the six enneads-第47章

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d　fear…　are　these　not　changes；　affectings；　present　and　stirring　within　the　Soul？　　　　　This　question　cannot　be　ignored。　To　deny　that　changes　take　place　and　are　intensely　felt　is　in　sharp　contradiction　to　obvious　facts。　But；　while　we　recognize　this；　we　must　make　very　sure　what　it　is　that　changes。　To　represent　the　Soul　or　Mind　as　being　the　seat　of　these　emotions　is　not　far　removed　from　making　it　blush　or　turn　pale；　it　is　to　forget　that　while　the　Soul　or　Mind　is　the　means；　the　effect　takes　place　in　the　distinct　organism；　the　animated　body。　　　　　At　the　idea　of　disgrace；　the　shame　is　in　the　Soul；　but　the　body　is　occupied　by　the　Soul…　not　to　trouble　about　words…　is；　at　any　rate；　close　to　it　and　very　different　from　soulless　matter；　and　so；　is　affected　in　the　blood；　mobile　in　its　nature。　Fear　begins　in　the　mind；　the　pallor　is　simply　the　withdrawal　of　the　blood　inwards。　So　in　pleasure；　the　elation　is　mental；　but　makes　itself　felt　in　the　body；　the　purely　mental　phase　has　not　reached　the　point　of　sensation：　the　same　is　true　of　pain。　So　desire　is　ignored　in　the　Soul　where　the　impulse　takes　its　rise；　what　comes　outward　thence；　the　Sensibility　knows。　　　　　When　we　speak　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　being　moved…　as　in　desire；　reasoning；　judging…　we　do　not　mean　that　it　is　driven　into　its　act；　these　movements　are　its　own　acts。　　　　　In　the　same　way　when　we　call　Life　a　movement　we　have　no　idea　of　a　changing　substance；　the　naturally　appropriate　act　of　each　member　of　the　living　thing　makes　up　the　Life；　which　is；　therefore；　not　a　shifting　thing。　　　　　To　bring　the　matter　to　the　point：　put　it　that　life；　tendency；　are　no　changements；　that　memories　are　not　forms　stamped　upon　the　mind；　that　notions　are　not　of　the　nature　of　impressions　on　sealing…wax；　we　thence　draw　the　general　conclusion　that　in　all　such　states　and　movements　the　Soul；　or　Mind；　is　unchanged　in　substance　and　in　essence；　that　virtue　and　vice　are　not　something　imported　into　the　Soul…　as　heat　and　cold；　blackness　or　whiteness　are　importations　into　body…　but　that；　in　all　this　relation；　matter　and　spirit　are　exactly　and　comprehensively　contraries。　　　　　4。　We　have；　however；　still　to　examine　what　is　called　the　affective　phase　of　the　Soul。　This　has；　no　doubt；　been　touched　upon　above　where　we　dealt　with　the　passions　in　general　as　grouped　about　the　initiative　phase　of　the　Soul　and　the　desiring　faculty　in　its　effort　to　shape　things　to　its　choice：　but　more　is　required；　we　must　begin　by　forming　a　clear　idea　of　what　is　meant　by　this　affective　faculty　of　the　Soul。　　　　　In　general　terms　it　means　the　centre　about　which　we　recognize　the　affections　to　be　grouped；　and　by　affections　we　mean　those　states　upon　which　follow　pleasure　and　pain。　　　　　Now　among　these　affections　we　must　distinguish。　Some　are　pivoted　upon　judgements；　thus；　a　Man　judging　his　death　to　be　at　hand　may　feel　fear；　foreseeing　some　fortunate　turn　of　events；　he　is　happy：　the　opinion　lies　in　one　sphere；　the　affection　is　stirred　in　another。　Sometimes　the　affections　take　the　lead　and　automatically　bring　in　the　notion　which　thus　becomes　present　to　the　appropriate　faculty：　but　as　we　have　explained；　an　act　of　opinion　does　not　introduce　any　change　into　the　Soul　or　Mind：　what　happens　is　that　from　the　notion　of　some　impending　evil　is　produced　the　quite　separate　thing；　fear；　and　this　fear；　in　turn；　becomes　known　in　that　part　of　the　Mind　which　is　said　under　such　circumstances　to　harbour　fear。　　　　　But　what　is　the　action　of　this　fear　upon　the　Mind？　　　　　The　general　answer　is　that　it　sets　up　trouble　and　confusion　before　an　evil　anticipated。　It　should；　however；　be　quite　clear　that　the　Soul　or　Mind　is　the　seat　of　all　imaginative　representation…　both　the　higher　representation　known　as　opinion　or　judgement　and　the　lower　representation　which　is　not　so　much　a　judgement　as　a　vague　notion　unattended　by　discrimination；　something　resembling　the　action　by　which；　as　is　believed；　the　〃Nature〃　of　common　speech　produces；　unconsciously；　the　objects　of　the　partial　sphere。　It　is　equally　certain　that　in　all　that　follows　upon　the　mental　act　or　state；　the　disturbance；　confined　to　the　body；　belongs　to　the　sense…order；　trembling；　pallor；　inability　to　speak；　have　obviously　nothing　to　do　with　the　spiritual　portion　of　the　being。　The　Soul；　in　fact；　would　have　to　be　described　as　corporeal　if　it　were　the　seat　of　such　symptoms：　besides；　in　that　case　the　trouble　would　not　even　reach　the　body　since　the　only　transmitting　principle；　oppressed　by　sensation；　jarred　out　of　itself；　would　be　inhibited。　　　　　None　the　less；　there　is　an　affective　phase　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　and　this　is　not　corporeal；　it　can　be；　only；　some　kind　of　Ideal…form。　　　　　Now　Matter　is　the　one　field　of　the　desiring　faculty；　as　of　the　principles　of　nutrition　growth　and　engendering；　which　are　root　and　spring　to　desire　and　to　every　other　affection　known　to　this　Ideal…form。　No　Ideal…form　can　be　the　victim　of　disturbance　or　be　in　any　way　affected：　it　remains　in　tranquillity；　only　the　Matter　associated　with　it　can　be　affected　by　any　state　or　experience　induced　by　the　movement　which　its　mere　presence　suffices　to　set　up。　Thus　the　vegetal　Principle　induces　vegetal　life　but　it　does　not；　itself；　pass　through　the　processes　of　vegetation；　it　gives　growth　but　it　does　not　grow；　in　no　movement　which　it　originates　is　it　moved　with　the　motion　it　induces；　it　is　in　perfect　repose；　or；　at　least；　its　movement；　really　its　act；　is　utterly　different　from　what　it　causes　elsewhere。　　　　　The　nature　of　an　Ideal…form　is　to　be；　of　itself；　an　activity；　it　operates　by　its　mere　presence：　it　is　as　if　Melody　itself　plucked　the　strings。　The　affective　phase　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　will　be　the　operative　cause　of　all　affection；　it　originates　the　movement　either　under　the　stimulus　of　some　sense…presentment　or　independently…　and　it　is　a　question　to　be　examined　whether　the　judgement　leading　to　the　movement　operates　from　above　or　not…　but　the　affective　phase　itself　remains　unmoved　like　Melody　dictating　music。　The　causes　originating　the　movement　may　be　likened　to　the　musician；　what　is　moved　is　like　the　strings　of　his　instrument；　and　once　more；　the　Melodic　Principle　itself　is　not　affected；　but　only　the　strings；　though；　however　much　the　musician　desired　it；　he　could　not　pluck　the　strings　except　under　dictation　from　the　principle　of　Melody。　　　　　5。　But　why　have　we　to　call　in　Philosophy　to　make　the　Soul　immune　if　it　is　thus　immune　from　the　beginning？　　　　　Because　representations　attack　it　at　what　we　call　the　affective　phase　and　cause　a　resulting　experience；　a　disturbance；　to　which　disturbance　is　joined　the　image　of　threatened　evil：　this　amounts　to　an　affection　and　Reason　seeks　to　extinguish　it；　to　ban　it　as　destructive　to　the　well…being　of　the　Soul　which　by　the　mere　absence　of　such　a　condition　is　immune；　the　one　possible　cause　of　affection　not　being　present。　　　　　Take　it　that　some　such　affections　have　engendered　appearances　presented　before　the　Soul　or　Mind　from　without　but　taken　＇for　practical　purposes＇　to　be　actual　experiences　within　it…　then　Philosophy's　task　is　like　that　of　a　man　who　wishes　to　throw　off　the　shapes　presented　in　dreams；　and　to　this　end　recalls　to　waking　condition　the　mind　that　is　breeding　them。　　　　　But　what　can　be　meant　by　the　purification　of　a　Soul　that　has　never　been　stained　and　by　the　separation　of　the　Soul　from　a　body　to　which　it　is　essentially　a　stranger？　　　　　The　purification　of　the　Soul　is　simply　to　allow　it　to　be　alone；　it　is　pure　when　it　keeps　no　company；　when　it　looks　to　nothing　without　itself；　when　it　entertains　no　alien　thoughts…　be　the　mode　or　origin　of　such　notions　or　affections　what　they　may；　a　subject　on　which　we　have　already　touched…　when　it　no　longer　sees　in　the　world　of　image；　much　less　elaborates　images　into　veritable　affections。　Is　it　not　a　true　purification　to　turn　away　towards　the　exact　contrary　of　earthly　things？　　　　　Separation；　in　the　same　way；　is　the　condition　of　a　soul　no　longer　entering　into　the　body　to　lie　at　its　mercy；　it　is　to　stand　as　a　light；　set　in　the　midst　of　trouble　but　unperturbed　through　all。　　　　　In　the　particular　case　of　the　affective　phase　of　the　Soul；　purification　is　its　awakening　from　the　baseless　visions　which　beset　it；　the　refusal　to　see　them；　its　separation　consists　in　limiting　its　descent　towards　the　lower　and　accepting　no　picture　thence；　and　of　course　in　the　banning　for　its　part　too　of　all　which　the　higher　Soul　ignores　when　it　has　arisen　from　the　trouble　storm　and　is　no　longer　bound　to　the　flesh　by　the　chains　of　sensuality　and　of　multiplicity　but　has　subdued　to　itself　the　body　and　its　entire　surrounding　so　that　it　holds　sovereignty；　tranquilly；　over　all。　　　　　6。　the　Intellectual　Essence；　wholly　of　the　order　of　Ideal…form；　must　be　taken　as　impassive　has　been　already　established。　　　　　But　Matter　also　is　an　incorporeal；　though　after　a　mode　of　its　own；　we　must　examine；　therefore；　how　this　stands；　whether　it　is　passive；　as　is　commonly　held；　a　thing　that　can　be　twisted　to　every　shape　and　Kind；　or　whether　it　too　must　be　considered　impassive　and　in　what　sense　and　fashion　so。　But　in　engaging　this　question　and　defining　the　nature　of　matter　we　must　correct　certain　prevailing　errors　about　the　nature　of　the　Authentic　Existent；　about　Essence；　about　Being。　　　　　The　Existent…　rightly　so　called…　is　that　which　has　authentic　existence；　that；　therefore；　which　is　existent　completely；　and　therefore；　again；　that　which　at　no　point　fails　in　existence。　Having　existence　perfectly；　it　needs　nothing　to　preserve　it　in　being；　it　is；　on　the　contrary；　the　source　and　cause　from　which　all　that　appears　to　exist　derives　that　appearance。　This　admitted；　it　must　of　necessity　be　in　life；　in　a　perfect　life：　if　it　failed　it　would　be　more　nearly　the　nonexistent　than　the　existent。　But：　The　Being　thus　indicated　is　Intellect；　is　wisdom　unalloyed。　It　is；　therefore；　determined　and　rounded　off；　it　is　nothing　potentially　that　is　not　of　the　same　determined　order；　otherwise　it　would　be　in　default。　　　　　Hence　its　eternity；　its　identity；　its　utter　irreceptivity　and　impermeability。　If　it　took　in　anything；　it　must　be　taking　in　something　outside　itself；　that　is　to　say；　Existence　would　at　last　include　non…existence。　But　it　must　be　Authentic　Existence　all　through；　it　must；　therefore；　present　itself　equipped　from　its　own　stores　with　all　that　makes　up　Existence　so　that　all　stands　together　and　all　is　one　thing。　The　Existent　＇Real　Being＇　must　have　thus　much　of　determination：　if　it　had　not；　then　it　could　not　be　the　source　of　the　Intellectual　Principle　and　of　Life　which　would　be　importations　into　it　originating　in　the　sphere　of　non…Being；　and　Real　Being　would　be　lifeless　and　mindless；　but　mindlessness　and　lifelessness　are　the　characteristics　of　non…being　and　must　belong　to　the　lower　order；　to　the　outer　borders　of　the　existent；　for　Intellect　and　Life　rise　from　the　Beyond…Existence　＇the　Indefinable　Supreme＇…　though　Itself　has　no　need　of　them…　and　are　conveyed　from　It　into　the　Authentic　Existent。　　　　　If　we　have　thus　rightly　described　the　Authentic　Existent；　we　see　that　it　cannot　be　any　kind　of　body　nor　the　under…stuff　of　body；　in　such　entities　the　Being　is　simply　the　existing　of　things　outside　of　Being。　　　　　But　body；　a　non…existence？　Matter；　on　which　all　this　universe　rises；　a　non…existence？　Mountain　and　rock；　the　wide　solid　earth；　all　that　resists；　all　that　can　be　struck　and　driven；　surely　all　proclaims　the　real　existence　of　the