the six enneads-第86章

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s　the　lower。　　　　　The　〃secondary　and　tertiary　souls；〃　of　which　we　hear；　must　be　understood　in　the　sense　of　closer　or　remoter　position：　it　is　much　as　in　ourselves　the　relation　to　the　Supreme　is　not　identical　from　soul　to　soul；　some　of　us　are　capable　of　becoming　Uniate；　others　of　striving　and　almost　attaining；　while　a　third　rank　is　much　less　apt；　it　is　a　matter　of　the　degree　or　powers　of　the　soul　by　which　our　expression　is　determined…　the　first　degree　dominant　in　the　one　person；　the　second；　the　third　＇the　merely　animal　life＇　in　others　while；　still；　all　of　us　contain　all　the　powers。　　　　　7。　So　far；　so　good：　but　what　of　the　passage　in　the　Philebus　taken　to　imply　that　the　other　souls　are　parts　of　the　All…Soul？　　　　　The　statement　there　made　does　not　bear　the　meaning　read　into　it；　it　expresses　only；　what　the　author　was　then　concerned　with；　that　the　heavens　are　ensouled…　a　teaching　which　he　maintains　in　the　observation　that　it　is　preposterous　to　make　the　heavens　soulless　when　we；　who　contain　a　part　of　the　body　of　the　All；　have　a　soul；　how；　he　asks；　could　there　be　soul　in　the　part　and　none　in　the　total。　　　　　He　makes　his　teaching　quite　clear　in　the　Timaeus；　where　he　shows　us　the　other　souls　brought　into　existence　after　the　All…Soul；　but　compounded　from　the　same　mixing　bowl〃；　secondary　and　tertiary　are　duly　marked　off　from　the　primal　but　every　form　of　soul　is　presented　as　being　of　identical　ideal…nature　with　the　All…Soul。　　　　　As　for　saying　of　the　Phaedrus。　〃All　that　is　soul　cares　for　all　that　is　soulless；〃　this　simply　tells　us　that　the　corporeal　kind　cannot　be　controlled…　fashioned；　set　in　place　or　brought　into　being…　by　anything　but　the　Soul。　And　we　cannot　think　that　there　is　one　soul　whose　nature　includes　this　power　and　another　without　it。　〃The　perfect　soul；　that　of　the　All；〃　we　read；　〃going　its　lofty　journey；　operates　upon　the　kosmos　not　by　sinking　into　it；　but；　as　it　were；　by　brooding　over　it〃；　and　〃every　perfect　soul　exercises　this　governance〃；　he　distinguishes　the　other；　the　soul　in　this　sphere　as　〃the　soul　when　its　wing　is　broken。〃　　　　　As　for　our　souls　being　entrained　in　the　kosmic　circuit；　and　taking　character　and　condition　thence；　this　is　no　indication　that　they　are　parts：　soul…nature　may　very　well　take　some　tincture　from　even　the　qualities　of　place；　from　water　and　from　air；　residence　in　this　city　or　in　that；　and　the　varying　make…up　of　the　body　may　have　their　influence　＇upon　our　human　souls　which；　yet；　are　no　parts　of　place　or　of　body＇。　　　　　We　have　always　admitted　that　as　members　of　the　universe　we　take　over　something　from　the　All…Soul；　we　do　not　deny　the　influence　of　the　Kosmic　Circuit；　but　against　all　this　we　oppose　another　soul　in　us　＇the　Intellectual　as　distinguished　from　the　merely　vitalizing＇　proven　to　be　distinct　by　that　power　of　opposition。　　　　　As　for　our　being　begotten　children　of　the　kosmos；　we　answer　that　in　motherhood　the　entrant　soul　is　distinct；　is　not　the　mother's。　　　　　8。　These　considerations；　amounting　to　the　settlement　of　the　question；　are　not　countered　by　the　phenomenon　of　sympathy；　the　response　between　soul　and　soul　is　due　to　the　mere　fact　that　all　spring　from　that　self…same　soul　＇the　next　to　Divine　Mind＇　from　which　springs　the　Soul　of　the　All。　　　　　We　have　already　stated　that　the　one　soul　is　also　multiple；　and　we　have　dealt　with　the　different　forms　of　relationship　between　part　and　whole：　we　have　investigated　the　different　degrees　existing　within　soul；　we　may　now　add；　briefly；　that　differences　might　be　induced；　also；　by　the　bodies　with　which　the　soul　has　to　do；　and；　even　more；　by　the　character　and　mental　operations　carried　over　from　the　conduct　of　the　previous　lives。　〃The　life…choice　made　by　a　soul　has　a　correspondence〃…　we　read…　〃with　its　former　lives。〃　　　　　As　regards　the　nature　of　soul　in　general；　the　differences　have　been　defined　in　the　passage　in　which　we　mentioned　the　secondary　and　tertiary　orders　and　laid　down　that；　while　all　souls　are　all…comprehensive；　each　ranks　according　to　its　operative　phase…　one　becoming　Uniate　in　the　achieved　fact；　another　in　knowledge；　another　in　desire；　according　to　the　distinct　orientation　by　which　each　is；　or　tends　to　become；　what　it　looks　upon。　The　very　fulfillment　and　perfectionment　attainable　by　souls　cannot　but　be　different。　　　　　But；　if　in　the　total　the　organization　in　which　they　have　their　being　is　compact　of　variety…　as　it　must　be　since　every　Reason…Principle　is　a　unity　of　multiplicity　and　variety；　and　may　be　thought　of　as　a　psychic　animated　organism　having　many　shapes　at　its　command…　if　this　is　so　and　all　constitutes　a　system　in　which　being　is　not　cut　adrift　from　being；　if　there　is　nothing　chance…　borne　among　beings　as　there　is　none　even　in　bodily　organisms；　then　it　follows　that　Number　must　enter　into　the　scheme；　for；　once　again；　Being　must　be　stable；　the　members　of　the　Intellectual　must　possess　identity；　each　numerically　one；　this　is　the　condition　of　individuality。　Where；　as　in　bodily　masses；　the　Idea　is　not　essentially　native；　and　the　individuality　is　therefore　in　flux；　existence　under　ideal　form　can　rise　only　out　of　imitation　of　the　Authentic　Existences；　these　last；　on　the　contrary；　not　rising　out　of　any　such　conjunction　＇as　the　duality　of　Idea　and　dead　Matter＇　have　their　being　in　that　which　is　numerically　one；　that　which　was　from　the　beginning；　and　neither　becomes　what　it　has　not　been　nor　can　cease　to　be　what　it　is。　　　　　Even　supposing　Real…Beings　＇such　as　soul＇　to　be　produced　by　some　other　principle；　they　are　certainly　not　made　from　Matter；　or；　if　they　were；　the　creating　principle　must　infuse　into　them；　from　within　itself；　something　of　the　nature　of　Real…Being；　but；　at　this；　it　would　itself　suffer　change；　as　it　created　more　or　less。　And；　after　all；　why　should　it　thus　produce　at　any　given　moment　rather　than　remain　for　ever　stationary？　　　　　Moreover　the　produced　total；　variable　from　more　to　less；　could　not　be　an　eternal：　yet　the　soul；　it　stands　agreed；　is　eternal。　　　　　But　what　becomes　of　the　soul's　infinity　if　it　is　thus　fixed？　　　　　The　infinity　is　a　matter　of　power：　there　is　question；　not　of　the　soul's　being　divisible　into　an　infinite　number　of　parts；　but　of　an　infinite　possible　effectiveness：　it　is　infinity　in　the　sense　in　which　the　Supreme　God；　also；　is　free　of　all　bound。　　　　　This　means　that　it　is　no　external　limit　that　defines　the　individual　being　or　the　extension　of　souls　any　more　than　of　God；　on　the　contrary　each　in　right　of　its　own　power　is　all　that　it　chooses　to　be：　and　we　are　not　to　think　of　it　as　going　forth　from　itself　＇losing　its　unity　by　any　partition＇：　the　fact　is　simply　that　the　element　within　it；　which　is　apt　to　entrance　into　body；　has　the　power　of　immediate　projection　any　whither：　the　soul　is　certainly　not　wrenched　asunder　by　its　presence　at　once　in　foot　and　in　finger。　Its　presence　in　the　All　is　similarly　unbroken；　over　its　entire　range　it　exists　in　every　several　part　of　everything　having　even　vegetal　life；　even　in　a　part　cut　off　from　the　main；　in　any　possible　segment　it　is　as　it　is　at　its　source。　For　the　body　of　the　All　is　a　unit；　and　soul　is　everywhere　present　to　it　as　to　one　thing。　　　　　When　some　animal　rots　and　a　multitude　of　others　spring　from　it；　the　Life…Principle　now　present　is　not　the　particular　soul　that　was　in　the　larger　body；　that　body　has　ceased　to　be　receptive　of　soul；　or　there　would　have　been　no　death；　what　happens　is　that　whatsoever　in　the　product　of　the　decay　is　apt　material　for　animal　existence　of　one　kind　or　another　becomes　ensouled　by　the　fact　that　soul　is　nowhere　lacking；　though　a　recipient　of　soul　may　be。　This　new　ensouling　does　not　mean；　however；　an　increase　in　the　number　of　souls：　all　depend　from　the　one　or；　rather；　all　remains　one：　it　is　as　with　ourselves；　some　elements　are　shed；　others　grow　in　their　place；　the　soul　abandons　the　discarded　and　flows　into　the　newcoming　as　long　as　the　one　soul　of　the　man　holds　its　ground；　in　the　All　the　one　soul　holds　its　ground　for　ever；　its　distinct　contents　now　retain　soul　and　now　reject　it；　but　the　total　of　spiritual　beings　is　unaffected。　　　　　9。　But　we　must　examine　how　soul　comes　to　inhabit　the　body…　the　manner　and　the　process…　a　question　certainly　of　no　minor　interest。　　　　　The　entry　of　soul　into　body　takes　place　under　two　forms。　　　　　Firstly；　there　is　the　entry…　metensomatosis…　of　a　soul　present　in　body　by