the six enneads-第3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！


tity　should　not　be　described　as　the　Animate　or　Living…Being…　mingled　in　a　lower　phase；　but　above　that　point　the　beginning　of　the　veritable　man；　distinct　from　all　that　is　kin　to　the　lion；　all　that　is　of　the　order　of　the　multiple　brute。　And　since　The　Man；　so　understood；　is　essentially　the　associate　of　the　reasoning　Soul；　in　our　reasoning　it　is　this　〃We〃　that　reasons；　in　that　the　use　and　act　of　reason　is　a　characteristic　Act　of　the　Soul。　　　　　8。　And　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle　what　is　our　relation？　By　this　I　mean；　not　that　faculty　in　the　soul　which　is　one　of　the　emanations　from　the　Intellectual…Principle；　but　The　Intellectual…Principle　itself　＇Divine…Mind＇。　　　　　This　also　we　possess　as　the　summit　of　our　being。　And　we　have　It　either　as　common　to　all　or　as　our　own　immediate　possession：　or　again　we　may　possess　It　in　both　degrees；　that　is　in　common；　since　It　is　indivisible…　one；　everywhere　and　always　Its　entire　self…　and　severally　in　that　each　personality　possesses　It　entire　in　the　First…Soul　＇i。e。　in　the　Intellectual　as　distinguished　from　the　lower　phase　of　the　Soul＇。　　　　　Hence　we　possess　the　Ideal…Forms　also　after　two　modes：　in　the　Soul；　as　it　were　unrolled　and　separate；　in　the　Intellectual…Principle；　concentrated；　one。　　　　　And　how　do　we　possess　the　Divinity？　　　　　In　that　the　Divinity　is　contained　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　Authentic…Existence；　and　We　come　third　in　order　after　these　two；　for　the　We　is　constituted　by　a　union　of　the　supreme；　the　undivided　Soul…　we　read…　and　that　Soul　which　is　divided　among　＇living＇　bodies。　For；　note；　we　inevitably　think　of　the　Soul；　though　one　undivided　in　the　All；　as　being　present　to　bodies　in　division：　in　so　far　as　any　bodies　are　Animates；　the　Soul　has　given　itself　to　each　of　the　separate　material　masses；　or　rather　it　appears　to　be　present　in　the　bodies　by　the　fact　that　it　shines　into　them：　it　makes　them　living　beings　not　by　merging　into　body　but　by　giving　forth；　without　any　change　in　itself；　images　or　likenesses　of　itself　like　one　face　caught　by　many　mirrors。　　　　　The　first　of　these　images　is　Sense…Perception　seated　in　the　Couplement；　and　from　this　downwards　all　the　successive　images　are　to　be　recognized　as　phases　of　the　Soul　in　lessening　succession　from　one　another；　until　the　series　ends　in　the　faculties　of　generation　and　growth　and　of　all　production　of　offspring…　offspring　efficient　in　its　turn；　in　contradistinction　to　the　engendering　Soul　which　＇has　no　direct　action　within　matter　but＇　produces　by　mere　inclination　towards　what　it　fashions。　　　　　9。　That　Soul；　then；　in　us；　will　in　its　nature　stand　apart　from　all　that　can　cause　any　of　the　evils　which　man　does　or　suffers；　for　all　such　evil；　as　we　have　seen；　belongs　only　to　the　Animate；　the　Couplement。　　　　　But　there　is　a　difficulty　in　understanding　how　the　Soul　can　go　guiltless　if　our　mentation　and　reasoning　are　vested　in　it：　for　all　this　lower　kind　of　knowledge　is　delusion　and　is　the　cause　of　much　of　what　is　evil。　　　　　When　we　have　done　evil　it　is　because　we　have　been　worsted　by　our　baser　side…　for　a　man　is　many…　by　desire　or　rage　or　some　evil　image：　the　misnamed　reasoning　that　takes　up　with　the　false；　in　reality　fancy；　has　not　stayed　for　the　judgement　of　the　Reasoning…Principle：　we　have　acted　at　the　call　of　the　less　worthy；　just　as　in　matters　of　the　sense…sphere　we　sometimes　see　falsely　because　we　credit　only　the　lower　perception；　that　of　the　Couplement；　without　applying　the　tests　of　the　Reasoning…Faculty。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　has　held　aloof　from　the　act　and　so　is　guiltless；　or；　as　we　may　state　it；　all　depends　on　whether　we　ourselves　have　or　have　not　put　ourselves　in　touch　with　the　Intellectual…Realm　either　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　or　within　ourselves；　for　it　is　possible　at　once　to　possess　and　not　to　use。　　　　　Thus　we　have　marked　off　what　belongs　to　the　Couplement　from　what　stands　by　itself：　the　one　group　has　the　character　of　body　and　never　exists　apart　from　body；　while　all　that　has　no　need　of　body　for　its　manifestation　belongs　peculiarly　to　Soul：　and　the　Understanding；　as　passing　judgement　upon　Sense…Impressions；　is　at　the　point　of　the　vision　of　Ideal…Forms；　seeing　them　as　it　were　with　an　answering　sensation　（i。e；　with　consciousness）　this　last　is　at　any　rate　true　of　the　Understanding　in　the　Veritable　Soul。　For　Understanding；　the　true；　is　the　Act　of　the　Intellections：　in　many　of　its　manifestations　it　is　the　assimilation　and　reconciliation　of　the　outer　to　the　inner。　　　　　Thus　in　spite　of　all；　the　Soul　is　at　peace　as　to　itself　and　within　itself：　all　the　changes　and　all　the　turmoil　we　experience　are　the　issue　of　what　is　subjoined　to　the　Soul；　and　are；　as　have　said；　the　states　and　experiences　of　this　elusive　〃Couplement。〃　　　　　10。　It　will　be　objected；　that　if　the　Soul　constitutes　the　We　＇the　personality＇　and　We　are　subject　to　these　states　then　the　Soul　must　be　subject　to　them；　and　similarly　that　what　We　do　must　be　done　by　the　Soul。　　　　　But　it　has　been　observed　that　the　Couplement；　too…　especially　before　our　emancipation…　is　a　member　of　this　total　We；　and　in　fact　what　the　body　experiences　we　say　We　experience。　This　then　covers　two　distinct　notions；　sometimes　it　includes　the　brute…part；　sometimes　it　transcends　the　brute。　The　body　is　brute　touched　to　life；　the　true　man　is　the　other；　going　pure　of　the　body；　natively　endowed　with　the　virtues　which　belong　to　the　Intellectual…Activity；　virtues　whose　seat　is　the　Separate　Soul；　the　Soul　which　even　in　its　dwelling　here　may　be　kept　apart。　＇This　Soul　constitutes　the　human　being＇　for　when　it　has　wholly　withdrawn；　that　other　Soul　which　is　a　radiation　＇or　emanation＇　from　it　withdraws　also；　drawn　after　it。　　　　　Those　virtues；　on　the　other　hand；　which　spring　not　from　contemplative　wisdom　but　from　custom　or　practical　discipline　belong　to　the　Couplement：　to　the　Couplement；　too；　belong　the　vices；　they　are　its　repugnances；　desires；　sympathies。　　　　　And　Friendship？　　　　　This　emotion　belongs　sometimes　to　the　lower　part；　sometimes　to　the　interior　man。　　　　　11。　In　childhood　the　main　activity　is　in　the　Couplement　and　there　is　but　little　irradiation　from　the　higher　principles　of　our　being：　but　when　these　higher　principles　act　but　feebly　or　rarely　upon　us　their　action　is　directed　towards　the　Supreme；　they　work　upon　us　only　when　they　stand　at　the　mid…point。　　　　　But　does　not　the　include　that　phase　of　our　being　which　stands　above　the　mid…point？　　　　　It　does；　but　on　condition　that　we　lay　hold　of　it：　our　entire　nature　is　not　ours　at　all　times　but　only　as　we　direct　the　mid…point　upwards　or　downwards；　or　lead　some　particular　phase　of　our　nature　from　potentiality　or　native　character　into　act。　　　　　And　the　animals；　in　what　way　or　degree　do　they　possess　the　Animate？　　　　　If　there　be　in　them；　as　the　opinion　goes；　human　Souls　that　have　sinned；　then　the　Animating…Principle　in　its　separable　phase　does　not　enter　directly　into　the　brute；　it　is　there　but　not　there　to　them；　they　are　aware　only　of　the　image　of　the　Soul　＇only　of　the　lower　Soul＇　and　of　that　only　by　being　aware　of　the　body　organised　and　determined　by　that　image。　　　　　If　there　be　no　human　Soul　in　them；　the　Animate　is　constituted　for　them　by　a　radiation　from　the　All…Soul。　　　　　12。　But　if　Soul　is　sinless；　how　come　the　expiations？　Here　surely　is　a　contradiction；　on　the　one　side　the