the six enneads-第141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　their　respect；　honouring　everything　more　than　themselves；　all　their　awe　and　admiration　is　for　the　alien；　and；　clinging　to　this；　they　have　broken　apart；　as　far　as　a　soul　may；　and　they　make　light　of　what　they　have　deserted；　their　regard　for　the　mundane　and　their　disregard　of　themselves　bring　about　their　utter　ignoring　of　the　divine。　　　　　Admiring　pursuit　of　the　external　is　a　confession　of　inferiority；　and　nothing　thus　holding　itself　inferior　to　things　that　rise　and　perish；　nothing　counting　itself　less　honourable　and　less　enduring　than　all　else　it　admires　could　ever　form　any　notion　of　either　the　nature　or　the　power　of　God。　　　　　A　double　discipline　must　be　applied　if　human　beings　in　this　pass　are　to　be　reclaimed；　and　brought　back　to　their　origins；　lifted　once　more　towards　the　Supreme　and　One　and　First。　　　　　There　is　the　method；　which　we　amply　exhibit　elsewhere；　declaring　the　dishonour　of　the　objects　which　the　Soul　holds　here　in　honour；　the　second　teaches　or　recalls　to　the　soul　its　race　and　worth；　this　latter　is　the　leading　truth；　and；　clearly　brought　out；　is　the　evidence　of　the　other。　　　　　It　must　occupy　us　now　for　it　bears　closely　upon　our　enquiry　to　which　it　is　the　natural　preliminary：　the　seeker　is　soul　and　it　must　start　from　a　true　notion　of　the　nature　and　quality　by　which　soul　may　undertake　the　search；　it　must　study　itself　in　order　to　learn　whether　it　has　the　faculty　for　the　enquiry；　the　eye　for　the　object　proposed；　whether　in　fact　we　ought　to　seek；　for　if　the　object　is　alien　the　search　must　be　futile；　while　if　there　is　relationship　the　solution　of　our　problem　is　at　once　desirable　and　possible。　　　　　2。　Let　every　soul　recall；　then；　at　the　outset　the　truth　that　soul　is　the　author　of　all　living　things；　that　it　has　breathed　the　life　into　them　all；　whatever　is　nourished　by　earth　and　sea；　all　the　creatures　of　the　air；　the　divine　stars　in　the　sky；　it　is　the　maker　of　the　sun；　itself　formed　and　ordered　this　vast　heaven　and　conducts　all　that　rhythmic　motion；　and　it　is　a　principle　distinct　from　all　these　to　which　it　gives　law　and　movement　and　life；　and　it　must　of　necessity　be　more　honourable　than　they；　for　they　gather　or　dissolve　as　soul　brings　them　life　or　abandons　them；　but　soul；　since　it　never　can　abandon　itself；　is　of　eternal　being。　　　　　How　life　was　purveyed　to　the　universe　of　things　and　to　the　separate　beings　in　it　may　be　thus　conceived：　　　　　That　great　soul　must　stand　pictured　before　another　soul；　one　not　mean；　a　soul　that　has　become　worthy　to　look；　emancipate　from　the　lure；　from　all　that　binds　its　fellows　in　bewitchment；　holding　itself　in　quietude。　Let　not　merely　the　enveloping　body　be　at　peace；　body's　turmoil　stilled；　but　all　that　lies　around；　earth　at　peace；　and　sea　at　peace；　and　air　and　the　very　heavens。　Into　that　heaven；　all　at　rest；　let　the　great　soul　be　conceived　to　roll　inward　at　every　point；　penetrating；　permeating；　from　all　sides　pouring　in　its　light。　As　the　rays　of　the　sun　throwing　their　brilliance　upon　a　lowering　cloud　make　it　gleam　all　gold；　so　the　soul　entering　the　material　expanse　of　the　heavens　has　given　life；　has　given　immortality：　what　was　abject　it　has　lifted　up；　and　the　heavenly　system；　moved　now　in　endless　motion　by　the　soul　that　leads　it　in　wisdom；　has　become　a　living　and　a　blessed　thing；　the　soul　domiciled　within；　it　takes　worth　where；　before　the　soul；　it　was　stark　body…　clay　and　water…　or；　rather；　the　blankness　of　Matter；　the　absence　of　Being；　and；　as　an　author　says；　〃the　execration　of　the　Gods。〃　　　　　The　Soul's　nature　and　power　will　be　brought　out　more　clearly；　more　brilliantly；　if　we　consider　next　how　it　envelops　the　heavenly　system　and　guides　all　to　its　purposes：　for　it　has　bestowed　itself　upon　all　that　huge　expanse　so　that　every　interval；　small　and　great　alike；　all　has　been　ensouled。　　　　　The　material　body　is　made　up　of　parts；　each　holding　its　own　place；　some　in　mutual　opposition　and　others　variously　interdependent；　the　soul　is　in　no　such　condition；　it　is　not　whittled　down　so　that　life　tells　of　a　part　of　the　soul　and　springs　where　some　such　separate　portion　impinges；　each　separate　life　lives　by　the　soul　entire；　omnipresent　in　the　likeness　of　the　engendering　father；　entire　in　unity　and　entire　in　diffused　variety。　By　the　power　of　the　soul　the　manifold　and　diverse　heavenly　system　is　a　unit：　through　soul　this　universe　is　a　God：　and　the　sun　is　a　God　because　it　is　ensouled；　so　too　the　stars：　and　whatsoever　we　ourselves　may　be；　it　is　all　in　virtue　of　soul；　for　〃dead　is　viler　than　dung。〃　　　　　This；　by　which　the　gods　are　divine；　must　be　the　oldest　God　of　them　all：　and　our　own　soul　is　of　that　same　Ideal　nature；　so　that　to　consider　it；　purified；　freed　from　all　accruement；　is　to　recognise　in　ourselves　that　same　value　which　we　have　found　soul　to　be；　honourable　above　all　that　is　bodily。　For　what　is　body　but　earth；　and；　taking　fire　itself；　what　＇but　soul＇　is　its　burning　power？　So　it　is　with　all　the　compounds　of　earth　and　fire；　even　with　water　and　air　added　to　them？　　　　　If；　then；　it　is　the　presence　of　soul　that　brings　worth；　how　can　a　man　slight　himself　and　run　after　other　things？　You　honour　the　Soul　elsewhere；　honour　then　yourself。　　　　　3。　The　Soul　once　seen　to　be　thus　precious；　thus　divine；　you　may　hold　the　faith　that　by　its　possession　you　are　already　nearing　God：　in　the　strength　of　this　power　make　upwards　towards　Him：　at　no　great　distance　you　must　attain：　there　is　not　much　between。　　　　　But　over　this　divine；　there　is　still　a　diviner：　grasp　the　upward　neighbour　of　the　soul；　its　prior　and　source。　　　　　Soul；　for　all　the　worth　we　have　shown　to　belong　to　it；　is　yet　a　secondary；　an　image　of　the　Intellectual…Principle：　reason　uttered　is　an　image　of　the　reason　stored　within　the　soul；　and　in　the　same　way　soul　is　an　utterance　of　the　Intellectual…Principle：　it　is　even　the　total　of　its　activity；　the　entire　stream　of　life　sent　forth　by　that　Principle　to　the　production　of　further　being；　it　is　the　forthgoing　heat　of　a　fire　which　has　also　heat　essentially　inherent。　But　within　the　Supreme　we　must　see　energy　not　as　an　overflow　but　in　the　double　aspect　of　integral　inherence　with　the　establishment　of　a　new　being。　Sprung；　in　other　words；　from　the　Intellectual…Principle；　Soul　is　intellective；　but　with　an　intellection　operation　by　the　method　of　reasonings：　for　its　perfecting　it　must　look　to　that　Divine　Mind；　which　may　be　thought　of　as　a　father　watching　over　the　development　of　his　child　born　imperfect　in　comparison　with　himself。　　　　　Thus　its　substantial　existence　comes　from　the　Intellectual…Principle；　and　the　Reason　within　it　becomes　Act　in　virtue　of　its　contemplation　of　that　prior；　for　its　thought　and　act　are　its　own　intimate　possession　when　it　looks　to　the　Supreme　Intelligence；　those　only　are　soul…acts　which　are　of　this　intellective　nature　and　are　determined　by　its　own　character；　all　that　is　less　noble　is　foreign　＇traceable　to　Matter＇　and　is　accidental　to　the　soul　in　the　course　of　its　peculiar　task。　　　　　In　two　ways；　then；　the　Intellectual…Principle　enhances　the　divine　quality　of　the　soul；　as　father　and　as　immanent　presence；　nothing　separates　them　but　the　fact　that　they　are　not　one　and　the　same；　that　there　is　succession；　that　over　against　a　recipient　there　stands　the　ideal…form　received；　but　this　recipient；　Matter　to　the　Supreme　Intelligence；　is　also　n