the six enneads- 第84部分

mplation　of　the　Supreme。　　　　　When　we　seize　anything　in　the　direct　intellectual　act　there　is　room　for　nothing　else　than　to　know　and　to　contemplate　the　object；　and　in　the　knowing　there　is　not　included　any　previous　knowledge；　all　such　assertion　of　stage　and　progress　belongs　to　the　lower　and　is　a　sign　of　the　altered；　this　means　that；　once　purely　in　the　Intellectual；　no　one　of　us　can　have　any　memory　of　our　experience　here。　Further；　if　all　intellection　is　timeless…　as　appears　from　the　fact　that　the　Intellectual　beings　are　of　eternity　not　of　time…　there　can　be　no　memory　in　the　intellectual　world；　not　merely　none　of　earthly　things　but　none　whatever：　all　is　presence　There；　for　nothing　passes　away；　there　is　no　change　from　old　to　new。　　　　　This；　however；　does　not　alter　the　fact　that　distinction　exists　in　that　realm…　downwards　from　the　Supreme　to　the　Ideas；　upward　from　the　Ideas　to　the　Universal　and　to　the　Supreme。　Admitting　that　the　Highest；　as　a　self…contained　unity；　has　no　outgoing　effect；　that　does　not　prevent　the　soul　which　has　attained　to　the　Supreme　from　exerting　its　own　characteristic　Act：　it　certainly　may　have　the　intuition；　not　by　stages　and　parts；　of　that　Being　which　is　without　stage　and　part。　　　　　But　that　would　be　in　the　nature　of　grasping　a　pure　unity？　　　　　No：　in　the　nature　of　grasping　all　the　intellectual　facts　of　a　many　that　constitutes　a　unity。　For　since　the　object　of　vision　has　variety　＇distinction　within　its　essential　oneness＇　the　intuition　must　be　multiple　and　the　intuitions　various；　just　as　in　a　face　we　see　at　the　one　glance　eyes　and　nose　and　all　the　rest。　　　　　But　is　not　this　impossible　when　the　object　to　be　thus　divided　and　treated　as　a　thing　of　grades；　is　a　pure　unity？　　　　　No：　there　has　already　been　discrimination　within　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Act　of　the　soul　is　little　more　than　a　reading　of　this。　　　　　First　and　last　is　in　the　Ideas　not　a　matter　of　time；　and　so　does　not　bring　time　into　the　soul's　intuition　of　earlier　and　later　among　them。　There　is　a　grading　by　order　as　well：　the　ordered　disposition　of　some　growing　thing　begins　with　root　and　reaches　to　topmost　point；　but；　to　one　seeing　the　plant　as　a　whole；　there　is　no　other　first　and　last　than　simply　that　of　the　order。　　　　　Still；　the　soul　＇in　this　intuition　within　the　divine＇　looks　to　what　is　a　unity；　next　it　entertains　multiplicity；　all　that　is：　how　explain　this　grasping　first　of　the　unity　and　later　of　the　rest？　　　　　The　explanation　is　that　the　unity　of　this　power　＇the　Supreme＇　is　such　as　to　allow　of　its　being　multiple　to　another　principle　＇the　soul＇；　to　which　it　is　all　things　and　therefore　does　not　present　itself　as　one　indivisible　object　of　intuition：　its　activities　do　not　＇like　its　essence＇　fall　under　the　rule　of　unity；　they　are　for　ever　multiple　in　virtue　of　that　abiding　power；　and　in　their　outgoing　they　actually　become　all　things。　　　　　For　with　the　Intellectual　or　Supreme…　considered　as　distinct　from　the　One…　there　is　already　the　power　of　harbouring　that　Principle　of　Multiplicity；　the　source　of　things　not　previously　existent　in　its　superior。　　　　　2。　Enough　on　that　point：　we　come　now　to　the　question　of　memory　of　the　personality？　　　　　There　will　not　even　be　memory　of　the　personality；　no　thought　that　the　contemplator　is　the　self…　Socrates；　for　example…　or　that　it　is　Intellect　or　Soul。　In　this　connection　it　should　be　borne　in　mind　that；　in　contemplative　vision；　especially　when　it　is　vivid；　we　are　not　at　the　time　aware　of　our　own　personality；　we　are　in　possession　of　ourselves　but　the　activity　is　towards　the　object　of　vision　with　which　the　thinker　becomes　identified；　he　has　made　himself　over　as　matter　to　be　shaped；　he　takes　ideal　form　under　the　action　of　the　vision　while　remaining；　potentially；　himself。　This　means　that　he　is　actively　himself　when　he　has　intellection　of　nothing。　　　　　Or；　if　he　is　himself　＇pure　and　simple＇；　he　is　empty　of　all：　if；　on　the　contrary；　he　is　himself　＇by　the　self…possession　of　contemplation＇　in　such　a　way　as　to　be　identified　with　what　is　all；　then　by　the　act　of　self…intellection　he　has　the　simultaneous　intellection　of　all：　in　such　a　case　self…intuition　by　personal　activity　brings　the　intellection；　not　merely　of　the　self；　but　also　of　the　total　therein　embraced；　and　similarly　the　intuition　of　the　total　of　things　brings　that　of　the　personal　self　as　included　among　all。　　　　　But　such　a　process　would　appear　to　introduce　into　the　Intellectual　that　element　of　change　against　which　we　ourselves　have　only　now　been　protesting？　　　　　The　answer　is　that；　while　unchangeable　identity　is　essential　to　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　soul；　lying　so　to　speak　on　the　borders　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　is　amenable　to　change；　it　has；　for　example；　its　inward　advance；　and　obviously　anything　that　attains　position　near　to　something　motionless　does　so　by　a　change　directed　towards　that　unchanging　goal　and　is　not　itself　motionless　in　the　same　degree。　Nor　is　it　really　change　to　turn　from　the　self　to　the　constituents　of　self　or　from　those　constituents　to　the　self；　and　in　this　case　the　contemplator　is　the　total；　the　duality　has　become　unity。　　　　　None　the　less　the　soul；　even　in　the　Intellectual　Realm；　is　under　the　dispensation　of　a　variety　confronting　it　and　a　content　of　its　own？　　　　　No：　once　pure　in　the　Intellectual；　it　too　possesses　that　same　unchangeableness：　for　it　possesses　identity　of　essence；　when　it　is　in　that　region　it　must　of　necessity　enter　into　oneness　with　the　Intellectual…Principle　by　the　sheer　fact　of　its　self…orientation；　for　by　that　intention　all　interval　disappears；　the　soul　advances　and　is　taken　into　unison；　and　in　that　association　becomes　one　with　the　Intellectual…Principle…　but　not　to　its　own　destruction：　the　two　are　one；　and　two。　In　such　a　state　there　is　no　question　of　stage　and　change：　the　soul；　without　motion　＇but　by　right　of　its　essential　being＇　would　be　intent　upon　its　intellectual　act；　and　in　possession；　simultaneously；　of　its　self…awareness；　for　it　has　become　one　simultaneous　existence　with　the　Supreme。　　　　　3。　But　it　leaves　that　conjunction；　it　cannot　suffer　that　unity；　it　falls　in　love　with　its　own　powers　and　possessions；　and　desires　to　stand　apart；　it　leans　outward　so　to　speak：　then；　it　appears　to　acquire　a　memory　of　itself。　　　　　In　this　self…memory　a　distinction　is　to　be　made；　the　memory　dealing　with　the　Intellectual　Realm　upbears　the　soul；　not　to　fall；　the　memory　of　things　here　bears　it　downwards　to　this　universe；　the　intermediate　memory　dealing　with　the　heavenly　sphere　holds　it　there　too；　and；　in　all　its　memory；　the　thing　it　has　in　mind　it　is　and　grows　to；　for　this　bearing…in…mind　must　be　either　intuition　＇i。e。；　knowledge　with　identity＇　or　representation　by　image：　and　the　imaging　in　the　case　of　the　is　not　a　taking　in　of　something　but　is　vision　and　condition…　so　much　so；　that；　in　its　very　sense…　sight；　it　is　the　lower　in　the　degree　in　which　it　penetrates　the　object。　Since　its　possession　of　the　total　of　things　is　not　primal　but　secondary；　it　does　not　become　all　things　perfectly　＇in　becoming　identical　with　the　All　in　the　Intellectual＇；　it　is　of　the　boundary　order；　situated　between　two　regions；　and　has　tendency　to　both。　　　　　4。　In　that　realm　it　has　also　vision；　through　the　Intellectual…Principle；　of　The　Good　which　does　not　so　hold　to　itself　as　not　to　reach　the　soul；　what　intervenes　between　them　is　not　body　and　therefore　is　no　hindrance…　and；　indeed；　where　bodily　forms　do　intervene　there　is　still　access　in　many　ways　from　the　primal　to　the　tertiaries。　　　　　If；　on　the　contrary；　the　soul　gives　itself　to　the　inferior；　the　same　principle　of　penetration　comes　into　play；　and　it　possesses　itself；　by　memory　and　imagination；　of　the　thing　it　desired：　and　hence　the　memory；　even　dealing　with　the　highest；　is　not　the　highest。　Memory；　of　course；　must　be　understood　not　merely　of　what　might　be　called　the　sense　of　remembrance；　but　so　as　to　include　a　condition　induced　by　the　past　experience　or　vision。　There　is　such　a　thing　as　possessing　more　powerfully　without　consciousness　than　in　full　knowledge；　with　full　awareness　the　possession　is　of　something　quite　distinct　from　the　self；　unconscious　possession　runs　very　close　to　identity；　and　any　such　approach　to　identification　with　the　lower　means　the　deeper　fall　of　the　soul。　　　　　If　the　soul；　on　abandoning　its　place　in　the　Supreme；　revives　its　memories　of　the　lower；　it　must　have　in　some　form　possessed　them　even　there　though　the　activity　of　the　beings　in　that　realm　kept　them　in　abeyance：　they　could　not　be　in　the　nature　of　impressions　permanently　adopted…　a　notion　which　would　entail　absurdities…　but　were　no　more　than　a　potentiality　realized　after　return。　When　that　energy　of　the　Intellectual　world　ceases　to　tell　upon　the　soul；　it　sees　what　it　saw　in　the　earlier　state　before　it　revisited　the　Supreme。　　　　　5。　But　this　power　which　determines　memory　is　it　also　the　principle　by　which　the　Supreme　becomes　effective　in　us？　　　　　At　any　time　when　we　have　not　been　in　direct　vision　of　that　sphere；　memory　is　the　source　of　its　activity　within　us；　when　we　have　possessed　that　vision；　its　presence　is　due　to　the　principle　by　which　we　enjoyed　it：　this　principle　awakens　where　it　wakens；　and　it　alone　has　vision　in　that　order；　for　this　is　no　matter　to　be　brought　to　us　by　way　of　analogy；　or　by　the　syllogistic　reasoning　whose　grounds　lie　elsewhere；　the　power　which；　even　h