the six enneads-第208章

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ts　good　its　being　is　its　choice：　much　more；　then；　must　the　very　Principle；　The　Good；　be　desirable　in　itself　when　any　fragment　of　it　is　very　desirable　to　the　extern　and　becomes　the　chosen　essence　promoting　that　extern's　will　and　identical　with　the　will　that　gave　the　existence？　　　　　As　long　as　a　thing　is　apart　from　its　good　it　seeks　outside　itself；　when　it　holds　its　good　it　itself　as　it　is：　and　this　is　no　matter　of　chance；　the　essence　now　is　not　outside　of　the　will；　by　the　good　it　is　determined；　by　the　good　it　is　in　self…possession。　　　　　If　then　this　Principle　is　the　means　of　determination　to　everything　else；　we　see　at　once　that　self…possession　must　belong　primally　to　it；　so　that；　through　it；　others　in　their　turn　may　be　self…belonging：　what　we　must　call　its　essence　comports　its　will　to　possess　such　a　manner　of　being；　we　can　form　no　idea　of　it　without　including　in　it　the　will　towards　itself　as　it　is。　It　must　be　a　consistent　self　willing　its　being　and　being　what　it　wills；　its　will　and　itself　must　be　one　thing；　all　the　more　one　from　the　absence　of　distinction　between　a　given　nature　and　one　which　would　be　preferred。　What　could　The　Good　have　wished　to　be　other　than　what　it　is？　Suppose　it　had　the　choice　of　being　what　it　preferred；　power　to　alter　the　nature；　it　could　not　prefer　to　be　something　else；　it　could　have　no　fault　to　find　with　anything　in　its　nature；　as　if　that　nature　were　imposed　by　force；　The　Good　is　what　from　always　it　wished　and　wishes　to　be。　For　the　really　existent　Good　is　a　willing　towards　itself；　towards　a　good　not　gained　by　any　wiles　or　even　attracted　to　it　by　force　of　its　nature；　The　Good　is　what　it　chose　to　be　and；　in　fact；　there　was　never　anything　outside　it　to　which　it　could　be　drawn。　　　　　It　may　be　added　that　nothing　else　contains　in　its　essence　the　principle　of　its　own　satisfaction；　there　will　be　inner　discord：　but　this　hypostasis　of　the　Good　must　necessarily　have　self…option；　the　will　towards　the　self；　if　it　had　not；　it　could　not　bring　satisfaction　to　the　beings　whose　contentment　demands　participation　in　it　or　imagination　of　it。　　　　　Once　more；　we　must　be　patient　with　language；　we　are　forced　to　apply　to　the　Supreme　terms　which　strictly　are　ruled　out；　everywhere　we　must　read　〃So　to　speak。〃　The　Good；　then；　exists；　it　holds　its　existence　through　choice　and　will；　conditions　of　its　very　being：　yet　it　cannot　be　a　manifold；　therefore　the　will　and　the　essential　being　must　be　taken　as　one　identity；　the　act　of　the　will　must　be　self…determined　and　the　being　self…caused；　thus　reason　shows　the　Supreme　to　be　its　own　Author。　For　if　the　act　of　will　springs　from　God　Himself　and　is　as　it　were　His　operation　and　the　same　will　is　identical　with　His　essence；　He　must　be　self…established。　He　is　not；　therefore；　〃what　He　has　happened　to　be〃　but　what　He　has　willed　to　be。　　　　　14。　Another　approach：　Everything　to　which　existence　may　be　attributed　is　either　one　with　its　essence　or　distinct　from　it。　Thus　any　given　man　is　distinct　from　essential　man　though　belonging　to　the　order　Man：　a　soul　and　a　soul's　essence　are　the　same…　that　is；　in　case　of　soul　pure　and　unmingled…　Man　as　type　is　the　same　as　man's　essence；　where　the　thing；　man；　and　the　essence　are　different；　the　particular　man　may　be　considered　as　accidental；　but　man；　the　essence；　cannot　be　so；　the　type；　Man；　has　Real　Being。　Now　if　the　essence　of　man　is　real；　not　chanced　or　accidental；　how　can　we　think　That　to　be　accidental　which　transcends　the　order　man；　author　of　the　type；　source　of　all　being；　a　principle　more　nearly　simplex　than　man's　being　or　being　of　any　kind？　As　we　approach　the　simplex；　accident　recedes；　what　is　utterly　simplex　accident　never　touches　at　all。　　　　　Further　we　must　remember　what　has　been　already　said；　that　where　there　is　true　being；　where　things　have　been　brought　to　reality　by　that　Principle…　and　this　is　true　of　whatsoever　has　determined　condition　within　the　order　of　sense…　all　that　reality　is　brought　about　in　virtue　of　something　emanating　from　the　divine。　By　things　of　determined　condition　I　mean　such　as　contain；　inbound　with　their　essence；　the　reason　of　their　being　as　they　are；　so　that；　later；　an　observer　can　state　the　use　for　each　of　the　constituent　parts…　why　the　eye；　why　feet　of　such　and　such　a　kind　to　such　and　such　a　being…　and　can　recognise　that　the　reason　for　the　production　of　each　organ　is　inherent　in　that　particular　being　and　that　the　parts　exist　for　each　other。　Why　feet　of　a　certain　length？　Because　another　member　is　as　it　is：　because　the　face　is　as　it　is；　therefore　the　feet　are　what　they　are：　in　a　word　the　mutual　determinant　is　mutual　adaptation　and　the　reason　of　each　of　the　several　forms　is　that　such　is　the　plan　of　man。　　　　　Thus　the　essence　and　its　reason　are　one　and　the　same。　The　constituent　parts　arise　from　the　one　source　not　because　that　source　has　so　conceived　each　separately　but　because　it　has　produced　simultaneously　the　plan　of　the　thing　and　its　existence。　This　therefore　is　author　at　once　of　the　existence　of　things　and　of　their　reasons；　both　produced　at　the　one　stroke。　It　is　in　correspondence　with　the　things　of　process　but　far　more　nearly　archetypal　and　authentic　and　in　a　closer　relation　with　the　Better；　their　source；　than　they　can　be。　　　　　Of　things　carrying　their　causes　within；　none　arises　at　hazard　or　without　purpose；　this　〃So　it　happened　to　be〃　is　applicable　to　none。　All　that　they　have　comes　from　The　Good；　the　Supreme　itself；　then；　as　author　of　reason；　of　causation；　and　of　causing　essence…　all　certainly　lying　far　outside　of　chance…　must　be　the　Principle　and　as　it　were　the　examplar　of　things；　thus　independent　of　hazard：　it　is；　the　First；　the　Authentic；　immune　from　chance；　from　blind　effect　and　happening：　God　is　cause　of　Himself；　for　Himself　and　of　Himself　He　is　what　He　is；　the　first　self；　transcendently　The　Self。　　　　　15。　Lovable；　very　love；　the　Supreme　is　also　self…love　in　that　He　is　lovely　no　otherwise　than　from　Himself　and　in　Himself。　Self…presence　can　hold　only　in　the　identity　of　associated　with　associating；　since；　in　the　Supreme；　associated　and　associating　are　one；　seeker　and　sought　one　the　sought　serving　as　Hypostasis　and　substrate　of　the　seeker…　once　more　God's　being　and　his　seeking　are　identical：　once　more；　then；　the　Supreme　is　the　self…producing；　sovereign　of　Himself；　not　happening　to　be　as　some　extern　willed　but　existing　as　He　wills　it。　　　　　And　when　we　say　that　neither　does　He　absorb　anything　nor　anything　absorb　Him；　thus　again　we　are　setting　Him　outside　of　all　happening…　not　only　because　we　declare　Him　unique　and　untouched　by　all　but　in　another　way　also。　Suppose　we　found　such　a　nature　in　ourselves；　we　are　untouched　by　all　that　has　gathered　round　us　subjecting　us　to　happening　and　chance；　all　that　accruement　was　of　the　servile　and　lay　exposed　to　chance：　by　this　new　state　alone　we　acquire　self…disposal　and　free　act；　the　freedom　of　that　light　which　belongs　to　the　order　of　the　good　and　is　good　in　actuality；　greater　than　anything　Intellectual…Principle　has　to　give；　an　actuality　whose　advantage　over　Intellection　is　no　adventitious　superiority。　When　we　attain　to　this　state　and　become　This　alone；　what　can　we　say　but　that　we　are　more　than　free；　more　than　self…disposing？　And　who　then　could　link　us　to　chance；　hazard；　happening；　when　thus　we　are　become　veritable　Life；　entered　into　That　which　contains　no　alloy　but　is　purely　itself？　　　　　Isolate　anything　else　and　the　being　is　inadequate；　the　Supreme　in　isolation　is　still　what　it　was。　The　First　cannot　be　in　the　soulless　or　in　an　unreasoning　life；　such　a　life　is　too　feeble　in　being；　it　is　reason　dissipated；　it　is　indetermination；　only　in　the　measure　of　approach　towards　reason　is　there　liberation　from　happening；　the　rational　is　above　chance。　Ascending　we　come　upon　the　Supreme；　not　as　reason　but　as　reason's　better：　thus　God　is　far　removed　from　all　happening：　the　root　of　reason　is　self…springing。　　　　　The　Supreme　is　the　Term　of　all；　it　is　like　the　principle　and　ground　of　some　vast　tree　of　rational　life；　itself　unchanging；　it　gives　reasoned　being　to　the　growth　into　which　it　enters。　　　　　16。　We　maintain；　and　it　is　evident　truth；　that　the　Supreme　is　everywhere　and　yet　nowhere；　keeping　this　constantly　in　mind　let　us　see　how　it　bears　on　our　present　enquiry。　　　　　If　God　is　nowhere；　then　not　anywhere　has　He　〃happened　to　be〃；　as　also　eve