the six enneads-第138章

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is　advent；　still；　is　not　by　expectation：　it　is　a　coming　without　approach；　the　vision　is　not　of　something　that　must　enter　but　of　something　present　before　all　else；　before　the　Intellect　itself　made　any　movement。　Yet　it　is　the　Intellect　that　must　move；　to　come　and　to　go…　going　because　it　has　not　known　where　it　should　stay　and　where　that　presence　stays；　the　nowhere　contained。　　　　　And　if　the　Intellect；　too；　could　hold　itself　in　that　nowhere…　not　that　it　is　ever　in　place；　it　too　is　uncontained；　utterly　unplaced…　it　would　remain　for　ever　in　the　vision　of　its　prior；　or；　indeed；　not　in　vision　but　in　identity；　all　duality　annulled。　But　it　is　Intellect　＇having　a　sphere　of　its　own＇　and；　when　it　is　to　see；　it　must　see　by　that　in　it　which　is　not　Intellect　＇by　its　divinest　power＇。　　　　　No　doubt　it　is　wonderful　that　The　First　should　thus　be　present　without　any　coming；　and　that；　while　it　is　nowhere；　nowhere　is　it　not；　but　wonderful　though　this　be　in　itself；　the　contrary　would　be　more　wonderful　to　those　who　know。　Of　course　neither　this　contrary　nor　the　wonder　at　it　can　be　entertained。　But　we　must　explain：　　　　　9。　Everything　brought　into　being　under　some　principle　not　itself　is　contained　either　within　its　maker　or；　if　there　is　any　intermediate；　within　that：　having　a　prior　essential　to　its　being；　it　needs　that　prior　always；　otherwise　it　would　not　be　contained　at　all。　It　is　the　order　of　nature：　The　last　in　the　immediately　preceding　lasts；　things　of　the　order　of　the　Firsts　within　their　prior…firsts；　and　so　thing　within　thing　up　to　the　very　pinnacle　of　source。　　　　　That　Source；　having　no　prior；　cannot　be　contained：　uncontained　by　any　of　those　other　forms　of　being；　each　held　within　the　series　of　priors；　it　is　orbed　round　all；　but　so　as　not　to　be　pointed　off　to　hold　them　part　for　part；　it　possesses　but　is　not　possessed。　Holding　all…　though　itself　nowhere　held…　it　is　omnipresent；　for　where　its　presence　failed　something　would　elude　its　hold。　At　the　same　time；　in　the　sense　that　it　is　nowhere　held；　it　is　not　present：　thus　it　is　both　present　and　not　present；　not　present　as　not　being　circumscribed　by　anything；　yet；　as　being　utterly　unattached；　not　inhibited　from　presence　at　any　point。　That　inhibition　would　mean　that　the　First　was　determined　by　some　other　being；　the　later　series；　then；　would　be　without　part　in　the　Supreme；　God　has　His　limit　and　is　no　longer　self…governed　but　mastered　by　inferiors。　　　　　While　the　contained　must　be　where　its　container　is；　what　is　uncontained　by　place　is　not　debarred　from　any：　for；　imagine　a　place　where　it　is　not　and　evidently　some　other　place　retains　it；　at　once　it　is　contained　and　there　is　an　end　of　its　placelessness。　　　　　But　if　the　〃nowhere〃　is　to　stand　and　the　ascription　of　a　〃where；〃　implying　station　in　the　extern；　is　to　fall；　then　nothing　can　be　left　void；　and　at　once…　nothing　void；　yet　no　point　containing…　God　is　sovereignly　present　through　all。　We　cannot　think　of　something　of　God　here　and　something　else　there；　nor　of　all　God　gathered　at　some　one　spot：　there　is　an　instantaneous　presence　everywhere；　nothing　containing　and　nothing　left　void；　everything　therefore　fully　held　by　the　divine。　　　　　Consider　our　universe。　There　is　none　before　it　and　therefore　it　is　not；　itself；　in　a　universe　or　in　any　place…　what　place　was　there　before　the　universe　came　to　be？…　its　linked　members　form　and　occupy　the　whole。　But　Soul　is　not　in　the　universe；　on　the　contrary　the　universe　is　in　the　Soul；　bodily　substance　is　not　a　place　to　the　Soul；　Soul　is　contained　in　Intellectual…Principle　and　is　the　container　of　body。　The　Intellectual…Principle　in　turn　is　contained　in　something　else；　but　that　prior　principle　has　nothing　in　which　to　be：　the　First　is　therefore　in　nothing；　and；　therefore；　nowhere。　But　all　the　rest　must　be　somewhere；　and　where　but　in　the　First？　　　　　This　can　mean　only　that　the　First　is　neither　remote　from　things　nor　directly　within　them；　there　is　nothing　containing　it；　it　contains　all。　It　is　The　Good　to　the　universe　if　only　in　this　way；　that　towards　it　all　things　have　their　being；　all　dependent　upon　it；　each　in　its　mode；　so　that　thing　rises　above　thing　in　goodness　according　to　its　fuller　possession　of　authentic　being。　　　　　10。　Still；　do　not；　I　urge　you；　look　for　The　Good　through　any　of　these　other　things；　if　you　do；　you　will　see　not　itself　but　its　trace：　you　must　form　the　idea　of　that　which　is　to　be　grasped　cleanly　standing　to　itself　not　in　any　combination；　the　unheld　in　which　all　have　hold：　for　no　other　is　such；　yet　one　such　there　must　be。　　　　　Now　it　is　clear　that　we　cannot　possess　ourselves　of　the　power　of　this　principle　in　its　concentrated　fulness：　so　to　do　one　must　be　identical　with　it：　but　some　partial　attainment　is　within　our　reach。　　　　　You　who　make　the　venture　will　throw　forward　all　your　being　but　you　will　never　tell　it　entire…　for　that；　you　must　yourself　be　the　divine　Intellect　in　Act…　and　at　your　utmost　success　it　will　still　pass　from　you　or；　rather；　you　from　it。　In　ordinary　vision　you　may　think　to　see　the　object　entire：　in　this　intellective　act；　all；　less　or　more；　that　you　can　take　to　mind　you　may　set　down　as　The　Good。　　　　　It　is　The　Good　since；　being　a　power　＇being　effective　outwardly＇；　it　is　the　cause　of　the　intelligent　and　intellective　life　as　of　life　and　intellect：　for　these　grow　from　it　as　from　the　source　of　essence　and　of　existence；　the　Source　as　being　One；　simplex　and　first　because　before　it　was　nothing。　All　derives　from　this：　it　is　the　origin　of　the　primal　movement　which　it　does　not　possess　and　of　the　repose　which　is　but　its　absence　of　need；　for　neither　rest　nor　movement　can　belong　to　that　which　has　no　place　in　which　either　could　occur；　centre；　object；　ground；　all　are　alike　unknown　to　it；　for　it　is　before　all。　Yet　its　Being　is　not　limited；　what　is　there　to　set　bounds　to　it？　Nor；　on　the　other　hand；　is　it　infinite　in　the　sense　of　magnitude；　what　place　can　there　be　to　which　it　must　extend；　or　why　should　there　be　movement　where　there　is　no　lacking？　All　its　infinitude　resides　in　its　power：　it　does　not　change　and　will　not　fail；　and　in　it　all　that　is　unfailing　finds　duration。　　　　　11。　It　is　infinite　also　by　right　of　being　a　pure　unity　with　nothing　towards　which　to　direct　any　partial　content。　Absolutely　One；　it　has　never　known　measure　and　stands　outside　of　number；　and　so　is　under　no　limit　either　in　regard　to　any　extern　or　within　itself；　for　any　such　determination　would　bring　something　of　the　dual　into　it。　And　having　no　constituent　parts　it　accepts　no　pattern；　forms　no　shape。　　　　　Reason　recognising　it　as　such　a　nature；　you　may　not　hope　to　see　it　with　mortal　eyes；　nor　in　any　way　that　would　be　imagined　by　those　who　make　sense　the　test　of　reality　and　so　annul　the　supremely　real。　For　what　passes　for　the　most　truly　existent　is　most　truly　non…existent…　the　thing　of　extension　least　real　of　all…　while　this　unseen　First　is　the　source　and　principle　of　Being　and　sovereign　over　Reality。　　　　　You　must　turn　appearances　about　or　you　will　be　left　void　of　God。　You　will　be　like　those　at　the　festivals　who　in　their　gluttony　cram　themselves　with　things　which　none　going　to　the　gods　may　touch；　they　hold　these　goods　to　be　more　real　than　the　vision　of　the　God　who　is　to　be　honoured　and　they　go　away　having　had　no　share　in　the　sanctities　of　the　shrine。　　　　　In　these　celebrations　of　which　we　speak；　the　unseen　god　leaves　those　in　doubt　of　his　existence　who　think　nothing　patent　but　what　may　be　known　to　the　flesh：　it　happens　as　if　a　man　slept　a　life　through　and　took　the　dream　world　in　perfect　trust；　wake　him；　and　he　would　refuse　belief　to　the　report　of　his　open　eyes　and　settle　down　to　sleep　again。　　　　　12。　Knowing　demands　the　organ　fitted　to　the　object；　eyes　for　one　kind；　ears　for　another：　similarly　some　things；　we　must　believe；　are　to　be　known　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　us。　We　must　not　confuse　intellection　with　hearing　or　seeing；　this　would　be　trying　to　look　with　the　ears　or　denying　sound　because　it　is　not　seen。　Certain　people；　we　must　keep　in　mind；　have　forgotten　that　to　which；　from　the　beginning　onwards；　their　longing　and　effort　are　pointed：　for　all　that　exists　desires　and　aspires　towards　the　Supreme　by　a　compulsion　of　nature；　as　if　all　had　received　the　oracle　that　without　it　they　cannot　be。　　　　　The　perception　of　Beauty　and　the　awe　and　the　stirring　of　passion　towards　i