the six enneads-第89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！


of　vision…attenuation　if　the　doer　was　aiming　only　at　the　thing　done；　complement　if　he　is　to　possess　something　nobler　to　gaze　upon　than　the　mere　work　produced。　　　　　Given　the　power　to　contemplate　the　Authentic；　who　would　run；　of　choice；　after　its　image？　　　　　The　relation　of　action　to　contemplation　is　indicated　in　the　way　duller　children；　inapt　to　study　and　speculation；　take　to　crafts　and　manual　labour。　　　　　5。　This　discussion　of　Nature　has　shown　us　how　the　origin　of　things　is　a　Contemplation：　we　may　now　take　the　matter　up　to　the　higher　Soul；　we　find　that　the　Contemplation　pursued　by　this；　its　instinct　towards　knowing　and　enquiring；　the　birth　pangs　set　up　by　the　knowledge　it　attains；　its　teeming　fullness；　have　caused　it…　in　itself；　all　one　object　of　Vision…　to　produce　another　Vision　＇that　of　the　Kosmos＇：　it　is　just　as　a　given　science；　complete　in　itself；　becomes　the　source　and　cause　of　what　might　be　called　a　minor　science　in　the　student　who　attains　to　some　partial　knowledge　of　all　its　divisions。　But　the　visible　objects　and　the　objects　of　intellectual　contemplation　of　this　later　creation　are　dim　and　helpless　by　the　side　of　the　content　of　the　Soul。　　　　　The　primal　phase　of　the　Soul…　inhabitant　of　the　Supreme　and；　by　its　participation　in　the　Supreme；　filled　and　illuminated…　remains　unchangeably　There；　but　in　virtue　of　that　first　participation；　that　of　the　primal　participant；　a　secondary　phase　also　participates　in　the　Supreme；　and　this　secondary　goes　forth　ceaselessly　as　Life　streaming　from　Life；　for　energy　runs　through　the　Universe　and　there　is　no　extremity　at　which　it　dwindles　out。　But；　travel　as　far　as　it　may；　it　never　draws　that　first　part　of　itself　from　the　place　whence　the　outgoing　began：　if　it　did；　it　would　no　longer　be　everywhere　＇its　continuous　Being　would　be　broken　and＇　it　would　be　present　at　the　end；　only；　of　its　course。　　　　　None　the　less　that　which　goes　forth　cannot　be　equal　to　that　which　remains。　　　　　In　sum；　then：　　　　　The　Soul　is　to　extend　throughout　the　Universe；　no　spot　void　of　its　energy：　but；　a　prior　is　always　different　from　its　secondary；　and　energy　is　a　secondary；　rising　as　it　must　from　contemplation　or　act；　act；　however；　is　not　at　this　stage　existent　since　it　depends　upon　contemplation：　therefore　the　Soul；　while　its　phases　differ；　must；　in　all　of　them；　remain　a　contemplation　and　what　seems　to　be　an　act　done　under　contemplation　must　be　in　reality　that　weakened　contemplation　of　which　we　have　spoken：　the　engendered　must　respect　the　Kind；　but　in　weaker　form；　dwindled　in　the　descent。　　　　　All　goes　softly　since　nothing　here　demands　the　parade　of　thought　or　act　upon　external　things：　it　is　a　Soul　in　vision　and；　by　this　vision；　creating　its　own　subsequent…　this　Principle　＇of　Nature＇；　itself　also　contemplative　but　in　the　feebler　degree　since　it　lies　further　away　and　cannot　reproduce　the　quality　or　experiences　of　its　prior…　a　Vision　creates　the　Vision。　　　　　＇Such　creative　contemplation　is　not　inexplicable＇　for　no　limit　exists　either　to　contemplation　or　to　its　possible　objects；　and　this　explains　how　the　Soul　is　universal：　where　can　this　thing　fail　to　be；　which　is　one　identical　thing　in　every　Soul；　Vision　is　not　cabined　within　the　bournes　of　magnitude。　　　　　This；　of　course；　does　not　mean　that　the　Soul　is　present　at　the　same　strength　in　each　and　every　place　and　thing…　any　more　than　that　it　is　at　the　same　strength　in　each　of　its　own　phases。　　　　　The　Charioteer　＇the　Leading　Principle　of　the　Soul；　in　the　Phaedrus　Myth＇　gives　the　two　horses　＇its　two　dissonant　faculties＇　what　he　has　seen　and　they；　taking　that　gift；　showed　that　they　were　hungry　for　what　made　that　vision；　there　was　something　lacking　to　them：　if　in　their　desire　they　acted；　their　action　aimed　at　what　they　craved　for…　and　that　was　vision；　and　an　object　of　vision。　　　　　6。　Action；　thus；　is　set　towards　contemplation　and　an　object　of　contemplation；　so　that　even　those　whose　life　is　in　doing　have　seeing　as　their　object；　what　they　have　not　been　able　to　achieve　by　the　direct　path；　they　hope　to　come　at　by　the　circuit。　　　　　Further：　suppose　they　succeed；　they　desired　a　certain　thing　to　come　about；　not　in　order　to　be　unaware　of　it　but　to　know　it；　to　see　it　present　before　the　mind：　their　success　is　the　laying　up　of　a　vision。　We　act　for　the　sake　of　some　good；　this　means　not　for　something　to　remain　outside　ourselves；　not　in　order　that　we　possess　nothing　but　that　we　may　hold　the　good　of　the　action。　And　hold　it；　where？　Where　but　in　the　mind？　　　　　Thus　once　more；　action　is　brought　back　to　contemplation：　for　＇mind　or＇　Soul　is　a　Reason…Principle　and　anything　that　one　lays　up　in　the　Soul　can　be　no　other　than　a　Reason…Principle；　a　silent　thing；　the　more　certainly　such　a　principle　as　the　impression　made　is　the　deeper。　　　　　This　vision　achieved；　the　acting　instinct　pauses；　the　mind　is　satisfied　and　seeks　nothing　further；　the　contemplation；　in　one　so　conditioned；　remains　absorbed　within　as　having　acquired　certainty　to　rest　upon。　The　brighter　the　certainty；　the　more　tranquil　is　the　contemplation　as　having　acquired　the　more　perfect　unity；　and…　for　now　we　come　to　the　serious　treatment　of　the　subject…　　　　　In　proportion　to　the　truth　with　which　the　knowing　faculty　knows；　it　comes　to　identification　with　the　object　of　its　knowledge。　　　　　As　long　as　duality　persists；　the　two　lie　apart；　parallel　as　it　were　to　each　other；　there　is　a　pair　in　which　the　two　elements　remain　strange　to　one　another；　as　when　Ideal…Principles　laid　up　in　the　mind　or　Soul　remain　idle。　　　　　Hence　the　Idea　must　not　be　left　to　lie　outside　but　must　be　made　one　identical　thing　with　the　soul　of　the　novice　so　that　he　finds　it　really　his　own。　　　　　The　Soul；　once　domiciled　within　that　Idea　and　brought　to　likeness　with　it；　becomes　productive；　active；　what　it　always　held　by　its　primary　nature　it　now　grasps　with　knowledge　and　applies　in　deed；　so　becoming；　as　it　were；　a　new　thing　and；　informed　as　it　now　is　by　the　purely　intellectual；　it　sees　＇in　its　outgoing　act＇　as　a　stranger　looking　upon　a　strange　world。　It　was；　no　doubt；　essentially　a　Reason…Principle；　even　an　Intellectual　Principle；　but　its　function　is　to　see　a　＇lower＇　realm　which　these　do　not　see。　　　　　For；　it　is　a　not　a　complete　thing：　it　has　a　lack；　it　is　incomplete　in　regard　to　its　Prior；　yet　it；　also；　has　a　tranquil　vision　of　what　it　produces。　What　it　has　once　brought　into　being　it　produces　no　more；　for　all　its　productiveness　is　determined　by　this　lack：　it　produces　for　the　purpose　of　Contemplation；　in　the　desire　of　knowing　all　its　content：　when　there　is　question　of　practical　things　it　adapts　its　content　to　the　outside　order。　　　　　The　Soul　has　a　greater　content　than　Nature　has　and　therefore　it　is　more　tranquil；　it　is　more　nearly　complete　and　therefore　more　contemplative。　It　is；　however；　not　perfect；　and　is　all　the　more　eager　to　penetrate　the　object　of　contemplation；　and　it　seeks　the　vision　that　comes　by　observation。　It　leaves　its　native　realm　and　busies　itself　elsewhere；　then　it　returns；　and　it　possesses　its　vision　by　means　of　that　phase　of　itself　from　which　it　had　parted。　The　self…indwelling　Soul　inclines　less　to　such　experiences。　　　　　The　Sage；　then；　is　the　man　made　over　into　a　Reason…Principle：　to　others　he　shows　his　act　but　in　himself　he　is　Vision：　such　a　man　is　already　set；　not　merely　in　regard　to　exte