the six enneads-第81章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


inciple；　this　lovely　abundance　so　abundantly　endowed？　　　　　The　Source　of　all　this　cannot　be　an　Intellect；　nor　can　it　be　an　abundant　power：　it　must　have　been　before　Intellect　and　abundance　were；　these　are　later　and　things　of　lack；　abundance　had　to　be　made　abundant　and　Intellection　needed　to　know。　　　　　These　are　very　near　to　the　un…needing；　to　that　which　has　no　need　of　Knowing；　they　have　abundance　and　intellection　authentically；　as　being　the　first　to　possess。　But；　there　is　that　before　them　which　neither　needs　nor　possesses　anything；　since；　needing　or　possessing　anything　else；　it　would　not　be　what　it　is…　the　Good。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　NINTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　DETACHED　CONSIDERATIONS。

　　　　1。　〃The　Intellectual…Principle〃　＇=　the　Divine　Mind＇…　we　read　＇in　the　Timaeus＇…　〃looks　upon　the　Ideas　indwelling　in　that　Being　which　is　the　Essentially　Living　＇=　according　to　Plotinus；　the　Intellectual　Realm＇；　〃and　then〃…　the　text　proceeds…　〃the　Creator　judged　that　all　the　content　of　that　essentially　living　Being　must　find　place　in　this　lower　universe　also。〃　　　　　Are　we　meant　to　gather　that　the　Ideas　came　into　being　before　the　Intellectual…Principle　so　that　it　〃sees　them〃　as　previously　existent？　　　　　The　first　step　is　to　make　sure　whether　the　〃Living　Being〃　of　the　text　is　to　be　distinguished　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　another　thing　than　it。　　　　　It　might　be　argued　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　the　Contemplator　and　therefore　that　the　Living…Being　contemplated　is　not　the　Intellectual…Principle　but　must　be　described　as　the　Intellectual　Object　so　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　must　possess　the　Ideal　realm　as　something　outside　of　itself。　　　　　But　this　would　mean　that　it　possesses　images　and　not　the　realities；　since　the　realities　are　in　the　Intellectual　Realm　which　it　contemplates：　Reality…　we　read…　is　in　the　Authentic　Existent　which　contains　the　essential　form　of　particular　things。　　　　　No：　even　though　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　Intellectual　Object　are　distinct；　they　are　not　apart　except　for　just　that　distinction。　　　　　Nothing　in　the　statement　cited　is　inconsistent　with　the　conception　that　these　two　constitute　one　substance…　though；　in　a　unity；　admitting　that　distinction；　of　the　intellectual　act　＇as　against　passivity＇；　without　which　there　can　be　no　question　of　an　Intellectual…Principle　and　an　Intellectual　Object：　what　is　meant　is　not　that　the　contemplatory　Being　possesses　its　vision　as　in　some　other　principle；　but　that　it　contains　the　Intellectual　Realm　within　itself。　　　　　The　Intelligible　Object　is　the　Intellectual…Principle　itself　in　its　repose；　unity；　immobility：　the　Intellectual…Principle；　contemplator　of　that　object…　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　thus　in　repose　is　an　active　manifestation　of　the　same　Being；　an　Act　which　contemplates　its　unmoved　phase　and；　as　thus　contemplating；　stands　as　Intellectual…Principle　to　that　of　which　it　has　the　intellection：　it　is　Intellectual…Principle　in　virtue　of　having　that　intellection；　and　at　the　same　time　is　Intellectual　Object；　by　assimilation。　　　　　This；　then；　is　the　Being　which　planned　to　create　in　the　lower　Universe　what　it　saw　existing　in　the　Supreme；　the　four　orders　of　living　beings。　　　　　No　doubt　the　passage：　＇of　the　Timaeus＇　seems　to　imply　tacitly　that　this　planning　Principle　is　distinct　from　the　other　two：　but　the　three…　the　Essentially…Living；　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　this　planning　Principle　will；　to　others；　be　manifestly　one：　the　truth　is　that；　by　a　common　accident；　a　particular　trend　of　thought　has　occasioned　the　discrimination。　　　　　We　have　dealt　with　the　first　two；　but　the　third…　this　Principle　which　decides　to　work　upon　the　objects　＇the　Ideas＇　contemplated　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　within　the　Essentially…Living；　to　create　them；　to　establish　them　in　their　partial　existence…　what　is　this　third？　　　　　It　is　possible　that　in　one　aspect　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　the　principle　of　partial　existence；　while　in　another　aspect　it　is　not。　　　　　The　entities　thus　particularized　from　the　unity　are　products　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　which　thus　would　be；　to　that　extent；　the　separating　agent。　On　the　other　hand　it　remains　in　itself；　indivisible；　division　begins　with　its　offspring　which；　of　course；　means　with　Souls：　and　thus　a　Soul…　with　its　particular　Souls…　may　be　the　separative　principle。　　　　　This　is　what　is　conveyed　where　we　are　told　that　the　separation　is　the　work　of　the　third　Principle　and　begins　within　the　Third：　for　to　this　Third　belongs　the　discursive　reasoning　which　is　no　function　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　but　characteristic　of　its　secondary；　of　Soul；　to　which　precisely；　divided　by　its　own　Kind；　belongs　the　Act　of　division。　　　　　2。。。。　For　in　any　one　science　the　reduction　of　the　total　of　knowledge　into　its　separate　propositions　does　not　shatter　its　unity；　chipping　it　into　unrelated　fragments；　in　each　distinct　item　is　talent　the　entire　body　of　the　science；　an　integral　thing　in　its　highest　Principle　and　its　last　detail：　and　similarly　a　man　must　so　discipline　himself　that　the　first　Principles　of　his　Being　are　also　his　completions；　are　totals；　that　all　be　pointed　towards　the　loftiest　phase　of　the　Nature：　when　a　man　has　become　this　unity　in　the　best；　he　is　in　that　other　realm；　for　it　is　by　this　highest　within　himself；　made　his　own；　that　he　holds　to　the　Supreme。　　　　　At　no　point　did　the　All…Soul　come　into　Being：　it　never　arrived；　for　it　never　knew　place；　what　happens　is　that　body；　neighbouring　with　it；　participates　in　it：　hence　Plato　does　not　place　Soul　in　body　but　body　in　Soul。　The　others；　the　secondary　Souls；　have　a　point　of　departure…　they　come　from　the　All…Soul…　and　they　have　a　Place　into　which　to　descend　and　in　which　to　change　to　and　fro；　a　place；　therefore；　from　which　to　ascend：　but　this　All…Soul　is　for　ever　Above；　resting　in　that　Being　in　which　it　holds　its　existence　as　Soul　and　followed；　as　next；　by　the　Universe　or；　at　least；　by　all　beneath　the　sun。　　　　　The　partial　Soul　is　illuminated　by　moving　towards　the　Soul　above　it；　for　on　that　path　it　meets　Authentic　Existence。　Movement　towards　the　lower　is　towards　non…Being：　and　this　is　the　step　it　takes　when　it　is　set　on　self；　for　by　willing　towards　itself　it　produces　its　lower；　an　image　of　itself…　a　non…Being…　and　so　is　wandering；　as　it　were；　into　the　void；　stripping　itself　of　its　own　determined　form。　And　this　image；　this　undetermined　thing；　is　blank　darkness；　for　it　is　utterly　without　reason；　untouched　by　the　Intellectual…Principle；　far　removed　from　Authentic　Being。　　　　　As　long　as　it　remains　at　the　mid…stage　it　is　in　its　own　peculiar　region；　but　when；　by　a　sort　of　inferior　orientation；　it　looks　downward；　it　shapes　that　lower　image　and　flings　itself　joyfully　thither。　　　　　3。　（A）。。。　How；　then；　does　Unity　give　rise　to　Multiplicity？　　　　　By　its　omnipresence：　there　is　nowhere　where　it　is　not；　it　occupies；　therefore；　all　that　is；　at　once；　it　is　manifold…　or；　rather；　it　is　all　things。　　　　　If　it　were　simply　and　solely　everywhere；　all　would　be　this　one　thing　alone：　but　it　is；　also；　in　no　place；　and　this　gives；　in　the　final　result；　that；　while　all　exists　by　means　of　it；　in　virtue　of　its　omnipresence；　all　is　distinct　from　it　in　virtue　of　its　being　nowhere。　　　　　But　why　is　it　not　merely　present　everywhere　but　in　addition　nowhere…present？　　　　　Because；　universality　demands　a　previous　unity。　It　must；　therefore；　pervade　all　things　and　make　all；　but　not　be　the　universe　which　it　makes。　　　　　（B）　The　Soul　itself　must　exist　as　Seeing…　with　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　the　object　of　its　vision…　it　is　undetermined　before　it　sees　but　is　naturally　apt　to　see：　in　other　words；　Soul　is　Matter　to　＇its　determinant＇　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　（C）　When　we　exercise　intellection　upon　ourselves；　we　are；　obviously；　observing　an　intellective　nature；　for　otherwise　we　would　not　be　able　to　have　that　intellection。　　　　　We　know；　and　it　is　ourselves　that　we　know；　therefore　we　know　the　reality　of　a　knowing　nature：　therefore；　before　that　intellection　in　Act；　there　is　another　intellection；　one　at　rest；　so　to　speak。　　　　　Similarly；　that　self…intellection　is　an　act　upon　a　reality　and　upon　a　life；　therefore；　before　the　Life　and　Real…Being　concerned　in　the　intellection；　there　must　be　another　Being　and　Life。　In　a　word；　intellection　is　vested　in　the　activities　themselves：　since；