the six enneads-第102章

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


e　major　is　fitted　into　that　order　and　pattern。　　　　　Wrong…doing　from　man　to　man　is　wrong　in　the　doer　and　must　be　imputed；　but；　as　belonging　to　the　established　order　of　the　universe　is　not　a　wrong　even　as　regards　the　innocent　sufferer；　it　is　a　thing　that　had　to　be；　and；　if　the　sufferer　is　good；　the　issue　is　to　his　gain。　For　we　cannot　think　that　this　ordered　combination　proceeds　without　God　and　justice；　we　must　take　it　to　be　precise　in　the　distribution　of　due；　while；　yet；　the　reasons　of　things　elude　us；　and　to　our　ignorance　the　scheme　presents　matter　of　censure。　　　　　17。　Various　considerations　explain　why　the　Souls　going　forth　from　the　Intellectual　proceed　first　to　the　heavenly　regions。　The　heavens；　as　the　noblest　portion　of　sensible　space；　would　border　with　the　least　exalted　of　the　Intellectual；　and　will；　therefore；　be　first　ensouled　first　to　participate　as　most　apt；　while　what　is　of　earth　is　at　the　very　extremity　of　progression；　least　endowed　towards　participation；　remotest　from　the　unembodied。　　　　　All　the　souls；　then；　shine　down　upon　the　heavens　and　spend　there　the　main　of　themselves　and　the　best；　only　their　lower　phases　illuminate　the　lower　realms；　and　those　souls　which　descend　deepest　show　their　light　furthest　down…　not　themselves　the　better　for　the　depth　to　which　they　have　penetrated。　　　　　There　is；　we　may　put　it；　something　that　is　centre；　about　it；　a　circle　of　light　shed　from　it；　round　centre　and　first　circle　alike；　another　circle；　light　from　light；　outside　that　again；　not　another　circle　of　light　but　one　which；　lacking　light　of　its　own；　must　borrow。　　　　　The　last　we　may　figure　to　ourselves　as　a　revolving　circle；　or　rather　a　sphere；　of　a　nature　to　receive　light　from　that　third　realm；　its　next　higher；　in　proportion　to　the　light　which　that　itself　receives。　Thus　all　begins　with　the　great　light；　shining　self…centred；　in　accordance　with　the　reigning　plan　＇that　of　emanation＇　this　gives　forth　its　brilliance；　the　later　＇divine＇　existents　＇souls＇　add　their　radiation…　some　of　them　remaining　above；　while　there　are　some　that　are　drawn　further　downward；　attracted　by　the　splendour　of　the　object　they　illuminate。　These　last　find　that　their　charges　need　more　and　more　care：　the　steersman　of　a　storm…tossed　ship　is　so　intent　on　saving　it　that　he　forgets　his　own　interest　and　never　thinks　that　he　is　recurrently　in　peril　of　being　dragged　down　with　the　vessel；　similarly　the　souls　are　intent　upon　contriving　for　their　charges　and　finally　come　to　be　pulled　down　by　them；　they　are　fettered　in　bonds　of　sorcery；　gripped　and　held　by　their　concern　for　the　realm　of　Nature。　　　　　If　every　living　being　were　of　the　character　of　the　All…perfect；　self…sufficing；　in　peril　from　no　outside　influence　the　soul　now　spoken　of　as　indwelling　would　not　occupy　the　body；　it　would　infuse　life　while　clinging；　entire；　within　the　Supreme。　　　　　18。　There　remains　still　something　to　be　said　on　the　question　whether　the　soul　uses　deliberate　reason　before　its　descent　and　again　when　it　has　left　the　body。　　　　　Reasoning　is　for　this　sphere；　it　is　the　act　of　the　soul　fallen　into　perplexity；　distracted　with　cares；　diminished　in　strength：　the　need　of　deliberation　goes　with　the　less　self…sufficing　intelligence；　craftsmen　faced　by　a　difficulty　stop　to　consider；　where　there　is　no　problem　their　art　works　on　by　its　own　forthright　power。　　　　　But　if　souls　in　the　Supreme　operate　without　reasoning；　how　can　they　be　called　reasoning　souls？　　　　　One　answer　might　be　that　they　have　the　power　of　deliberating　to　happy　issue；　should　occasion　arise：　but　all　is　met　by　repudiating　the　particular　kind　of　reasoning　intended　＇the　earthly　and　discursive　type＇；　we　may　represent　to　ourselves　a　reasoning　that　flows　uninterruptedly　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　them；　an　inherent　state；　an　enduring　activity；　an　assertion　that　is　real；　in　this　way　they　would　be　users　of　reason　even　when　in　that　overworld。　We　certainly　cannot　think　of　them；　it　seems　to　me；　as　employing　words　when；　though　they　may　occupy　bodies　in　the　heavenly　region；　they　are　essentially　in　the　Intellectual：　and　very　surely　the　deliberation　of　doubt　and　difficulty　which　they　practise　here　must　be　unknown　to　them　There；　all　their　act　must　fall　into　place　by　sheer　force　of　their　nature；　there　can　be　no　question　of　commanding　or　of　taking　counsel；　they　will　know；　each；　what　is　to　be　communicated　from　another；　by　present　consciousness。　Even　in　our　own　case　here；　eyes　often　know　what　is　not　spoken；　and　There　all　is　pure；　every　being　is；　as　it　were；　an　eye；　nothing　is　concealed　or　sophisticated；　there　is　no　need　of　speech；　everything　is　seen　and　known。　As　for　the　Celestials　＇the　Daimones＇　and　souls　in　the　air；　they　may　well　use　speech；　for　all　such　are　simply　Animate　＇=　Beings＇。　　　　　19。　Are　we　to　think　of　the　indivisible　phase　of　the　soul　and　the　divided　as　making　one　thing　in　a　coalescence；　or　is　the　indivisible　in　a　place　of　its　own　and　under　conditions　of　its　own；　the　divisible　being　a　sequent　upon　it；　a　separate　part　of　it；　as　distinct　as　the　reasoning　phase　is　from　the　unreasoning？　　　　　The　answer　to　this　question　will　emerge　when　we　make　plain　the　nature　and　function　to　be　attributed　to　each。　　　　　The　indivisible　phase　is　mentioned　＇in　the　passage　of　Plato＇　without　further　qualification；　but　not　so　the　divisible；　〃that　soul〃　we　read　〃which　becomes　divisible　in　bodies〃…　and　even　this　last　is　presented　as　becoming　partible；　not　as　being　so　once　for　all。　　　　　〃In　bodies〃：　we　must　then；　satisfy　ourselves　as　to　what　form　of　soul　is　required　to　produce　life　in　the　corporeal；　and　what　there　must　be　of　soul　present　throughout　such　a　body；　such　a　completed　organism。　　　　　Now；　every　sensitive　power…　by　the　fact　of　being　sensitive　throughout…　tends　to　become　a　thing　of　parts：　present　at　every　distinct　point　of　sensitiveness；　it　may　be　thought　of　as　divided。　In　the　sense；　however；　that　it　is　present　as　a　whole　at　every　such　point；　it　cannot　be　said　to　be　wholly　divided；　it　〃becomes　divisible　in　body。〃　We　may　be　told　that　no　such　partition　is　implied　in　any　sensations　but　those　of　touch；　but　this　is　not　so；　where　the　participant　is　body　＇of　itself　insensitive　and　non…transmitting＇　that　divisibility　in　the　sensitive　agent　will　be　a　condition　of　all　other　sensations；　though　in　less　degree　than　in　the　case　of　touch。　Similarly　the　vegetative　function　in　the　soul；　with　that　of　growth；　indicates　divisibility；　and；　admitting　such　locations　as　that　of　desire　at　the　liver　and　emotional　activity　at　the　heart；　we　have　the　same　result。　It　is　to　be　noted；　however；　as　regards　these　＇the　less　corporeal＇　sensations；　that　the　body　may　possibly　not　experience　them　as　a　fact　of　the　conjoint　thing　but　in　another　mode；　as　rising　within　some　one　of　the　elements　of　which　it　has　been　participant　＇as　inherent；　purely；　in　some　phase　of　the　associated　soul＇：　reasoning　and　the　act　of　the　intellect；　for　instance；　are　not　vested　in　the　body；　their　task　is　not　accomplished　by　means　of　the　body　which　in　fact　is　detrimental　to　any　thinking　on　which　it　is　allowed　to　intrude。　　　　　Thus　the　indivisible　phase　of　the　soul　stands　distinct　from　the　divisible；　they　do　not　form　a　unity；　but；　on　the　contrary；　a　whole　consisting　of　parts；　each　part　a　self…standing　thing　having　its　own　peculiar　virtue。　None　the　less；　if　t