the six enneads-第69节

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in　Nature　and　being　itself　the　Nature…Principle。　　　　　And　does　this　Reason…Principle；　Nature；　spring　from　a　contemplation？　　　　　Wholly　and　solely？　　　　　From　self…contemplation；　then？　Or　what　are　we　to　think？　It　derives　from　a　Contemplation　and　some　contemplating　Being；　how　are　we　to　suppose　it　to　have　Contemplation　itself？　　　　　The　Contemplation　springing　from　the　reasoning　faculty…　that；　I　mean；　of　planning　its　own　content；　it　does　not　possess。　　　　　But　why　not；　since　it　is　a　phase　of　Life；　a　Reason…Principle　and　a　creative　Power？　　　　　Because　to　plan　for　a　thing　is　to　lack　it：　Nature　does　not　lack；　it　creates　because　it　possesses。　Its　creative　act　is　simply　its　possession　of　it　own　characteristic　Essence；　now　its　Essence；　since　it　is　a　Reason…Principle；　is　to　be　at　once　an　act　of　contemplation　and　an　object　of　contemplation。　In　other　words；　the；　Nature…Principle　produces　by　virtue　of　being　an　act　of　contemplation；　an　object　of　contemplation　and　a　Reason…Principle；　on　this　triple　character　depends　its　creative　efficacy。　　　　　Thus　the　act　of　production　is　seen　to　be　in　Nature　an　act　of　contemplation；　for　creation　is　the　outcome　of　a　contemplation　which　never　becomes　anything　else；　which　never　does　anything　else；　but　creates　by　simply　being　a　contemplation。　　　　　4。　And　Nature；　asked　why　it　brings　forth　its　works；　might　answer　if　it　cared　to　listen　and　to　speak：

　　　　〃It　would　have　been　more　becoming　to　put　no　question　but　to　learn　in　silence　just　as　I　myself　am　silent　and　make　no　habit　of　talking。　And　what　is　your　lesson？　This；　that　whatsoever　comes　into　being　is　my　is　my　vision；　seen　in　my　silence；　the　vision　that　belongs　to　my　character　who；　sprung　from　vision；　am　vision…loving　and　create　vision　by　the　vision…seeing　faculty　within　me。　The　mathematicians　from　their　vision　draw　their　figures：　but　I　draw　nothing：　I　gaze　and　the　figures　of　the　material　world　take　being　as　if　they　fell　from　my　contemplation。　As　with　my　Mother　（the　All…Soul＇　and　the　Beings　that　begot　me　so　it　is　with　me：　they　are　born　of　a　Contemplation　and　my　birth　is　from　them；　not　by　their　Act　but　by　their　Being；　they　are　the　loftier　Reason…Principles；　they　contemplate　themselves　and　I　am　born。〃

　　　　Now　what　does　this　tell　us？　　　　　It　tells：　that　what　we　know　as　Nature　is　a　Soul；　offspring　of　a　yet　earlier　Soul　of　more　powerful　life；　that　it　possesses；　therefore；　in　its　repose；　a　vision　within　itself；　that　it　has　no　tendency　upward　nor　even　downward　but　is　at　peace；　steadfast；　in　its　own　Essence；　that；　in　this　immutability　accompanied　by　what　may　be　called　Self…Consciousness；　it　possesses…　within　the　measure　of　its　possibility…　a　knowledge　of　the　realm　of　subsequent　things　perceived　in　virtue　of　that　understanding　and　consciousness；　and；　achieving　thus　a　resplendent　and　delicious　spectacle；　has　no　further　aim。　　　　　Of　course；　while　it　may　be　convenient　to　speak　of　〃understanding〃　or　〃perception〃　in　the　Nature…Principle；　this　is　not　in　the　full　sense　applicable　to　other　beings；　we　are　applying　to　sleep　a　word　borrowed　from　the　wake。　　　　　For　the　Vision　on　which　Nature　broods；　inactive；　is　a　self…intuition；　a　spectacle　laid　before　it　by　virtue　of　its　unaccompanied　self…concentration　and　by　the　fact　that　in　itself　it　belongs　to　the　order　of　intuition。　It　is　a　Vision　silent　but　somewhat　blurred；　for　there　exists　another　a　clearer　of　which　Nature　is　the　image：　hence　all　that　Nature　produces　is　weak；　the　weaker　act　of　intuition　produces　the　weaker　object。　　　　　In　the　same　way；　human　beings；　when　weak　on　the　side　of　contemplation；　find　in　action　their　trace　of　vision　and　of　reason：　their　spiritual　feebleness　unfits　them　for　contemplation；　they　are　left　with　a　void；　because　they　cannot　adequately　seize　the　vision；　yet　they　long　for　it；　they　are　hurried　into　action　as　their　way　to　the　vision　which　they　cannot　attain　by　intellection。　They　act　from　the　desire　of　seeing　their　action；　and　of　making　it　visible　and　sensible　to　others　when　the　result　shall　prove　fairly　well　equal　to　the　plan。　Everywhere；　doing　and　making　will　be　found　to　be　either　an　attenuation　or　a　complement　of　vision…attenuation　if　the　doer　was　aiming　only　at　the　thing　done；　complement　if　he　is　to　possess　something　nobler　to　gaze　upon　than　the　mere　work　produced。　　　　　Given　the　power　to　contemplate　the　Authentic；　who　would　run；　of　choice；　after　its　image？　　　　　The　relation　of　action　to　contemplation　is　indicated　in　the　way　duller　children；　inapt　to　study　and　speculation；　take　to　crafts　and　manual　labour。　　　　　5。　This　discussion　of　Nature　has　shown　us　how　the　origin　of　things　is　a　Contemplation：　we　may　now　take　the　matter　up　to　the　higher　Soul；　we　find　that　the　Contemplation　pursued　by　this；　its　instinct　towards　knowing　and　enquiring；　the　birth　pangs　set　up　by　the　knowledge　it　attains；　its　teeming　fullness；　have　caused　it…　in　itself；　all　one　object　of　Vision…　to　produce　another　Vision　＇that　of　the　Kosmos＇：　it　is　just　as　a　given　science；　complete　in　itself；　becomes　the　source　and　cause　of　what　might　be　called　a　minor　science　in　the　student　who　attains　to　some　partial　knowledge　of　all　its　divisions。　But　the　visible　objects　and　the　objects　of　intellectual　contemplation　of　this　later　creation　are　dim　and　helpless　by　the　side　of　the　content　of　the　Soul。　　　　　The　primal　phase　of　the　Soul…　inhabitant　of　the　Supreme　and；　by　its　participation　in　the　Supreme；　filled　and　illuminated…　remains　unchangeably　There；　but　in　virtue　of　that　first　participation；　that　of　the　primal　participant；　a　secondary　phase　also　participates　in　the　Supreme；　and　this　secondary　goes　forth　ceaselessly　as　Life　streaming　from　Life；　for　energy　runs　through　the　Universe　and　there　is　no　extremity　at　which　it　dwindles　out。　But；　travel　as　far　as　it　may；　it　never　draws　that　first　part　of　itself　from　the　place　whence　the　outgoing　began：　if　it　did；　it　would　no　longer　be　everywhere　＇its　continuous　Being　would　be　broken　and＇　it　would　be　present　at　the　end；　only；　of　its　course。　　　　　None　the　less　that　which　goes　forth　cannot　be　equal　to　that　which　remains。　　　　　In　sum；　then：　　　　　The　Soul　is　to　extend　throughout　the　Universe；　no　spot　void　of　its　energy：　but；　a　prior　is　always　different　from　its　secondary；　and　energy　is　a　secondary；　rising　as　it　must　from　contemplation　or　act；　act；　however；　is　not　at　this　stage　existent　since　it　depends　upon　contemplation：　therefore　the　Soul；　while　its　phases　differ；　must；　in　all　of　them；　remain　a　contemplation　and　what　seems　to　be　an　act　done　under　contemplation　must　be　in　reality　that　weakened　contemplation　of　which　we　have　spoken：　the　engendered　must　respect　the　Kind；　but　in　weaker　form；　dwindled　in　the　descent。　　　　　All　goes　softly　since　nothing　here　demands　the　parade　of　thought　or　act　upon　external　things：　it　is　a　Soul　in　vision　and；　by　this　vision；　creating　its　own　subsequent…　this　Principle　＇of　Nature＇；　itself　also　contemplative　but　in　the　feebler　degree　since　it　lies　further　away　and　cannot　reproduce　the　quality　or　experiences　of　its　prior…　a　Vision　creates　the　Vision。　　　　　＇Such　creative　contemplation　is　not　inexplicable＇　for　no　limit　exists　either　to　contemplation　or　to　its　possible　objects；　and　this　explains　how　the　Soul　is　universal：　where　can　this　thing　fail　to　be；　which　is　one　identical　thing　in　every　Soul；　Vision　is　not　cabined　within　the　bournes　of　magnitude。　　　　　This；　of　course；　does　not　mean　that　the　Soul　is　present　at　the　same　strength　in　each　and　every　place　and　thing…　any　more　than　that　it　is　at　the　same　strength　in　each　of　its　own　phases。　　　　　The　Charioteer　＇the　Leading　Principle　of　the　Soul；　in　the　Phaedrus　Myth＇　gives　the　two　horses　＇its　two　dissonant　faculties＇　what　he　has　seen　and　they；　taking　that　gift；　showed　that　they　were　hungry　for　what　made　that　vision；　there　was　something　lacking　to　them：　if　in　their　desire　they　acted；　their　action　aimed　at　what　they　craved　for…　and　that　was　vision；　and　an　object　of　vision。　　　　　6。　Action；　thus；　is　set　towards　contemplation　and　an　object　of　contemplation；　so　that　even　those　whose　life　is　in　doing　have　seeing　as　their　object；　what　they　have　not　been　able　to　achieve　by　the　direct　path；　they　hope　to　come　at　by　the　circuit。　　　　　Further：　suppose　they　succeed；　they　desired　a　certain　thing　to　come　about；　not　in　order　to　be　unaware　of　it　but　to　know　it；　to　see　it　present　before　the　mind：　their　success　is　the　laying　up　of　a　vision。　We　act　for　the　sake　of　some　good；　this　means　not　for　something　to　remain　outside　ourselves；　not　in　order　that　we　possess　nothing　but　that　we　may　hold　the　good　of　the　action。　And　hold　it；　where？　Where　but　in　the　mind？　　　　　Thus　once　more；　action　is　brought　back　to　contemplation：　for　＇mind　or＇　Soul　is　a　Reason…Principle　and　anything　that　one　lays　up　in　the　Soul　can　be　no　other　than　a　Reason…Principle；　a　silent　thing；　the　more　certainly　such　a　principle　as　the　impression　made　is　the　deeper。　　　　　This　vision　achieved；　the　acting　instinct　pauses；　the　mind　is　satisfied　and　seeks　nothing　further；　the　contemplation；　in　one　so　conditioned；　remains　absorbed　within　as　having　acquired　certainty　to　rest　upon。　The　brighter　the　certainty；　the　more　tranquil　is　the　contemplation　as　having　acquired　the　more　perfect　unity；　and…　for　now　we　come　to　the　serious　treatment　of　the　subject…　　　　　In　proportion　to　the　truth　with　which　the　knowing　faculty　knows；　it　comes　to　identification　with　the