the six enneads-第118章

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　it　holds　much　and　gives　much；　and　is　an　existence　outside　of　body；　of　what　order　and　character　must　it　be？　Clearly　it　is　what　we　describe　as　Veritable　Essence。　The　other　order；　the　entire　corporeal　Kind；　is　process；　it　appears　and　it　perishes；　in　reality　it　never　possesses　Being；　but　is　merely　protected；　in　so　far　as　it　has　the　capacity；　by　participating　in　what　authentically　is。　　　　　9。　（14）　Over　against　that　body；　stands　the　principle　which　is　self…caused；　which　is　all　that　neither　enters　into　being　nor　passes　away；　the　principle　whose　dissolution　would　mean　the　end　of　all　things　never　to　be　restored　if　once　this　had　ceased　to　be；　the　sustaining　principle　of　things　individually；　and　of　this　kosmos；　which　owes　its　maintenance　and　its　ordered　system　to　the　soul。　　　　　This　is　the　starting　point　of　motion　and　becomes　the　leader　and　provider　of　motion　to　all　else：　it　moves　by　its　own　quality；　and　every　living　material　form　owes　life　to　this　principle；　which　of　itself　lives　in　a　life　that；　being　essentially　innate；　can　never　fail。　　　　　Not　all　things　can　have　a　life　merely　at　second　hand；　this　would　give　an　infinite　series：　there　must　be　some　nature　which；　having　life　primally；　shall　be　of　necessity　indestructible；　immortal；　as　the　source　of　life　to　all　else　that　lives。　This　is　the　point　at　which　all　that　is　divine　and　blessed　must　be　situated；　living　and　having　being　of　itself；　possessing　primal　being　and　primal　life；　and　in　its　own　essence　rejecting　all　change；　neither　coming　to　be　nor　passing　away。　　　　　Whence　could　such　a　being　arise　or　into　what　could　it　disappear：　the　very　word；　strictly　used；　means　that　the　thing　is　perdurable。　Similarly　white；　the　colour；　cannot　be　now　white　and　now　not　white：　if　this　〃white〃　were　a　real　being　it　would　be　eternal　as　well　as　being　white：　the　colour　is　merely　white　but　whatsoever　possesses　being；　indwelling　by　nature　and　primal；　will　possess　also　eternal　duration。　In　such　an　entity　this　primal　and　eternal　Being　cannot　be　dead　like　stone　or　plank：　it　must　be　alive；　and　that　with　a　life　unalloyed　as　long　as　it　remains　self…gathered：　when　the　primal　Being　blends　with　an　inferior　principle；　it　is　hampered　in　its　relation　to　the　highest；　but　without　suffering　the　loss　of　its　own　nature　since　it　can　always　recover　its　earliest　state　by　turning　its　tendency　back　to　its　own。　　　　　10。　（15）　That　the　soul　is　of　the　family　of　the　diviner　nature；　the　eternal；　is　clear　from　our　demonstration　that　it　is　not　material：　besides　it　has　neither　shape　or　colour　nor　is　it　tangible。　But　there　are　other　proofs。　　　　　Assuming　that　the　divine　and　the　authentically　existent　possesses　a　life　beneficent　and　wise；　we　take　the　next　step　and　begin　with　working　out　the　nature　of　our　own　soul。　　　　　Let　us　consider　a　soul；　not　one　that　has　appropriated　the　unreasoned　desires　and　impulses　of　the　bodily　life；　or　any　other　such　emotion　and　experience；　but　one　that　has　cast　all　this　aside；　and　as　far　as　possible　has　no　commerce　with　the　bodily。　Such　a　soul　demonstrates　that　all　evil　is　accretion；　alien；　and　that　in　the　purged　soul　the　noble　things　are　immanent；　wisdom　and　all　else　that　is　good；　as　its　native　store。　　　　　If　this　is　the　soul　once　it　has　returned　to　its　self；　how　deny　that　it　is　the　nature　we　have　identified　with　all　the　divine　and　eternal？　Wisdom　and　authentic　virtue　are　divine；　and　could　not　be　found　in　the　chattel　mean　and　mortal：　what　possesses　these　must　be　divine　by　its　very　capacity　of　the　divine；　the　token　of　kinship　and　of　identical　substance。　　　　　Hence；　too；　any　one　of　us　that　exhibits　these　qualities　will　differ　but　little　as　far　as　soul　is　concerned　from　the　Supernals；　he　will　be　less　than　they　only　to　the　extent　in　which　the　soul　is；　in　him；　associated　with　body。　　　　　This　is　so　true　that；　if　every　human　being　were　at　that　stage；　or　if　a　great　number　lived　by　a　soul　of　that　degree；　no　one　would　be　so　incredulous　as　to　doubt　that　the　soul　in　man　is　immortal。　It　is　because　we　see　everywhere　the　spoiled　souls　of　the　great　mass　that　it　becomes　difficult　to　recognize　their　divinity　and　immortality。　　　　　To　know　the　nature　of　a　thing　we　must　observe　it　in　its　unalloyed　state；　since　any　addition　obscures　the　reality。　Clear；　then　look：　or；　rather；　let　a　man　first　purify　himself　and　then　observe：　he　will　not　doubt　his　immortality　when　he　sees　himself　thus　entered　into　the　pure；　the　Intellectual。　For；　what　he　sees　is　an　Intellectual…Principle　looking　on　nothing　of　sense；　nothing　of　this　mortality；　but　by　its　own　eternity　having　intellection　of　the　eternal：　he　will　see　all　things　in　this　Intellectual　substance；　himself　having　become　an　Intellectual　Kosmos　and　all　lightsome；　illuminated　by　the　truth　streaming　from　The　Good；　which　radiates　truth　upon　all　that　stands　within　that　realm　of　the　divine。　　　　　Thus　he　will　often　feel　the　beauty　of　that　word　〃Farewell：　I　am　to　you　an　immortal　God；〃　for　he　has　ascended　to　the　Supreme；　and　is　all　one　strain　to　enter　into　likeness　with　it。　　　　　If　the　purification　puts　the　human　into　knowledge　of　the　highest；　then；　too；　the　science　latent　within　becomes　manifest；　the　only　authentic　knowing。　For　it　is　not　by　running　hither　and　thither　outside　of　itself　that　the　soul　understands　morality　and　right　conduct：　it　learns　them　of　its　own　nature；　in　its　contact　with　itself；　in　its　intellectual　grasp　of　itself；　seeing　deeply　impressed　upon　it　the　images　of　its　primal　state；　what　was　one　mass　of　rust　from　long　neglect　it　has　restored　to　purity。　　　　　Imagine　living　gold：　it　files　away　all　that　is　earthy　about　it；　all　that　kept　it　in　self…ignorance　preventing　it　from　knowing　itself　as　gold；　seen　now　unalloyed　it　is　at　once　filled　with　admiration　of　its　worth　and　knows　that　it　has　no　need　of　any　other　glory　than　its　own；　triumphant　if　only　it　be　allowed　to　remain　purely　to　itself。　　　　　11。　（16）　What　intelligent　mind　can　doubt　the　immortality　of　such　a　value；　one　in　which　there　is　a　life　self…springing　and　therefore　not　to　be　destroyed？　　　　　This　is　at　any　rate　a　life　not　imported　from　without；　not　present　in　the　mode　of　the　heat　in　fire…　for　if　heat　is　characteristic　of　the　fire　proper；　it　certainly　is　adventitious　to　the　Matter　underlying　the　fire；　or　fire；　too；　would　be　everlasting…　it　is　not　in　any　such　mode　that　the　soul　has　life：　this　is　no　case　of　a　Matter　underlying　and　a　life　brought　into　that　Matter　and　making　it　into　soul　＇as　heat　comes　into　matter　and　makes　it　fire＇。　　　　　Either　life　is　Essential　Reality；　and　therefore　self…living…　the　very　thing　we　have　been　seeking…　and　undeniably　immortal：　or　it；　too；　is　a　compound　and　must　be　traced　back　through　all　the　constituents　until　an　immortal　substance　is　reached；　something　deriving　movement　from　itself；　and　therefore　debarred　from　accepting　death。　　　　　Even　supposing　life　could　be　described　as　a　condition　imposed　upon　Matter；　still　the　source　from　which　this　condition　entered　the　Matter　must　necessarily　be　admitted　to　be　immortal　simply　by　being　unable　to　take　into　itself　the　opposite　of　the　life　which　it　conveys。　　　　　Of　course；　life　is　no　such　mere　condition；　but　an　independent　principle；　effectively　living。　　　　　12。　（17）　A　further　consideration　is　that　if　every　soul　is　to　be　held　dissoluble　the　universe　must　long　since　have　ceased　to　be：　if　it　is　pretended　that　one　kind　of　soul；　our　own　for　example；　is　mortal；　and　another；　that　of　the　All；　let　us　suppose；　is　immortal；　we　demand　to　know　the　reason　of　the　difference　alleged。　　　　　Each　is　a　principle　of　motion；　each　is　self…living；　each　touches　the　same　sphere　by　the　same　tentacles；　each　has　intellection　of　the　celestial　order　and　of　the　super…celestial；　each　is　seeking　to　win　to　what　has　essential　being；　each　is　moving　upwards　to　the　primal　source。　　　　　Again：　the　soul's　understanding　of　the　Absolute　Forms　by　means　of　the　visions　stored　up　in　it　is　effected　within　itself；　such　perception　is　reminiscence；　the　soul　then　must　have　its　being　before　embodiment；　and　drawing　on　an　eternal　science；　must　itself　be　eternal。　　　　　Every　dissoluble　entity；　that　has　come　to　be　by　way　of　groupment；　must　in　the　nature　of　things　be　broken　apart　by　that　very　mode　which　brought　it　together：　but　the　soul　is　one　and　simplex；　living　not　in　the　sense　of　potential　reception　of　life　but　by　its　own　energy；　and　this　can　be　no　cause　of　di