, then then you might as well lay down and die and go to hell. Go to inferno. No, no, no, no, no. The point here is that you have free will. Sure, you can do whatever you want. Do not make a vow to God unless you're willing to die for it. Sure. Right. Does that make sense? There are things you must take seriously. If you can just speak out anything you want well no consequence, then this universe has no meaning by itself. So that was your answer. Die. Okay. So let's think about this. Okay. You've broken your vow to God, right?

213:06And now you are in the lower sphere of heaven. What can you do now? I don't I don't think we've come to an answer. Renew the vow. Okay. Okay. All right. All right. So, so let's be precise about this. Okay. We we have another 10 minutes. Okay. And and and we'll we let let's really really try to unpack this. Okay. So, you made this vow to God or to your wife. Okay? And again, don't make vows unless you're really serious about it. Okay? Guys, don't make vows unless you can keep them. All right? No one's going to make you do these vows. If you're going to make these vows, you better keep them. All right? But then for whatever reason, you have broken the vow. All right? Now, what I want to do is look into your psychology. Okay? How do you explain the fact that you broke this vow? What did Picarda do? Helplessness. I couldn't do anything about it. Exactly. Right. Like, like, yeah, I my wife, but you know, I got drunk and she raped me, so it wasn't really my choice. Okay. So, so you say I'm helpless. Then what happens? Pure psychology. All right. All right. So, I want to be precise. Okay. This is really important. We're trying to understand the mind comedy. You do something that breaks

215:07your vows. This causes you to feel helpless because you don't want to take responsibility. Right? Then what happens? Uh the it's kind of like what Eve did, shifting the blame to the serpent and be like, "It's him that tempts me. It's not me that wants to do this." And that's what Adam did too. essentially human. Yeah, it's the same thing. But I'm saying what happens to you psychologically, right? When you blame someone else, you lose agency. You lose agency. And then what happens? Become passive. You mean you become passive? Yeah. And can you ever change? Yeah. Then you won't be able to change. Okay. That's exactly what happened for Carter, right? She made a vow to God. Very, very serious. Okay? The most serious thing you can do in your life is make a vow to God. Nothing else beats this. Okay? That's number one. Number two is she's not able to keep this vow because she lacks the will. She's afraid. It's her fault. She shifts the blame and responsibility to her brother. And then she just imagine herself as forever lacking agency. This makes her passive and it makes her accept whatever comes her way. So that when she ends up in the lowest spirits of the heaven, she's like, I'm happy here. Even though she's probably not happy there. You understand? Okay. So it's not that we can't be redeemed. It's just like we dig a hole and we bury ourselves in it so that it's impossible to redeem ourselves. Okay, does that make sense guys? Okay, but this but this does not answer the question, right? What can be done?

217:08Yeah, I think on the topic of agency, first she has to take back agency. We've already discussed that. But she can't she cannot take back agency. Why? Because her now entire worldview is based on her lack of agency. Do you understand? Yeah. She has to explain to herself why she didn't resist. The answer is she had no agency. and her and so she's like we but God doesn't give us agency. God demands our obedience. You understand? Yeah. But but so with her worldview it's impossible for her to exercise agency because agency is the finance of God. Then change her worldview. But you cannot change your worldview because it's your worldview. It's like telling a computer change your software programming knowledge. knowledge like uh if we want AI to change their worldview, if we want AI to change their views, then we feed them a lot of that kind of knowledge and the AI changes his views or she can just go take DMT. Excuse me. She can just go take a DMT and take what she's already in heaven, man. That doesn't look good in heaven. Uh yes. Did Did you uh claim so wanting to be closer to God? I guess like repent and move on or the whole lamb of God wash away the sin and then move on. I don't know who is the most important person who has ever lived. Jesus. Right. Why is he important? Why is he so consequential? Why do you have two billion people believe in Jesus? Why?

219:12What does that mean? He can bring us salvation, right? Okay. So, does it make sense? Jesus is so consequential because he provides a solution to an impossible problem which is how do you redeem yourself? Right? Because often you're in trouble because you think you deserve your fate and for someone to come along and says that I forgive you unconditionally. I redeem you unconditionally. That's that's the most powerful idea in the universe. Okay. So, so I know it's not satisfactory, but one possible solution is for someone else to forgive you. Oh, because you can't forgive yourself, right? So, what you're basically saying is that she has to wait for someone else to save her. And who would forgive her? Jesus. And who is Jesus? Yeah. God, right? And will God forgive you? Yeah. Yeah. If you turn towards God, God will always forgive you. So, it's a question of faith. Do you understand? Like, as long as you have the right faith, you can always change for the better because you know that God will always forgive you. Okay? So, that's the solution. All right? The solution is to turn towards God because you will never find the solution in yourself. It's impossible because your worldview, right? You just come to to the idea that no, I'm helpless. I must obey God and God wants me just to be here for the rest rest of my life for all eternity. Okay. All right. Does that make sense, guys? Yeah. Any more

221:14questions? Yes. Yeah. So I think what he has said just reminded me of the memory in which there is Christianity uh the believer who said that don't always try to be like a king. If you want to be king then if you do something wrong then you have it's very harder to to forgive yourself. But if if you just you know let go to to to to sit uh on your on your seat royal seat then you can you can be forgiven. Yeah. So this is something that's really hard for us to appreciate. But our actions change our character. You understand? If you commit sin, it's not like, oh, you feel really bad and like you won't do it again. No, it's like once you commit sin, you begin to rationalize the sin and you do more of it. Okay? And then the sin eventually consumes you and that's how you end up in hell. Hell does not exist outside of us. Hell is a mental construct. It's a way for us to explain away our actions. Okay. Does that make sense? Yes. So, hell is not taking responsibility and not forgiving yourself. Uh, hell is not forgiving yourself. Yes. Exactly. That's what hell literally is, not forgiving yourself. And we'll see that when we actually go back and visit the inferno. Okay. All right. But it's important that we first start off with uh paradise so we understand the cosmology. Okay. Uh any more questions, guys? Okay. So, so that's it for the first day. We have another couple minutes. So, um let me talk about how you can make the most out of your experience today. Okay. So the first thing I will say is you guys need to go back and review what we just read today. Okay? Trust me, if you do this, you're going to have a lot more insight into Dante. Okay? So we've

223:17had this this amazing full day discussion. We've read a lot uh thanks to to Carol. Um but go back and review for yourself, read for yourself the first four contos and make sure you understand everything. Okay? You know something you don't understand? Come tomorrow with questions. All right. Just make sure you review today. Come tomorrow with questions. All right. So, we'll spend the first part of of tomorrow morning just answering any questions you have about uh Dante. All right. Make sure you understand everything. If there's a reference you don't understand like who is Glock, who is Daphne, go make sure you understand the stuff. Okay? Just read read up on it. Um, and the third thing I will say is always trust your intuition and your imagination. If it feels right to you, it's probably right. If it feels wrong to you, it's probably wrong. Okay? So, if it feels wrong to you, say it. Be honest. Challenge me, direct me, okay? Be like, think about Beatric and Dante, right? They're in heaven and what do they do? They argue. They debate. They question each other. Okay. Excuse me. Such a great married relationship. Uh, yes. Okay. Uh, yes. Um, no. Yeah, that that's exactly right. Okay. All right. So, so that's that but like the but like how teachers and D interact with each other. I hope that this can also be like that. Okay. Our classroom can also be one of constant questioning debate um open and honest dialogue. All right. Okay guys. So that's great. That's it for today. I will see everyone tomorrow. We start at 10 o'clock. Okay. Okay.