Predictive History - The Story of "Civilization", "Secret History", "Game Theory" and more - Dante #1: Paradise Cantos 1-5

Episode Date: August 22, 2026

<p>Watch on YouTube: https://link-to-youtube.s.gy/dante01</p><p>In this Monday, June 15, 2026 livestream, Professor Jiang explains the Divine Comedy Paradise Cantos 1-5.</p>

Okay, good morning. We are live in Beijing. Welcome to our very first YouTube live stream. First, I would thank Carol of the Yale Beijing Center. She and her team have put them together. And this has been a fantastic two weeks with Carol and her team. So thanks so much, Carol, for putting this together. I would also like to thank everyone who is in the room today. 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 for you. Dante is the greatest writer of all time.

And third, I would thank everyone who is participating in a live stream around the world. We are having someone monitor the chat. 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 caro and maybe introduce your beautiful center thank you thank you john so hello and welcome my name is carroll lay rapperny I am a Yale college alumna and Jan's classmate. Yep. For those...

We, we decide each other at Yale. That's right. For those new to Yale Center Beijing, Yale Center Beijing since 2014 is Yale University's first university-wide center outside of its campus and a place for intellectual dialogue the exchange of ideas.

Through workshops such as today's, to seek to advance Yale University's mission to create, disseminate, and preserve knowledge. So why are we here? Jiang and I were classmates and schoolmates about 25 years ago. We are now both parents of three children. Yep.

And like many parents, we 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 loops at Veritas in Latin and Urn, the Tumin, in Hebrew. group 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 And that's why we're so excited to be doing this workshop together.

And Dante will answer these questions. Yeah. And without further review, I'll turn back to Zhang and begin our journey with Dante in the Great Books. Okay, thank you so much. Okay, so as you can see from the screen, we will be using this website that anyone can use. It's all free. The website address is there.

So the divine comedy is light into three parts. Infernal, Procratory, and Paradise. What we will do, which is very strange, is we are going to actually start in part three. It will become obvious to you over time while we're doing that, okay? So today, we're going to start with Conte 1 of Paradise. And the translation we will use is MannaBomb,

I let it Mennamon. So if you are watching us on the live screen, please go the website, or you can just actually just watch the screen. because we will have the entire text on the screen. But this resource is extremely valuable, and we will be using it this entire two weeks. Okay, so the first thing I ask 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. Please. And you'll need to either use a hand held or press down on one from like. Yeah. Continuously. Thanks.

Heaven is a place of fulfillment, peace, and harmony where every entity can coexist. Negative feelings and behavior do not occur. We feel elevated by the fact that it feels like a destination and we are the best versions of ourselves. It's like we're above 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. I could still imagine having bright, vibrant colors, flowers, and animals. Great, that's beautiful. Thank you so much.

Anyone else? Yes? 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 the answer I want, though. Yeah, well, that's a surprise because I didn't think that's the answer one. If there exists in 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 changing 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. not essentially good except you the one who created it. It is the ultimate expression of blind faith. Okay, 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 an AP illiterate examination. For this class if we're

to be able to embrace Dante we have to use our intuition and imagination, okay? That's something that will become much more clear as we read Dante but But the imagination is what will lead you to the truth. All right. We have someone here. Yes. To me, paradise is a place for eternal peace and happiness. There is 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 peer. joy beyond our imagination yeah good anyone else yes I think it's where God is so it's the typical Christian who has a view of life everlasting in the presence of God each other life singing worshiping God and doing whatever you love most in your

little house and make sure that God has rewarded you based on what you have done in your present life it is yeah so that's very interesting because what you just head is exactly what Augustine wrote in the city of God He explained heaven as a place where you are right beside God and you're all seeing together in unison. Have you read Augustine before? No. Okay, but that's a very obvious in answer. Yes?

Hello, can hear me? I think heaven is for us to meet God and to have a spiritual and 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 even fear are things that bind us to this material world. Thank you. Yes? Can you hear me?

Okay. So if I were in heaven and maybe Bruce Lee lead me into the Kung Fu universe, because I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee and in philosophy and I could see my grandma and were smelled at me and embrace me into the arms. And I also can see the trade-like stuffs and which can let people see the messages from the living world. And people who come from living world would be nice to come to this new world and saying there's no rule, no law, but only the people who believe in your faith and destiny.

And meanwhile, also can sense the God or Buddha, like who is sitting right there and keep lecturing to the people with the wisdom and thoughts. And of course, there was a boat which can transfer people from the dark sea to the other shores. And there must be ladylike beauty who spent the surprise the happiness and Mary ceased to all of them. And if people who want to fly must be permitted. so they could fly high above the ocean. And lastly, when I was in that world and there was no flash, so people don't need to worry

about, overrated or ugly, or looked since everyone looked as light ball or 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. Okay, all right, good, all right. So let's begin, all right? So we're gonna go to Kanto 1 of Paradise. And we're gonna use the minimum translation. And to set context, again, there are three different parts to the Divine Comony. There's Infernal, there's Perkatory,

and then there is Paradise. And what's happening is that the Divine Columny, it is a Pilgrim's Journey, where Dante is traveling across the universe in order to meet God. And he now has reached paradise. His guide in paradise is Beatrice, his long-lost love. And now they are flying throughout the cosmos

on the way to meet God. And the heavens is divided into nine different, different spheres, okay? And the point I'm trying to make is that Donnie'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 that he has.

So what we're trying to do these first two days is try to figure out what Donda's cosmology is. What is understanding? understanding of the heavens is. And why has constructed the heavens in the way that we have? 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 the divine commoner.

Okay? So Carol, could you please go ahead and read the first three lines? The first three lines. The glory? The glory of, is it picking up? Okay. The glory of the one who moves all things permeates the universe and glows, in one part more and in another less. Okay, all right, so we're going to analyze these three lines.

But before I do so, I want to introduce you to two literary concepts that we'll be using a lot when we analyze the Lymony. The first is the idea of paradox. And this is actually the main literary device that Dante will use. by harmony 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 join you closer to God. So this is the main little device we're analyzing throughout these two weeks, the ideal paradox. Second idea that we will be looking at is possibility. 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. Indiguity means that a sentence or word can contain multiple meanings. So these are the two major, literature literary devices we will be studying in the Divine Comedy.

So first question is, what's the paradox in these three lines? What is 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 a third line that it permits the universe and it goes in one part more and in another less, meaning that there is inequality, even in heaven. Yeah, that's exactly correct. That's a paradox. God can be everywhere at once, yet there are certain parts where he is more, and certain parts there is less.

That is a contradiction, that is a paradox. Why would God, who is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, why would the universe be constructed in a way like this? Okay, that's a central paradox that the divine common is trying to address. But then what are the possibilities? How can we reconcile this paradox? Yes? I think maybe it's because maybe it's because like for example God is more present in heaven, but for example in the infernal, because I've read the infernal actually and I can clearly see that like God's presence is less there so maybe we can reconcile this way. So I think this doesn't contradict with his like omnipotence or his omnipresence.

It just means that he's more concentrated in a certain like dimension. Right, but then the question then is like why does heaven and hell exist? God can make everything perfect, right? So why not to make everything happen? What does heaven hell exist? Yes? Because in theology, that would be the lack of God or the lack of God's presence. So there's free choice and free will so that there should be a heaven and a hell.

Yes, that's the correct answer. Yes. There has to be, if you are to allow for free will, you must allow for heaven and hell to exist. Can you explain why? Because if everything is heaven and there is no free choice. If there is choice, then there will be consequence and there will be the wrong choice, I guess. And what happens with the wrong choice is probably hell or the lack of it. we held the lack of God's presence? Anyone else? Yes? Yeah, maybe I think because we are just, you know, you're flash, your body, so if we got body then we must be locked, right?

Because we can't just get out of it. But if there's possibility that people can get out of your body, try to imagine, okay? I used to have such kind of nightmare when I was, you know, sleeping in my bed and I thought I was just out of there, out of my body. that really make me feel so crazy. But what if there's really possibility that people really can get off your body, just like consciousness, like the cloud surveys or something, maybe.

So maybe that's the reason why they have these theories because people have their thoughts, not only the body, the flash, but also got idea. So they got sauce. Maybe if the thoughts can be existed into another world, just like safety in the cloud surveys or maybe, yeah, so maybe,

Maybe that is what happened means. Okay. I suppose, yeah. All right, so this is a central paradox in the divine colony. What does heaven exist? What does hell exist? Okay, and it has to be with free will. So keep this in the back of your mind, okay?

These are the paradox being created, and only by deep reflection, deep observation, by using intuition in your imagination, you come to an answer, okay? So this is a central paradox, okay? We've established that. Let's keep on going. Carol, do we continue please?

Should I do six or? Yeah. Okay. I was within the heaven that receives more of his light. And I saw things that he who from that height descends forgets or cannot speak, we're nearing its desired and our intellect sinks into an abyss so deep that memory fails to follow it. Okay, so what Donnie is saying here is that he has reached. the heavens, which receives more of his light, and he saw things that from that height

descends, forgets, or cannot speak. How is Dante able to reach such heights? There's a paradox here. What does enable him to reach such heights? That's a paradox here. that he's able to see heaven, yes? Is it kind of the inversion? Because he's already gone through hell, so he can then perceive how great heaven is? Yeah, that is a possibility. It is because he suffered pain,

because he's seen the worst, that he's able to see heaven. Yes, that's a possibility. Good. What are some other possibilities? Yes? Maybe he has never lost his love with Beatrice because Beatrice is kind of like the god sent angel, so that reflects like his love for God in like the vangay.

That is true. He's never lost his love for Beatrice, and that's why he is in paradise. But so what? What was love enabled you to do that allows you to ascend? God is like the symbol of love so by like loving Beatrice he's like there's like still this okay okay let's be careful with terminology God cannot be a symbol God exists right okay okay keep on going so I mean I'm not like an expert on this but I'm just thinking that like because like he's always loving so he's always like that's kind of like a virtue and it's not good okay so I would just think about this okay

He's flying, but what's propelled him into flight is the imagination, right? Because from that height, once you reach a certain height, you either descend or you forget or you cannot speak, meaning like your imagination has to be so far that you might not be able to go in further, so you just descend, but you might also forget what you've imagined. but the most likely possibility is you can't even describe in words what you've imagined okay so what's really important to understand is that the company company comedy is happening both at a metaphorical as well as a literal level let literal in that he actually is in heaven but metaphorical in that he's also imagining all this and both are sit at the same time okay and that's what poetry is

Quotry is both literal and metaphor of at the same time. So I would you guys keep this in back of your mind because it's very important to understand what's going on. Nearing his desire end, Arndelike seeks into an abyss so deep that memory fails to follow it. So Dante is imagining the heavens and he's reached his desired end. He wants to be with God, but then his intellect, the logic, sinks into an abyss. into the abyss.

So think of the stone that falls into a hole. It's falling really fast. And the memory is a bird trying to catch this stone before it falls. Okay? So that's what he's saying here. He's saying the imagination, the memory are two different things. Okay.

Can you keep on going, Carol? Sure. The next three lines. Okay. Nevertheless, as much as I, within my mind, good treasure of the Holy Kingdom, shall now become the matter of my song. Do my word? Oh, good Apollo, for this final task, make me the vessel of your excellence, which you to merit your luft laurel ask. Until this point, one of Parnusus's peak sufficed for me, but now I've based the test, the aagon that is a good one of Parnus's peak, sufficed for me, but now I've faced the test, the aagon that is.

left I need both correct okay all right so let me let's actually context okay there are at least three dants in the divine comedy okay there are at least three dants in the divine comedy the first is the pilgrim the protagonist who is on this journey okay that's the first dante the second dante is the historical Dante, the person who actually lived and the historical Dante will appear because he'll bring in some other historical figures into Nainte. These are people he knows, okay? That's the second Dante. There's a third Donte. Who's the third Donte? Who has been the third Dante? Who'd be the third Dante? Soudidaventive?

Could you explain what that means? In Prescel. No. Would he imagine himself to be like in her in heaven? or in other places like. Is the third Dante? Yes? Well, I think that he is the essential poet. Like he is the essence of the poet.

He's the archetype. It's not the hard, right? Who is the third Dante? The first is the character, the protagonist. The second is the historical Dante, the real Dante, and who's the third Dante? Yeah? Just like running a guess and one, the Dan can the future?

This is not a hard question, yes. The Dante that he imagines himself as. No, guys. Guys, there's a third Donda, yes? The reader. No, we're the reader. So who's the third Dante? Maybe the Holy Father, Holy Stan.

No, no, no, no. No, guys, this is not hard. There's a third Donda. Who is the third Dante? The author. 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. If it is true that Dante is protagonist, then who is it antagonist? Right? In a book, you have a protagonist, you have an antagonist. You have a protagonist, you have an antagonist.

Protagonist is Dante. Who's that antagonist? Satan. Not Satan, we're in heaven. Satan doesn't exist in heaven. Yes? Maybe his old self or something that he asked to? Yes, exactly.

He explained this. Because when people enter heaven, he's a new mate man. So that means he has to die to his own self to enter into this new form of pure existence. Yeah. So the idea here is that the conflict is between himself, okay? There is the Dante. the Pilgrim who is trying to seek God,

but there's Donny the Pilgrim who has ego and fear and doubts, okay? And so this is going to be a struggle in the heavens. Donning will have to struggle with himself in order to let go of his ego and his fears to truly understand the meaning of God. Okay, and Beatrice will be his guide in this. Okay, so we've established three Dantes.

It's really important for us to understand. The Donnie, the poet, Dante the real person, and Dante the Pilgras. Who is speaking up? Who's the person speaking? Who says, oh good Apollo for this final task, make me the vessel of your excellence. Who's speaking?

The poet, right? That's protagonist, the poet. So what's happening is that this journey that Donnie went on in the heavens. This is a long time ago. And Donny the poet is sitting at home wherever he is. He's actually in exile. He's trying to remember and write down

what he experienced 20 years ago. Does that make sense? And what he's saying is that what experienced 20 years ago was so beautiful, so beyond our comprehension, that he's lost the memory of what happened 20 years ago. And so now he has to reconstruct, re-imagined the experience.

And to do that, he calls upon not only a polo, but all the muses who live on the two mountains of partners, right? So not just a polo, but every possible source of inspiration, he will call upon you invoke in order to truly remember what experienced 20 years ago. Does that make sense? What's the paradox here?

There's a paradox in all this. What is it? He's Christian. Yeah, guys. This is a Christian text meant for Christians. This is a Catholic world. The Catholic Church is in charge and he's calling upon Apollo. Right?

Right? Why is he doing this? What's he saying here? Yeah? So, this just reminds me of the text of Gregory of Monmouth, who is actually a monk. Like, he's literally part of the church. And before he wrote about King Offer, he wrote in the preface, Oh, Apollo helped me to write King Offer very well.

So, first off, maybe this is like generally accepted within the current social atmosphere to invoke Apollo as an offer to ask him to make her writing really good. Okay, all right. So you just made a statement. Maybe this is just accepted at this time. But we know for a fact it's not accepted at this time. Carol, can you go to Google please? Okay. What we're going to do is we're going to Google medieval Christian art, okay? We're going to Google medieval Christian art. We're just going to show images, okay? When you see the images, it's pretty consistent. Okay, can you go to images?

Yes. Okay, guys, can you see the images? There are lots and lots of images. This is all Christian art. What do you not see? You don't see the common man. Exactly, okay? You don't see any man.

These are all says or just figures from a Bible. That's point one. There is no common man in any of this. What's number two? What's another sharp difference? These are all Christian figures, right? There's no paganism in any of these paintings. You don't have great gods. You don't have a polo anywhere.

Keep on looking. It doesn't exist. Why? Because the church banned these things? Right? Okay. So, yes, um,

um, there are Christians who are doing Volker but it's not a common thing. It's been by the church, okay? So one thing to keep in mind is that broad history, elite education is very different from popular art, okay? What the elite study at university

is gonna be very different from what you see in popular culture. And so the way they reconcile this is that, At this common issue, this year 1321 when Dante is publishing the Divine Comedy or making it public, 1321, the elite learned Latin. And Latin is a secret language of elite, right? And there you can invoke a polo and like it doesn't really matter. And then there is the vernacular, right, what people experience in everyday life.

And that is heavily censored. Now what is revolutionary of the divine is that it is written not in Latin, which the language in the lead, it's written in the vernacular, in Tuscan, which is what every ordinary person can read and access, okay? So this is a, the vitimony, it's an act of rebellion

in many ways, it's an act of revolution. It was written in Latin, this would not be a problem, but it was written in the vernacular, okay? And this is why, The non-comedy will become a blueprint for not just the Renaissance, the Italian Renaissance, but all of the majority itself. Because the idea is non-comedy becomes central to modernity and the Renaissance.

The other thing that's really important about art and popular culture at this time is there are no protagonists, sorry, no, they are protagonists, but the common man is not in the artwork, It's not in the literature. But who's the main protagonist of the divine comedy? A common man, Dante. Okay? Individualism, individuality.

So all these concepts we take for granted today were actually revolutionary, and it was Dante who would launch this revolution. So this is not just a poem, it's an intellectual revolution. It's an act of courage, it's an act of faith. So let's continue to read, Carol, Enter into my breast. Enter into my breast, within me breathe

the very power he made manifest when you drew Marcius out of his lens, she. Okay, stop, okay, good. So the thing about the vicaromy is that there are a lot of illusions in here, okay? So what he's gonna do is, reference a lot of mythology surrounding Apollo. So Polo had a competition with another poet, Marcius,

and they basically had a competition about who'd be the better poet, and Marcius Laws and Apollo basically skin him alive, okay? It's a pretty gruesome story. But there's a lot of mythology being driven into here okay keep on going oh godly force if you still lend yourself to me that I might show a shadow of the blessed realm inscribed within my mind so again this is Perdofco where he is invoking a polo in order to slide a Christian heaven okay

come on going then you would see me underneath the tree you love there I shall take as crown the leaves of which my theme and you shall make me work. What's a tree that Apollo loves? Do you guys know? The Laurelory, yes. Can you, who said that? Okay, can you, do you know the legend here? And press the one. Yeah, so basically Apollo had a lover and lover. No, no, no, he didn't have a lover. Yeah, he had someone he loved, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, it never became a lover, right? So he had someone he loved and that person did not want to be his lover.

Daphne, yeah, and basically that person was running from Apollo because Apollo was chasing her and that person told, was running from Apollo because Apollo was chasing her and that person told Athena, oh please, Let Apollo be my lover and Athena turn her into a lauret tree and Apollo can no longer be her lover. Right, but Apollo loved her so much that he also makes a lower tree his symbol, right? So if you are a champion, a poet, he gives you the laurel leads, okay? So not only is Dante invoking Apollo asking for his divine, power, but he is also remembering or reciting the stories that make Apollo famous, okay? What point is he trying to make here? Why is he doing this? Yes? I wonder if he is trying to reinvent heaven on the concept of paradise, that it's not just a Christian

paradise, but it could also coexist with the Greek idea of heaven or gods, maybe. Right. The problem though is that the Greeks didn't have a concept of heaven, right? The Greeks didn't have heaven. The Greeks didn't have heaven. So what is he trying to do here? So what? So for Dante, he is trying to think about what? He is trying to think about what creativity is. right he's trying to think about what knowledge is and for him if you're truly to have knowledge you're truly to exercise your imagination what would you need to do and how would that be different from the teachings of the Catholic Church at this time in history yeah well he gives me the impression of someone who worships

enlightenment regardless of source so he is seeking the truth, like regardless of source. It could be Apollo, it could be God, he'll take whatever will show him the truth. Yeah, yeah, that's correct, right? The idea is if you really want to know a true, you have to be open-minded. But not only you have to be open-minded, but you have to rigorously draw on from different traditions, okay? Because these traditions exist for a reason, and you need to combine these traditions in order to reach a truth. And guess, why guys this becomes the basic premise of the Renaissance right okay so Carol can we do a Google search Renaissance art okay so we this is Christian art right you

guys it's pretty static it's just depictions of the local passages right but when you go the Renaissance art you see how vibrant it is it's starting from different traditions okay so you show this Okay, let me give me the, uh, or the, uh, yeah, the, uh, yeah, the school of Athens, okay? So this is one most famous Renaissance paintings, the School of Athens. Okay, uh, we, uh, yes, I, I see you here, but, but, but, okay, look, the School of Athens, right? It's drawing from all possible traditions.

You just look at this painting and we don't have time to look at this painting, but they, it's not just Christian pinkers, it's much, Muslim thinkers, it's pagan thinkers, okay? And the idea is implanted in the divine comedy. This will not be possible about Dante. It's Dante who basically said, virtually to know God, virtually to discover the truth, we must embrace all possible religions,

all possible philosophies. Yes, did you have a question? Okay. Peter, we have a question from the live stream? question from the live stream? So, last stream right now is not working while. So long-loom is not really YouTube's report,

so much. Okay, I mean, it's fine. We have the video camera, right? Yeah. Okay, it's fine. I mean, like, yeah, it's the end of it. Okay, we'll continue, okay? So do you see what's happened?

We have now this radical leap from Christian medieval art to Renaissance art. You can see the vastness of the difference. It's starting that's doing this, okay? Yes? I remember going to Italy and then I remember seeing the medieval art. The babies look really scary because I think the church guy explained that baby is supposed to be Jesus when he was a baby, but when he was a baby, he was still there's like divine figures and that's why they drew him like a middle-aged man. But in Renaissance art, they start drawing like baby,

faces and real human proportions like this idea of individuality as you expressed earlier. So they started trying to see humans as they really are rather than what spiritually, like religiously they should represent. Yeah, exactly. So the major difference between medieval art and Renaissance art is that with medieval art you're trying to condition the Christian in a sort of mentality, one of fear and humility. to be always afraid, but also to be humble before God. Whereas Renaissance, the Renaissance becomes the logic path for our journey

because the Renaissance is trying to activate the human imagination. And the way you do that is you make humans a central character in the story of humanity, okay? And that's what's happening in Dante, where Dante makes himself a central character. and this is again unique at this time but also you're trying to show the beauty and the power of the human imagination okay all right all right let's keep on going uh sorry did you have a question no i just have a comment about i think he's quite advanced in his theology that he believes if you want to invoke the truth you have to draw from many sources but the fact that it's from greek as well

It's kind of the same as how Christianity started with Jesus being born from Virgin Mary, which is a very Greek kind of storyline. So maybe he's trying to show his theology ideas that Jesus, you know, like the Christian God himself, you know, uses a Greek traditional way to make him know that he's the son of God. Okay, all, so a couple of comments. First of all, let's try to be precise mercenology. He is not a theologian. He is a poet. This is poetry, not theology, okay?

There's a lot of theology, there's all philosophy in this, but it's poetry. This is a major difference, okay? Theology is trying to explain religion. Poetry is to activate the imagination, the religious imagination. That's point one. Point two is, everything that you're saying is not raw,

but you're saying it from the year 2026. And this was written in the year 1321. one okay and so back then people would have very different conception of the universe basically at this point in history the Catholic Church is trying to create a Christian theology that is self-contained okay that is distinct from all other traditions and is in conflict with other traditions especially the Muslim tradition which is at this point in history the most powerful religious tradition in the world.

So keep this in mind, guys. A lot of things you think, it could be because you're looking at it from a 2026 lens. But remember this year, 1321. So it's hard to do, but keep this in the back of your mind, okay? All right, any more common to questions before I move on? Okay, let's go on the way. So Seldom, Father, are those garlands gathered

for triumful ruler are poet, poet, a sign of fault, or shame in human wills, that when Neon branches can incite someone to long and thirst for them, the light must fill the happy Delphic deity. So he's again talking to Apollo, right? He's calling him Father, not capital F father, but Father, okay?

So he is invoking Apollo as a lesser God, which is sacrilege, by the way, in this world. Okay? Keep on going. Great fire can follow a small spark. There may be better voices after me to pray to Sirah's God for a A.

Sir's God's Apollo. That he may answer. The lantern of the world approaches mortals by very paths. Land of the world is the sun, right? Which is Apollo. And Apollo can reach you through different paths. And he's trying to invoke Apollo. He's trying to reach a polo. Keep on going?

But on that way, which links four circles with three crosses, it emerges joint to a better consolation and along a better course, and it can temper and stamp the world's wax war in its own manner. Okay, so let's try to unpack what's going on. Okay, so he's saying he wants to reach a polo, he wants to someone and invoke a polo, and there are many ways you can do that, but the way that links four circles with three crosses

is the best way. Okay? So now what we're going to do is we're trying to figure out what the four crosses with, sorry, four circles with three crosses is. And by the way, everything that I am saying is my own interpretation, okay? But I think that it's really important to figure out

what four circles and three crosses are. So you basically have four circles and three crosses. Four circles, three crosses. All right, so now what we're gonna try to do is use our imagination to figure out what this thing is. Okay? All right, so let's try to make the simple as possible. Three crosses.

One of the three crosses, yes? The Holy Trinity maybe? Like the Trinity, God of the Sun, the Father. Oh, like the trinity. No, that's not, that's not what the trinity is. Come on, the three cross. Is no one clear Christian, yes? I'm Christian is when Jesus died.

Yes, yes, you understand? When Jesus died, he died on the cross with two other people, okay? That's what the three crosses are. It's Jesus, right? This is Jesus on Mount Cowdery, right? That's pretty obvious. What are the four circles? This is harder.

Yes? Maybe the four elements, water, fire, earth, winds. Yes, that is a possibility, but the circles, it's four, right? It's four elements, but what are the circles are? What do you think? Spears, right? Planets, sun, right? So four suns is what?

From the four seasons, right? Okay. Okay, so this is the, um, So this is the, okay, so again, it's really important to figure this out, okay? The four equinoxes, right? Okay, so you have the two acronopsis, as well as the two sultuses,

and then that would be the four seasons. So that's what these four circles really are. Then you have the three crosses. And the three crosses we know are, Jesus. What tradition hears a lot about the two aconautics and two sources? Pagan. Exactly, the pagan tradition, okay? So now we have a paradox. What's a pagan tradition doing with the Christian tradition? Christian tradition is clearly the three crosses. The four circles are clearly the pagan tradition. There's a paradox here.

All right, so let's figure out this paradox. If you You were to be transported back 3,000 years into the pagan world, okay? Can someone explain me what the pagan world is like and how you would be, you would feel, I don't actually like this place. You feel uncomfortable in the pagan world. Why? What makes the pagan world different from our world, yes? So I'm just to preface this, I am neo-pagan, so some of my idealizations of paganism might be, well, idealized. But what I think is that paganism is more primal and more varied.

So we're used to an Anglo-Christian world, we're used to a homogenous world, we're used to be more agree with our ideas, and when they don't, we argue with them. But the pagan world is almost more tolerant in a way. Like there's more gods, there's more opinions, and you're likely to run into someone. Don't agree with you. Okay, so this is confusing because neo-paganism, The modern pagan world, it embraces many different traditions, including Judaism, animism. But for most of human history, if you're pagan, what idea, what thing were you most concerned with?

What were you really concerned with by some pagan, yes? That you don't upset the gods. Why? Well, because, well, you can't not upset the gods. The gods. Okay. How did you make your living? What did you do for living?

Farming. Farming, right? And if you upset the gods, they have a drought or a huge rainstorm and all of your crops are gone. Exactly, right? Would you be comfortable in this world? Why not? Why would you be comfortable in this world of paganism, yes? Well, you constantly live in fear.

You constantly live in fear. No, like if you're doing the right thing or not. Yes, right? You have absolutely, yes? More essentially, I think it's the ambiguity. You have to be comfortable with not knowing what the gods want to do to you. Right. So, yes? And you can't predict the actions of your fellow human beings as well as...

You may have to turn it all. Sorry. You can't predict. You can predict the actions of your fellow human beings as well as you would in a Christian Conservatives. Right. So the reality is that in the pagan agricultural world, where the focus on fertility, you have absolutely no agency, right?

You have no individuality. Life is passive for you, okay? It's not about what you can do, it's really about appeasing the gods. Right? So there's really no individuality. It's really hard for you to be creative or to make your mark on the world, right? So yes? But I have a question here. You just told us earlier that medieval Christian art and even the Catholic Church in Dante's time suppressed creatively and promoted God-fearing humility. So how is that different? Okay, that's a good question. So we're 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, 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? Yes? Because there's no way for man himself to atone for his sins and men cannot be sinless, stainless, so to pay the price for his actions.

What was Jesus? So Jesus was the faultless lamb who can die for people? No, no, no, what is Jesus? Son of God? Yes. So God himself has to come. The sin of God, who is what? Who is the Messiah?

What sin was? But is he a man or is he not a man? He's both. Exactly. You understand this, okay? You understand, this is important. He is both some of God and he's a man as well. You understand?

Okay, and if you're not a Christian, it's kind of weird, but for like 2000 years they argued about this, okay? But if you want to understand Christian, you need to understand that Jesus was both a man as well as a God. And if you're a man, you're able to redeem all humanity, now you have agency, right? Now you're able to mark a new period in human history. So what's happened is that in the pagan worldview, the universe is a circle.

It's a procession of equinoxes, okay? It's an endless, seamless cycle, 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 something you can do about it. Okay? 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? That was what the Catholic Church wanted to suppress, right? Like this knowledge that you can free yourself. So the Catholic Church said, no, you need us to get into heaven. Right, so exactly. And this is what Donny is saying. He's saying that the Catholic Church and Jesus and Christianity, these aren't necessarily the same things, okay?

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 the Renaissance as well as modernity. Okay, but this doesn't make sense to you. And what he's doing that's really important is he's creating paradoxes, right? What is, why is paganism, a symbol of paganism, the four circles, why is it linked to the symbol of Christianity, 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 a polo. This is the best path possible. Okay, does that make sense? And again, this is my interpretation. Poetry can only be interpreted, okay?

And I'm sure there's been a lot of Donnie scholars who are really 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 colony. Okay? Are we clear? And yes? So 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 Donnie believes. But 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. That makes sense. All right. But this comes later. All right. So any more questions before we move on? Okay.

Okay, let's continue. It's entry from that point of the Earth Horizon brought morning there and evening here. So you talk about the sun, right? Almost all of that hemisphere was white while hours was dark. When I saw Beatrice 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 re-ascent, 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 place, made for mankind as its true home. I did not bear it long, but not so briefly as not to see it sparkling roundabout, 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 Beatrice 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 has changed, tasting the earth that made him a companion of the other sea gods. Okay, so sometimes really confusing about the bichominy is that different universes are existing 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. And the reason why is that we are in heaven. We are in paradise.

And so this is the spirit world. Okay. So let me answer 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 a mortal or like you live forever. Why would you be able to perceive time? I mean, it wouldn't make sense, right? If like spirits never die, they've always been there since the universe existed. Well, I understand, but you can still keep time, right? What can't you proceed time and space? The answer is no, you can't proceed time and space. There's a really good reason why you cannot.

Have you guys thought about this? Yes? I'll feel it's because you can interact with time and space. Your soul is immune to the influences of time and space. You don't have a body to be battered off the wall. Yeah, so the trick, the key is to understand that when a body is impossible for you to understand time and space, okay? This is what Emmanuel Kahn tells us. What time and space is, is space is sensation.

Sensation is made possible for the five senses, okay? Distance is because you have a body. If you don't have a body, you wouldn't have a conception of distance, okay? And what time is, time is sequence, which is causing effect. Caused by sensation, right? I first had this feeling and had that feeling.

That's time. So a body is impossible, for you to experience time and space. So we are in a universe where time and space don't exist. Everything exists at once and forever. 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 compressible to us. Because we are stuck in time and space, but they are beyond private space. Does that make sense? Okay. Yes? And how are these like spirits invoked? Or are they like everywhere like at the same time?

Or like how are these spirits involved in humans? Or like because is it through emotions? I don't just have a question. Can you repeat that? Yeah, like these spirits, there's multiple, right? So, and in the Greek world they, they, They, I mean, the Greek world used to, you would say they did have a body because, you know, there's all these gods that came down the 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. 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 then they were able to receive time and space. That's right, but only if they can take possession of someone's body. Okay. Okay.

Does that make sense? Right? So that's what Conno is trying to have Apollo possess him, so he's able to use the powers of Apollo. All right. Let's go on going. Passing beyond the human cannot be worded. Let clock is served as simile. And so grace grant you the experience.

Whether I only was the part of me that you created last, you governing the heavens, no, 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 alike. The newness 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 myself to quiet the commotion in my mind opened her legs before I opened mine. Okay, all right?

So do you guys understand the sequence of events, right? So he starts off in the local of Poland says, I had this great dream or experience 20 years ago. Polo give me the power to describe what I saw with words because what I saw was beyond time and space and it's beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals okay like like us the readers today okay now what he's doing is he's now describing as a pilgrim his experience 20 years ago with Beatrice okay keep on going Open 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, lying from its own above, 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. And what is saying to him basically is,

here you have to completely rely on your intuition and your imagination. Do not try to use logic. Do not try to take what you learn in on earth and apply 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 let go of your doubts like all your fear so that you can truly embrace God yes I 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 obviously faith is what you need to for Christianity by using logic that's where we can sort of forward to sit he will address this later on okay he will talk to Paul who is the person who says this right for Paul faith is to believe without without evidence yes we'll talk about this later on yes okay all right any more questions we've been before we go on? Are you guys following along? Because it gets harder and harder, okay?

Well, yes? Well, I'll have quite an awesome question. I just feel curious, like, why there's no need for logic in the habit? 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 do not use logic

for their, like, say in conversation, How could that be, I mean, in any place? Can someone help me answer this question? Yeah? So you're in heaven, you're in spirit. Your body's not there. You don't need to move your teeth, move your meat crab to talk. You can just tell them to around.

Yeah, I mean, it doesn't mean, it means you have to physically 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 counselors right so how could you guys like using it to make your counselors have the agreements even if you don't have you don't have to use the logic yeah that's exactly the point you you don't have to make people agree with you and you can just think about it and everyone will understand what they what you mean yes oh yeah because I think

first leaders just said that don't think feel so maybe I said I said I think Bruce Lee just like kind of philosopher, right? Just like me like that don't think, feel. Okay, so let me answer your question, okay? Because this is the question that most high schools are gonna have. If you're in high school, logic does matter, can be 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. Logic is just that we developed in order to control the way you behave and think in our world, okay? But our world is a subset of the entire universe and quite honestly there are many issues with logic. Okay, so for example mathematics and science really constrain your capacity to perceive the world. And And this is something that will become much more clear as you continue to read the Vicarumity.

Okay, all right. But what I think will say is that logic are like changed, change, 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 the VICOMITY, your mind has become almost like a bird, bird and fly around and follow your intuition.

Okay? All right. Let's keep on going. While I was free from my first doubt by these brief words, she smiled to me. I was yet caught in new perplexity. I said, I was content already. After such great wonder, I rested.

Sorry, I'm sorry, okay. All right. So while I was briefed my first thought out by these brief words, she smiled to me, I was yet caught in new perplexively, okay? So what is his first doubt? 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 Heitchard is telling him is that we are in a new universe that is beyond time and space. So they're going to go visit the moon and Venus and the Sun and Jupiter and Saturn. These are not our Jupiter, our Saturn, okay? These are metaphor. This is another universe.

That's his first doubt. Once you have this first doubt, what other questions might you have? Stay. Can I stay? Do you me? Can I stay? Can I stay? Do I belong in this realm?

Do I belong in this realm? Yeah, how does this realm work? Yeah? How did I get up there? Yeah, 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's conception of the universe unique because heaven it is not perfection it is not the end it's just a another journey it's just another place for you to ask questions it does

not make sense all right so yeah okay can you keep my reading uh Carol sure I said I was content already after such great wonder I But again, I wonder how my body rises past these lighter bodies. So we're sort of figure out how this universe works, right? Because you're flying from the cosmos and he's like, why am I flying? Right? He's completely confused by what's going on. But again, what's important to understand is that there is no time and space in this universe. Time in space has been constructed for body's personal benefit so that he can extingu- he can, he has to be.

to you understand what's going on. All right, does that make sense? Can you go ahead? At which, after a sigh of pity, she settled her eyes on me with the same look, a mother cast upon a great 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 tense. Within that order, every nature has its bent, according to a different station, nearer or less nearer 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 in mortal creatures. This binds the earth together, makes it one. Not only does the shaft shot from this bow strike creatures lacking intellect, but those who have intelligence and who can love. So what you're saying here is that God create 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 coherence to the universe. What Donda is going to do is try to figure out what this logic is. What is the organizing principle of the universe? Why is God construct the world the way he has? Okay? This is even even heaven. Okay, so there's a hierarchy even in heaven.

So I'm going. The Providence that has arrayed all this forever quiet with its life. with its light, that heaven in which the swiftness 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's strayed,

at times because he has the power once impelled, just work 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 marble at your climbing than you would, were you considering a stream that from a mountain's height falls to its base. It would be called. for wonder in you if no longer hindered you remain below as if on earth a living flame stood still then she again she again turned her gaze heavily okay so here's just trying to explain how the universe works how it moves okay

can someone in simple terms explain to me what he's saying here you decipher interpret what she's saying here yes God assigned you a bunch of weights, if you're like you go up, if you're having you go down, if you're light and you're still down, then you should be worried. Incorrect. Yeah, good guess though. That's not you saying at all. What do you think the problem with this would be? What would Dante take objection to this idea? You said that God assigns weights, right? What would Donnie be angry about this idea?

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? This is something that John Calvin would argue,

but Dante would find this really objectionable. He'd be very angry at this idea, why? Very judgmental. Exactly. It's unjust, do you understand? Like, how can you justify giving someone a heavyweight and someone a lightweight? Why would God do that? What's the rationale for that?

And there's also a mention of nature's of many forms of natures, so multiple standards, multiple perspectives. Exactly, okay? So God shines everywhere, and God would never be judgmental. That goes against the nature. of God. Okay, so God is not judgmental. God is all forgiving, all generous. So that can possibly be the answer that God has assigned weights. So what's another explanation? Yes? But if he didn't assign ways and if he isn't judgmental, then how are some people in heaven and some people are in infernal? Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm asking you, yes?

Or isn't we give ourselves the weights? Exactly. Can you explain? Now? Because we have, obviously through this conception we have free will. So if we obviously end up with the heavyweights because we've done the greatest sin. What is God, yes? Yes? Well also, what's similar to people teach us, it is just that we can't forgive ourselves. So we're not able to, like, but we could forgive ourselves, but some people are since so great that They don't have the power to forget themselves. So they think they don't have the power.

Good, okay, alright. So what is God doing? What is God what is God what does God want? What is God doing? The B. Bishu just tells it explicitly what God is doing? What's God doing? What is God's action? What is God going 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. So what Bishu is saying is like, God is trying to say, saying is like God is trying to draw you to him, you understand, right? He's like a tractor being, right? He's locked you on, he's going to draw you to him. That's what God is trying to do.

And like, what do you do it? I imagine God's like a, she's like watching a movie, right? He's sitting back and watching everybody on their own free will, navigating and exploring their different perspectives of their different views of things and as they kind of go towards him or obey him is God watching you yeah what would probably say God is not watching you but I say God just keep watching all of us yes I saying this kind of confession and if you see your guilty then you you you even thought of God is there for example if just do it do something and you say it's

okay nobody watch it but your guilty is do it here so if your duties do there it means that God is there so maybe it is what I yeah what I thought Yes? Again, is it more our agency, are we watching God rather than watching us? Okay, can you explain that? It's more like obviously when we decide within ourselves that we want salvation or we want to not simply do the right thing, we will look to God. It's not that he's sort of watching us.

Exactly. So the key is this. God is always welcoming you, okay? God is always going to draw you to Him. But because of the law free will or free choice, it's entirely your choice what to do. You could welcome God, embrace God, and then move towards the light, which is what body is doing, but you can also turn away from God and do whatever you want. And this is how the universe works.

This is the basic premise that you have to work with. Everything that you do is entirely because you choose to do it, even though you may not think it's your choice. This is the fundamental law of the universe. Everything is free choice. So God doesn't, is not going to watch you. God's going to welcome you. It's entirely your choice, whether or not

to move towards God for your actions, for your desire and will. Does that make sense? And this is the premise that Beatrice is going to elaborate on and extend on as they move across the heavens, to let God understand. And we 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 loving him or like following his roles or stuff so that you're not forced to enter heaven or force to obey God's commands. Okay, okay, yes, that is true. But I'm saying like, why does God give you free will? The very physics imagination, if God is, if you imagine God as energy and God, Energy tends to accumulate tends to want more. So as you have free will, all these agents have it free will

gravitate towards that source of energy, that source of energy becomes larger. That's what I don't know. I think it makes sense, but I might, yes. Is it kind of because God doesn't have his own free will, so he uses it through us? God doesn't have free will. That doesn't make me sense.

He's God, right? Like he can't sit. Yes? I think it's exactly because God is omnipotent. He can do everything he wants, but he chooses to give the freedom choice to people to see... But why? Just to see what people react. As an experiment?

He's experimenting on us. Like mice in the lab, right? Yes? Yes? 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 making their journey like closer to closer to time. This sounds like like a mice experiment, right? You have this like maze and you want the mouse to come to you, right? Is that what God is doing?

Yes? Maybe because God made man in his own image and he wanted man to have agency just like him. But why does God want man have agency? Yes? Because there's no good, if there's no evil. Like if they are willing to do good, It's actually good. Okay, so again, God wants to create good, so he has to create evil as well.

It's all something like an experiment, right? You have to ask yourself, would God actually do any of this? Yes? This is a bit of a radical opinion, but what if God just didn't create us? He's not God? No, like what would have we're independent from it? Okay. Okay, but yes, yes.

Yes, yes. Yes. 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. Yes? In the passage, 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 string from the past. and like whatever you're right so so as humans like we can we don't we don't automatically have that order so no so we know this free will okay we know what

makes us this this is our free will but I'm saying why do we have this what 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 it God is within us so he wants to experience experience free will. But God only has free will. God is God. God can do whatever you want. In the material world.

In the material world, huh? Does God care? Yeah, you can one? Well, I would just say, rather than making an experiment, I would like to say that God would like to play a role, much more like a jogger, because if people have the three will, they will do this stuff, follow their true hearts, by their true meaning.

So that means there will be no camouflage that can be somewhat confused, then the God can make the real judgment based on people's action and their true thoughts. Okay, so guys, again, this is a problem because you're overthinking this. It's not that hard. That's what we do. 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? How about this kind of like, to judge in the law is called motivation? God is not a judge, okay? It's kind of population like...

No, no, no, okay. God is perfection. God is a creator, right? God, and God to show he loves everything in the world. 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, ever, ask you do anything. God will not ask you to do good. God will not ask you to do evil.

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. Doesn't make sense. Well, I don't know, but I'm also father and I think my I can't just give them in conditional enough. Because if I say this condition enough, you don't take responsible for him. For example, if he's not my son, he can do everything what do he want.

I don't care. But if he's in my son, I have to. Tell him. Right? You're my son. You have to enter a argument. I don't want to turn to debate, right? This is, okay.

I don't want to turn to debate. We're trying to be the like comedy. We're trying to understand what Dante is saying here. Yes? I kind of 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. I don't think it's given, 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 on it. And if I don't want to eat my vegetables, my parents let me eat candy. Like that doesn't seem like, like, like, uh, them showing that they love you. 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 but like you understand there are rules to the universe okay for example we don't have a power to like blow up the entire universe you understand there are limits to what we can do God does that limits to us does that make sense okay yes so maybe I want to pull maybe I want to pose a question at the very least

It seems like Eve ate the apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And prior to that, Adam Neve didn't have knowledge of this good and evil, which perhaps would negate a bit of this 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 would say, and were forced this free will. Does that seem to fit at all here? Okay, so, yes? But 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 a recommendation, I recommend you not to eat this room,

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 there. Yeah, so I mean, we'll get to the garden, okay? But there are like so many ways you can understand what happened.

But like what Donnie will say is that exactly that, which is if God didn't want us to, you know, didn't want us the opportunity to exercise for free will, he would not put the tree there in the first place. And he would not have said, hey, lift that tree, don't touch it, okay? I mean, yeah?

Did you have a comment, yes? Oh, well, this is a bit of a meta-narrative, but what if God is perfection, God is everything good, God loves us, so no matter what God does to us, that's the form of his love, if he gives us free will, that's his love, if he does it, that's his love,

if he did, then we had all. only assume that he loves us. Okay, all right, so let me clarify something, okay? This, Donny is beyond time and space. You understand? So we cannot use our logic, we cannot use our language to explain what's going on. When Dante is trying to use our logic, our language,

to explain to us what's going on. Okay? So this is not a... not a literal explanation, oh God is a 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 the question for Dante is like, what does this mean, right? If the universe is entirely energy, How does this energy flow work?

And what does this mean for us? And what God 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 we 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. You try to explain to us why we make certain choices that we do. Okay, you understand? So this is a poetry, this is a metaphor. This is like quantum mechanics. Does it make sense, guys? All right, any more questions before we do on? Okay, so I'm trying to establish the major themes

that we're exploring throughout the line-comity, okay? All right, are we all clear? All right, let's move on the channel two, please. Yeah, yeah. O you who are within your little bark, eager to listen, falling behind my ship, that singing crosses to deep seas, turn back to see your shores again. Do not attempt to sail the seas I sail. 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 reader. Keep on going. The waves I take were never sailed before.

Minerva breeds, 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. Quite honestly, no one else will be at Weber going this journey again. Thank you on going. You other few who turned your minds in 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 sea,

keeping your course within my wake, ahead of where waves smooth again. Those men of glory, those who crossed to Colchus, where they saw Jason turn into plowmen, were less amazed than you will be amazed. So again, he's referencing Greek mythology, Jason and organized, okay? Do I go away? The thirst that is innate,

and everlasting, thirst for the godly realm bore us away as swiftly as the heavens that you see. Okay. So what he's saying is that our fundamental hunger, our fundamental need, our thirst, is to return to God. And he feels God is close to him, so he is moving really quickly towards him. Beatrice gazed upward. I watched her, but in his 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, heaven is not into a hierarchy, okay? Different 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 brilliant, solid, dense, and stainless cloud, much like a diamond that the sun has struck. Into itself, the everlasting pearl received us, because 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 face, 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 believes. 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

have made men tell the tale of King. Okay, so they're on the moon, okay? And Donda has a question, which is, why are there dark spots on the moon? Actually, Terrell, could you, let me just like Google the moon? Sure. Yeah. So you guys have looked at the moon, right?

We're like dark spots on the moon, and you're like, what are they doing there, right? Like, you guys see the moon, right? Explain, does anyone know why there are dark spots on the moon? Because there's craters from meteorites? Yeah, that's the center explanation, okay? 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 dog is asking this question. Like, my first question is, why are the dark spots on the moon? Okay, he said he's in heaven, And he's asking, like, why the doctor's on the moon? Okay, so for him, it's an scientific journey, right? Okay, keep on going, 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 errors of amazement once you recognize that reason, even when supported by the census, has short ways. Okay, so here she's saying, okay, Reason, logic don't work in the universe. There are severe limitations to science, to logic, to reason.

And so now we're forced to use our intuition and our imagination. If you truly believe in science, it's only carry you so far. Okay, keep on going. Sorry, I have a preface. I think imagination, and intuitions and reason is all the same level of precedence of cognitive faculty. So why is imagination or incubators higher than reason? Okay, that's your 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 anyone want 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'm, I mean very wrong, but I think that like logic is more like about rational. Well, imagination can be like very rational. Like, yeah, like it can, for example, of different people. Yes. Yeah, I will say logic is the people in the past, like what they're experienced and summarizing, put into the theory, or you can say logic is when, is what people think when they're 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 can be more imaginative this way, probably. Yes. I think to an extent, 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 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 we sometimes we are drawn to poetry writing

okay okay all right intuitively I think the different between intuition and logic is that logic is you know it's like human being have a multi-plex of ways of thinking or, you know, experience in the universe. But logic is the conscious human effort involving language and other, you know, centralized method to the universe, whereas intuition is invoking the whole physical or mental capacity without even being conscious. Okay, all right, so this is harder, okay? But I need to understand the difference between reasoned imagination.

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 category something. For example, you're a girl, you're a boy, girl, boy, okay? And then from that, once you have these categories, I can start to reason things out, okay?

But the categorization is problematic. Because by categorizing, what I'm doing is I am reducing. I'm subtracting. I'm simplifying, okay? Imagination is different because the imagination is about synthesis. 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's what feature 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? If you're trying to reason out why the moon has dark spots.

You're like, the moon is a planet. The planet, I mean, you do understand what's going on? You're trying to put things into categories. And as a result, it's going to confuse you. All right, yes? is also like if you use logic, you can come up with many answers to one question. But if you have intuition or imagination,

there's just one truth. God feel it. Yeah, yeah, that's what Donnie is going to say. Like intuition is probably your best guy. Okay? Anymore? Yes? Yeah, maybe I think just like, you know,

in ancient China people just don't believe in logic. They just believe in, for example, like N-Chin, or we can call love or something. So you have to show love to your mother, have showed love to your master, you can't 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 why I love you because I need you, right? Why I need you because you can give me something that I need, right? So I think maybe that is different. Okay, so categorization is important because categorization allows you to better manipulate the material world. Does that make sense, guys?

But you're able to categorize things, you're also able to put things down to its basic elements and then manipulate them, great technology. Doesn't make sense. But there's a limitation to this. The imagination is what carries you through to the deep secrets of the universe.

And that's what I'm saying here. You are looking at the moon from a logical, rational, scientific perspective, and that will not be. let you see the truth. Okay? The heart, the imagination will let you see the truth. Okay, can you continue please? Sure. But tell me what you think of it yourself, and I, what seems to us diverse up here as cause, I think, by matter dense and rare. Okay, what's this explanation for this? It's a very simple explanation.

Why are the dark spots on the moon? Matters, dense and rare. What does he mean by this? Different density. Can you explain, please? Like, if you're just trying to figure this out logically, what's the most logical explanation for why there are dark spots on the moon? There are different materials, or craters, or asteroids. That's not the most logical explanation.

What was the most logical explanation? Dirt has different colors. No. Guys, why are there dark spots? Are there dark spots on the moon? Why is it that some parts reflect and some parts don't reflect? Why? All these and value.

Yeah? It would be because it creates depth, and so the more far away, the darker, same as a cave would be. Yeah, right, OK. So what we assume is that there's certain parts of moon that are hollow. Does that make sense?

Like, just from a lot of perspective, like, well, the parts of the moon that are hollow, and that's what light just passes through. Right? There's some part of the moon that is pretty dense, and so the light reflects back. I'm just thinking about a large perspective. We use categorization, right? An analysis, you get to this conclusion.

Okay? If something is hollow, it does not reflect light. If something is not hollow, light bounces back. We're using logic here. And that's what Donnie is saying. It doesn't make sense. Okay, keep my going? And she, you certainly will see that your belief is deeply sunk in error if you listen carefully

as I rebutted. What is really interesting, you know, what is in heaven and they're having a scientific debate, okay? They're having an argument about the nature of science. The eight 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 causes, 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. Where you correct, one only would be left. The rest destroyed. more. Wait a stop, okay, right. So what she's saying here is, okay, we are looking at the heavens, that different stars have different lighting, okay? And she's saying like, if we can just reduce everything to logic, this logic controls the

universe, and therefore the entire stars are lit by this logic, okay? But she's going to tell us that can't be true. There's another force. That's how it would work. Keep on going. And more, where rarity the cost 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 she's saying is it, 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. Does that make sense, guys? Okay? Either the possibility, either the part of the moon that are hollow or there's deep cavities and the moon so the light just goes into it.

Okay, only one each three possibilities. And now what she'll do too is, she's going to refute both of these arguments. Am I going? And more, oh, right here, and more were rarely the cause of the dip, sorry, anyway, I'll just repeat it. And more were rarity the cause of the dense spots

of question, and in part this planet would lack matter through and through, or else as in a body, lean and fat count can alternate, so would this planet alternate the pages, in Fulgin, 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 annulled that too, then your opinion surely is computed. 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 a hollow at any point. Why? Because there should be... Yes? So anyone? There's a eclipse.

The eclipse, right? You have an eclipse, right? So it's not possible for the moon to be a halt at any point, otherwise you wouldn't have a eclipse, okay? Can you run away? If Brerty does not run 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 blast 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. Great. So wait, that's the logical argument, right? Well, maybe the moon is not totally hollow, but there are parts that are so deep the light just is trapped, okay? Do you want to go? Yet, an experiment where you to try it could free you from your cabal, and the source of your arts course brings from experiment.

Okay. What's you saying here? If you say, like, if you don't believe me, and I'm Beatrice, I am a representative of God. You don't believe me, what should you do? Do it for yourself, man. Do you understand? You don't have to believe me. I am not forcing you don't believe anything.

believe anything you have a power to know the truth for yourself okay do an experiment 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 a lesser size, there you will see that it must match the brightness of the rest. Okay, so you guys understand experiment.

What I'm doing is I am putting mirrors in front of me, okay? Maybe 10 people from me, and I'm putting it like a mirror 10,000 kilometers away. And I'm shining 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 experiment you actually do at home.

You're not to believe me, you just go home and try this experiment. No matter how far it is from you, it will still be as bright. Okay, doesn't make sense. 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. Now, just as a sub-matter of the snow, beneath the blows of the warm rays, is strip of both its former color and its cold. So is your your mind left bare of error. I would offer now to you a new form, lights a living that it trembles in your sight. Why is Beatrice wasting everyone's time? Why is she doing this? Why

is tell Dante, you're a moron, and here's the truth. Why is she engaging in this dialogue, thisocratic dialogue? What's the point of this? Yes? So 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 unconfinses himself that he's in heaven, then he would just fall away and he will wake up and he will 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 Dante, the poet, actually structuring it in such a way to demonstrate the difference between what we mentioned earlier, knowledge and imagination. Okay, actually, yes? 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. Okay, but I'm saying like why go through this very long process? Why do you just tell us what's going on?

Yes. Well, I think it's just kind of the, you can call it emotional things or, you know, the point, they don't always think logically. They sometimes think just initially. That means we can call original thinking. It's like, Pied and Mask, said, original thinking is not the one, but a zero. So, 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 of 26, that we would be in Beijing on this day, it's a multicultural, multilingual 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 he wrote this in the year of

31, he didn't even know where China was, that never experienced the world. Could he have imagined that in the year of 26 that we would be together trying to figure out his intention. Can you imagine that? Who says yes? Someone say yes? Just for what? Yeah, yes.

I think it's yes. Why? I think yes, because just like Shakespeare, he says that maybe the things that we can be forgotten but worse will be remembered forever. So everywhere, while their own work can become a masterpiece, including tenking, I suppose. Yes.

I guess if what he writes is close to the truth and close to what is true, it will stand the test of time, right? So it's trying to be there 50 years from now, a thousand years from now, 2000 years from now. Yeah, okay, good, right? Anyone else? Like could you have known that one day

we'd be reading this and discussing this in Beijing in 2026? I don't know, like maybe it had, sorry. I don't know, maybe when he was on this journey, he might have like, soon 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 Samhland for an actor, so that watching both questions.

Do he actually had this conversation to happen? Do you think any of this is actually true? Yes, the poll. I think, uh, I think to analyze this, you need to strip the situation on this 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 if we delve down into the archetype of what we're doing, which is discussing his work, which is deriving knowledge, deriving nourishment from him, 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, And then the group of people will be watching this video

and analyzing what we're discussing. Is that possible? What would make it possible? Why would they be doing this? Well, they'll be reading Dante. They'll be reading Dante. I'm not sure if they were watching the video. But how can you be sure that we're making contact?

Yes? Yeah, go ahead. Well, maybe because like Dante knew that Facebook would change the course of history, or we would think in this room that didn't. He's not even know that. Well, not for certain. Oh, actually he did know that.

Really? Yes, he did. Okay? He did know that when he wrote this. What happened to him after he finished with my comedy? Do you guys know? He died. He died.

Right after he finished with my comedy, he died. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. He died. Oh. Yes? Well, I think these topics are eternal and that's what make us human.

So even after maybe 5,000 years or somebody will still learn from these topics and try to learn from people that taught these topics before. Okay. Yes? Yeah. I was going to expand upon that and just say that people are going to forever have curiosity and see questions about God and they will never be answered until we not invite up. Yeah, okay. So I would just say that if you just look into your heart, you know what is eternal, what is true.

Okay, and 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 in the past. extend back in the past okay and this is something that you can't actually do 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 we'll come back at 1 o'clock all right okay all right thanks okay welcome back to the live stream um so for those of you watching online please note that every day we start class probably at 10 o'clock, then we'll break at 12 for lunch, and then we'll come back at 1 o'clock, and we continue until 3 o'clock.

Okay, so the live stream is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. But please note there's an hour break in between, just so that we can rest and get some food to eat. Okay, so again, for the first day, we're establishing themes and ideas that. structure the divine harmony and then after we do that then I want to expand and give you questions and exercises that help you promote your intuition in 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 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 don't speak Italian. So if you really want to understand divine comedy, if you really want to experience starting for yourself, you have to read aloud the divine comedy in Italian as it was designed. Okay. And like it was it's and like the thing that is, is, The thing I believe of divine comedy is that it's an act of divine inspiration, meaning that Dante wrote this by channeling God and the universe. And only by reading aloud the Italian, the Tuscan, can you experience this for yourself? Because when you do so, you will be channeling Dante himself.

So I hope that this class will only be the beginning of a lifelong journey. I think it'll be a lifelong journey into truly experiencing Dante. 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. It does that make sense? Okay. So we're a bit confused.

It's not his fault. It's our fault. And I work under this assumption. All right. Okay. So let's continue from, let's continue. Do you read Carol? Thanks so much for reading, by the way.

Thank you. Now, just as the sub-matter 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 bear 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 priest and you understand and when finally is saying no you have to engage in open debate sacriotic 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 unfold okay all right So this is really interesting. And I want to think about this. So the metaphor that's being used is body, right? The universe is a body. So as an exercise, I want to think about what other metaphors we can use to describe the universe, right? The metaphor that's being used here is body. 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 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 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. Energy, sure. What else? Yes? The soul.

The soul? The soul. The soul. Okay. The soul. Okay. What else? How about a cave? A cave. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Again, you guys have far more credit than I am.

I would never come up with these on my own. Anyone else? Okay. How about? How about a factory? There's a TV show that describes the universe as a Jeremy Barrami. So there's an I and then, so like the word Jeremy bear me 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 Barryme,

but then there's an I and if you accidentally end up on that eye, you're stuck forever. This is way too complicated for me. Okay, all right. Okay, this is like beyond my intention. Okay, all right. 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 randomness. To say the soul, it's like a fractal. Right? Basically, your soul is a universe and then it mirrors the entire universe. Okay? A cave is basically just a simulation. Is that fair to say? A cave will be a simulation.

It's not real. Okay. A God would be the mind of God. We're living in a dream basically. a ball, I would not know how to describe a ball, but a ball I think would be, what would you say it's a ball? I should have a kind of fine. I mean like a crystal ball, like a little simulacrum, and inside is everything, and you can shake it up and it'll change a little. So it's still a simulation? No, no, not a simulation. It's a ball which contains an area, which is more like a crookable, a reactor. Yeah, I'm so confused.

Okay. Um, okay. So a garden is something like God as the gardener, right? Does that make sense? We're all just a flower in the garden. God's always taken 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 body, that even body is interesting because it is distinct from all other of these metaphors. Why would, what does a body signify? All right, you have a body, you have a brain, you have arms. Why would that be a good metaphor for the universe? Yes? Like it would mean that we are like really part of the universe and that we can also reflect like upon ourselves. compared to the universe like what it is yes thank you yes directly interact with it yes

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 so what's a brain ideas or the mind okay anyone else yes 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 yeah a body can die yeah a body can die yeah okay

Um, yeah, all right. Yes? Maybe the cells, because the body has cells, right? Yeah. So in the exact case, yes, okay. Star is like so. 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 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 that we can construe from the using body's metaphority for universe is, first of all, interconnectedness, right? Everything is interconnected together. 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. Now last is, and this is really important is that the intentionality. Intentionality. A body cannot be random, right?

Energy can be random, but a body, there has to be some intentionality that is designed to it. The body has a purpose. It has direction, right? It's not just random chaos. So that's the idea inherent in the body metaphor. Okay? All right, let's continue. The sphere 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 organs of the universe proceed, as you now see from stage to stage. receiving from above and acting downward. Okay, so all these different spears 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 in each spear has a certain purpose, and it's all to a design, okay? keep on going. And by the way, we'll be visiting these spears one by one, okay? Come on going. So do these organs of the universe proceed, as you now see from stage to stage, receiving from above and acting downward.

Now do you attend to how I path 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 the 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 hammers art.

And so from the deep mind that makes it wheel, the sphere that many lights adorn 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 unity. 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 derive 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 spears is that God manifests differently in different places. And it's all to a certain design and intention. And Beatrice 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, why could our understanding of the world as having evolved from basic principles not, not going. Is there any answer to this? Does anyone want to respond to this idea? Why is this? 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 fittest because of Darwinism right and so what is the question can you try to hide

use the handheld maybe you have to turn it on yeah so like why could God not have designed Darwinism? God designed Darwinism and allow Darwinism to take his course because that's what God wants. Okay, so this is a different conception of God, okay? So there are, you can say like 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 shows his approval by shining his light in us. Does that make sense? All right? Okay. Do you understand this idea? It's a difference between a game developer and a game game master who plays his own game. It's a rough metaphor, yes. But yeah, the idea is that in evolution, what they're saying is that the universe is independent of God. God. Does that make sense? Yeah. Okay. God doesn't interfere in the universe. What Beatrice is saying to Dante is like, no, God is always present. We know because the spears shine differently. Okay. All right. Any more questions before we move on? It's really important you guys make sure you understand. Otherwise, you usually get more more confused as we go along. Yes? So you mean the God is like, you know, the sand or we are just like a mirror.

So the God just shine upon all of us and we can reflect with God back. Right. So the metaphor that Beatrice uses the body, right? So God is the brain. Okay. So we're always interfacing with God. All right. Okay.

All right. Let's continue to cattle three, please. That sun, which first had warmed my brain. with love had now revealed to me, Confuting, proving the gentle faith of truth, its loveliness. And I... Sorry, what is the son? Apollo, but what else?

God and what else? Inspiration. Okay, God, Apollo, and what else? Who's he talking to? Beatrice. Beatrice, right? So how can we reconcile this? This is a paradox.

Who is he talking to? God or Apollo or Beatrice? 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 God's emanations. You can consider emanations as representatives of the God. So Beatrice here is on behalf of Apollo and on behalf of God in a more concrete form in order to show done. 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 a polo, it manifests itself as Beatrice, but it's with 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 requires. 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. 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 turned 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 in the Spears, and he sees people, and he's completely confused by this, because why is this happening, right? Why is everyone not with God? Why are people separated from God? Okay? And Beatrice is saying, they're 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 to intent.

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 are sentiments which only serve the flame that is the pleasure of the holy ghost the light and they're 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. 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 semblance, there's something divine that glows, transforming the appearance you once showed. Therefore, by recognizing you as low, 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 were mythical figures, but there are also people who were part of Dante's life. Now, some background about Dante is that he was essentially a Norseocrat in Florence who participated in 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 we move along, okay? But just remember, there's a power to struggle for Carter 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 so 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 fears 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 is our peace that sea to which all beings move. The beings he creates or nature makes such as his will. Okay, so Donnie asks her question. The question is, clearly there's this hierarchy in heaven and you are in the outer sphere, right? The core is God. So do you desire as a person to move close?

closer to God. Basically, graduate, right? To move from the outer sphere to the inner sphere. What is her response? Why not? So we are content here. Yeah, but why? Yes? She is content because she has to be absolutely obedient to God and God says that she has to be content here. So she has to be content. If she is not content, 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? here. What's a paradox here? Yeah? Her free will couldn't get her higher. Right. But she doesn't want to go higher. So thing though. Yeah. So God's, God's making the decision for her though. Right. That's right. And she accepts that decision. But that's a paradox. Why?

It will place God as a judge and we said that he wasn't putting persons into places. Right. No, I, but And that's my interpretation. I'm saying like like within the structure there's a paradox. What's the paradox? There's a logical contradiction here. She says, God has willed me to be here. And it is my role, my duty to obey his will. Therefore I'm happy where I am. But what's the problem with this logic? Yes? 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 are 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 sphere, then you are not even worthy of the first sphere. If you don't want to advance to the second sphere and got 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. You understand the logic here, right? If it was just a case where do you just obey God's will and then everyone's in heaven, there'll be no hierarchy in heaven. Why is there a hierarchy? It makes sense. Okay? So why is she stuck where she is. Why is she in the lower sphere? Because 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 keep our 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 stated 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 whose rule governs those who in your world would wear nun'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've let 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 coister god knows what after that my life became this other radiance that shows itself to you 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 to 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 lost. This is the splendor of the great Costanza, who from the Swabian's second gust, engendered the one who was their first, their third and final power. Okay, so let me explain what's going on, okay? So Donna is asking her, why are you here? And she says, well, what happened was that my brother is this very powerful Duke. And I fell in love with God and I wanted to serve God. so I followed a woman into the nunner.

I became a nun, right? I made my vows to God. My brother, the Duke, needed me as a pawn for his power politics, right? He wanted to marry me off to someone else to form an alliance. So he sent his soldiers to force me back to him, and then he married me off. But even though I was married, 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 you know my body no longer was chased, my heart was chased. 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 lowest 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. How could they exercise their free will?

By refusing. Yeah, but there are soldiers with swords dragging her away. What could she have done? You could have tried to escape or killed herself. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah? Yeah. She couldn't, she couldn't offer herself because in Catholicism, 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're saying. You kill someone, that's not as bad as if you kill yourself. So suicide is the worst sin. Okay.

And why they made this a sin is it was very common for woman who are raped to kill themselves. Why? Yeah, but why kill yourself? No one or no one to marry them? Right, but they were Christians, you understand? They were Christians. So they thought, if I kill myself, I used to be able to go with Jesus. And that's why the church has to say, 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, this will be your body. They can't touch your soul, right? To 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. It doesn't matter. What matters is your faith. And what? So why is she in the lowest sphere? She's doing right. What's wrong with this? Yeah. Maybe God think that the body or the story is this is what I give to you, but if you just deny it, it means that you deny me. So maybe you need to be tortured. Okay. Let's elaborate on your idea here. Okay, you can't kill yourself, right? So what do you do?

So you, you should run away? But they'll just catch you, right? Because the so you fight back, like a Disney princess. Like you fight back. You fight back. Yes. 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 that thought i would never say suicide's okay okay yeah well but but but again like like

what's going on here is he is he trying to kind of criticize the the the the christian churches No. Okay. No. He did he yeah. Could he be bringing randomness and luck into this at all? She had a bad luck. Does does does does. Does don't I believe in in randomness and luck. Okay. Yes. So, uh, this lowest fear is for people who have broken their promises. When you enter a nunnery, you make a vow to be chast to be a version 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 understand this, but this morning we just said that God was all forgiving, all loving, and not judgmental. This is clearly judgmental. Clearly she does nothing wrong. Why is she here?

What's going on here, guys? Yeah. And forgive herself, so she confined herself to that sphere. Yeah, well, that is she did. She did. 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. What does it mean? Like how Rapunzel was stuck in the tower. She escaped. So 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 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 how do that work? Yeah. Well, you like manifest a way or like you imagine a way in your mind out of it. and then some in some way the universe will give you a way to get there exactly okay could you repeat that this exactly this is exactly it okay okay make sure everyone understands this idea say syria well the if you like can imagine the world 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 you guys okay let me explain the process First of all is the will. You really, really want it. Okay? What happens is you don't know how an idea will come into your mind. You will imagine a way. And then what happened 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's just she was not faithful enough. If you really want to escape, then an idea would have come to 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. Okay, but the key is the will, right? And what this is saying is like, you can do every you, any of 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 want it?

She's here. Oh, yeah, sure. She's here, but what else? It happened to her anyways. No, but what's a problem right now? She doesn't want to go anywhere else. You understand? That's the problem.

It's not that she's here. It's like she doesn't want to go beyond this point. She's like, I'm probably happy here, man. I'm into heaven. I'm awesome, you know? Like, I meet 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? This is a really important idea if you want to understand Dante, okay? You are always in communication with the universe. It's only a question of like how focus, how intentional, how much will do you have in achieving what you want? All right?

So if you don't get, yeah I just want to add that Like 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 world than like the action Yeah, that's exactly correct yes yes If like Nietzsche's will to power idea or is it different Okay, let's just say for whatever reason you want to become

King, right? And what's a question? Is dentists this idea about will, kind of the same as Nietzsche's idea about will to power? Yes, yes, it's very similar, yes. It reminds me of a concept we learned in psychology where it's called self-efficacy, as brought up by Bandora. The idea is that, like, the number one reason why you're able to accomplish something is you believing in your yourself that you can accomplish that thing. Exactly. Right.

And it's the word we, it's like, 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 is Nietzsche'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 I know this sounds a bit weird, but we'll try to unpack it as we go along, okay? This idea here. Okay. You also 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? I don't know. Okay.

All right. So, so, so let's go deeper into this. 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 is she thinking? What's the emotions going for her mind?

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 like mean. They're like swords. They're really mean people. And like quite honestly, they could come and kill everyone in the convent, right? What is she thinking right now?

What was this thought process? You're like she's really in despair because obviously as like one woman she 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 what will God say? Yeah, yeah. Sorry.

And what will God say to this? You're afraid, you're in the spirit. You pray to God. Please save him. Please save me. Please save me. So what's wrong with that? Yeah?

Well, 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 God you don't really, really want to. to be saved, okay? It's that fear. You understand? Okay? Okay. So that's why she's stuck

where she is. Because she's afraid. Is that 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? maybe develop like a will to advance or of course it is what's a problem oh so um at first i thought like what she did as a human like to find like where she will go and like heaven no it doesn't oh okay yeah but what's a problem with her um like she doesn't want to advance exactly you understand okay and what and why doesn't she want to um what's the reason why she's Maybe 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. You understand? It's a fear. You understand? Oh, okay.

Right? It's a fear. So it's like that she's 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 pretext. It's a rationale. So it's like comforting yourself when you got like a bad grade or something. Yeah, it's a very human reaction. We do this all the time, right? Yeah, yeah. We say 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 I just want to know the difference between worship and believe. For example, I believe in God, but it doesn't mean that a worship,

with God because I think worship is higher, much higher believed in. 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 just use, use your imagination there's an army starting the convent okay the army says you come up now or come in and we'll kill everyone in the common okay and Picard is fearless and she has total faith in god what could she have done to get herself out of the situation guys use your imagination what could she have done imagine yourself as Piccara you're in a comment yeah maybe like i won't actually do it but i'll probably pretend to suicide or whatever like you guys dare to come in now, just kill myself. Yeah, do you understand this? You just stand on top of the roof and says, okay, guys, you come in the dorm, 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 back. 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? Because where are they now? No, no, no, I'm saying where are they? What building 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 the 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 gonna 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 I'm jump down the roof. What's he, what's he going to do? Try to persuade her but fail, maybe. And then what's he what's he going to do? Then go away. He has to go home now. You understand? It's like you can't deal with this crap. Right? But you see what's happened.

Just the will. Like, yeah? Like, this is actually a question directly. Something you said earlier. So you said earlier that your actions define where you are on this celestial ladder. However, spoilers, but like in Pugat, 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 are, then why are the good pagans stuck there?

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, Doni doesn't believe this. Okay. Right. It doesn't make sense. as we keep on reading you'll find that there are pagans who are in heaven yeah all right yeah um about the like the imaginative situation that um when she that she says that she's gonna like one of the the castle what of 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 would you be thinking she's bluffing yeah she could be bluffing and are you going to

take the chance you're not going to take a chance you understand okay because i mean like okay i mean you have to like imagine yourself in that situation okay you're the soldier Ricardo is doing this crap on you, right? You have to think God has taken possession of her. And they are in a nunnery, 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, your sister's crazy and she won't come home, what will the Duke do? off with your head. Well, I think it's the problem with the 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 situations. The first situation is you go back to the Duke and says your sister's crazy and 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 probably better for you, okay?

It's a lot better for you. Right? Okay. So again, I'm not saying this is what's going to happen. 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, let's keep on reading.

This said, she then began to sing Ave 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 Beatrice. But she then struck my eyes with so much brightness that I, at first, could not withstand her forth. And that made me delay my question. So Danty has met Ricardo, and now he wants to ask Piotr's a question.

What is this question? We spent the last hour talking about it. What question does Dante really, really want to ask Beatrice now? What did she do wrong, right? Like, I don't understand this at all. She did nothing wrong. Okay, all right. Let's continue to count of 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 wolves. 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 equal to 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 Park Carter do 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 them evidence. Then Beatrice did just. did just as Daniel did when he appeased Nebuchadnezzar'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 left? Okay, so they understand this, okay? Bacarda, what did 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 left 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 seraph closest unto God nor Moses Samuel nor either John whichever one you will nor Mary has I say they're placed in any other heaven than that which houses those souls you just saw nor will their blessedness last any longer but all those souls raise the imperial and in each of them has gentle life though some sends 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 Imperian, their place is lowest. Okay, so this is really

important idea to keep in mind, okay? This is a metaphorical representation of the heavens. In the actual heavens, there is no time in space, so there is no hierarchy. Okay. But there are certain souls that are not as worthy as other souls. And so they are now visually depicted in the lower spheres. So this is just an optical illusion in order for us to better understand what's going on. Are you 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. Right? And this is why the Bible content to human powers, assigning feet and hands to God, but meaning something else instead. And Gabriel and Michael and the angel who healed the eyes of Tobit are portrayed by Holy Church with human visages, that which to mea has said in reasoning of souls does not describe what you have seen since it would seem that as he speaks he thinks 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 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 gonna end up in the same place you started out with who cares what you do here all 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 uh Yeah, but you still end up the same place. But that's, well, well, you could change, right?

Like you can change your opinion or yourself. You will. On this, on this world, but back in the old world, the real world, the world of heavens, you're still stuck where you are. But this is what Timits is saying, okay? Not what Donnie is saying. Donny would obviously say that, no, you can't actually ascend. Yeah?

So I would say that's a very materialist view of life. So we're going to die anyway. So why not have fun? Like if you're stuck, exactly. 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, you can have a wife. You could do a lot of things. And that's the fun that matters.

Why not? You know? Like, because you can't, as you say, you can't get drunk and throw up 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, come on 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 won so that, ho, and, and mercury and mars gave names to stars the other doubt that agitates you is less poisonous or 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 heresy's 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 abetted 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, she's explaining exactly what we discuss, okay? As long as you have to 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 a solution. That's a fire ascending. And then the universe 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've done a lot of things. Okay, keep on going.

At there will been as whole as that which held Lawrence, Fast of the Great, and that which made of Musius one who judged his own hands. And 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, Muscius is a great story. Have you guys ever heard the story of Muscius? All right. So what happened was 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, Musseus, and he's like 20 years old, he suggests that he goes and assassinate the king. Okay? So he gets permission from the father, from the Roman elders, the senators. He swims across the tiber, sneaks into the enemy cap. 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.

and they both look alike, they dress alike. Okay? And so Moose is like, hmm, I don't know who's the king, right? I've one dagger, I'm going to leap and I'm going to kill someone, but I might miss. And, you know, it's 50-50, okay? What would you do in that situation? What would you do? No way you can't, right? 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?

Maybe I would have to kill one of them. I don't care who is real. I just queue because I queue and it means my will is there. So yeah, okay. So most people will just go home or like this wait, okay? But Musias is like, screw this. I'm going to take a chance. Okay.

So he kills one and 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 gonna burn you and i'm gonna burn you in our bonfire okay you either confess and tell me everything i'm gonna burn you alive so what does musius 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 women are such crazy bastards that I'm going to go run away now. Okay. And so this is not a true story, 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 your will. 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. It's different power.

All right. Okay. Keep on going. And through these words, if you have grasped, they're bent. eliminate the argument that would have troubled you again and often. But now another obstacle obstructs your son. You cannot overcome it by yourself. It is too wearying to try. I've set it in your mind as something certain that souls and blessedness can never lie, since they're 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 For this, brother, it has often happened that to flee to flee menace, men unwillingly did what should not be done. So did Elkhmeon. 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, Alciman, um, his father.

ordered him to kill his mother obviously murder is wrong but you also have to respect your father right this disobey your father is wrong murdering your mother is wrong what do you do okay often in life we have these more 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 and wrong, but the contingent will through fear that its resistance might bring greater harm, consent. Therefore, Picarda means the absolute will when she speaks and I, the relative, so that the two of us have spoken true. Okay, all right. So this is a really important idea we need to unpack, okay?

There's a difference between absolute will and relative will, contingent will. What's a difference? Yes? So absolute will is, I will love God no matter what. And Kendiq 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. Okay, any other theories? I'd say they come from different places. Absolute will comes from imagination.

It comes from your own story, but as relative will comes from reasoning, logic, you know, comparing outcomes. Okay, any other explanations? Absolute 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 is in 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 priest, in order to project the Japanese believers said that they are going to not be priests and take wives. Okay. We'll go to you then, then you okay? Yeah. I would say contingent will is constrained by reality and absolute will is like, it's always there like absolute will is God basically. Okay. And so how can we describe these things more simplistically? Absolute will is what? Condigent will is what? Can I answer? Yeah. Can I answer? Yeah. So contingent will, well, it will be the

individual human and the absolute will would be by God displaced on us. And what is our connection to the God? How do we connect it to God? Through love. Okay. Yeah? So 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. Contagal will operates within the confines of the main. material, it reacts to what is put before it in order to follow itself. But right, right, right. So both you and you are right, okay, but I'm saying attitude together, what do you get? Like very simplistically, what is the difference? Yeah? Did you have a comment or question?

Um, yeah, business, it's not related. I think, um, absolute will would be faith and then, um, contingent will will be belief. And one needs justification, the other doesn't. Okay, yeah. Absolute will is when you're aligned with God and contingents when you're not. Okay, 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 contended well 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 like let's put this first simple. Okay. soul, right? The soul is always in connection with the God. Contingent will is the body. The body needs to respond to the material universe, the material world. So the condition will can be afraid. So what Richard is saying is that when Picardo was acting, her effort will was still true to God, but a contingent will defied God. Okay? That doesn't make sense? Okay, but why would this be a problem? Yeah?

I have a question. Do these two will, can they coexist at the same time? Absolute will and contingent will. Okay. So Danty 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 worldly problems. But 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 Lewis says that it's trying to be combined to harmony. So, maybe in China maybe most people just like to keep balance they don't like to choose the two extreme whether you're a spiritual thing or whether material is they just yeah yeah I understand that yes keep on going yes well if you align all contingent rules and create absolute world you create godhood or you become God right no no

no you're trying to be you're trying to be close to the God you understand there's a difference but like if you can like all the wills of the people if you can like make them objective then that would be being like god so through doing that through power like no that's what dante would say 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 okay there's the absolute will which is always in with God. And then there's a contingent will, which is with 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, in her instance, her absolute will was loyal to God, but her contingent will surrendered to fear. Okay? And that's what her problem was. Does that make sense, guys? Any questions before we move on? Yeah? So how can we combine these two wheels together? Like better. Any response to this? How do you combine these two together? Well, maybe because why people just feel scared about that because they don't know what are going to go, right? But if we know we're going to go, there must be some kind of universe in that place. Maybe we don't We need to scare about it.

The fears is come from unknown. But if we know something, then we don't think the fear of the problem. So historically, there have been two solutions, okay? The first solution is knowledge. Nosis, continue 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 are you afraid of death? 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 your fear. And when you love someone unconditionally, what happens is the absolute will and the contingent will combined together. Because all your actions are dictated by your love for that person.

This is what Dante will tell us later on. Does that make sense? Knowledge or love? Okay. All right. Can you read, please? Such was the rippling of the holy stream issuing from the fountain from which springs all truth. It's set to rest both of my longing.

Then I said, O beloved of the first lover, Oh, you, divine, who's divine, who's true, 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 desires were vain. Therefore, 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 reverend asking you about another truth that is obscure to me. I want to know if in your eyes one can amend for unkept bows with other acts.

Good works, your balance will not find too scant. Then Beatrice 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 this is very much a student-teacher relationship, right? Beatrice 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 the student achieve full understanding.

So why is Beatrice's excited about the question that Dante asked? 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 the lower sphere. But then Tharney asked this question, and he asked this question, and the question is, so she screwed up, okay? She 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's a nun, 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. world that makes sense right what do you guys think that would that work

that wouldn't solve the core problem of her still being fearful of failure right fearful of consenting okay can you explain some more please the reason why picardia was was not able to transcend could get to the next level was because she was fearful at the core in life in her journey she's still going to get back to that same situation where she'll have to choose between a rock and a hard place right so then if she doesn't have the will to transcend that then you know you're still not the next step you're still not in the next sphere okay okay so that's logically correct yes okay but but let's go deeper yes Yes, so I was thinking that she cannot be redeemed by this because essentially she is doing all these like acts of charity 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 bore. 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 understand that makes sense but 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 you're not yeah it would not it would not redeem her in the answer to go. But I'm trying to figure out the problem. So I guess like my answer to that would be like she is pushing herself to do a lot of these things because she still is worried that like God is not going to like forgive her. And then she's going to end in like a bad circle in heaven. So yeah, she is still worried. So like she's still not like acting upon that well. Okay. I don't understand because she just helped a billion people live happier lives. And it's coming from a lot. a place of anxiety and fear. She's afraid that God will punish her. But the results are good. So who cares? Quality over quantity in this case. You can explain what this means.

The fundamental nature of her soul or 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. you're still 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're caring about the outcome,

but this would have been in a time of like Aristotelian virtue ethics, and so we would be caring far more about the four virtues than the outcome. Okay, but I understand this. I understand this is different time. I'm saying like, in the grand scheme of things, if this person, Picard 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 context.

I'm just saying like generally speaking, the general principle. Yeah? It's the Constantine argument all over again. So you watch the movie Constantine. So Constantine 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, Ricardo 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. When God looks at you, let's say when he looks at you, 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 up for this, but she has not attained this.

Yeah, that is correct, yes. That is closer to what I want. Yes. Anyone else? Yes? Yeah, but I think this makes me have a question because I just want to know the difference between the demon and the God. Because the demon also said that I mean to be God. There are no demons. There are no demons. There's only God. Oh, the only God, right? So, so therefore I think the God is obviously to give you something for not early 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. All right. 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, Immanuel Pont's categorical imperative, okay? The categorical imperative by Emmanuel Pont. 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 kind of go imperative. Okay, so the first idea is 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.

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. Now we understand why whatever Procotta does, doesn't redeem her. Because her act of fear, her act of incontinence, of going with her 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. 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. Every 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 help. If I go help a billion people, then I should be able to go to heaven, right? Or constantly these things, well, I killed a lot of demons, so therefore I should go to that's not the way it works okay everything you do has to be 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 cut out one person that goes against the categorical imperative i know it sounds stupid wait a minute 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 categorical imperative. And the kind of imperative is really a way for us to understand the morality of Danty's cosmology, of his universe. Does that make sense? That's why there's no way for Picarder to redeem herself in the eyes of God. All right? So this reason is an interesting question. What can Parcara 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-nary. Yes. That is a possibility, yes. Maybe just sharing as much love as she can to her children's. That's no different from making film people happier.

Right? Yeah, but it would be more like personal and like connected to soul, I guess. Like, uh, because also, uh, giving money to people isn't really about love, uh, in a way. Yeah, yeah, but why she, because she, being, but why she loving her children so much? Why is she so nice to her children then? It goes back to the Constantine problem, right? It's the same thing where Constantine was doing a lot of good by killing these demons and

God says, we don't care. Same thing where, you know, if Picarda has 10 kids and they all love her and she loves them 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? Yes. than you. Well, if there's no way, then there's no free will. Right? So there has to be a way, yes? I repent. Wow. I was 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 an an enemy, she could change her free will. She'd change her will. How? I don't understand. her will is now, I will be a good king and a good, 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 her absolute will, which forces her to do what? Yes? So this is, this is like prosperity gospel. Okay, this is really stupid. This is really entitled. But what? if Ricardo just stops begging, begging God to like, oh God, please notice me.

What if Ricardo goes, okay, I am worthy of this now? Are she begging God for anything? Yes. Well, the solutions that we just proposed, like doing all these good deeds, that's a roundabout way of begging, to be honest. What is she doing any of these things? Is she doing any of these things? Yeah, she isn't. No, she isn't.

What is she feeling right now? Like what's she feeling right now? She didn't have in. How does she feel? Content. She's pretty content, okay? 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. I do want to ascend into like a closer space to God. Exactly. Okay, that's it. Okay. Do you understand? If all she's like the way she redeems herself is, I'm not happy being the dumbest kid at Yale. I wouldn't be like, second second dumbest kid at Yale or something, okay? Anything.

Who cares? But that wouldn't make her redeem, redeem herself in the eyes of God. Because now she's actually exercising more will. When you do that, you're showing your faith, love, and trust in God. That's what God wants. Then this crap, like, okay, I'll donate a billion dollars with charity.

Okay? Or I'll be really nice to my kids. 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 you understand it's all free wills all free choice wherever you are in the universe it's good because you you choose to be there does that make sense no one put you there okay when Then Procarta 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. Sorry about that. All right, okay. 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 perfected vision, as I grasp the good, so I approach the good and act. Indeed, I see that in your intellect now shines the never-ending light.

One scene, that light alone and always kindles love. And if a lesser thing allure 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. So Beatrice began this canto, and as one who does not interrupt her speech, so did her holy reasoning proceed. The greatest gift, the McNam...

Magnanimity of God as He created gave the gift most suited to his goodness gifts 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 we will that is his greatest gift to us Okay that's how we know he loves us from going those beings that have intellect all these and none but these received and do receive the gift. Thus, you may draw, as consequence, the high worth of a vow when what is pledged with your consent encounters God's consent. For when a pact is drawn between a man and God, then through 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 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 starting to ask this question. Picarda did wrong, but is there a way to compensate for what she did? What is Beatrice's answer? What is the logic here? Just 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 Picarda do with this free will free choice? Don't do anything. Excuse me. Away her own free will. She, she promised her free will to God so that the two are now founded together.

Okay. Okay. So what's happened is that God gave Picarda free will and then Picarder gave her free will to God so that so that now they are eternally married, right? We're eternally married. You can't divorce. You cannot betray the person, okay? So what Picard did was not was not just not keep a vow. She betrayed the person. betrayed God, right? That is what pictures are just saying. This is pretty extreme. Do you guys, are you guys okay with this on argument? So her mistake was promising her free will to God? Um, so yes. And what? And so like, do you think, do you think it's bit harsh, you think? Uh, no. Yeah. I think this is a pretty slippery slope to slide on. I think it's it's a it's a 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 recorded his vows to God can stand for God himself. And if they

can stand for God himself and he betrayed God and he becomes bigger and bigger and that's a problem. Okay, let's use an analogy, okay? Just say that a man and a wife got married, okay? It's a marriage. The wife betrays the husband with some affair. How could the wife redeem herself in the eyes of the husband? Yeah. Well, actually, this is a very sensitive because I think a loving affair is kind of a third wheel, right?

So if there's a certain will, then I think the wife should be. make apologize. So the God will forgive the people who make apologize. 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? Physically, it's mentally, 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. right I mean okay let's

switch this okay you're the wife and the husband cheats on you what could he do to redeem himself in your eyes what out of battery yeah okay yeah

there's no one over here yeah so I wasn't going to say that he can't redeem himself I was going to say that 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.

I think a better way of framing it is 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 in his own journey, right? As opposed to relative to it. Because there's a judgment, right? If the wife needs to judge whether the husband is redeemed, that's what? 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, 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... No, you already cheated. Or you pretend that you didn't cheat. Well, I'm going to have to work, man. Well, in your next marriage. Sorry, sorry, sorry. So maybe I want to reiterate what she was thinking because humans aren't God.

And so it was, what? Humans aren't God. Yeah, that's right. They're not gone. And so, but this is a, this is a judgment that the wife is dealing with the cheater and she's trying to regain trust. But God doesn't have this issue of trust or judgment. I understand. I understand what.

So I'm saying like, can you give me any concrete? thing you can do to redeem yourself? Well, you'd change your character, and then you would gain trust by that change character. So someone who cheats at 18, maybe they don't cheat at 40. So it just takes time and regain trust. 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 un-cheat, right? So all you're going to do 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 question. What's the problem cheating? Can we first explain why? Look, okay, so you have this random one-night affair. Who cares? What does it matter? Yeah. Sure, I think, you know, just like Clinton used to say, I just have a, I don't have sex relationship with the girl, but he said I have to have sex. So a relationship, maybe is, this kind of thing is more than three times for sex.

That is an issue. That is an evil. Because that is for once, I think it's a mistake. It's okay. It's not a mistake. It can't be understood. Yeah, yeah. Yes.

I think 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 bad for what they did because 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 a covenant and 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 men and wife till death do them part and how do they make this vow in front of god

And what do they, how do they make this vow? At a ceremony. And what do they do? They spoke it out. They spoke it out. Yeah. Okay. Do you understand?

All right. So there's now this bond. Yeah. Right? Yes. So when you cheat, what you're doing is your broken it. You're breaking this bond. That's a problem.

Yeah, it's a huge thing, especially in the 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. have 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 to one now that is one of suspicion yeah right okay that's a problem the sex is not the issue the affair is not the issue 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 you can you can try to

business, you can kneel on 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, and you're you and 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. You do it again. You understand. So you will not bow 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, a vow is that serious? It's not like, okay, well, I got drunk and I did something stupid. No, no, no, no, no. It's, you've just changed your understanding of yourself. We can also say you change how God perceives you. You're like, well, God doesn't really care by it, so I'll do it again. Do you understand? Okay. So this is what Tony 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? 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 a problem? What's a 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 this is really serious. Why? You've broken your vow to God, essentially.

That's right. And so what should you not do that? So I understand that. So you're just saying once you've broken your vow, 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 wouldn't 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 it by itself. So that was your answer, die. Okay, so let's think about this, okay? you've broken your vow to God, right? And now you are in the lower sphere of heaven. What can you do now? I don't think we've come to an answer. Renew the vow.

Okay, okay, all right. All right. So let's be precise about this, okay? We have another 10 minutes. Okay, and let's really, really try to unpack this. Okay, so you made this vow to God or to your wife. 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? The one's going to make you 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 Procarta do? Helplessness. I couldn't do anything about it. Exactly, right? Like, yeah, I showed my wife, but, you know, I got drunk and she raped me, so it wasn't really my choice. Okay? So you say I'm helpless. Then what happens?

Your psychology? All right, all right. So I want to be precise, okay? This is really important if we're trying to understand the mind comedy. you do something that breaks your vows, this causes you to feel helpless because you don't want to take responsibility, right? Then what happens? 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 to essentially human. Yeah, it's the same thing. But I'm saying what happens to Eve psychologically, right? When you believe someone else, you lose agency. You lose agency. And then what happens? Become passive. You become passive.

And can you ever change? Yes. And you won't be able to change, okay? That's exactly what for Carter, right? She made a vow to God, very, very serious, okay? The most seriously 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. it's her fault she shifts the blame and the responsibility to her brother and then she just imagine yourself 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 bear ourselves in it so that it's impossible to redeem ourselves.

Okay. Does that make sense, guys? Okay. But this does not answer the question, right? What can be done? Yeah. 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 entire worldview is based on her lack of agency. You understand? Yeah, yeah. She has to explain herself why she didn't resist. The answer is she had no agency.

And her, and so she's like, 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 actually. agency because agency is the finds of God. Then change her worldview. But you cannot change your worldview because it's your worldview. It's like telling you a computer change your software. Knowledge. Knowledge. Knowledge. Like if we want AI to change their worldview, if we want AI to

change your views, then we feed them a lot of that kind of knowledge and the AI changes its views. Or she can just go take the empty. she can just go take a DMT and she's already in she's already in heaven that does no good in heaven yes did you I'm such wanting to be closer to God I guess

like repent and move on 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 good people believe in Jesus?

Why? What does that mean? He can bring us salvation? Right, okay. So, doesn't 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 the most powerful idea in the universe. Okay? So I know it's not satisfactory, but one possible solution is for someone else to forgive you. 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

God right and will God forgive you yeah yeah if you turn towards God 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 to yourself. It's impossible because your worldview, right? You just come to the idea that, no, I'm helpless. I must obey God. and God wants me just to be here for the rest of my life, for all of eternity. Okay.

All right. Does that make sense, guys? Yeah. Any more? Questions? Yes? So I think what you have said, just reminded me out of the memory in which there is Christianity, 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 hard to forgive yourself, but if you just, you know, let God to sit on your seat, royal seat, then you can be forgiven. Yeah. Okay. 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, when 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 forgiven yourself? 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 infernal, okay? All right. But it's important that we first start off with Paradise, so we understand the cosmology. Okay. Any more questions, guys? Okay. So that's it for the first day.

We have a couple of minutes. So 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 had this amazing full-day discussion. We've read a lot.

Thanks to Carol. But go back and review for yourself, read for yourself the first four contals. It makes you understand everything, okay? If there's 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 tomorrow morning just answering any questions you have about Dante.

All right? Make sure you understand everything. If there's a reference, you don't understand, like who is Glockis, who is Daphne. Make sure you understand the stuff. Okay, just read up on it. 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, drug me, okay? Be like, and the thing about Beatrice 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.

Oh. Yes. Okay. Yes. No. Yeah, that's exactly right. Okay. All right. So that's, but like the, like how features and Donnie interact with each other. I hope that this can also be like that. Okay. Our classroom can also be one of questioning, debate, open and honest dialogue. All right. Okay, guys. So that's great. That's it for today.

I will say everyone tomorrow. We start at 10 o'clock, okay? Okay, thanks.