the six enneads-第101部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


　myth　proceeds；　Kronos　engenders　Zeus；　who　already　exists　as　the　＇necessary　and　eternal＇　outcome　of　the　plenty　there；　in　other　words　the　offspring　of　the　Divine　Intellect；　perfect　within　itself；　is　Soul　＇the　life…principle　carrying　forward　the　Ideas　in　the　Divine　Mind＇。　　　　　Now；　even　in　the　Divine　the　engendered　could　not　be　the　very　highest；　it　must　be　a　lesser；　an　image；　it　will　be　undetermined；　as　the　Divine　is；　but　will　receive　determination；　and；　so　to　speak；　its　shaping　idea；　from　the　progenitor。　　　　　Yet　any　offspring　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　must　be　a　Reason…Principle；　the　thought　of　the　Divine　Mind　must　be　a　substantial　existence：　such　then　is　that　＇Soul＇　which　circles　about　the　Divine　Mind；　its　light；　its　image　inseparably　attached　to　it：　on　the　upper　level　united　with　it；　filled　from　it；　enjoying　it；　participant　in　its　nature；　intellective　with　it；　but　on　the　lower　level　in　contact　with　the　realm　beneath　itself；　or；　rather；　generating　in　turn　an　offspring　which　must　lie　beneath；　of　this　lower　we　will　treat　later；　so　far　we　deal　still　with　the　Divine。　　　　　8。　This　is　the　explanation　of　Plato's　Triplicity；　in　the　passage　where　he　names　as　the　Primals　the　Beings　gathered　about　the　King　of　All；　and　establishes　a　Secondary　containing　the　Secondaries；　and　a　Third　containing　the　Tertiaries。　　　　　He　teaches；　also；　that　there　is　an　author　of　the　Cause；　that　is　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　which　to　him　is　the　Creator　who　made　the　Soul；　as　he　tells　us；　in　the　famous　mixing　bowl。　This　author　of　the　causing　principle；　of　the　divine　mind；　is　to　him　the　Good；　that　which　transcends　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　transcends　Being：　often　too　he　uses　the　term　〃The　Idea〃　to　indicate　Being　and　the　Divine　Mind。　Thus　Plato　knows　the　order　of　generation…　from　the　Good；　the　Intellectual…Principle；　from　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Soul。　These　teachings　are；　therefore；　no　novelties；　no　inventions　of　today；　but　long　since　stated；　if　not　stressed；　our　doctrine　here　is　the　explanation　of　an　earlier　and　can　show　the　antiquity　of　these　opinions　on　the　testimony　of　Plato　himself。　　　　　Earlier；　Parmenides　made　some　approach　to　the　doctrine　in　identifying　Being　with　Intellectual…Principle　while　separating　Real　Being　from　the　realm　of　sense。　　　　　〃Knowing　and　Being　are　one　thing　he　says；　and　this　unity　is　to　him　motionless　in　spite　of　the　intellection　he　attributes　to　it：　to　preserve　its　unchanging　identity　he　excludes　all　bodily　movement　from　it；　and　he　compares　it　to　a　huge　sphere　in　that　it　holds　and　envelops　all　existence　and　that　its　intellection　is　not　an　outgoing　act　but　internal。　Still；　with　all　his　affirmation　of　unity；　his　own　writings　lay　him　open　to　the　reproach　that　his　unity　turns　out　to　be　a　multiplicity。　　　　　The　Platonic　Parmenides　is　more　exact；　the　distinction　is　made　between　the　Primal　One；　a　strictly　pure　Unity；　and　a　secondary　One　which　is　a　One…Many　and　a　third　which　is　a　One…and…many；　thus　he　too　is　in　accordance　with　our　thesis　of　the　Three　Kinds。　　　　　9。　Anaxagoras；　again；　in　his　assertion　of　a　Mind　pure　and　unmixed；　affirms　a　simplex　First　and　a　sundered　One；　though　writing　long　ago　he　failed　in　precision。　　　　　Heraclitus；　with　his　sense　of　bodily　forms　as　things　of　ceaseless　process　and　passage；　knows　the　One　as　eternal　and　intellectual。　　　　　In　Empedocles；　similarly；　we　have　a　dividing　principle；　〃Strife；〃　set　against　〃Friendship〃…　which　is　The　One　and　is　to　him　bodiless；　while　the　elements　represent　Matter。　　　　　Later　there　is　Aristotle；　he　begins　by　making　the　First　transcendent　and　intellective　but　cancels　that　primacy　by　supposing　it　to　have　self…intellection。　Further　he　affirms　a　multitude　of　other　intellective　beings…　as　many　indeed　as　there　are　orbs　in　the　heavens；　one　such　principle　as　in…　over　to　every　orb…　and　thus　his　account　of　the　Intellectual　Realm　differs　from　Plato's　and；　failing　reason；　he　brings　in　necessity；　though　whatever　reasons　he　had　alleged　there　would　always　have　been　the　objection　that　it　would　be　more　reasonable　that　all　the　spheres；　as　contributory　to　one　system；　should　look　to　a　unity；　to　the　First。　　　　　We　are　obliged　also　to　ask　whether　to　Aristotle's　mind　all　Intellectual　Beings　spring　from　one；　and　that　one　their　First；　or　whether　the　Principles　in　the　Intellectual　are　many。　　　　　If　from　one；　then　clearly　the　Intellectual　system　will　be　analogous　to　that　of　the　universe　of　sense…sphere　encircling　sphere；　with　one；　the　outermost；　dominating　all…　the　First　＇in　the　Intellectual＇　will　envelop　the　entire　scheme　and　will　be　an　Intellectual　＇or　Archetypal＇　Kosmos；　and　as　in　our　universe　the　spheres　are　not　empty　but　the　first　sphere　is　thick　with　stars　and　none　without　them；　so；　in　the　Intellectual　Kosmos；　those　principles　of　Movement　will　envelop　a　multitude　of　Beings；　and　that　world　will　be　the　realm　of　the　greater　reality。　　　　　If　on　the　contrary　each　is　a　principle；　then　the　effective　powers　become　a　matter　of　chance；　under　what　compulsion　are　they　to　hold　together　and　act　with　one　mind　towards　that　work　of　unity；　the　harmony　of　the　entire　heavenly　system？　Again　what　can　make　it　necessary　that　the　material　bodies　of　the　heavenly　system　be　equal　in　number　to　the　Intellectual　moving　principles；　and　how　can　these　incorporeal　Beings　be　numerically　many　when　there　is　no　Matter　to　serve　as　the　basis　of　difference？　　　　　For　these　reasons　the　ancient　philosophers　that　ranged　themselves　most　closely　to　the　school　of　Pythagoras　and　of　his　later　followers　and　to　that　of　Pherekudes；　have　insisted　upon　this　Nature；　some　developing　the　subject　in　their　writings　while　others　treated　of　it　merely　in　unwritten　discourses；　some　no　doubt　ignoring　it　entirely。　　　　　10。　We　have　shown　the　inevitability　of　certain　convictions　as　to　the　scheme　of　things：　　　　　There　exists　a　Principle　which　transcends　Being；　this　is　The　One；　whose　nature　we　have　sought　to　establish　in　so　far　as　such　matters　lend　themselves　to　proof。　Upon　The　One　follows　immediately　the　Principle　which　is　at　once　Being　and　the　Intellectual…Principle。　Third　comes　the　Principle；　Soul。　　　　　Now　just　as　these　three　exist　for　the　system　of　Nature；　so；　we　must　hold；　they　exist　for　ourselves。　I　am　not　speaking　of　the　material　order…　all　that　is　separable…　but　of　what　lies　beyond　the　sense　realm　in　the　same　way　as　the　Primals　are　beyond　all　the　heavens；　I　mean　the　corresponding　aspect　of　man；　what　Plato　calls　the　Interior　Man。　　　　　Thus　our　soul；　too；　is　a　divine　thing；　belonging　to　another　order　than　sense；　such　is　all　that　holds　the　rank　of　soul；　but　＇above　the　life…principle＇　there　is　the　soul　perfected　as　containing　Intellectual…Principle　with　its　double　phase；　reasoning　and　giving　the　power　to　reason。　The　reasoning　phase　of　the　soul；　needing　no　bodily　organ　for　its　thinking　but　maintaining；　in　purity；　its　distinctive　Act　that　its　thought　may　be　uncontaminated…　this　we　cannot　err　in　placing；　separate　and　not　mingled　into　body；　within　the　first　Intellectual。　We　may　not　seek　any　point　of　space　in　which　to　seat　it；　it　must　be　set　outside　of　all　space：　its　distinct　quality；　its　separateness；　its　immateriality；　demand　that　it　be　a　thing　alone；　untouched　by　all　of　the　bodily　order。　This　is　why　we　read　of　the　universe　that　the　Demiurge　cast　the　soul　around　it　from　without…　understand　that　phase　of　soul　which　is　permanently　seated　in　the　Intellectual…　and　of　ourselves　that　the　charioteer's　head　reaches　upwards　towards　the　heights。　　　　　The　admonition　to　sever　soul　from　body　is　not；　of　course；　to　be　understood　spatially…　that　separation　stands　made　in　Nature…　the　reference　is　to　holding　our　rank；　to　use　of　our　thinking；　to　an　attitude　of　alienation　from　the　body　in　the　effort　to　lead　up　and　attach　to　the　over…world；　equally　with　the　other；　that　phase　of　soul　seated　here　and；　alone；　having　to　do　with　body；　creating；　moulding；　spending　its　care　upon　it。　　　　　11。　Since　there　is　a　Soul　which　reasons　upon　the　right　and　good…　for　reasoning　is　an　enquiry　into　the　rightness　and　goodness　of　this　rather　than　that…　there　must　exist　some　permanent　Right；　the　source　and　foundation　of　this　reasoning　in　our　soul；　how；　else；　could　any　such　discussion　be　held？　Further；　since　the　soul's　attention　to　these　matters　is　intermittent；　there　must　be　within　us　an　Intellectual…Principle　acquainted　with　that　Right　not　by　momentary　act　but　in　permanent　possession。　Similarly　there　must　be　also　the　principle　of　this　principle；　its　cause；　God。　This　Highest　cannot　be　divided　and　allotted；　must　remain　intangible　but　not　bound　to　space；　it　may　be　present　at　many　points；　wheresoever　there　is　anything　capable　of　accepting　one　of　its　manifestations；　thus　a　centre　is　an　independent　unity；　everything　within　the　circle　has　its　term　at　the　centre；　and　to　the　centre　the　radii　bring　each　their　own。　Within　our　nature　is　such　a　centre　by　which　we　grasp　and　are　linked　and　held；　and　those　of　us　are　firmly　in　the　Supreme　whose　collective　tendency　is　There。　　　　　12。　Possessed　of　such　powers；　how　does　it　happen　that　we　do　not　lay　hold　of　them；　but　for　the　most　part；　let　these　high　activities　go　idle…　some；　even；　of　us　never　bringing　them　in　any　degree　to　effect？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　all　the　Divine　Beings　are　unceasingly　about　their　own　act；　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　its　Prior　always　self…intent；　and　so；　too；　the　soul　maintains　its　unfailing　movement；　for　not　all　that　passes　in　the　soul　is；　by　that　fact；　perceptible；　we　know　just　as　much　as　impinges　upon　the　faculty　of　sense。　Any　activity　not　transmitted　to　the　sensitive　faculty　has　not　traversed　the　entire　soul：　we　remain　unaware　because　the　human　being　includes　sense…perception；　man　is　not　merely　a　part　＇the　higher　part＇　of　the　soul　but　the　total。　　　　　None　the　less　every　being　of　the　order　of　soul　is　in　continuous　activity　as　long　as　life　holds；　continuously　executing　to　itself　its　characteristic　act：　knowledge　of　the　act　depends　upon　transmission　and　perception。　If　there　is　to　be　perception　of　what　is　thus　present；　we　must　turn　the　perceptive　faculty　inward　and　hold　it　to　attention　there。　Hoping　to　hear　a　desired　voice；　we　let　all　others　pass　and　are　alert　for　the　coming　at　last　of　that　most　welcome　of　sounds：　so　here；　we　must　let　the　hearings　of　sense　go　by；　save　for　sheer　necessity；　and　keep　the　soul's　perception　bright　and　quick　to　the　sounds　from　above。