The One (to Hen) represents the supreme, transcendent, and absolutely simple Rootless Root of all existence. At its core, it is the original, Causeless Cause and uncaused ground of being from which all reality, form, and multiplicity ultimately emanate. It is not a being or a God in the conventional sense, but the absolute, ultimate unity that precedes all differentiation, making it ineffable - beyond naming, knowing, or thought. This principle is pure simplicity, perfection, and transcendence, containing all reality in potential but beyond any actual description.
This highest principle is central to the philosophy of Neoplatonism, articulated most clearly by Plotinus in the Enneads (3rd Century CE). For Plotinus, The One is the immutable, unchangeable source from which the subsequent hypostases - Nous (Intellect) and Psyche (Soul) - proceed through a necessary, non-diminishing overflow. This cosmic architecture provides a coherent explanation for the existence of the many from the ultimate singularity. The journey back to The One, the process of spiritual ascent, becomes the highest purpose of the Self and the ultimate expression of intellectual intuition.
Its utter simplicity and lack of attribute connect it fundamentally with concepts like Sunyata (Sunyata) in Eastern thought and the ultimate ground in Monism. As the ultimate unified field, it stands in direct contrast to Duality and provides the metaphysical basis for non-dualism. The chain of being that proceeds from The One underscores the necessity of holism and the fundamental interdependence observed across the cosmos, demonstrating that all individual aspects of Consciousness are ultimately connected to this singular, primal source.