1 Plotinus as a Rasika: Abhinavagupta and Plotinus on the Savoring of Beauty Michael Wakoff Draft 1/13/23 Slightly revised version of a conference presentation given at Society of Classical Studies joint session with ISNS: “Platonism and Indian/Tibetan Philosophy. A conversation,” January 8, 2023, entitled “Rasa and Eros: Abhinavagupta’s Rasa Theory Compared to Psyche’s Response to Beauty in Plotinus.” You may be wondering why I want to compare Plotinus, who lived from about 205 to 270 and taught in Rome and Abhinavagupta, who lived about 770 years later (about 975 to 1025) and taught in the Kashmir Valley of India. Certainly, there are some intriguing similarities in their teachings. Plotinus forged a new synthesis that came to be known as Neoplatonism, and Abhinavagupta was a key figure in synthesizing several different tantric Shaivite traditions, both dual and nondual. Both were intent on guiding their students to realize the best kind of life, a life that involves the realization and immersion in truth. And both might be called spiritual monists, because each taught that there is a single, ultimate principle that is the source of all and intimately connected with all while yet acknowledging grades of reality and realization. But my reason is slightly different. Imagine that we bring Plotinus and Abhinava together for a conversation and that they immediately recognize each other as kindred spirits possessing a depth of mature, spiritual experience. Because of this mutual recognition, they easily grasp the heart-essence of each other’s teaching. So, let us imagine Abhinava talking with Plotinus about the experience of beauty: what might he see about Plotinus that we have overlooked? Of course, in this talk, I can give you only my take on what Abhinava might say. It’s a conceit to help us view Plotinus from a new perspective, one that values the cultivation of certain kinds of feelings as part of the path to realization. Abhinavagupta on Vimarśa, Camatkāra, and Rasa I want to begin with a verse from Utpaladeva’s Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā (Treatise on the