the six enneads-第213章

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p　with　Being；　is　a　concept。　It　is　movement　absolute　because　it　is　the　first　movement…　there　can　be　none　till　this　exist…　and　it　is　the　authentic　Movement　since　it　is　not　accidental　to　something　else　but　is　the　activity　of　actual　Being　in　motion。　Thus　it　is　a　real　existent；　though　the　notion　of　Being　is　different。　　　　　Justice　therefore　is　not　the　thought　of　Justice　but；　as　we　may　put　it；　a　state　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　or　rather　an　activity　of　it…　an　appearance　so　lovely　that　neither　evening　nor　dawn　is　so　fair；　nor　anything　else　in　all　the　realm　of　sense；　an　Intellectual　manifestation　self…rising；　self…seen；　or；　rather；　self…being。　　　　　7。　It　is　inevitably　necessary　to　think　of　all　as　contained　within　one　nature；　one　nature　must　hold　and　encompass　all；　there　cannot　be　as　in　the　realm　of　sense　thing　apart　from　thing；　here　a　sun　and　elsewhere　something　else；　all　must　be　mutually　present　within　a　unity。　This　is　the　very　nature　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　we　may　know　from　soul　which　reproduces　it　and　from　what　we　call　Nature　under　which　and　by　which　the　things　of　process　are　brought　into　their　disjointed　being　while　that　Nature　itself　remains　indissolubly　one。　　　　　But　within　the　unity　There；　the　several　entities　have　each　its　own　distinct　existence；　the　all…embracing　Intellect　sees　what　is　in　it；　what　is　within　Being；　it　need　not　look　out　upon　them　since　it　contains　them；　need　not　separate　them　since　they　stand　for　ever　distinct　within　it。　　　　　Against　doubters　we　cite　the　fact　of　participation；　the　greatness　and　beauty　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　we　know　by　the　soul's　longing　towards　it；　the　longing　of　the　rest　towards　soul　is　set　up　by　its　likeness　to　its　higher　and　to　the　possibility　open　to　them　of　attaining　resemblance　through　it。　　　　　It　is　surely　inconceivable　that　any　living　thing　be　beautiful　failing　a　Life…Absolute　of　a　wonderful；　an　ineffable；　beauty：　this　must　be　the　Collective　Life；　made　up　of　all　living　things；　or　embracing　all；　forming　a　unity　coextensive　with　all；　as　our　universe　is　a　unity　embracing　all　the　visible。　　　　　8。　As　then　there　is　a　Life…Form　primal…　which　therefore　is　the　Life…Form　Absolute…　and　there　is　Intellectual…Principle　or　Being；　Authentic　Being；　these；　we　affirm；　contain　all　living　things　and　all　Number；　and　Absolute　Justice　and　Beauty　and　all　of　that　order；　for　we　ascribe　an　existence　of　their　own　to　Absolute　Man；　Absolute　Number；　Absolute　Justice。　It　remains　to　discover；　in　so　far　as　such　knowledge　is　possible；　how　these　distinct　entities　come　to　be　and　what　is　the　manner　of　their　being。　　　　　At　the　outset　we　must　lay　aside　all　sense…perception；　by　Intellectual…Principle　we　know　Intellectual…Principle。　We　reflect　within　ourselves　there　is　life；　there　is　intellect；　not　in　extension　but　as　power　without　magnitude；　issue　of　Authentic　Being　which　is　power　self…existing；　no　vacuity　but　a　thing　most　living　and　intellective…　nothing　more　living；　more　intelligent；　more　real…　and　producing　its　effect　by　contact　and　in　the　ratio　of　the　contact；　closely　to　the　close；　more　remotely　to　the　remote。　If　Being　is　to　be　sought；　then　most　be　sought　is　Being　at　its　intensest；　so　too　the　intensest　of　Intellect　if　the　Intellectual　act　has　worth；　and　so；　too；　of　Life。　　　　　First；　then；　we　take　Being　as　first　in　order；　then　Intellectual…Principle；　then　the　Living…Form　considered　as　containing　all　things：　Intellectual…Principle；　as　the　Act　of　Real　Being；　is　a　second。　　　　　Thus　it　is　clear　that　Number　cannot　be　dependent　upon　the　Living…Form　since　unity　and　duality　existed　before　that；　nor　does　it　rise　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　since　before　that　there　existed　Real　Being　which　is　both　one　and　numerous。　　　　　9。　It　remains　then　to　consider　whether　Being　by　its　distinction　produced　Number　or　Number　produced　that　distinction。　It　is　certain　that　either　Number　was　the　cause　of　Being；　movement；　rest；　identity　and　difference；　or　these　the　cause　of　Number。　　　　　The　first　question　is　whether　Number　can　exist　in　and　of　itself　or　is　dependent　upon　things…　Two　being　something　observed　in　two　things；　Three　in　three；　and　so　of　the　arithmetical　One；　for　if　this　could　exist　apart　from　numbered　objects　it　could　exist　also　before　the　divisions　of　Being。　　　　　But　could　it　precede　Being　itself？　　　　　For　the　present　we　must　take　it　that　Being　precedes　Number；　is　its　source。　But　if　One　means　one　being　and　the　duality　two　beings；　then　unity　precedes　Being；　and　Number　precedes　the　Beings。　　　　　Mentally；　to　our　approach？　Yes：　and　in　reality　of　existence　as　well。　　　　　Let　us　consider：　When　we　think　of　the　existence　and　the　fine　appearance　of　a　man　as　forming　one　thing；　that　unity　is　certainly　thought　of　as　subsequent　to　a　precedent　duality；　when　we　group　a　horse　with　a　dog；　the　duality　is　obviously　the　subsequent。　But　think　of　that　which　brings　man　or　horse　or　dog　into　being　or　produces　them；　with　full　intention；　from　where　they　lie　latent　within　itself：　the　producer　must　say　〃I　begin　with　a　first；　I　pass　on　to　a　second；　that　makes　two；　counting　myself　there　are　three。〃　Of　course　there　was　no　such　numbering　even　of　Beings　for　their　production；　since　the　due　number　was　known　from　the　very　beginning；　but　this　consideration　serves　to　show　that　all　Number　precedes　the　very　Beings　themselves。　　　　　But　if　Number　thus　preceded　the　Beings；　then　it　is　not　included　among　them？　　　　　The　truth　is　that　it　existed　within　the　Authentic　Being　but　not　as　applying　to　it；　for　Being　was　still　unparted；　the　potentiality　of　Number　existed　and　so　produced　the　division　within　Being；　put　in　travail　with　multiplicity；　Number　must　be　either　the　substance　of　Being　or　its　Activity；　the　Life…Form　as　such　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　must　be　Number。　Clearly　Being　is　to　be；　thought　of　as　Number　Collective；　while　the　Beings　are　Number　unfolded：　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　Number　moving　within　itself；　while　the　Living…Form　is　Number　container　of　the　universe。　Even　Being　is　the　outcome　of　the　Unity；　and；　since　the　prior　is　unity；　the　secondary　must　be　Number。　　　　　Hence　it　is　that　the　Forms　have　been　described　as　Henads　and　Numbers。　This　is　the　authentic　Number；　the　other；　the　〃monadic〃　is　its　image。　The　Authentic　is　that　made　manifest　in　the　Forms　and　helping　to　bring　them　to　be；　primally　it　is　the　Number　in　the　Authentic　Being；　inherent　to　it　and　preceding　the　Beings；　serving　to　them　as　root；　fount；　first　principle。　　　　　For　the　Unity　is　source　to　Being；　Being's　Being　is　stayed　upon　the　Unity　as　its　safeguard　from　dissolution；　the　Unity　cannot　rest　upon　Being　which　at　that　would　be　a　unity　before　possessing　unity；　and　so　with　the　decad　before　possessing　decadhood。　　　　　10。　When　it　takes　lot　with　multiplicity；　Being　becomes　Number　by　the　fact　of　awakening　to　manifoldness；…　before；　it　was　a　preparation；　so　to　speak；　of　the　Beings；　their　fore…promise；　a　total　of　henads　offering　a　stay　for　what　was　to　be　based　upon　them。　　　　　Here　with　us　a　man　will　say　〃I　wish　I　had　such　and　such　a　quantity　of　gold〃…　or　〃such　and　such　a　number　of　houses。〃　Gold　is　one　thing：　the　wish　is　not　to　bring　the　numerical　quantity　into　gold　but　to　bring　the　gold　to　quantity；　the　quantity；　already　present　in　the　mind；　is　to　be　passed　on　to　the　gold　so　that　it　acquire　that　numerical　value。　　　　　If　the　Beings　pre