the six enneads-第76部分

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2。　Enough　on　that　point：　we　come　now　to　the　question　of　memory　of　the　personality？　　　　　There　will　not　even　be　memory　of　the　personality；　no　thought　that　the　contemplator　is　the　self…　Socrates；　for　example…　or　that　it　is　Intellect　or　Soul。　In　this　connection　it　should　be　borne　in　mind　that；　in　contemplative　vision；　especially　when　it　is　vivid；　we　are　not　at　the　time　aware　of　our　own　personality；　we　are　in　possession　of　ourselves　but　the　activity　is　towards　the　object　of　vision　with　which　the　thinker　becomes　identified；　he　has　made　himself　over　as　matter　to　be　shaped；　he　takes　ideal　form　under　the　action　of　the　vision　while　remaining；　potentially；　himself。　This　means　that　he　is　actively　himself　when　he　has　intellection　of　nothing。　　　　　Or；　if　he　is　himself　＇pure　and　simple＇；　he　is　empty　of　all：　if；　on　the　contrary；　he　is　himself　＇by　the　self…possession　of　contemplation＇　in　such　a　way　as　to　be　identified　with　what　is　all；　then　by　the　act　of　self…intellection　he　has　the　simultaneous　intellection　of　all：　in　such　a　case　self…intuition　by　personal　activity　brings　the　intellection；　not　merely　of　the　self；　but　also　of　the　total　therein　embraced；　and　similarly　the　intuition　of　the　total　of　things　brings　that　of　the　personal　self　as　included　among　all。　　　　　But　such　a　process　would　appear　to　introduce　into　the　Intellectual　that　element　of　change　against　which　we　ourselves　have　only　now　been　protesting？　　　　　The　answer　is　that；　while　unchangeable　identity　is　essential　to　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　soul；　lying　so　to　speak　on　the　borders　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　is　amenable　to　change；　it　has；　for　example；　its　inward　advance；　and　obviously　anything　that　attains　position　near　to　something　motionless　does　so　by　a　change　directed　towards　that　unchanging　goal　and　is　not　itself　motionless　in　the　same　degree。　Nor　is　it　really　change　to　turn　from　the　self　to　the　constituents　of　self　or　from　those　constituents　to　the　self；　and　in　this　case　the　contemplator　is　the　total；　the　duality　has　become　unity。　　　　　None　the　less　the　soul；　even　in　the　Intellectual　Realm；　is　under　the　dispensation　of　a　variety　confronting　it　and　a　content　of　its　own？　　　　　No：　once　pure　in　the　Intellectual；　it　too　possesses　that　same　unchangeableness：　for　it　possesses　identity　of　essence；　when　it　is　in　that　region　it　must　of　necessity　enter　into　oneness　with　the　Intellectual…Principle　by　the　sheer　fact　of　its　self…orientation；　for　by　that　intention　all　interval　disappears；　the　soul　advances　and　is　taken　into　unison；　and　in　that　association　becomes　one　with　the　Intellectual…Principle…　but　not　to　its　own　destruction：　the　two　are　one；　and　two。　In　such　a　state　there　is　no　question　of　stage　and　change：　the　soul；　without　motion　＇but　by　right　of　its　essential　being＇　would　be　intent　upon　its　intellectual　act；　and　in　possession；　simultaneously；　of　its　self…awareness；　for　it　has　become　one　simultaneous　existence　with　the　Supreme。　　　　　3。　But　it　leaves　that　conjunction；　it　cannot　suffer　that　unity；　it　falls　in　love　with　its　own　powers　and　possessions；　and　desires　to　stand　apart；　it　leans　outward　so　to　speak：　then；　it　appears　to　acquire　a　memory　of　itself。　　　　　In　this　self…memory　a　distinction　is　to　be　made；　the　memory　dealing　with　the　Intellectual　Realm　upbears　the　soul；　not　to　fall；　the　memory　of　things　here　bears　it　downwards　to　this　universe；　the　intermediate　memory　dealing　with　the　heavenly　sphere　holds　it　there　too；　and；　in　all　its　memory；　the　thing　it　has　in　mind　it　is　and　grows　to；　for　this　bearing…in…mind　must　be　either　intuition　＇i。e。；　knowledge　with　identity＇　or　representation　by　image：　and　the　imaging　in　the　case　of　the　is　not　a　taking　in　of　something　but　is　vision　and　condition…　so　much　so；　that；　in　its　very　sense…　sight；　it　is　the　lower　in　the　degree　in　which　it　penetrates　the　object。　Since　its　possession　of　the　total　of　things　is　not　primal　but　secondary；　it　does　not　become　all　things　perfectly　＇in　becoming　identical　with　the　All　in　the　Intellectual＇；　it　is　of　the　boundary　order；　situated　between　two　regions；　and　has　tendency　to　both。　　　　　4。　In　that　realm　it　has　also　vision；　through　the　Intellectual…Principle；　of　The　Good　which　does　not　so　hold　to　itself　as　not　to　reach　the　soul；　what　intervenes　between　them　is　not　body　and　therefore　is　no　hindrance…　and；　indeed；　where　bodily　forms　do　intervene　there　is　still　access　in　many　ways　from　the　primal　to　the　tertiaries。　　　　　If；　on　the　contrary；　the　soul　gives　itself　to　the　inferior；　the　same　principle　of　penetration　comes　into　play；　and　it　possesses　itself；　by　memory　and　imagination；　of　the　thing　it　desired：　and　hence　the　memory；　even　dealing　with　the　highest；　is　not　the　highest。　Memory；　of　course；　must　be　understood　not　merely　of　what　might　be　called　the　sense　of　remembrance；　but　so　as　to　include　a　condition　induced　by　the　past　experience　or　vision。　There　is　such　a　thing　as　possessing　more　powerfully　without　consciousness　than　in　full　knowledge；　with　full　awareness　the　possession　is　of　something　quite　distinct　from　the　self；　unconscious　possession　runs　very　close　to　identity；　and　any　such　approach　to　identification　with　the　lower　means　the　deeper　fall　of　the　soul。　　　　　If　the　soul；　on　abandoning　its　place　in　the　Supreme；　revives　its　memories　of　the　lower；　it　must　have　in　some　form　possessed　them　even　there　though　the　activity　of　the　beings　in　that　realm　kept　them　in　abeyance：　they　could　not　be　in　the　nature　of　impressions　permanently　adopted…　a　notion　which　would　entail　absurdities…　but　were　no　more　than　a　potentiality　realized　after　return。　When　that　energy　of　the　Intellectual　world　ceases　to　tell　upon　the　soul；　it　sees　what　it　saw　in　the　earlier　state　before　it　revisited　the　Supreme。　　　　　5。　But　this　power　which　determines　memory　is　it　also　the　principle　by　which　the　Supreme　becomes　effective　in　us？　　　　　At　any　time　when　we　have　not　been　in　direct　vision　of　that　sphere；　memory　is　the　source　of　its　activity　within　us；　when　we　have　possessed　that　vision；　its　presence　is　due　to　the　principle　by　which　we　enjoyed　it：　this　principle　awakens　where　it　wakens；　and　it　alone　has　vision　in　that　order；　for　this　is　no　matter　to　be　brought　to　us　by　way　of　analogy；　or　by　the　syllogistic　reasoning　whose　grounds　lie　elsewhere；　the　power　which；　even　here；　we　possess　of　discoursing　upon　the　Intellectual　Beings　is　vested；　as　we　show；　in　that　principle　which　alone　is　capable　of　their　contemplation。　That；　we　must　awaken；　so　to　speak；　and　thus　attain　the　vision　of　the　Supreme；　as　one；　standing　on　some　lofty　height　and　lifting　his　eyes；　sees　what　to　those　that　have　not　mounted　with　him　is　invisible。　　　　　Memory；　by　this　account；　commences　after　the　soul　has　left　the　higher　spheres；　it　is　first　known　in　the　celestial　period。　　　　　A　soul　that　has　descended　from　the　Intellectual　region　to　the　celestial　and　there　comes　to　rest；　may　very　well　be　understood　to　recognize　many　other　souls　known　in　its　former　state　supposing　that；　as　we　have　said；　it　retains　recollection　of　much　that　it　knew　here。　This　recognition　would　be　natural　if　the　bodies　with　which　those　souls　are　vested　in　the　celestial　must　reproduce　the　former　appearance；　supposing　the　spherical　form　＇of　the　stars　inhabited　by　souls　in　the　mid…realm＇　means　a　change　of　appearance；　recognition　would　go　by　character；　by　the　distinctive　quality　of　personality：　this　is　not　fantastic；　conditions　changing　need　not　mean　a　change　of　character。　If　the　souls　have　mutual　conversation；　this　too　would　mean　recognition。　　　　　But　those　whose　descent　from　the　Intellectual　is　complete；　how　is　it　with　them？　　　　　They　will　recall　their　memories；　of　the　same　things；　but　with　less　force　than　those　still　in　the　celestial；　since　they　have　had　other　experiences　to　remember；　and　the　lapse　of　time　will　have　utterly　obliterated　much　of　what　was　formerly　present　to　them。　　　　　But　what　way　of　remembering　the　Supreme　is　left　if　the　souls　have　turned　to　the　sense…known　kosmos；　and　are　to　fall　into　this　sphere　of　process？　　　　　They　need　not　fall　to　the　ultimate　depth：　their　downward　movement　may　be　checked　at　some　one　moment　of　the　way；　and　as　long　as　they　have　not　touched　the　lowest　of　the　region　of　process　＇the　point　at　which　non…being　begins＇　there　is　nothing　to　prevent　them　rising　once　more。　　　　　6。　Souls　that　descend；　souls　that　change　their　state…　these；　then；　may　be　said　to　have　memory；　which　deals　with　what　has　come　and　gone；　but　what　subjects　of　remembrance　can　there　be　for　souls　whose　lot　is　to　remain　unchanged？　　　　　The　question　touches　memory　in　the　stars　in　general；　and　also　in　the　sun　and　moon　and　ends　by　dealing　with　the　soul　of　the　All；　even　by　audaciously　busying　itself　with　the　memories　of　Zeus　himself。　The　enquiry　entails　the　examination　and　identification　of　acts　of　understanding　and　of　reasoning　in　these　beings；　if　such　acts　take　place。　　　　　Now　if；　immune　from　all　lack；　they　neither　seek　nor　doubt；　and　never　learn；　nothing　being　absent　at　any　time　from　their　knowledge…　what　reasonings；　what　processes　of　rational　investigation；　can　take　place　in　them；　what　acts　of　the　understanding？　　　　　Even　as　regards　human　concerns　they　have　no　need　for　observation　or　method；　their　administration　of　our　affairs　and　of　earth's　in　general　does　not　go　so；　the　right　ordering；　which　is　their　gift　to　the　universe；　is　effected　by　methods　very　different。　　　　　In　other　words；　they　have　seen　God　and　they　do　not　remember？　　　　　Ah；　no：　it　is　that　they　see　God　still　and　always；　and　that；　as　long　as　they　see；　they　cannot　tell　themselves　they　have　had　the　vision；　such　reminiscence　is　for　souls　that　have　lost　it。　　　　　7。　Well　but　can　they　not　tell　themselves　that　yesterday；　or　last　year；　they　moved　round　the　earth；　that　they　lived　yesterday　or　at　any　given　moment　in　their　lives？　　　　　Their　living　is　eternal；　and　eternity　is　an　unchanging　unity。　To　identify　a　yesterday　or　a　last　year　in　their　movement　would　be　like　isolating　the　movement　of　one　of　the　feet；　and　finding　a　this　or　a　that　and　an　entire　series　in　what　is　a　single　act。　The　movement　of　the　celestial　beings　is　one　movement：　it　is　our　measuring　that　presents　us　with　many　movements；　and　with　distinct　days　determined　by　intervening　nights：　There　all　is　one　day；　series　has　no　place；　no　yesterday；　no　last　year。　　　　　Still：　the　space　traversed　is　different；　there　are　the　various　sections　of　the　Zodiac：　why；　then；　should　not