the six enneads-第188节

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　　　Considered　as　at　once　Thinker　and　Object　of　its　Thought；　it　is　dual；　not　simplex；　not　The　Unity：　considered　as　looking　beyond　itself；　it　must　look　to　a　better；　to　a　prior：　looking　simultaneously　upon　itself　and　upon　its　Transcendent；　it　is；　once　more；　not　a　First。　　　　　There　is　no　other　way　of　stating　Intellectual…Principle　than　as　that　which；　holding　itself　in　the　presence　of　The　Good　and　First　and　looking　towards　That；　is　self…present　also；　self…knowing　and　Knowing　itself　as　All…Being：　thus　manifold；　it　is　far　from　being　The　Unity。　　　　　In　sum：　The　Unity　cannot　be　the　total　of　beings；　for　so　its　oneness　is　annulled；　it　cannot　be　the　Intellectual…Principle；　for　so　it　would　be　that　total　which　the　Intellectual…Principle　is；　nor　is　it　Being；　for　Being　is　the　manifold　of　things。　　　　　3。　What　then　must　The　Unity　be；　what　nature　is　left　for　it？　　　　　No　wonder　that　to　state　it　is　not　easy；　even　Being　and　Form　are　not　easy；　though　we　have　a　way；　an　approach　through　the　Ideas。　　　　　The　soul　or　mind　reaching　towards　the　formless　finds　itself　incompetent　to　grasp　where　nothing　bounds　it　or　to　take　impression　where　the　impinging　reality　is　diffuse；　in　sheer　dread　of　holding　to　nothingness；　it　slips　away。　The　state　is　painful；　often　it　seeks　relief　by　retreating　from　all　this　vagueness　to　the　region　of　sense；　there　to　rest　as　on　solid　ground；　just　as　the　sight　distressed　by　the　minute　rests　with　pleasure　on　the　bold。　　　　　Soul　must　see　in　its　own　way；　this　is　by　coalescence；　unification；　but　in　seeking　thus　to　know　the　Unity　it　is　prevented　by　that　very　unification　from　recognising　that　it　has　found；　it　cannot　distinguish　itself　from　the　object　of　this　intuition。　Nonetheless；　this　is　our　one　resource　if　our　philosophy　is　to　give　us　knowledge　of　The　Unity。　　　　　We　are　in　search　of　unity；　we　are　to　come　to　know　the　principle　of　all；　the　Good　and　First；　therefore　we　may　not　stand　away　from　the　realm　of　Firsts　and　lie　prostrate　among　the　lasts：　we　must　strike　for　those　Firsts；　rising　from　things　of　sense　which　are　the　lasts。　Cleared　of　all　evil　in　our　intention　towards　The　Good；　we　must　ascend　to　the　Principle　within　ourselves；　from　many；　we　must　become　one；　only　so　do　we　attain　to　knowledge　of　that　which　is　Principle　and　Unity。　We　shape　ourselves　into　Intellectual…Principle；　we　make　over　our　soul　in　trust　to　Intellectual…Principle　and　set　it　firmly　in　That；　thus　what　That　sees　the　soul　will　waken　to　see；　it　is　through　the　Intellectual…Principle　that　we　have　this　vision　of　The　Unity；　it　must　be　our　care　to　bring　over　nothing　whatever　from　sense；　to　allow　nothing　even　of　soul　to　enter　into　Intellectual…Principle：　with　Intellect　pure；　and　with　the　summit　of　Intellect；　we　are　to　see　the　All…Pure。　　　　　If　quester　has　the　impression　of　extension　or　shape　or　mass　attaching　to　That　Nature　he　has　not　been　led　by　Intellectual…Principle　which　is　not　of　the　order　to　see　such　things；　the　activity　has　been　of　sense　and　of　the　judgement　following　upon　sense：　only　Intellectual…Principle　can　inform　us　of　the　things　of　its　scope；　its　competence　is　upon　its　priors；　its　content　and　its　issue：　but　even　its　content　is　outside　of　sense；　and　still　purer；　still　less　touched　by　multiplicity；　are　its　priors；　or　rather　its　Prior。　　　　　The　Unity；　then；　is　not　Intellectual…Principle　but　something　higher　still：　Intellectual…Principle　is　still　a　being　but　that　First　is　no　being　but　precedent　to　all　Being；　it　cannot　be　a　being；　for　a　being　has　what　we　may　call　the　shape　of　its　reality　but　The　Unity　is　without　shape；　even　shape　Intellectual。　　　　　Generative　of　all；　The　Unity　is　none　of　all；　neither　thing　nor　quantity　nor　quality　nor　intellect　nor　soul；　not　in　motion；　not　at　rest；　not　in　place；　not　in　time：　it　is　the　self…defined；　unique　in　form　or；　better；　formless；　existing　before　Form　was；　or　Movement　or　Rest；　all　of　which　are　attachments　of　Being　and　make　Being　the　manifold　it　is。　　　　　But　how；　if　not　in　movement；　can　it　be　otherwise　than　at　rest？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　movement　and　rest　are　states　pertaining　to　Being；　which　necessarily　has　one　or　the　other　or　both。　Besides；　anything　at　rest　must　be　so　in　virtue　of　Rest　as　something　distinct：　Unity　at　rest　becomes　the　ground　of　an　attribute　and　at　once　ceases　to　be　a　simplex。　　　　　Note；　similarly；　that；　when　we　speak　of　this　First　as　Cause；　we　are　affirming　something　happening　not　to　it　but　to　us；　the　fact　that　we　take　from　this　Self…Enclosed：　strictly　we　should　put　neither　a　This　nor　a　That　to　it；　we　hover；　as　it　were；　about　it；　seeking　the　statement　of　an　experience　of　our　own；　sometimes　nearing　this　Reality；　sometimes　baffled　by　the　enigma　in　which　it　dwells。　　　　　4。　The　main　part　of　the　difficulty　is　that　awareness　of　this　Principle　comes　neither　by　knowing　nor　by　the　Intellection　that　discovers　the　Intellectual　Beings　but　by　a　presence　overpassing　all　knowledge。　In　knowing；　soul　or　mind　abandons　its　unity；　it　cannot　remain　a　simplex：　knowing　is　taking　account　of　things；　that　accounting　is　multiple；　the　mind；　thus　plunging　into　number　and　multiplicity；　departs　from　unity。　　　　　Our　way　then　takes　us　beyond　knowing；　there　may　be　no　wandering　from　unity；　knowing　and　knowable　must　all　be　left　aside；　every　object　of　thought；　even　the　highest；　we　must　pass　by；　for　all　that　is　good　is　later　than　This　and　derives　from　This　as　from　the　sun　all　the　light　of　the　day。　　　　　〃Not　to　be　told；　not　to　be　written〃：　in　our　writing　and　telling　we　are　but　urging　towards　it：　out　of　discussion　we　call　to　vision：　to　those　desiring　to　see；　we　point　the　path；　our　teaching　is　of　the　road　and　the　travelling；　the　seeing　must　be　the　very　act　of　one　that　has　made　this　choice。　　　　　There　are　those　that　have　not　attained　to　see。　The　soul　has　not　come　to　know　the　splendour　There；　it　has　not　felt　and　clutched　to　itself　that　love…passion　of　vision　known　to　lover　come　to　rest　where　he　loves。　Or　struck　perhaps　by　that　authentic　light；　all　the　soul　lit　by　the　nearness　gained；　we　have　gone　weighted　from　beneath；　the　vision　is　frustrate；　we　should　go　without　burden　and　we　go　carrying　that　which　can　but　keep　us　back；　we　are　not　yet　made　over　into　unity。　　　　　From　none　is　that　Principle　absent　and　yet　from　all：　present；　it　remains　absent　save　to　those　fit　to　receive；　disciplined　into　some　accordance；　able　to　touch　it　closely　by　their　likeness　and　by　that　kindred　power　within　themselves　through　which；　remaining　as　it　was　when　it　came　to　them　from　the　Supreme；　they　are　enabled　to　see　in　so　far　as　God　may　at　all　be　seen。　　　　　Failure　to　attain　may　be　due　to　such　impediment　or　to　lack　of　the　guiding　thought　that　establishes　trust；　impediment　we　must　charge　against　ourselves　and　strive　by　entire　renunciation　to　become　emancipate；　where　there　is　distrust　for　lack　of　convincing　reason；　further　considerations　may　be　applied：　　　　　5。　Those　to　whom　existence　comes　about　by　chance　and　automatic　action　and　is　held　together　by　material　forces　have　drifted　far　from　God　and　from　the　concept　of　unity；　we　are　not　here　addressing　them　but　only　such　as　accept　another　nature　than　body　and　have　some　conception　of　soul。　　　　　Soul　must　be　sounded　to　the　depths；　understood　as　an　emanation　from　Intellectual…Principle　and　as　holding　its　value　by　a　Reason…Principle　thence　infused。　Next　this　Intellect　must　be　apprehended；　an　Intellect　other　than　the　reasoning　faculty　known　as　the　rational　principle；　with　reasoning　we　are　already　in　the　region　of　separation　and　movement：　our　sciences　are　Reason…Principles　lodged　in　soul　or　mind；　having　manifestly　acquired　their　character　by　the　presence　in　the　soul　of　Intellectual…Principle；　source　of　all　knowing。　　　　　Thus　we　come　to　see　Intellectual…Principle　almost　as　an　object　of　sense：　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　is　perceptible　as　standing　above　soul；　father　to　soul：　we　know　Intellectual…Principle　as　the　motionless；　not　subject　to　change；　containing；　we　must　think；　all　things；　a　multiple　but　at　once　indivisible　and　comporting　difference。　It　is　not　discriminate　as　are　the　Reason…Principles；　which　can　in　fact　be　known　one　by　one：　yet　its　content　is　not　a　confusion；　every　item　stands　forth　distinctly；　just　as　in　a　science　the　entire　content　holds　as　an　indivisible　and　yet　each　item　is　a　self…standing　verity。　　　　　Now　a　plurality　thus　concentrated　like　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　is　close　upon　The　First…　and　reason　certifies　its　existence　as　surely　as　that　of　soul…　yet；　though　of　higher　sovereignty　than　soul；　it　is　not　The　First　since　it　is　not　a　unity；　not　simplex　as　unity；　principle　over　all　multiplicity；　must　be。　　　　　Before　it　there　is　That　which　must　transcend　the　noblest　of　the　things　of　Being：　there　must　be　a　prior　to　this　Principle　which　aiming　towards　unity　is　yet　not　unity　but　a　thing　in　unity's　likeness。　From　this　highest　it　is　not　sundered；　it　too　is　self…present：　so　close　to　the　unity；　it　cannot　be　articulated：　and　yet　it　is　a　principle　which　in　some　measure　has　dared　secession。　　　　　That　awesome　Prior；　The　Unity；　is　not　a　being；　for　so　its　unity　would　be　vested　in　something　else：　strictly　no　name　is　apt　to　it；　but　since　name　it　we　must　there　is　a　certain　rough　fitness　in　designating　it　as　unity　with　the　understanding　that　it　is　not　the　unity　of　some　other　thing。　　　　　Thus　it　eludes　our　knowledge；　so　that　the　nearer　approach　to　it　is　through　its　offspring；　Being：　we　know　it　as　caus