the six enneads-第119章

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ot　in　the　sense　of　potential　reception　of　life　but　by　its　own　energy；　and　this　can　be　no　cause　of　dissolution。　　　　　But；　we　will　be　told；　it　tends　to　destruction　by　having　been　divided　（in　the　body）　and　so　becoming　fragmentary。　　　　　No：　the　soul；　as　we　have　shown；　is　not　a　mass；　not　a　quantity。　　　　　May　not　it　change　and　so　come　to　destruction？　　　　　No：　the　change　that　destroys　annuls　the　form　but　leaves　the　underlying　substance：　and　that　could　not　happen　to　anything　except　a　compound。　　　　　If　it　can　be　destroyed　in　no　such　ways；　it　is　necessarily　indestructible。　　　　　13。　（18）　But　how　does　the　soul　enter　into　body　from　the　aloofness　of　the　Intellectual？　　　　　There　is　the　Intellectual…Principle　which　remains　among　the　intellectual　beings；　living　the　purely　intellective　life；　and　this；　knowing　no　impulse　or　appetite；　is　for　ever　stationary　in　that　Realm。　But　immediately　following　upon　it；　there　is　that　which　has　acquired　appetite　and；　by　this　accruement；　has　already　taken　a　great　step　outward；　it　has　the　desire　of　elaborating　order　on　the　model　of　what　it　has　seen　in　the　Intellectual…Principle：　pregnant　by　those　Beings；　and　in　pain　to　the　birth；　it　is　eager　to　make；　to　create。　In　this　new　zest　it　strains　towards　the　realm　of　sense：　thus；　while　this　primal　soul　in　union　with　the　Soul　of　the　All　transcends　the　sphere　administered；　it　is　inevitably　turned　outward；　and　has　added　the　universe　to　its　concern：　yet　in　choosing　to　administer　the　partial　and　exiling　itself　to　enter　the　place　in　which　it　finds　its　appropriate　task；　it　still　is　not　wholly　and　exclusively　held　by　body：　it　is　still　in　possession　of　the　unembodied；　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　it　remains　immune。　As　a　whole　it　is　partly　in　body；　partly　outside：　it　has　plunged　from　among　the　primals　and　entered　this　sphere　of　tertiaries：　the　process　has　been　an　activity　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　which　thus；　while　itself　remaining　in　its　identity；　operates　throughout　the　soul　to　flood　the　universe　with　beauty　and　penetrant　order…　immortal　mind；　eternal　in　its　unfailing　energy；　acting　through　immortal　soul。　　　　　14。　（19）　As　for　the　souls　of　the　other　living　beings；　fallen　to　the　degree　of　entering　brute　bodies；　these　too　must　be　immortal。　And　if　there　is　in　the　animal　world　any　other　phase　of　soul；　its　only　possible　origin；　since　it　is　the　life…giver；　is；　still；　that　one　principle　of　life：　so　too　with　the　soul　in　the　vegetal　order。　　　　　All　have　sprung　from　one　source；　all　have　life　as　their　own；　all　are　incorporeal；　indivisible；　all　are　real…beings。　　　　　If　we　are　told　that　man's　soul　being　tripartite　must　as　a　compound　entity　be　dissolved；　our　answer　shall　be　that　pure　souls　upon　their　emancipation　will　put　away　all　that　has　fastened　to　them　at　birth；　all　that　increment　which　the　others　will　long　retain。　　　　　But　even　that　inferior　phase　thus　laid　aside　will　not　be　destroyed　as　long　as　its　source　continues　to　exist；　for　nothing　from　the　realm　of　real　being　shall　pass　away。　　　　　15。　（20）　Thus　far　we　have　offered　the　considerations　appropriate　to　those　asking　for　demonstration：　those　whose　need　is　conviction　by　evidence　of　the　more　material　order　are　best　met　from　the　abundant　records　relevant　to　the　subject：　there　are　also　the　oracles　of　the　Gods　ordering　the　appeasing　of　wronged　souls　and　the　honouring　of　the　dead　as　still　sentient；　a　practice　common　to　all　mankind：　and　again；　not　a　few　souls；　once　among　men；　have　continued　to　serve　them　after　quitting　the　body　and　by　revelations；　practically　helpful；　make　clear；　as　well；　that　the　other　souls；　too；　have　not　ceased　to　be。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　EIGHTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　SOUL'S　DESCENT　INTO　BODY。

　　　　1。　Many　times　it　has　happened：　Lifted　out　of　the　body　into　myself；　becoming　external　to　all　other　things　and　self…encentered；　beholding　a　marvellous　beauty；　then；　more　than　ever；　assured　of　community　with　the　loftiest　order；　enacting　the　noblest　life；　acquiring　identity　with　the　divine；　stationing　within　It　by　having　attained　that　activity；　poised　above　whatsoever　within　the　Intellectual　is　less　than　the　Supreme：　yet；　there　comes　the　moment　of　descent　from　intellection　to　reasoning；　and　after　that　sojourn　in　the　divine；　I　ask　myself　how　it　happens　that　I　can　now　be　descending；　and　how　did　the　soul　ever　enter　into　my　body；　the　soul　which；　even　within　the　body；　is　the　high　thing　it　has　shown　itself　to　be。　　　　　Heraclitus；　who　urges　the　examination　of　this　matter；　tells　of　compulsory　alternation　from　contrary　to　contrary；　speaks　of　ascent　and　descent；　says　that　〃change　reposes；〃　and　that　〃it　is　weariness　to　keep　toiling　at　the　same　things　and　always　beginning　again〃；　but　he　seems　to　teach　by　metaphor；　not　concerning　himself　about　making　his　doctrine　clear　to　us；　probably　with　the　idea　that　it　is　for　us　to　seek　within　ourselves　as　he　sought　for　himself　and　found。　　　　　Empedocles…　where　he　says　that　it　is　law　for　faulty　souls　to　descend　to　this　sphere；　and　that　he　himself　was　here　because　he　turned　a　deserter；　wandered　from　God；　in　slavery　to　a　raving　discord…　reveals　neither　more　nor　less　than　Pythagoras　and　his　school　seem　to　me　to　convey　on　this　as　on　many　other　matters；　but　in　his　case；　versification　has　some　part　in　the　obscurity。　　　　　We　have　to　fall　back　on　the　illustrious　Plato；　who　uttered　many　noble　sayings　about　the　soul；　and　has　in　many　places　dwelt　upon　its　entry　into　body　so　that　we　may　well　hope　to　get　some　light　from　him。　　　　　What　do　we　learn　from　this　philosopher？　　　　　We　will　not　find　him　so　consistent　throughout　that　it　is　easy　to　discover　his　mind。　　　　　Everywhere；　no　doubt；　he　expresses　contempt　for　all　that　is　of　sense；　blames　the　commerce　of　the　soul　with　body　as　an　enchainment；　an　entombment；　and　upholds　as　a　great　truth　the　saying　of　the　Mysteries　that　the　soul　is　here　a　prisoner。　In　the　Cavern　of　Plato　and　in　the　Cave　of　Empedocles；　I　discern　this　universe；　where　the　breaking　of　the　fetters　and　the　ascent　from　the　depths　are　figures　of　the　wayfaring　toward　the　Intellectual　Realm。　　　　　In　the　Phaedrus　he　makes　a　failing　of　the　wings　the　cause　of　the　entry　to　this　realm：　and　there　are　Periods　which　send　back　the　soul　after　it　has　risen；　there　are　judgements　and　lots　and　fates　and　necessities　driving　other　souls　down　to　this　order。　　　　　In　all　these　explanations；　he　finds　guilt　in　the　arrival　of　the　soul　at　body；　But　treating；　in　the　Timaeus；　of　our　universe　he　exalts　the　kosmos　and　entitles　it　a　blessed　god；　and　holds　that　the　soul　was　given　by　the　goodness　of　the　creator　to　the　end　that　the　total　of　things　might　be　possessed　of　intellect；　for　thus　intellectual　it　was　planned　to　be；　and　thus　it　cannot　be　except　through　soul。　There　is　a　reason；　then；　why　the　soul　of　this　All　should　be　sent　into　it　from　God：　in　the　same　way　the　soul　of　each　single　one　of　us　is　sent；　that　the　universe　may　be　complete；　it　was　necessary　that　all　beings　of　the　Intellectual　should　be　tallied　by　just　so　many　forms　of　living　creatures　here　in　the　realm　of　sense。　　　　　2。　Enquiring；　then；　of　Plato　as　to　our　own　soul；　we　find　ourselves　forced　to　enquire　into　the　nature　of　soul　in　general…　to　discover　what　there　can　be　in　its　character　to　bring　it　into　partnership　with　body；　and；　again；　what　this　kosmos　must　be　in　which；　willing　unwilling　or　in　any　way　at　all；　soul　has　its　activity。　　　　　We　have　to　face　also　the　question　as　to　whether　the　Creator　has　planned　well　or　ill。。。。。。　like　our　souls；　which　it　may　be；　are　such　that　governing　their　inferior；　the　body；　they　must　sink　deeper　and　deeper　into　it　if　they　are　to　control　it。　　　　　No　doubt　the　individual　body…　though　in　all　cases　appropriately　placed　within　the　universe…　is　of　itself　in　a　state　of　dissolution；　always　on　the　way　to　its　natural　terminus；　demanding　much　irksome　forethought　to　save　it　from　every　kind　of　outside　assailant；　always　gripped　by　need；　requiring　every　help　against　constant　difficulty：　but　the　body　inhabited　by　the　World…Soul…　complete；　competent；　self…sufficing；　exposed　to　nothing　contrary　to　its　nature…　this　needs　no　more　than　a　brief　word　of　command；　while　the　governing　soul　is　undeviatingly　what　its　nature　makes　it　wish　to　be；　and；　amenable　neither　to　loss　nor　to　addition；　knows　neither　desire　nor　distress。　　　　　This　is　how　we　come　to　read　that　our　soul；　entering　into　asso