the six enneads-第131章

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　possible　between　divine　Intellect　and　any　phase　of　soul。　　　　　9。　In　order；　then；　to　know　what　the　Divine　Mind　is；　we　must　observe　soul　and　especially　its　most　God…like　phase。　　　　　One　certain　way　to　this　knowledge　is　to　separate　first；　the　man　from　the　body…　yourself；　that　is；　from　your　body…　next　to　put　aside　that　soul　which　moulded　the　body；　and；　very　earnestly；　the　system　of　sense　with　desires　and　impulses　and　every　such　futility；　all　setting　definitely　towards　the　mortal：　what　is　left　is　the　phase　of　the　soul　which　we　have　declared　to　be　an　image　of　the　Divine　Intellect；　retaining　some　light　from　that　sun；　while　it　pours　downward　upon　the　sphere　of　magnitudes　＇that　is；　of　Matter＇　the　light　playing　about　itself　which　is　generated　from　its　own　nature。　　　　　Of　course　we　do　not　pretend　that　the　sun's　light　＇as　the　analogy　might　imply＇　remains　a　self…gathered　and　sun…centred　thing：　it　is　at　once　outrushing　and　indwelling；　it　strikes　outward　continuously；　lap　after　lap；　until　it　reaches　us　upon　our　earth：　we　must　take　it　that　all　the　light；　including　that　which　plays　about　the　sun's　orb；　has　travelled；　otherwise　we　would　have　a　void　expanse；　that　of　the　space…　which　is　material…　next　to　the　sun's　orb。　The　Soul；　on　the　contrary…　a　light　springing　from　the　Divine　Mind　and　shining　about　it…　is　in　closest　touch　with　that　source；　it　is　not　in　transit　but　remains　centred　there；　and；　in　likeness　to　that　principle；　it　has　no　place：　the　light　of　the　sun　is　actually　in　the　air；　but　the　soul　is　clean　of　all　such　contact　so　that　its　immunity　is　patent　to　itself　and　to　any　other　of　the　same　order。　　　　　And　by　its　own　characteristic　act；　though　not　without　reasoning　process；　it　knows　the　nature　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　which；　on　its　side；　knows　itself　without　need　of　reasoning；　for　it　is　ever　self…present　whereas　we　become　so　by　directing　our　soul　towards　it；　our　life　is　broken　and　there　are　many　lives；　but　that　principle　needs　no　changings　of　life　or　of　things；　the　lives　it　brings　to　being　are　for　others　not　for　itself：　it　cannot　need　the　inferior；　nor　does　it　for　itself　produce　the　less　when　it　possesses　or　is　the　all；　nor　the　images　when　it　possesses　or　is　the　prototype。　　　　　Anyone　not　of　the　strength　to　lay　hold　of　the　first　soul；　that　possessing　pure　intellection；　must　grasp　that　which　has　to　do　with　our　ordinary　thinking　and　thence　ascend：　if　even　this　prove　too　hard；　let　him　turn　to　account　the　sensitive　phase　which　carries　the　ideal　forms　of　the　less　fine　degree；　that　phase　which；　too；　with　its　powers；　is　immaterial　and　lies　just　within　the　realm　of　Ideal…principles。　　　　　One　may　even；　if　it　seem　necessary；　begin　as　low　as　the　reproductive　soul　and　its　very　production　and　thence　make　the　ascent；　mounting　from　those　ultimate　ideal　principles　to　the　ultimates　in　the　higher　sense；　that　is　to　the　primals。　　　　　10。　This　matter　need　not　be　elaborated　at　present：　it　suffices　to　say　that　if　the　created　were　all；　these　ultimates　＇the　higher＇　need　not　exist：　but　the　Supreme　does　include　primals；　the　primals　because　the　producers。　In　other　words；　there　must　be；　with　the　made；　the　making　source；　and；　unless　these　are　to　be　identical；　there　will　be　need　of　some　link　between　them。　Similarly；　this　link　which　is　the　Intellectual…Principle　demands　yet　a　Transcendent。　If　we　are　asked　why　this　Transcendent　also　should　not　have　self…vision；　our　answer　is　that　it　has　no　need　of　vision；　but　this　we　will　discuss　later：　for　the　moment　we　go　back；　since　the　question　at　issue　is　gravely　important。　　　　　We　repeat　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　must　have；　actually　has；　self…vision；　firstly　because　it　has　multiplicity；　next　because　it　exists　for　the　external　and　therefore　must　be　a　seeing　power；　one　seeing　that　external；　in　fact　its　very　essence　is　vision。　Given　some　external；　there　must　be　vision；　and　if　there　be　nothing　external　the　Intellectual…Principle　＇Divine　Mind＇　exists　in　vain。　Unless　there　is　something　beyond　bare　unity；　there　can　be　no　vision：　vision　must　converge　with　a　visible　object。　And　this　which　the　seer　is　to　see　can　be　only　a　multiple；　no　undistinguishable　unity；　nor　could　a　universal　unity　find　anything　upon　which　to　exercise　any　act；　all；　one　and　desolate；　would　be　utter　stagnation；　in　so　far　as　there　is　action；　there　is　diversity。　If　there　be　no　distinctions；　what　is　there　to　do；　what　direction　in　which　to　move？　An　agent　must　either　act　upon　the　extern　or　be　a　multiple　and　so　able　to　act　upon　itself：　making　no　advance　towards　anything　other　than　itself；　it　is　motionless　and　where　it　could　know　only　blank　fixity　it　can　know　nothing。　　　　　The　intellective　power；　therefore；　when　occupied　with　the　intellectual　act；　must　be　in　a　state　of　duality；　whether　one　of　the　two　elements　stand　actually　outside　or　both　lie　within：　the　intellectual　act　will　always　comport　diversity　as　well　as　the　necessary　identity；　and　in　the　same　way　its　characteristic　objects　＇the　Ideas＇　must　stand　to　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　at　once　distinct　and　identical。　This　applies　equally　to　the　single　object；　there　can　be　no　intellection　except　of　something　containing　separable　detail　and；　since　the　object　is　a　Reason…principle　＇a　discriminated　Idea＇　it　has　the　necessary　element　of　multiplicity。　The　Intellectual…Principle；　thus；　is　informed　of　itself　by　the　fact　of　being　a　multiple　organ　of　vision；　an　eye　receptive　of　many　illuminated　objects。　If　it　had　to　direct　itself　to　a　memberless　unity；　it　would　be　dereasoned：　what　could　it　say　or　know　of　such　an　object？　The　self…affirmation　of　＇even＇　a　memberless　unity　implies　the　repudiation　of　all　that　does　not　enter　into　the　character：　in　other　words；　it　must　be　multiple　as　a　preliminary　to　being　itself。　　　　　Then；　again；　in　the　assertion　〃I　am　this　particular　thing；〃　either　the　〃particular　thing〃　is　distinct　from　the　assertor…　and　there　is　a　false　statement…　or　it　is　included　within　it；　and；　at　once；　multiplicity　is　asserted：　otherwise　the　assertion　is　〃I　am　what　I　am；〃　or　〃I　am　I。〃　　　　　If　it　be　no　more　than　a　simple　duality　able　to　say　〃I　and　that　other　phase；〃　there　is　already　multiplicity；　for　there　is　distinction　and　ground　of　distinction；　there　is　number　with　all　its　train　of　separate　things。　　　　　In　sum；　then；　a　knowing　principle　must　handle　distinct　items：　its　object　must；　at　the　moment　of　cognition；　contain　diversity；　otherwise　the　thing　remains　unknown；　there　is　mere　conjunction；　such　a　contact；　without　affirmation　or　comprehension；　as　would　precede　knowledge；　the　intellect　not　yet　in　being；　the　impinging　agent　not　percipient。　　　　　Similarly　the　knowing　principle　itself　cannot　remain　simplex；　especially　in　the　act　of　self…knowing：　all　silent　though　its　self…perception　be；　it　is　dual　to　itself。　Of　course　it　has　no　need　of　minute　self…handling　since　it　has　nothing　to　learn　by　its　intellective　act；　before　it　is　＇effectively＇　Intellect；　it　holds　knowledge　of　its　own　content。　Knowledge　implies　desire；　for　it　is；　so　to　speak；　discovery　crowning　a　search；　the　utterly　undifferentiated　remains　self…centred　and　makes　no　enquiry　about　that　self：　anything　capable　of　analysing　its　content；　must　be　a　manifold。　　　　　11。　Thus　the　Intellectual…Principle；　in　the　act　of　knowing　the　Transcendent；　is　a　manifold。　It　knows　the　Transcendent　in　very　essence　but；　with　all　its　effort　to　grasp　that　prior　as　a　pure　unity；　it　goes　forth　amassing　successive　impressions；　so　that；　to　it；　the　object　becomes　multiple：　thus　in　its　outgoing　to　its　object　it　is　not　＇fully　realised＇　Intellectual…Principle；　it　is　an　eye　that　has　not　yet　seen；　in　its　return　it　is　an　eye　possessed　of　the　multiplicity　which　it　has　itself　conferred：　it　sought　something　of　which　it　found　the　vague　presentment　within　itself；　it　returned　with　something　else；　the　manifold　quality　with　which　it　has　of　its　own　act　invested　the　simplex。　　　　　If　it　had　not　possessed　a　previous　impression　of　the　Transcendent；　it　could　never　have　grasped　it；　but　this　impression；　originally　of　unity；　becomes　an　impression　of　multiplicity；　and　the　Intellectual…Principle；　in　taking　cognisance　of　that　multiplicity；　knows　the　Transcendent　and　so　is　realized　as　an　eye　possessed　of　its　vision。　　　　　It　is　now　Intellectual…Principle　since　it　actually　holds　its　object；　and　holds　it　by　the　act　of　intellection：　before；　it　was　no　more　th