the six enneads-第138章

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e　Soul。　　　　　But　in　spite　of　all　it　has；　for　ever；　something　transcendent：　by　a　conversion　towards　the　intellective　act；　it　is　loosed　from　the　shackles　and　soars…　when　only　it　makes　its　memories　the　starting　point　of　a　new　vision　of　essential　being。　Souls　that　take　this　way　have　place　in　both　spheres；　living　of　necessity　the　life　there　and　the　life　here　by　turns；　the　upper　life　reigning　in　those　able　to　consort　more　continuously　with　the　divine　Intellect；　the　lower　dominant　where　character　or　circumstances　are　less　favourable。　　　　　All　this　is　indicated　by　Plato；　without　emphasis；　where　he　distinguishes　those　of　the　second　mixing…bowl；　describes　them　as　〃parts；〃　and　goes　on　to　say　that；　having　in　this　way　become　partial；　they　must　of　necessity　experience　birth。　　　　　Of　course；　where　he　speaks　of　God　sowing　them；　he　is　to　be　understood　as　when　he　tells　of　God　speaking　and　delivering　orations；　what　is　rooted　in　the　nature　of　the　All　is　figuratively　treated　as　coming　into　being　by　generation　and　creation：　stage　and　sequence　are　transferred；　for　clarity　of　exposition；　to　things　whose　being　and　definite　form　are　eternal。　　　　　5。　It　is　possible　to　reconcile　all　these　apparent　contradictions…　the　divine　sowing　to　birth；　as　opposed　to　a　voluntary　descent　aiming　at　the　completion　of　the　universe；　the　judgement　and　the　cave；　necessity　and　free　choice…　in　fact　the　necessity　includes　the　choice…embodiment　as　an　evil；　the　Empedoclean　teaching　of　a　flight　from　God；　a　wandering　away；　a　sin　bringing　its　punishment；　the　〃solace　by　flight〃　of　Heraclitus；　in　a　word　a　voluntary　descent　which　is　also　voluntary。　　　　　All　degeneration　is　no　doubt　involuntary；　yet　when　it　has　been　brought　about　by　an　inherent　tendency；　that　submission　to　the　inferior　may　be　described　as　the　penalty　of　an　act。　　　　　On　the　other　hand　these　experiences　and　actions　are　determined　by　an　external　law　of　nature；　and　they　are　due　to　the　movement　of　a　being　which　in　abandoning　its　superior　is　running　out　to　serve　the　needs　of　another：　hence　there　is　no　inconsistency　or　untruth　in　saying　that　the　soul　is　sent　down　by　God；　final　results　are　always　to　be　referred　to　the　starting　point　even　across　many　intervening　stages。　　　　　Still　there　is　a　twofold　flaw：　the　first　lies　in　the　motive　of　the　Soul's　descent　＇its　audacity；　its　Tolma＇；　and　the　second　in　the　evil　it　does　when　actually　here：　the　first　is　punished　by　what　the　soul　has　suffered　by　its　descent：　for　the　faults　committed　here；　the　lesser　penalty　is　to　enter　into　body　after　body…　and　soon　to　return…　by　judgement　according　to　desert；　the　word　judgement　indicating　a　divine　ordinance；　but　any　outrageous　form　of　ill…doing　incurs　a　proportionately　greater　punishment　administered　under　the　surveillance　of　chastising　daimons。　　　　　Thus；　in　sum；　the　soul；　a　divine　being　and　a　dweller　in　the　loftier　realms；　has　entered　body；　it　is　a　god；　a　later　phase　of　the　divine：　but；　under　stress　of　its　powers　and　of　its　tendency　to　bring　order　to　its　next　lower；　it　penetrates　to　this　sphere　in　a　voluntary　plunge：　if　it　turns　back　quickly；　all　is　well；　it　will　have　taken　no　hurt　by　acquiring　the　knowledge　of　evil　and　coming　to　understand　what　sin　is；　by　bringing　its　forces　into　manifest　play；　by　exhibiting　those　activities　and　productions　which；　remaining　merely　potential　in　the　unembodied；　might　as　well　never　have　been　even　there；　if　destined　never　to　come　into　actuality；　so　that　the　soul　itself　would　never　have　known　that　suppressed　and　inhibited　total。　　　　　The　act　reveals　the　power；　a　power　hidden；　and　we　might　almost　say　obliterated　or　nonexistent；　unless　at　some　moment　it　became　effective：　in　the　world　as　it　is；　the　richness　of　the　outer　stirs　us　all　to　the　wonder　of　the　inner　whose　greatness　is　displayed　in　acts　so　splendid。　　　　　6。　Something　besides　a　unity　there　must　be　or　all　would　be　indiscernibly　buried；　shapeless　within　that　unbroken　whole：　none　of　the　real　beings　＇of　the　Intellectual　Kosmos＇　would　exist　if　that　unity　remained　at　halt　within　itself：　the　plurality　of　these　beings；　offspring　of　the　unity；　could　not　exist　without　their　own　nexts　taking　the　outward　path；　these　are　the　beings　holding　the　rank　of　souls。　　　　　In　the　same　way　the　outgoing　process　could　not　end　with　the　souls；　their　issue　stifled：　every　Kind　must　produce　its　next；　it　must　unfold　from　some　concentrated　central　principle　as　from　a　seed；　and　so　advance　to　its　term　in　the　varied　forms　of　sense。　The　prior　in　its　being　will　remain　unalterably　in　the　native　seat；　but　there　is　the　lower　phase；　begotten　to　it　by　an　ineffable　faculty　of　its　being；　native　to　soul　as　it　exists　in　the　Supreme。　　　　　To　this　power　we　cannot　impute　any　halt；　any　limit　of　jealous　grudging；　it　must　move　for　ever　outward　until　the　universe　stands　accomplished　to　the　ultimate　possibility。　All；　thus；　is　produced　by　an　inexhaustible　power　giving　its　gift　to　the　universe；　no　part　of　which　it　can　endure　to　see　without　some　share　in　its　being。　　　　　There　is；　besides；　no　principle　that　can　prevent　anything　from　partaking；　to　the　extent　of　its　own　individual　receptivity　in　the　Nature　of　Good。　If　therefore　Matter　has　always　existed；　that　existence　is　enough　to　ensure　its　participation　in　the　being　which；　according　to　each　receptivity；　communicates　the　supreme　good　universally：　if　on　the　contrary；　Matter　has　come　into　being　as　a　necessary　sequence　of　the　causes　preceding　it；　that　origin　would　similarly　prevent　it　standing　apart　from　the　scheme　as　though　it　were　out　of　reach　of　the　principle　to　whose　grace　it　owes　its　existence。　　　　　In　sum：　The　loveliness　that　is　in　the　sense…realm　is　an　index　of　the　nobleness　of　the　Intellectual　sphere；　displaying　its　power　and　its　goodness　alike：　and　all　things　are　for　ever　linked；　the　one　order　Intellectual　in　its　being；　the　other　of　sense；　one　self…existent；　the　other　eternally　taking　its　being　by　participation　in　that　first；　and　to　the　full　of　its　power　reproducing　the　Intellectual　nature。　　　　　7。　The　Kind；　then；　with　which　we　are　dealing　is　twofold；　the　Intellectual　against　the　sensible：　better　for　the　soul　to　dwell　in　the　Intellectual；　but；　given　its　proper　nature；　it　is　under　compulsion　to　participate　in　the　sense…realm　also。　There　is　no　grievance　in　its　not　being；　through　and　through；　the　highest；　it　holds　mid…rank　among　the　authentic　existences；　being　of　divine　station　but　at　the　lowest　extreme　of　the　Intellectual　and　skirting　the　sense…known　nature；　thus；　while　it　communicates　to　this　realm　something　of　its　own　store；　it　absorbs　in　turn　whenever…　instead　of　employing　in　its　government　only　its　safeguarded　phase…　it　plunges　in　an　excessive　zeal　to　the　very　midst　of　its　chosen　sphere；　then　it　abandons　its　status　as　whole　soul　with　whole　soul；　though　even　thus　it　is　always　able　to　recover　itself　by　turning　to　account　the　experience　of　what　it　has　seen　and　suffered　here；　learning；　so；　the　greatness　of　rest　in　the　Supreme；　and　more　clearly　discerning　the　finer　things　by　comparison　with　what　is　almost　their　direct　antithesis。　Where　the　faculty　is　incapable　of　knowing　without　contact；　the　experience　of　evil　brings　the　dearer　perception　of　Good。　　　　　The　outgoing　that　takes　place　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　a　descent　to　its　own　downward　ultimate：　it　cannot　be　a　movement　to　the　tra