the six enneads-第79章

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der　to　produce　an　object　of　vision。　This　same　vision　is　the　ultimate　purpose　of　all　the　acts　of　the　mind　and；　even　further　downward；　of　all　sensation；　since　sensation　also　is　an　effort　towards　knowledge；　lower　still；　Nature；　producing　similarly　its　subsequent　principle；　brings　into　being　the　vision　and　Idea　that　we　know　in　it。　It　is　certain；　also；　that　as　the　Firsts　exist　in　vision　all　other　things　must　be　straining　towards　the　same　condition；　the　starting　point　is；　universally；　the　goal。　　　　　When　living　things　reproduce　their　Kind；　it　is　that　the　Reason…Principles　within　stir　them；　the　procreative　act　is　the　expression　of　a　contemplation；　a　travail　towards　the　creation　of　many　forms；　many　objects　of　contemplation；　so　that　the　universe　may　be　filled　full　with　Reason…Principles　and　that　contemplation　may　be；　as　nearly　as　possible；　endless：　to　bring　anything　into　being　is　to　produce　an　Idea…Form　and　that　again　is　to　enrich　the　universe　with　contemplation：　all　the　failures；　alike　in　being　and　in　doing；　are　but　the　swerving　of　visionaries　from　the　object　of　vision：　in　the　end　the　sorriest　craftsman　is　still　a　maker　of　forms；　ungracefully。　So　Love；　too；　is　vision　with　the　pursuit　of　Ideal…Form。　　　　　8。　From　this　basis　we　proceed：　　　　　In　the　advancing　stages　of　Contemplation　rising　from　that　in　Nature；　to　that　in　the　Soul　and　thence　again　to　that　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　itself…　the　object　contemplated　becomes　progressively　a　more　and　more　intimate　possession　of　the　Contemplating　Beings；　more　and　more　one　thing　with　them；　and　in　the　advanced　Soul　the　objects　of　knowledge；　well　on　the　way　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　are　close　to　identity　with　their　container。　　　　　Hence　we　may　conclude　that；　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　Itself；　there　is　complete　identity　of　Knower　and　Known；　and　this　not　by　way　of　domiciliation；　as　in　the　case　of　even　the　highest　soul；　but　by　Essence；　by　the　fact　that；　there；　no　distinction　exists　between　Being　and　Knowing；　we　cannot　stop　at　a　principle　containing　separate　parts；　there　must　always　be　a　yet　higher；　a　principle　above　all　such　diversity。　　　　　The　Supreme　must　be　an　entity　in　which　the　two　are　one；　it　will；　therefore；　be　a　Seeing　that　lives；　not　an　object　of　vision　like　things　existing　in　something　other　than　themselves：　what　exists　in　an　outside　element　is　some　mode　of　living…thing；　it　is　not　the　Self…Living。　　　　　Now　admitting　the　existence　of　a　living　thing　that　is　at　once　a　Thought　and　its　object；　it　must　be　a　Life　distinct　from　the　vegetative　or　sensitive　life　or　any　other　life　determined　by　Soul。　　　　　In　a　certain　sense　no　doubt　all　lives　are　thoughts…　but　qualified　as　thought　vegetative；　thought　sensitive　and　thought　psychic。　　　　　What；　then；　makes　them　thoughts？　　　　　The　fact　that　they　are　Reason…Principles。　Every　life　is　some　form　of　thought；　but　of　a　dwindling　clearness　like　the　degrees　of　life　itself。　The　first　and　clearest　Life　and　the　first　Intelligence　are　one　Being。　The　First　Life；　then；　is　an　Intellection　and　the　next　form　of　Life　is　the　next　Intellection　and　the　last　form　of　Life　is　the　last　form　of　Intellection。　Thus　every　Life；　of　the　order　strictly　so　called；　is　an　Intellection。　　　　　But　while　men　may　recognize　grades　in　life　they　reject　grade　in　thought；　to　them　there　are　thoughts　＇full　and　perfect＇　and　anything　else　is　no　thought。　　　　　This　is　simply　because　they　do　not　seek　to　establish　what　Life　is。　　　　　The　essential　is　to　observe　that；　here　again；　all　reasoning　shows　that　whatever　exists　is　a　bye…work　of　visioning：　if；　then；　the　truest　Life　is　such　by　virtue　of　an　Intellection　and　is　identical　with　the　truest　Intellection；　then　the　truest　Intellection　is　a　living　being；　Contemplation　and　its　object　constitute　a　living　thing；　a　Life；　two　inextricably　one。　　　　　The　duality；　thus；　is　a　unity；　but　how　is　this　unity　also　a　plurality？　　　　　The　explanation　is　that　in　a　unity　there　can　be　no　seeing　＇a　pure　unity　has　no　room　for　vision　and　an　object＇；　and　in　its　Contemplation　the　One　is　not　acting　as　a　Unity；　if　it　were；　the　Intellectual…Principle　cannot　exist。　The　Highest　began　as　a　unity　but　did　not　remain　as　it　began；　all　unknown　to　itself；　it　became　manifold；　it　grew；　as　it　were；　pregnant：　desiring　universal　possession；　it　flung　itself　outward；　though　it　were　better　had　it　never　known　the　desire　by　which　a　Secondary　came　into　being：　it　is　like　a　Circle　＇in　the　Idea＇　which　in　projection　becomes　a　figure；　a　surface；　a　circumference；　a　centre；　a　system　of　radii；　of　upper　and　lower　segments。　The　Whence　is　the　better；　the　Whither　is　less　good：　the　Whence　is　not　the　same　as　the　Whence…followed…by…a…Whither；　the　Whence　all　alone　is　greater　than　with　the　Whither　added　to　it。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　on　the　other　hand　was　never　merely　the　Principle　of　an　inviolable　unity；　it　was　a　universal　as　well　and；　being　so；　was　the　Intellectual…Principle　of　all　things。　Being；　thus；　all　things　and　the　Principle　of　all；　it　must　essentially　include　this　part　of　itself　＇this　element…of…plurality＇　which　is　universal　and　is　all　things：　otherwise；　it　contains　a　part　which　is　not　Intellectual…Principle：　it　will　be　a　juxtaposition　of　non…Intellectuals；　a　huddled　heap　waiting　to　be　made　over　from　the　mass　of　things　into　the　Intellectual…Principle！　　　　　We　conclude　that　this　Being　is　limitless　and　that；　in　all　the　outflow　from　it；　there　is　no　lessening　either　in　its　emanation；　since　this　also　is　the　entire　universe；　nor　in　itself；　the　starting　point；　since　it　is　no　assemblage　of　parts　＇to　be　diminished　by　any　outgo＇。　　　　　9。　Clearly　a　Being　of　this　nature　is　not　the　primal　existent；　there　must　exist　that　which　transcends　it；　that　Being　＇the　Absolute＇；　to　which　all　our　discussion　has　been　leading。　　　　　In　the　first　place；　Plurality　is　later　than　Unity。　The　Intellectual…Principle　is　a　number　＇=　the　expression　of　a　plurality＇；　and　number　derives　from　unity：　the　source　of　a　number　such　as　this　must　be　the　authentically　One。　Further；　it　is　the　sum　of　an　Intellectual…Being　with　the　object　of　its　Intellection；　so　that　it　is　a　duality；　and；　given　this　duality；　we　must　find　what　exists　before　it。　　　　　What　is　this？　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　taken　separately；　perhaps？　　　　　No：　an　Intellect　is　always　inseparable　from　an　intelligible　object；　eliminate　the　intelligible；　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　disappears　with　it。　If；　then；　what　we　are　seeking　cannot　be　the　Intellectual…Principle　but　must　be　something　that　rejects　the　duality　there　present；　then　the　Prior　demanded　by　that　duality　must　be　something　on　the　further　side　of　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　But　might　it　not　be　the　Intelligible　object　itself？　　　　　No：　for　the　Intelligible　makes　an　equally　inseparable　duality　with　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　If；　then；　neither　the　Intellectual…Principle　nor　the　Intelligible　Object　can　be　the　First　Existent；　what　is？　　　　　Our　answer　can　only　be：　　　　　The　source　of　both。　　　　　What　will　This　be；　under　what　character　can　we　picture　It？　　　　　It　must　be　either　Intellective　or　without　Intellection：　if　Intellective　it　is　the　Intellectual…Principle；　if　not；　it　will　be　without　even　knowledge　of　itself…　so　that；　either　way；　what　is　there　so　august　about　it？　　　　　If　we　define　it　as　The　Good　and　the　wholly　simplex；　we　will；　no　doubt；　be　telling　the　truth；　but　we　will　not　be　giving　any　certain　and　lucid　account　of　it　as　long　as　we　have　in　mind　no　entity　in　which　to　lodge　the　conception　by　which　we　define　it。　　　　　Yet：　our　knowledge　of　everything　else　comes　by　way　of　our　intelligence；　our　power　is　that　of　knowing　the　intelligible　by　means　of　the　intelligence：　but　this　Entity　transcends　all　of　the　intellectual　nature；　by　what　direct　intuition；　then；　can　it　be　brought　within　our　grasp？　　　　　To　this　question　the　answer　is　that　we　can　know　it　only　in　the　degree　of　human　faculty：　we　indicate　it　by　virtue　of　what　in　ourselves　is　like　it。　　　　　For　in　us；　also；　there　is　something　of　that　Being；　nay；　nothing；　ripe　for　that　participation；　can　be　void　of　it。　　　　　Wherever　you　be；　you　have　only　to　range　over　against　this　omnipresent　Being　that　in　you　which　is　capable　of　drawing　from　It；　and　you　have　your　share　in　it：　imagine　a　voice　sounding　over　a　vast　waste　of　land；　and　not　only　over　the　emptiness　alone　but　over　human　beings；　wherever　you　be　in　that　great　spac