the six enneads-第120章

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knows　neither　desire　nor　distress。　　　　　This　is　how　we　come　to　read　that　our　soul；　entering　into　association　with　that　complete　soul　and　itself　thus　made　perfect；　walks　the　lofty　ranges；　administering　the　entire　kosmos；　and　that　as　long　as　it　does　not　secede　and　is　neither　inbound　to　body　nor　held　in　any　sort　of　servitude；　so　long　it　tranquilly　bears　its　part　in　the　governance　of　the　All；　exactly　like　the　world…soul　itself；　for　in　fact　it　suffers　no　hurt　whatever　by　furnishing　body　with　the　power　to　existence；　since　not　every　form　of　care　for　the　inferior　need　wrest　the　providing　soul　from　its　own　sure　standing　in　the　highest。　　　　　The　soul's　care　for　the　universe　takes　two　forms：　there　is　the　supervising　of　the　entire　system；　brought　to　order　by　deedless　command　in　a　kindly　presidence；　and　there　is　that　over　the　individual；　implying　direct　action；　the　hand　to　the　task；　one　might　say；　in　immediate　contact：　in　the　second　kind　of　care　the　agent　absorbs　much　of　the　nature　of　its　object。　　　　　Now　in　its　comprehensive　government　of　the　heavenly　system；　the　soul's　method　is　that　of　an　unbroken　transcendence　in　its　highest　phases；　with　penetration　by　its　lower　power：　at　this；　God　can　no　longer　be　charged　with　lowering　the　All…Soul；　which　has　not　been　deprived　of　its　natural　standing　and　from　eternity　possesses　and　will　unchangeably　possess　that　rank　and　habit　which　could　never　have　been　intruded　upon　it　against　the　course　of　nature　but　must　be　its　characteristic　quality；　neither　failing　ever　nor　ever　beginning。　　　　　Where　we　read　that　the　souls　or　stars　stand　to　their　bodily　forms　as　the　All　to　the　material　forms　within　it…　for　these　starry　bodies　are　declared　to　be　members　of　the　soul's　circuit…　we　are　given　to　understand　that　the　star…souls　also　enjoy　the　blissful　condition　of　transcendence　and　immunity　that　becomes　them。　　　　　And　so　we　might　expect：　commerce　with　the　body　is　repudiated　for　two　only　reasons；　as　hindering　the　soul's　intellective　act　and　as　filling　with　pleasure；　desire；　pain；　but　neither　of　these　misfortunes　can　befall　a　soul　which　has　never　deeply　penetrated　into　the　body；　is　not　a　slave　but　a　sovereign　ruling　a　body　of　such　an　order　as　to　have　no　need　and　no　shortcoming　and　therefore　to　give　ground　for　neither　desire　nor　fear。　　　　　There　is　no　reason　why　it　should　be　expectant　of　evil　with　regard　to　such　a　body　nor　is　there　any　such　preoccupied　concern；　bringing　about　a　veritable　descent；　as　to　withdraw　it　from　its　noblest　and　most　blessed　vision；　it　remains　always　intent　upon　the　Supreme；　and　its　governance　of　this　universe　is　effected　by　a　power　not　calling　upon　act。　　　　　3。　The　Human　Soul；　next；　　　　　Everywhere　we　hear　of　it　as　in　bitter　and　miserable　durance　in　body；　a　victim　to　troubles　and　desires　and　fears　and　all　forms　of　evil；　the　body　its　prison　or　its　tomb；　the　kosmos　its　cave　or　cavern。　　　　　Now　this　does　not　clash　with　the　first　theory　＇that　of　the　impassivity　of　soul　as　in　the　All＇；　for　the　descent　of　the　human　Soul　has　not　been　due　to　the　same　causes　＇as　that　of　the　All…Soul。＇　　　　　All　that　is　Intellectual…Principle　has　its　being…　whole　and　all…　in　the　place　of　Intellection；　what　we　call　the　Intellectual　Kosmos：　but　there　exist；　too；　the　intellective　powers　included　in　its　being；　and　the　separate　intelligences…　for　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　not　merely　one；　it　is　one　and　many。　In　the　same　way　there　must　be　both　many　souls　and　one；　the　one　being　the　source　of　the　differing　many　just　as　from　one　genus　there　rise　various　species；　better　and　worse；　some　of　the　more　intellectual　order；　others　less　effectively　so。　　　　　In　the　Intellectual…Principle　a　distinction　is　to　be　made：　there　is　the　Intellectual…Principle　itself；　which　like　some　huge　living　organism　contains　potentially　all　the　other　forms；　and　there　are　the　forms　thus　potentially　included　now　realized　as　individuals。　We　may　think　of　it　as　a　city　which　itself　has　soul　and　life；　and　includes；　also；　other　forms　of　life；　the　living　city　is　the　more　perfect　and　powerful；　but　those　lesser　forms；　in　spite　of　all；　share　in　the　one　same　living　quality：　or；　another　illustration；　from　fire；　the　universal；　proceed　both　the　great　fire　and　the　minor　fires；　yet　all　have　the　one　common　essence；　that　of　fire　the　universal；　or；　more　exactly；　participate　in　that　from　which　the　essence　of　the　universal　fire　proceeds。　　　　　No　doubt　the　task　of　the　soul；　in　its　more　emphatically　reasoning　phase；　is　intellection：　but　it　must　have　another　as　well；　or　it　would　be　undistinguishable　from　the　Intellectual…Principle。　To　its　quality　of　being　intellective　it　adds　the　quality　by　which　it　attains　its　particular　manner　of　being：　remaining；　therefore；　an　Intellectual…Principle；　it　has　thenceforth　its　own　task　too；　as　everything　must　that　exists　among　real　beings。　　　　　It　looks　towards　its　higher　and　has　intellection；　towards　itself　and　conserves　its　peculiar　being；　towards　its　lower　and　orders；　administers；　governs。　　　　　The　total　of　things　could　not　have　remained　stationary　in　the　Intellectual　Kosmos；　once　there　was　the　possibility　of　continuous　variety；　of　beings　inferior　but　as　necessarily　existent　as　their　superiors。　　　　　4。　So　it　is　with　the　individual　souls；　the　appetite　for　the　divine　Intellect　urges　them　to　return　to　their　source；　but　they　have；　too；　a　power　apt　to　administration　in　this　lower　sphere；　they　may　be　compared　to　the　light　attached　upwards　to　the　sun；　but　not　grudging　its　presidency　to　what　lies　beneath　it。　In　the　Intellectual；　then；　they　remain　with　soul…entire；　and　are　immune　from　care　and　trouble；　in　the　heavenly　sphere；　absorbed　in　the　soul…entire；　they　are　administrators　with　it　just　as　kings；　associated　with　the　supreme　ruler　and　governing　with　him；　do　not　descend　from　their　kingly　stations：　the　souls　indeed　＇as　distinguished　from　the　kosmos＇　are　thus　far　in　the　one　place　with　their　overlord；　but　there　comes　a　stage　at　which　they　descend　from　the　universal　to　become　partial　and　self…centred；　in　a　weary　desire　of　standing　apart　they　find　their　way；　each　to　a　place　of　its　very　own。　This　state　long　maintained；　the　soul　is　a　deserter　from　the　All；　its　differentiation　has　severed　it；　its　vision　is　no　longer　set　in　the　Intellectual；　it　is　a　partial　thing；　isolated；　weakened；　full　of　care；　intent　upon　the　fragment；　severed　from　the　whole；　it　nestles　in　one　form　of　being；　for　this；　it　abandons　all　else；　entering　into　and　caring　for　only　the　one；　for　a　thing　buffeted　about　by　a　worldful　of　things：　thus　it　has　drifted　away　from　the　universal　and；　by　an　actual　presence；　it　administers　the　particular；　it　is　caught　into　contact　now；　and　tends　to　the　outer　to　which　it　has　become　present　and　into　whose　inner　depths　it　henceforth　sinks　far。　　　　　With　this　comes　what　is　known　as　the　casting　of　the　wings；　the　enchaining　in　body：　the　soul　has　lost　that　innocency　of　conducting　the　higher　which　it　knew　when　it　stood　with　the　All…Soul；　that　earlier　state　to　which　all　its　interest　would　bid　it　hasten　back。　　　　　It　has　fallen：　it　is　at　the　chain：　debarred　from　expressing　itself　now　through　its　intellectual　phase；　it　operates　through　sense；　it　is　a　captive；　this　is　the　burial；　the　encavernment；　of　the　Soul。　　　　　But　in　spite　of　all　it　has；　for　ever；　something　transcendent：　by　a　conversion　towards　the　intellective　act；　it　is　loosed　from　the　shackles　and　soars…　when　only　it　makes　its　memories　the　starting　point　of　a　new　vision　of　essential　being。　Souls　that　take　this　way　have　place　in　both　spheres；　living　of　necessity　the　life　there　and　the　life　here　by　turns；　the　upper　life　reigning　in　those　able　to　consort　more　continuously　with　the　divine　Intellect；　the　lower　dominant　where　character　or　circumstances　are　less　favourable。　　　　　All　this　is　indicated　by　Plato；　without　emphasis；　where　he　distinguishes　those　of　the　second　mixing…bowl；　describes　them　as　〃parts；〃　and　goes　on　to　say　that；　having　in　this　way　become　partial；　they　must　of　necessity　experience　birth。　　　　　Of　course；　where　he　speaks　of　God　sowing　them；　he　is　to　be　understood　as　when　he　tells　of　God　speaking　and　delivering　orations；　what　is　rooted　in　the　nature　of　the　All　is　figuratively　treated　as　coming　into　being　by　generation　and　creation：　stage　and　sequence　are　transferred；　for　clarity　of　exposition；　to　things　whose　being　and　definite　form　are　et