the six enneads-第189节

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our　knowledge；　so　that　the　nearer　approach　to　it　is　through　its　offspring；　Being：　we　know　it　as　cause　of　existence　to　Intellectual…Principle；　as　fount　of　all　that　is　best；　as　the　efficacy　which；　self…perduring　and　undiminishing；　generates　all　beings　and　is　not　to　be　counted　among　these　its　derivatives；　to　all　of　which　it　must　be　prior。　　　　　This　we　can　but　name　The　Unity；　indicating　it　to　each　other　by　a　designation　that　points　to　the　concept　of　its　partlessness　while　we　are　in　reality　striving　to　bring　our　own　minds　to　unity。　We　are　not　to　think　of　such　unity　and　partlessness　as　belong　to　point　or　monad；　the　veritable　unity　is　the　source　of　all　such　quantity　which　could　not　exist　unless　first　there　existed　Being　and　Being's　Prior：　we　are　not；　then；　to　think　in　the　order　of　point　and　monad　but　to　use　these…　in　their　rejection　of　magnitude　and　partition…　as　symbols　for　the　higher　concept。　　　　　6。　In　what　sense；　then；　do　we　assert　this　Unity；　and　how　is　it　to　be　adjusted　to　our　mental　processes？　　　　　Its　oneness　must　not　be　entitled　to　that　of　monad　and　point：　for　these　the　mind　abstracts　extension　and　numerical　quantity　and　rests　upon　the　very　minutest　possible；　ending　no　doubt　in　the　partless　but　still　in　something　that　began　as　a　partible　and　is　always　lodged　in　something　other　than　itself。　The　Unity　was　never　in　any　other　and　never　belonged　to　the　partible：　nor　is　its　impartibility　that　of　extreme　minuteness；　on　the　contrary　it　is　great　beyond　anything；　great　not　in　extension　but　in　power；　sizeless　by　its　very　greatness　as　even　its　immediate　sequents　are　impartible　not　in　mass　but　in　might。　We　must　therefore　take　the　Unity　as　infinite　not　in　measureless　extension　or　numerable　quantity　but　in　fathomless　depths　of　power。　　　　　Think　of　The　One　as　Mind　or　as　God；　you　think　too　meanly；　use　all　the　resources　of　understanding　to　conceive　this　Unity　and；　again；　it　is　more　authentically　one　than　God；　even　though　you　reach　for　God's　unity　beyond　the　unity　the　most　perfect　you　can　conceive。　For　This　is　utterly　a　self…existent；　with　no　concomitant　whatever。　This　self…sufficing　is　the　essence　of　its　unity。　Something　there　must　be　supremely　adequate；　autonomous；　all…transcending；　most　utterly　without　need。　　　　　Any　manifold；　anything　beneath　The　Unity；　is　dependent；　combined　from　various　constituents；　its　essential　nature　goes　in　need　of　unity；　but　unity　cannot　need　itself；　it　stands　unity　accomplished。　Again；　a　manifold　depends　upon　all　its　factors；　and　furthermore　each　of　those　factors　in　turn…　as　necessarily　inbound　with　the　rest　and　not　self…standing…　sets　up　a　similar　need　both　to　its　associates　and　to　the　total　so　constituted。　　　　　The　sovranly　self…sufficing　principle　will　be　Unity…Absolute；　for　only　in　this　Unity　is　there　a　nature　above　all　need；　whether　within　itself　or　in　regard　to　the　rest　of　things。　Unity　seeks　nothing　towards　its　being　or　its　well…being　or　its　safehold　upon　existence；　cause　to　all；　how　can　it　acquire　its　character　outside　of　itself　or　know　any　good　outside？　The　good　of　its　being　can　be　no　borrowing：　This　is　The　Good。　Nor　has　it　station；　it　needs　no　standing　ground　as　if　inadequate　to　its　own　sustaining；　what　calls　for　such　underpropping　is　the　soulless；　some　material　mass　that　must　be　based　or　fall。　This　is　base　to　all；　cause　of　universal　existence　and　of　ordered　station。　All　that　demands　place　is　in　need；　a　First　cannot　go　in　need　of　its　sequents：　all　need　is　effort　towards　a　first　principle；　the　First；　principle　to　all；　must　be　utterly　without　need。　If　the　Unity　be　seeking；　it　must　inevitably　be　seeking　to　be　something　other　than　itself；　it　is　seeking　its　own　destroyer。　Whatever　may　be　said　to　be　in　need　of　a　good　is　needing　a　preserver；　nothing　can　be　a　good　to　The　Unity；　therefore。　　　　　Neither　can　it　have　will　to　anything；　it　is　a　Beyond…Good；　not　even　to　itself　a　good　but　to　such　beings　only　as　may　be　of　quality　to　have　part　with　it。　Nor　has　it　Intellection；　that　would　comport　diversity：　nor　Movement；　it　is　prior　to　Movement　as　to　Intellection。　　　　　To　what　could　its　Intellection　be　directed？　To　itself？　But　that　would　imply　a　previous　ignorance；　it　would　be　dependent　upon　that　Intellection　in　order　to　knowledge　of　itself；　but　it　is　the　self…sufficing。　Yet　this　absence　of　self…knowing　does　not　comport　ignorance；　ignorance　is　of　something　outside…　a　knower　ignorant　of　a　knowable…　but　in　the　Solitary　there　is　neither　knowing　nor　anything　unknown。　Unity；　self…present；　it　has　no　need　of　self…intellection：　indeed　this　〃self…presence〃　were　better　left　out；　the　more　surely　to　preserve　the　unity；　we　must　eliminate　all　knowing　and　all　association；　all　intellection　whether　internal　or　external。　It　is　not　to　be　though　of　as　having　but　as　being　Intellection；　Intellection　does　not　itself　perform　the　intellective　act　but　is　the　cause　of　the　act　in　something　else；　and　cause　is　not　to　be　identified　with　caused：　most　assuredly　the　cause　of　all　is　not　a　thing　within　that　all。　　　　　This　Principle　is　not；　therefore；　to　be　identified　with　the　good　of　which　it　is　the　source；　it　is　good　in　the　unique　mode　of　being　The　Good　above　all　that　is　good。　　　　　7。　If　the　mind　reels　before　something　thus　alien　to　all　we　know；　we　must　take　our　stand　on　the　things　of　this　realm　and　strive　thence　to　see。　But；　in　the　looking；　beware　of　throwing　outward；　this　Principle　does　not　lie　away　somewhere　leaving　the　rest　void；　to　those　of　power　to　reach；　it　is　present；　to　the　inapt；　absent。　In　our　daily　affairs　we　cannot　hold　an　object　in　mind　if　we　have　given　ourselves　elsewhere；　occupied　upon　some　other　matter；　that　very　thing　must　be　before　us　to　be　truly　the　object　of　observation。　So　here　also；　preoccupied　by　the　impress　of　something　else；　we　are　withheld　under　that　pressure　from　becoming　aware　of　The　Unity；　a　mind　gripped　and　fastened　by　some　definite　thing　cannot　take　the　print　of　the　very　contrary。　As　Matter；　it　is　agreed；　must　be　void　of　quality　in　order　to　accept　the　types　of　the　universe；　so　and　much　more　must　the　soul　be　kept　formless　if　there　is　to　be　no　infixed　impediment　to　prevent　it　being　brimmed　and　lit　by　the　Primal　Principle。　　　　　In　sum；　we　must　withdraw　from　all　the　extern；　pointed　wholly　inwards；　no　leaning　to　the　outer；　the　total　of　things　ignored；　first　in　their　relation　to　us　and　later　in　the　very　idea；　the　self　put　out　of　mind　in　the　contemplation　of　the　Supreme；　all　the　commerce　so　closely　There　that；　if　report　were　possible；　one　might　become　to　others　reporter　of　that　communion。　　　　　Such　converse；　we　may　suppose；　was　that　of　Minos；　thence　known　as　the　Familiar　of　Zeus；　and　in　that　memory　he　established　the　laws　which　report　it；　enlarged　to　that　task　by　his　vision　There。　Some；　on　the　other　hand；　there　will　be　to　disdain　such　citizen　service；　choosing　to　remain　in　the　higher：　these　will　be　those　that　have　seen　much。　　　　　God…　we　read…　is　outside　of　none；　present　unperceived　to　all；　we　break　away　from　Him；　or　rather　from　ourselves；　what　we　turn　from　we　cannot　reach；　astray　ourselves；　we　cannot　go　in　search　of　another；　a　child　distraught　will　not　recognise　its　father；　to　find　ourselves　is　to　know　our　source。　　　　　8。　Every　soul　that　knows　its　history　is　aware；　also；　that　its　movement；　unthwarted；　is　not　that　of　an　outgoing　line；　its　natural　course　may　be　likened　to　that　in　which　a　circle　turns　not　upon　some　external　but　on　its　own　centre；　the　point　to　which　it　owes　its　rise。　The　soul's　movement　will　be　about　its　source；　to　this　it　will　hold；　poised　intent　towards　that　unity　to　which　all　souls　should　move　and　the　divine　souls　always　move；　divine　in　virtue　of　that　movement；　for　to　be　a　god　is　to　be　integral　with　the　Supreme；　what　stands　away　is　man　still　multiple；　or　beast。　　　　　Is　then　this　〃centre〃　of　our　souls　the　Principle　for　which　we　are　seeking？　　　　　We　must　look　yet　further：　we　must　admit　a　Principle　in　which　all　these　centres　coincide：　it　will　be　a　centre　by　analogy　with　the　centre　of　the　circle　we　know。　The　soul　is　not　a　circle　in　the　sense　of　the　geometric　figure　but　in　that　it　at　once　contains　the　Primal　Nature　＇as　centre＇　and　is　contained　by　it　＇as　circumference＇；　that　it　owes　its　origin　to　such　a　centre　and　still　more　that　the　soul；　uncontaminated；　is　a　self…contained　entity。　　　　　In　our　present　state…　part　of　our　being　weighed　down　by　the　body；　as　one　might　have　the　feet　under　water　with　all　the　rest　untouched…　we　bear…　ourselves　aloft　by　that…　intact　part　and；　in　that；　hold　through　our　own　centre　to　the　centre　of　all　the　centres；　just　as　the　centres　of　the　great　circles　of　a　sphere　coincide　with　that　of　the　sphere　to　which　all　belong。　Thus　we　are　secure。　　　　　If　these　circles　were　material　and　not　spiritual；　the　link　with　the　centres　would　be　local；　they　would　lie　round　it　where　it　lay　at　some　distant　point：　since　the　souls　are　of　the　Intellectual；　and　the　Supreme　still　loftier；　we　understand　that　contact　is　otherwise　procured；　that　is　by　those　powers　which　connect　Intellectual　agent　with　Intellectual　Object；　this　all　the　more；　since　the　Intellect　grasps　the　Intellectual　object　by　the　way　of　similarity；　identity；　in　the　sure　link　of　kindred。　Material　mass　cannot　blend　into　other　material　mass：　unbodied　beings　are　not　under　this　bodily　limitation；　their　separation　is　solely　that　of　otherness；　of　differentiation；　in　the　absence　of　otherness；　it