the six enneads-第58节

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em。　　　　　But　what　can　be　meant　by　the　purification　of　a　Soul　that　has　never　been　stained　and　by　the　separation　of　the　Soul　from　a　body　to　which　it　is　essentially　a　stranger？　　　　　The　purification　of　the　Soul　is　simply　to　allow　it　to　be　alone；　it　is　pure　when　it　keeps　no　company；　when　it　looks　to　nothing　without　itself；　when　it　entertains　no　alien　thoughts…　be　the　mode　or　origin　of　such　notions　or　affections　what　they　may；　a　subject　on　which　we　have　already　touched…　when　it　no　longer　sees　in　the　world　of　image；　much　less　elaborates　images　into　veritable　affections。　Is　it　not　a　true　purification　to　turn　away　towards　the　exact　contrary　of　earthly　things？　　　　　Separation；　in　the　same　way；　is　the　condition　of　a　soul　no　longer　entering　into　the　body　to　lie　at　its　mercy；　it　is　to　stand　as　a　light；　set　in　the　midst　of　trouble　but　unperturbed　through　all。　　　　　In　the　particular　case　of　the　affective　phase　of　the　Soul；　purification　is　its　awakening　from　the　baseless　visions　which　beset　it；　the　refusal　to　see　them；　its　separation　consists　in　limiting　its　descent　towards　the　lower　and　accepting　no　picture　thence；　and　of　course　in　the　banning　for　its　part　too　of　all　which　the　higher　Soul　ignores　when　it　has　arisen　from　the　trouble　storm　and　is　no　longer　bound　to　the　flesh　by　the　chains　of　sensuality　and　of　multiplicity　but　has　subdued　to　itself　the　body　and　its　entire　surrounding　so　that　it　holds　sovereignty；　tranquilly；　over　all。　　　　　6。　the　Intellectual　Essence；　wholly　of　the　order　of　Ideal…form；　must　be　taken　as　impassive　has　been　already　established。　　　　　But　Matter　also　is　an　incorporeal；　though　after　a　mode　of　its　own；　we　must　examine；　therefore；　how　this　stands；　whether　it　is　passive；　as　is　commonly　held；　a　thing　that　can　be　twisted　to　every　shape　and　Kind；　or　whether　it　too　must　be　considered　impassive　and　in　what　sense　and　fashion　so。　But　in　engaging　this　question　and　defining　the　nature　of　matter　we　must　correct　certain　prevailing　errors　about　the　nature　of　the　Authentic　Existent；　about　Essence；　about　Being。　　　　　The　Existent…　rightly　so　called…　is　that　which　has　authentic　existence；　that；　therefore；　which　is　existent　completely；　and　therefore；　again；　that　which　at　no　point　fails　in　existence。　Having　existence　perfectly；　it　needs　nothing　to　preserve　it　in　being；　it　is；　on　the　contrary；　the　source　and　cause　from　which　all　that　appears　to　exist　derives　that　appearance。　This　admitted；　it　must　of　necessity　be　in　life；　in　a　perfect　life：　if　it　failed　it　would　be　more　nearly　the　nonexistent　than　the　existent。　But：　The　Being　thus　indicated　is　Intellect；　is　wisdom　unalloyed。　It　is；　therefore；　determined　and　rounded　off；　it　is　nothing　potentially　that　is　not　of　the　same　determined　order；　otherwise　it　would　be　in　default。　　　　　Hence　its　eternity；　its　identity；　its　utter　irreceptivity　and　impermeability。　If　it　took　in　anything；　it　must　be　taking　in　something　outside　itself；　that　is　to　say；　Existence　would　at　last　include　non…existence。　But　it　must　be　Authentic　Existence　all　through；　it　must；　therefore；　present　itself　equipped　from　its　own　stores　with　all　that　makes　up　Existence　so　that　all　stands　together　and　all　is　one　thing。　The　Existent　＇Real　Being＇　must　have　thus　much　of　determination：　if　it　had　not；　then　it　could　not　be　the　source　of　the　Intellectual　Principle　and　of　Life　which　would　be　importations　into　it　originating　in　the　sphere　of　non…Being；　and　Real　Being　would　be　lifeless　and　mindless；　but　mindlessness　and　lifelessness　are　the　characteristics　of　non…being　and　must　belong　to　the　lower　order；　to　the　outer　borders　of　the　existent；　for　Intellect　and　Life　rise　from　the　Beyond…Existence　＇the　Indefinable　Supreme＇…　though　Itself　has　no　need　of　them…　and　are　conveyed　from　It　into　the　Authentic　Existent。　　　　　If　we　have　thus　rightly　described　the　Authentic　Existent；　we　see　that　it　cannot　be　any　kind　of　body　nor　the　under…stuff　of　body；　in　such　entities　the　Being　is　simply　the　existing　of　things　outside　of　Being。　　　　　But　body；　a　non…existence？　Matter；　on　which　all　this　universe　rises；　a　non…existence？　Mountain　and　rock；　the　wide　solid　earth；　all　that　resists；　all　that　can　be　struck　and　driven；　surely　all　proclaims　the　real　existence　of　the　corporeal？　And　how；　it　will　be　asked；　can　we；　on　the　contrary；　attribute　Being；　and　the　only　Authentic　Being；　to　entities　like　Soul　and　Intellect；　things　having　no　weight　or　pressure；　yielding　to　no　force；　offering　no　resistance；　things　not　even　visible？　　　　　Yet　even　the　corporeal　realm　witnesses　for　us；　the　resting　earth　has　certainly　a　scantier　share　in　Being　than　belongs　to　what　has　more　motion　and　less　solidity…　and　less　than　belongs　to　its　own　most　upward　element；　for　fire　begins；　already；　to　flit　up　and　away　outside　of　the　body…kind。　　　　　In　fact；　it　appears　to　be　precisely　the　most　self…sufficing　that　bear　least　hardly；　least　painfully；　on　other　things；　while　the　heaviest　and　earthiest　bodies…　deficient；　falling；　unable　to　bear　themselves　upward…　these；　by　the　very　down…thrust　due　to　their　feebleness；　offer　the　resistance　which　belongs　to　the　falling　habit　and　to　the　lack　of　buoyancy。　It　is　lifeless　objects　that　deal　the　severest　blows；　they　hit　hardest　and　hurt　most；　where　there　is　life…　that　is　to　say　participation　in　Being…　there　is　beneficence　towards　the　environment；　all　the　greater　as　the　measure　of　Being　is　fuller。　　　　　Again；　Movement；　which　is　a　sort　of　life　within　bodies；　an　imitation　of　true　Life；　is　the　more　decided　where　there　is　the　least　of　body　a　sign　that　the　waning　of　Being　makes　the　object　affected　more　distinctly　corporeal。　　　　　The　changes　known　as　affections　show　even　more　clearly　that　where　the　bodily　quality　is　most　pronounced　susceptibility　is　at　its　intensest…　earth　more　susceptible　than　other　elements；　and　these　others　again　more　or　less　so　in　the　degree　of　their　corporeality：　sever　the　other　elements　and；　failing　some　preventive　force；　they　join　again；　but　earthy　matter　divided　remains　apart　indefinitely。　Things　whose　nature　represents　a　diminishment　have　no　power　of　recuperation　after　even　a　slight　disturbance　and　they　perish；　thus　what　has　most　definitely　become　body；　having　most　closely　approximated　to　non…being　lacks　the　strength　to　reknit　its　unity：　the　heavy　and　violent　crash　of　body　against　body　works　destruction；　and　weak　is　powerful　against　weak；　non…being　against　its　like。　　　　　Thus　far　we　have　been　meeting　those　who；　on　the　evidence　of　thrust　and　resistance；　identify　body　with　real　being　and　find　assurance　of　truth　in　the　phantasms　that　reach　us　through　the　senses；　those；　in　a　word；　who；　like　dreamers；　take　for　actualities　the　figments　of　their　sleeping　vision。　The　sphere　of　sense；　the　Soul　in　its　slumber；　for　all　of　the　Soul　that　is　in　body　is　asleep　and　the　true　getting…up　is　not　bodily　but　from　the　body：　in　any　movement　that　takes　the　body　with　it　there　is　no　more　than　a　passage　from　sleep　to　sleep；　from　bed　to　bed；　the　veritable　waking　or　rising　is　from　corporeal　things；　for　these；　belonging　to　the　Kind　directly　opposed　to　Soul；　present　to　it　what　is　directly　opposed　to　its　essential　existence：　their　origin；　their　flux；　and　their　perishing　are　the　warning　of　their　exclusion　from　the　Kind　whose　Being　is　Authentic。　　　　　7。　We　are　thus　brought　back　to　the　nature　of　that　underlying　matter　and　the　things　believed　to　be　based　upon　it；　investigation　will　show　us　that　Matter　has　no　reality　and　is　not　capable　of　being　affected。　　　　　Matter　must　be　bodiless…　for　body　is　a　later　production；　a　compound　made　by　Matter　in　conjunction　with　some　other　entity。　Thus　it　is　included　among　incorporeal　things　in　the　sense　that　body　is　something　that　is　neither　Real…Being　nor　Matter。　　　　　Matter　is　no　Soul；　it　is　not　Intellect；　is　not　Life；　is　no　Ideal…Principle；　no　Reason…Principle；　it　is　no　limit　or　bound；　for　it　is　mere　indetermination；　it　is　not　a　power；　for　what　does　it　produce？　　　　　It　lives　on　the　farther　side　of　all　these　categories　and　so　has　no　tide　to　the　name　of　Being。　It　will　be　more　plausibly　called　a　non…being；　and　this　in　the　sense　not　of　movement　＇away　from　Being＇　or　station　（in　Not…Being）　but　of　veritable　Not…Being；　so　that　it　is　no　more　than　the　image　and　phantasm　of　Mass；　a　bare　aspiration　towards　substantial　existence；　it　is　stationary　but　not　in　the　sense　of　having　position；　it　is　in　itself　invisible；　eluding　all　effort　to　observe　it；　present　where　no　one　can　look；　unseen　for　all　our　gazing；　ceaselessly　presenting　contraries　in　the　things　based　upon　it；　it　is　large　and　small；　more　and　less；　deficient　and　excessive；　a　phantasm　unabiding　and　yet　unable　to　withdraw…　not　even　strong　enough　to　withdraw；　so　utterly　has　it　failed　to　accept　strength　from　the　Intellectual　Principle；　so　absolute　its　lack　of　all　Being。　　　　　Its　every　utterance；　therefore；　is　a　lie；　it　pretends　to　be　great　and　it　is　little；　to　be　more　and　it　is　less；　and　the　Existence　with　which　it　masks　itself　is　no　Existence；　but　a　passing　trick　making　trickery　of　all　that　seems　to　be　present　in　it；　phantasms　within　a　phantasm；　it　is　like　a　mirror　showing　things　as　in　itself　when　they　are　really　elsewhere；　filled　in　appearance　but　actually　empty；　containing　nothing；　pretending　everything。　Into　it　and　out　of　it　move　mimicries　of　the　Authentic　Existents；　images　playing　upon　an　image　devoid　of　Form；　visible　against　it　by　its　very　f