the six enneads-第241章

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y　to　every　other　thing；　yet　unity　stands　distinct　from　them；　body　and　unity　are　not　identical；　body；　too；　is　still　a　participant。　　　　　Besides；　the　soul；　even　the　collective　soul　for　all　its　absence　of　part；　is　a　manifold：　it　has　diverse　powers…　reasoning；　desiring；　perceiving…　all　held　together　by　this　chain　of　unity。　Itself　a　unity；　soul　confers　unity；　but　also　accepts　it。　　　　　2。　It　may　be　suggested　that；　while　in　the　unities　of　the　partial　order　the　essence　and　the　unity　are　distinct；　yet　in　collective　existence；　in　Real　Being；　they　are　identical；　so　that　when　we　have　grasped　Being　we　hold　unity；　Real　Being　would　coincide　with　Unity。　Thus；　taking　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　Essential　Being；　that　principle　and　the　Unity　Absolute　would　be　at　once　Primal　Being　and　Pure　Unity；　purveying；　accordingly；　to　the　rest　of　things　something　of　Being　and　something；　in　proportion；　of　the　unity　which　is　itself。　　　　　There　is　nothing　with　which　the　unity　would　be　more　plausibly　identified　than　with　Being；　either　it　is　Being　as　a　given　man　is　man　or　it　will　correspond　to　the　Number　which　rules　in　the　realm　of　the　particular；　it　will　be　a　number　applying　to　a　certain　unique　thing　as　the　number　two　applies　to　others。　　　　　Now　if　Number　is　a　thing　among　things；　then　clearly　so　this　unity　must　be；　we　would　have　to　discover　what　thing　of　things　it　is。　If　Number　is　not　a　thing　but　an　operation　of　the　mind　moving　out　to　reckon；　then　the　unity　will　not　be　a　thing。　　　　　We　found　that　anything　losing　unity　loses　its　being；　we　are　therefore　obliged　to　enquire　whether　the　unity　in　particulars　is　identical　with　the　being；　and　unity　absolute　identical　with　collective　being。　　　　　Now　the　being　of　the　particular　is　a　manifold；　unity　cannot　be　a　manifold；　there　must　therefore　be　a　distinction　between　Being　and　Unity。　Thus　a　man　is　at　once　a　reasoning　living　being　and　a　total　of　parts；　his　variety　is　held　together　by　his　unity；　man　therefore　and　unity　are　different…　man　a　thing　of　parts　against　unity　partless。　Much　more　must　Collective　Being；　as　container　of　all　existence；　be　a　manifold　and　therefore　distinct　from　the　unity　in　which　it　is　but　participant。　　　　　Again；　Collective　Being　contains　life　and　intelligence…　it　is　no　dead　thing…　and　so；　once　more；　is　a　manifold。　　　　　If　Being　is　identical　with　Intellectual…Principle；　even　at　that　it　is　a　manifold；　all　the　more　so　when　count　is　taken　of　the　Ideal　Forms　in　it；　for　the　Idea；　particular　or　collective；　is；　after　all；　a　numerable　agglomeration　whose　unity　is　that　of　a　kosmos。　　　　　Above　all；　unity　is　The　First：　but　Intellectual…Principle；　Ideas　and　Being；　cannot　be　so；　for　any　member　of　the　realm　of　Forms　is　an　aggregation；　a　compound；　and　therefore…　since　components　must　precede　their　compound…　is　a　later。　　　　　Other　considerations　also　go　to　show　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　cannot　be　the　First。　Intellect　must　be　above　the　Intellectual　Act：　at　least　in　its　higher　phase；　that　not　concerned　with　the　outer　universe；　it　must　be　intent　upon　its　Prior；　its　introversion　is　a　conversion　upon　the　Principle。　　　　　Considered　as　at　once　Thinker　and　Object　of　its　Thought；　it　is　dual；　not　simplex；　not　The　Unity：　considered　as　looking　beyond　itself；　it　must　look　to　a　better；　to　a　prior：　looking　simultaneously　upon　itself　and　upon　its　Transcendent；　it　is；　once　more；　not　a　First。　　　　　There　is　no　other　way　of　stating　Intellectual…Principle　than　as　that　which；　holding　itself　in　the　presence　of　The　Good　and　First　and　looking　towards　That；　is　self…present　also；　self…knowing　and　Knowing　itself　as　All…Being：　thus　manifold；　it　is　far　from　being　The　Unity。　　　　　In　sum：　The　Unity　cannot　be　the　total　of　beings；　for　so　its　oneness　is　annulled；　it　cannot　be　the　Intellectual…Principle；　for　so　it　would　be　that　total　which　the　Intellectual…Principle　is；　nor　is　it　Being；　for　Being　is　the　manifold　of　things。　　　　　3。　What　then　must　The　Unity　be；　what　nature　is　left　for　it？　　　　　No　wonder　that　to　state　it　is　not　easy；　even　Being　and　Form　are　not　easy；　though　we　have　a　way；　an　approach　through　the　Ideas。　　　　　The　soul　or　mind　reaching　towards　the　formless　finds　itself　incompetent　to　grasp　where　nothing　bounds　it　or　to　take　impression　where　the　impinging　reality　is　diffuse；　in　sheer　dread　of　holding　to　nothingness；　it　slips　away。　The　state　is　painful；　often　it　seeks　relief　by　retreating　from　all　this　vagueness　to　the　region　of　sense；　there　to　rest　as　on　solid　ground；　just　as　the　sight　distressed　by　the　minute　rests　with　pleasure　on　the　bold。　　　　　Soul　must　see　in　its　own　way；　this　is　by　coalescence；　unification；　but　in　seeking　thus　to　know　the　Unity　it　is　prevented　by　that　very　unification　from　recognising　that　it　has　found；　it　cannot　distinguish　itself　from　the　object　of　this　intuition。　Nonetheless；　this　is　our　one　resource　if　our　philosophy　is　to　give　us　knowledge　of　The　Unity。　　　　　We　are　in　search　of　unity；　we　are　to　come　to　know　the　principle　of　all；　the　Good　and　First；　therefore　we　may　not　stand　away　from　the　realm　of　Firsts　and　lie　prostrate　among　the　lasts：　we　must　strike　for　those　Firsts；　rising　from　things　of　sense　which　are　the　lasts。　Cleared　of　all　evil　in　our　intention　towards　The　Good；　we　must　ascend　to　the　Principle　within　ourselves；　from　many；　we　must　become　one；　only　so　do　we　attain　to　knowledge　of　that　which　is　Principle　and　Unity。　We　shape　ourselves　into　Intellectual…Principle；　we　make　over　our　soul　in　trust　to　Intellectual…Principle　and　set　it　firmly　in　That；　thus　what　That　sees　the　soul　will　waken　to　see；　it　is　through　the　Intellectual…Principle　that　we　have　this　vision　of　The　Unity；　it　must　be　our　care　to　bring　over　nothing　whatever　from　sense；　to　allow　nothing　even　of　soul　to　enter　into　Intellectual…Principle：　with　Intellect　pure；　and　with　the　summit　of　Intellect；　we　are　to　see　the　All…Pure。　　　　　If　quester　has　the　impression　of　extension　or　shape　or　mass　attaching　to　That　Nature　he　has　not　been　led　by　Intellectual…Principle　which　is　not　of　the　order　to　see　such　things；　the　activity　has　been　of　sense　and　of　the　judgement　following　upon　sense：　only　Intellectual…Principle　can　inform　us　of　the　things　of　its　scope；　its　competence　is　upon　its　priors；　its　content　and　its　issue：　but　even　its　content　is　outside　of　sense；　and　still　purer；　still　less　touched　by　multiplicity；　are　its　priors；　or　rather　its　Prior。　　　　　The　Unity；　then；　is　not　Intellectual…Principle　but　something　higher　still：　Intellectual…Principle　is　still　a　being　but　that　First　is　no　being　but　precedent　to　all　Being；　it　cannot　be　a　being；　for　a　being　has　what　we　may　call　the　shape　of　its　reality　but　The　Unity　is　without　shape；　even　shape　Intellectual。　　　　　Generative　of　all；　The　Unity　is　none　of　all；　neither　thing　nor　quantity　nor　quality　nor　intellect　nor　soul；　not　in　motion；　not　at　rest；　not　in　place；　not　in　time：　it　is　the　self…defined；　unique　in　form　or；　better；　formless；　existing　before　Form　was；　or　Movement　or　Rest；　all　of　which　are　attachments　of　Being　and　make　Being　the　manifold　it　is。　　　　　But　how；　if　not　in　movement；　can　it　be　otherwise　than　at　rest？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　movement　and　rest　are　states　pertaining　to　Being；　which　necessarily　has　one　or　the　other　or　both。　Besides；　anything　at　rest　must　be　so　in　virtue　of　Rest　as　something　distinct：　Unity　at　rest　becomes　the　gr