the six enneads-第212章

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e　no　wandering　from　unity；　knowing　and　knowable　must　all　be　left　aside；　every　object　of　thought；　even　the　highest；　we　must　pass　by；　for　all　that　is　good　is　later　than　This　and　derives　from　This　as　from　the　sun　all　the　light　of　the　day。　　　　　〃Not　to　be　told；　not　to　be　written〃：　in　our　writing　and　telling　we　are　but　urging　towards　it：　out　of　discussion　we　call　to　vision：　to　those　desiring　to　see；　we　point　the　path；　our　teaching　is　of　the　road　and　the　travelling；　the　seeing　must　be　the　very　act　of　one　that　has　made　this　choice。　　　　　There　are　those　that　have　not　attained　to　see。　The　soul　has　not　come　to　know　the　splendour　There；　it　has　not　felt　and　clutched　to　itself　that　love…passion　of　vision　known　to　lover　come　to　rest　where　he　loves。　Or　struck　perhaps　by　that　authentic　light；　all　the　soul　lit　by　the　nearness　gained；　we　have　gone　weighted　from　beneath；　the　vision　is　frustrate；　we　should　go　without　burden　and　we　go　carrying　that　which　can　but　keep　us　back；　we　are　not　yet　made　over　into　unity。　　　　　From　none　is　that　Principle　absent　and　yet　from　all：　present；　it　remains　absent　save　to　those　fit　to　receive；　disciplined　into　some　accordance；　able　to　touch　it　closely　by　their　likeness　and　by　that　kindred　power　within　themselves　through　which；　remaining　as　it　was　when　it　came　to　them　from　the　Supreme；　they　are　enabled　to　see　in　so　far　as　God　may　at　all　be　seen。　　　　　Failure　to　attain　may　be　due　to　such　impediment　or　to　lack　of　the　guiding　thought　that　establishes　trust；　impediment　we　must　charge　against　ourselves　and　strive　by　entire　renunciation　to　become　emancipate；　where　there　is　distrust　for　lack　of　convincing　reason；　further　considerations　may　be　applied：　　　　　5。　Those　to　whom　existence　comes　about　by　chance　and　automatic　action　and　is　held　together　by　material　forces　have　drifted　far　from　God　and　from　the　concept　of　unity；　we　are　not　here　addressing　them　but　only　such　as　accept　another　nature　than　body　and　have　some　conception　of　soul。　　　　　Soul　must　be　sounded　to　the　depths；　understood　as　an　emanation　from　Intellectual…Principle　and　as　holding　its　value　by　a　Reason…Principle　thence　infused。　Next　this　Intellect　must　be　apprehended；　an　Intellect　other　than　the　reasoning　faculty　known　as　the　rational　principle；　with　reasoning　we　are　already　in　the　region　of　separation　and　movement：　our　sciences　are　Reason…Principles　lodged　in　soul　or　mind；　having　manifestly　acquired　their　character　by　the　presence　in　the　soul　of　Intellectual…Principle；　source　of　all　knowing。　　　　　Thus　we　come　to　see　Intellectual…Principle　almost　as　an　object　of　sense：　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　is　perceptible　as　standing　above　soul；　father　to　soul：　we　know　Intellectual…Principle　as　the　motionless；　not　subject　to　change；　containing；　we　must　think；　all　things；　a　multiple　but　at　once　indivisible　and　comporting　difference。　It　is　not　discriminate　as　are　the　Reason…Principles；　which　can　in　fact　be　known　one　by　one：　yet　its　content　is　not　a　confusion；　every　item　stands　forth　distinctly；　just　as　in　a　science　the　entire　content　holds　as　an　indivisible　and　yet　each　item　is　a　self…standing　verity。　　　　　Now　a　plurality　thus　concentrated　like　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　is　close　upon　The　First…　and　reason　certifies　its　existence　as　surely　as　that　of　soul…　yet；　though　of　higher　sovereignty　than　soul；　it　is　not　The　First　since　it　is　not　a　unity；　not　simplex　as　unity；　principle　over　all　multiplicity；　must　be。　　　　　Before　it　there　is　That　which　must　transcend　the　noblest　of　the　things　of　Being：　there　must　be　a　prior　to　this　Principle　which　aiming　towards　unity　is　yet　not　unity　but　a　thing　in　unity's　likeness。　From　this　highest　it　is　not　sundered；　it　too　is　self…present：　so　close　to　the　unity；　it　cannot　be　articulated：　and　yet　it　is　a　principle　which　in　some　measure　has　dared　secession。　　　　　That　awesome　Prior；　The　Unity；　is　not　a　being；　for　so　its　unity　would　be　vested　in　something　else：　strictly　no　name　is　apt　to　it；　but　since　name　it　we　must　there　is　a　certain　rough　fitness　in　designating　it　as　unity　with　the　understanding　that　it　is　not　the　unity　of　some　other　thing。　　　　　Thus　it　eludes　our　knowledge；　so　that　the　nearer　approach　to　it　is　through　its　offspring；　Being：　we　know　it　as　cause　of　existence　to　Intellectual…Principle；　as　fount　of　all　that　is　best；　as　the　efficacy　which；　self…perduring　and　undiminishing；　generates　all　beings　and　is　not　to　be　counted　among　these　its　derivatives；　to　all　of　which　it　must　be　prior。　　　　　This　we　can　but　name　The　Unity；　indicating　it　to　each　other　by　a　designation　that　points　to　the　concept　of　its　partlessness　while　we　are　in　reality　striving　to　bring　our　own　minds　to　unity。　We　are　not　to　think　of　such　unity　and　partlessness　as　belong　to　point　or　monad；　the　veritable　unity　is　the　source　of　all　such　quantity　which　could　not　exist　unless　first　there　existed　Being　and　Being's　Prior：　we　are　not；　then；　to　think　in　the　order　of　point　and　monad　but　to　use　these…　in　their　rejection　of　magnitude　and　partition…　as　symbols　for　the　higher　concept。　　　　　6。　In　what　sense；　then；　do　we　assert　this　Unity；　and　how　is　it　to　be　adjusted　to　our　mental　processes？　　　　　Its　oneness　must　not　be　entitled　to　that　of　monad　and　point：　for　these　the　mind　abstracts　extension　and　numerical　quantity　and　rests　upon　the　very　minutest　possible；　ending　no　doubt　in　the　partless　but　still　in　something　that　began　as　a　partible　and　is　always　lodged　in　something　other　than　itself。　The　Unity　was　never　in　any　other　and　never　belonged　to　the　partible：　nor　is　its　impartibility　that　of　extreme　minuteness；　on　the　contrary　it　is　great　beyond　anything；　great　not　in　extension　but　in　power；　sizeless　by　its　very　greatness　as　even　its　immediate　sequents　are　impartible　not　in　mass　but　in　might。　We　must　therefore　take　the　Unity　as　infinite　not　in　measureless　extension　or　numerable　quantity　but　in　fathomless　depths　of　power。　　　　　Think　of　The　One　as　Mind　or　as　God；　you　think　too　meanly；　use　all　the　resources　of　understanding　to　conceive　this　Unity　and；　again；　it　is　more　authentically　one　than　God；　even　though　you　reach　for　God's　unity　beyond　the　unity　the　most　perfect　you　can　conceive。　For　This　is　utterly　a　self…existent；　with　no　concomitant　whatever。　This　self…sufficing　is　the　essence　of　its　unity。　Something　there　must　be　supremely　adequate；　autonomous；　all…transcending；　most　utterly　without　need。　　　　　Any　manifold；　anything　beneath　The　Unity；　is　dependent；　combined　from　various　constituents；　its　essential　nature　goes　in　need　of　unity；　but　unity　cannot　need　itself；　it　stands　unity　accomplished。　Again；　a　manifold　depends　upon　all　its　factors；　and　furthermore　each　of　those　factors　in　turn…　as　necessarily　inbound　with　the　rest　and　not　self…standing…　sets　up　a　similar　need　both　to　its　associates　and　to　the　total　so　constituted。　　　　　The　sovranly　self…sufficing　principle　will　be　Unity…Absolute；　for　only　in　this　Unity　is　there　a　nature　above　all　need；　whether　within　itself　or　in　regard　to　the　rest　of　things。　Unity　seeks　nothing　towards　its　being　or　its　well…being　or　its　safehold　upon　existence；　cause　to　all；　how　can　it　acquire　its　character　outside　of　itself　or　know　any　good　outside？　The　good　of　its　being　can　be　no　borrowing：　This　is　The　Good。　Nor　has　it　station；　it　needs　no　standing　ground　as　if　inadequate　to　its　own　sustaining；　what　calls　for　such　underpropping　is　the　soulless；　some　material　mass　that　must　be　based　or　fall。　This　is　base　to　all；　cause　of　universal　existence　and　of　ordered　station。　All　that　demands　place　is　in　need；　a　First　cannot　go　in　need　of　its　sequents：　all　need　is　effort　towards　a　first　principle；　the　First；　principle　to　all；　must　be　utterly　without　need。　If　the　Unity　be　seeking；　it　must　inevitably　be　seeking　to　be　something　other　than　itself；　it　is　seeking　its　own　destroyer。　Whatever　may　be　said　to　be　in　need　of　a　good　is　needing　a　preserver；　nothing　can　be　a　good　to　The　Unity；　therefore。　　　　　Neither　can　it　have　will　to　anything；　it　is　a　Beyond…Good；　not　even　to　itself　a　good　but　to　such　beings　only　as　may　be　of　quality　to　have　part　with　it。　Nor　has　it　Intellection；　that　would　comport　diversity：　nor　Movement；　it　is　prior　to　Movement　as　to　Intellection。　　　　　To　what　could　its　Intellection　be　directed？　To　itself？　But　that　would　imply　a　previous　ignorance；　it　would　be　dependent　upon　that　Intellection　in　order　to　k