the six enneads- 第7部分

bare　being…alive；　the　common　ground　in　which　the　cause　of　happiness　could　always　take　root　would　be　simply　life。　　　　　Those；　then；　that　set　happiness　not　in　the　mere　living　but　in　the　reasoning　life　seem　to　overlook　the　fact　that　they　are　not　really　making　it　depend　upon　life　at　all：　they　admit　that　this　reasoning　faculty；　round　which　they　centre　happiness；　is　a　property　＇not　the　subject　of　a　property＇：　the　subject；　to　them；　must　be　the　Reasoning…Life　since　it　is　in　this　double　term　that　they　find　the　basis　of　the　happiness：　so　that　they　are　making　it　consist　not　in　life　but　in　a　particular　kind　of　life…　not；　of　course；　a　species　formally　opposite　but；　in　terminology；　standing　as　an　〃earlier〃　to　a　〃later〃　in　the　one　Kind。　　　　　Now　in　common　use　this　word　〃Life〃　embraces　many　forms　which　shade　down　from　primal　to　secondary　and　so　on；　all　massed　under　the　common　term…　life　of　plant　and　life　of　animal…　each　phase　brighter　or　dimmer　than　its　next：　and　so　it　evidently　must　be　with　the　Good…of…Life。　And　if　thing　is　ever　the　image　of　thing；　so　every　Good　must　always　be　the　image　of　a　higher　Good。　　　　　If　mere　Being　is　insufficient；　if　happiness　demands　fulness　of　life；　and　exists；　therefore；　where　nothing　is　lacking　of　all　that　belongs　to　the　idea　of　life；　then　happiness　can　exist　only　in　a　being　that　lives　fully。　　　　　And　such　a　one　will　possess　not　merely　the　good；　but　the　Supreme　Good　if；　that　is　to　say；　in　the　realm　of　existents　the　Supreme　Good　can　be　no　other　than　the　authentically　living；　no　other　than　Life　in　its　greatest　plenitude；　life　in　which　the　good　is　present　as　something　essential　not　as　something　brought　from　without；　a　life　needing　no　foreign　substance　called　in　from　a　foreign　realm；　to　establish　it　in　good。　　　　　For　what　could　be　added　to　the　fullest　life　to　make　it　the　best　life？　If　anyone　should　answer；　〃The　nature　of　Good〃　＇The　Good；　as　a　Divine　Hypostasis＇；　the　reply　would　certainly　be　near　our　thought；　but　we　are　not　seeking　the　Cause　but　the　main　constituent。　　　　　It　has　been　said　more　than　once　that　the　perfect　life　and　the　true　life；　the　essential　life；　is　in　the　Intellectual　Nature　beyond　this　sphere；　and　that　all　other　forms　of　life　are　incomplete；　are　phantoms　of　life；　imperfect；　not　pure；　not　more　truly　life　than　they　are　its　contrary：　here　let　it　be　said　succinctly　that　since　all　living　things　proceed　from　the　one　principle　but　possess　life　in　different　degrees；　this　principle　must　be　the　first　life　and　the　most　complete。　　　　　4。　If；　then；　the　perfect　life　is　within　human　reach；　the　man　attaining　it　attains　happiness：　if　not；　happiness　must　be　made　over　to　the　gods；　for　the　perfect　life　is　for　them　alone。　　　　　But　since　we　hold　that　happiness　is　for　human　beings　too；　we　must　consider　what　this　perfect　life　is。　The　matter　may　be　stated　thus：　　　　　It　has　been　shown　elsewhere　that　man；　when　he　commands　not　merely　the　life　of　sensation　but　also　Reason　and　Authentic　Intellection；　has　realised　the　perfect　life。　　　　　But　are　we　to　picture　this　kind　of　life　as　something　foreign　imported　into　his　nature？　　　　　No：　there　exists　no　single　human　being　that　does　not　either　potentially　or　effectively　possess　this　thing　which　we　hold　to　constitute　happiness。　　　　　But　are　we　to　think　of　man　as　including　this　form　of　life；　the　perfect；　after　the　manner　of　a　partial　constituent　of　his　entire　nature？　　　　　We　say；　rather；　that　while　in　some　men　it　is　present　as　a　mere　portion　of　their　total　being…　in　those；　namely；　that　have　it　potentially…　there　is；　too；　the　man；　already　in　possession　of　true　felicity；　who　is　this　perfection　realized；　who　has　passed　over　into　actual　identification　with　it。　All　else　is　now　mere　clothing　about　the　man；　not　to　be　called　part　of　him　since　it　lies　about　him　unsought；　not　his　because　not　appropriated　to　himself　by　any　act　of　the　will。　　　　　To　the　man　in　this　state；　what　is　the　Good？　　　　　He　himself　by　what　he　has　and　is。　　　　　And　the　author　and　principle　of　what　he　is　and　holds　is　the　Supreme；　which　within　Itself　is　the　Good　but　manifests　Itself　within　the　human　being　after　this　other　mode。　　　　　The　sign　that　this　state　has　been　achieved　is　that　the　man　seeks　nothing　else。　　　　　What　indeed　could　he　be　seeking？　Certainly　none　of　the　less　worthy　things；　and　the　Best　he　carries　always　within　him。　　　　　He　that　has　such　a　life　as　this　has　all　he　needs　in　life。　　　　　Once　the　man　is　a　Sage；　the　means　of　happiness；　the　way　to　good；　are　within；　for　nothing　is　good　that　lies　outside　him。　Anything　he　desires　further　than　this　he　seeks　as　a　necessity；　and　not　for　himself　but　for　a　subordinate；　for　the　body　bound　to　him；　to　which　since　it　has　life　he　must　minister　the　needs　of　life；　not　needs；　however；　to　the　true　man　of　this　degree。　He　knows　himself　to　stand　above　all　such　things；　and　what　he　gives　to　the　lower　he　so　gives　as　to　leave　his　true　life　undiminished。　　　　　Adverse　fortune　does　not　shake　his　felicity：　the　life　so　founded　is　stable　ever。　Suppose　death　strikes　at　his　household　or　at　his　friends；　he　knows　what　death　is；　as　the　victims；　if　they　are　among　the　wise；　know　too。　And　if　death　taking　from　him　his　familiars　and　intimates　does　bring　grief；　it　is　not　to　him；　not　to　the　true　man；　but　to　that　in　him　which　stands　apart　from　the　Supreme；　to　that　lower　man　in　whose　distress　he　takes　no　part。　　　　　5。　But　what　of　sorrows；　illnesses　and　all　else　that　inhibit　the　native　activity？　　　　　What　of　the　suspension　of　consciousness　which　drugs　or　disease　may　bring　about？　Could　either　welfare　or　happiness　be　present　under　such　conditions？　And　this　is　to　say　nothing　of　misery　and　disgrace；　which　will　certainly　be　urged　against　us；　with　undoubtedly　also　those　never…failing　〃Miseries　of　Priam。〃　　　　　〃The　Sage；〃　we　shall　be　told；　〃may　bear　such　afflictions　and　even　take　them　lightly　but　they　could　never　be　his　choice；　and　the　happy　life　must　be　one　that　would　be　chosen。　The　Sage；　that　is；　cannot　be　thought　of　as　simply　a　sage　soul；　no　count　being　taken　of　the　bodily…principle　in　the　total　of　the　being：　he　will；　no　doubt；　take　all　bravely。。。　until　the　body's　appeals　come　up　before　him；　and　longings　and　loathings　penetrate　through　the　body　to　the　inner　man。　And　since　pleasure　must　be　counted　in　towards　the　happy　life；　how　can　one　that；　thus；　knows　the　misery　of　ill…fortune　or　pain　be　happy；　however　sage　he　be？　Such　a　state；　of　bliss　self…contained；　is　for　the　Gods；　men；　because　of　the　less　noble　part　subjoined　in　them；　must　needs　seek　happiness　throughout　all　their　being　and　not　merely　in　some　one　part；　if　the　one　constituent　be　troubled；　the　other；　answering　to　its　associate's　distress；　must　perforce　suffer　hindrance　in　its　own　activity。　There　is　nothing　but　to　cut　away　the　body　or　the　body's　sensitive　life　and　so　secure　that　self…contained　unity　essential　to　happiness。〃　　　　　6。　Now　if　happiness　did　indeed　require　freedom　from　pain；　sickness；　misfortune；　disaster；　it　would　be　utterly　denied　to　anyone　confronted　by　such　trials：　but　if　it　lies　in　the　fruition　of　the　Authentic　Good；　why　turn　away　from　this　Term　and　look　to　means；　imagining　that　to　be　happy　a　man　must　need　a　variety　of　things　none　of　which　enter　into　happiness？　If；　in　fact；　felicity　were　made　up　by　heaping　together　all　that　is　at　once　desirable　and　necessary　we　must　bid　for　these　also。　But　if　the　Term　must　be　one　and　not　many；　if　in　other　words　our　quest　is　of　a　Term　and　not　of　Terms；　that　only　can　be　elected　which　is　ultimate　and　noblest；　that　which　calls　to　the　tenderest　longings　of　the　soul。　　　　　The　quest　and　will　of　the　Soul　are　not　pointed　directly　towards　freedom　from　this　sphere：　the　reason　which　disciplines　away　our　concern　about　this　life　has　no　fundamental　quarrel　with　things　of　this　order；　it　merely　resents　their　interference；　sometimes；　even；　it　must　seek　them；　essentially　all　the　aspiration　is　not　so　much　away　from　evil　as　towards　the　Soul's　own　highest　and　noblest：　this　attained；　all　is　won　and　there　is　rest…　and　this　is　the　veritably　willed　state　of　life。　　　　　There　can　be　no　such　thing　as　〃willing〃　the　acquirement　of　necessaries；　if　Will　is　to　be　taken　in　its　strict　sense；　and　not　misapplied　to　the　mere　recognition　of　need。　　　　　It　is　certain　that　we　shrink　from　the　unpleasant；　and　such　shrinking　is　assuredly　not　what　we　should　have　willed；　to　have　no　occasion　for　any　such　shrinking　would　be　much　nearer　to　our　taste；　but　the　things　we　seek　tell　the　story　as　soon　as　they　are　ours。　For　instance；　health　and　freedom　from　pain；　which　of　these　has　any　great　charm？　As　long　as　we　possess　them；　we　set　no　store　upon　them。　　　　　Anything　which；　present；　has　no　charm　and　adds　nothing　to　happiness；　which　when　lacking　is　desired　because　of　the　presence　of　an　annoying　opposite；　may　reasonably　be　called　a　necessity　but　not　a　Good。　　　　　Such　things　can　never　make　part　of　our　final　object：　our　Term　must　be　such　that　though　these　pleasanter　conditions　be　absent　and　their　contraries　present；　it　shall　remain；　still；　intact。　　　　　7。　Then　why　are　these　conditions　sought　and　their　contraries　repelled　by　the　man　established　in　happiness？　　　　　Here　is　our　answer：　　　　　These　more　pleasant　conditions　cannot；　it　is　true；　add　any　particle　towards　the　Sage's　felicity：　but　they　do　serve　towards　the　integrity　of　his　being；　while　the　presence　of　the　contraries　tends　against　his　Being　or　complicates　the　Term：　it　is　not　that　the　Sage　can　be　so　easily　deprived　of　the　Term　achieved　but　simply　that　he　that　holds　the　highest　good　desires　to　have　that　alone；　not　something　else　at　the　same　time；　something　which；　though　it　cannot　banish　the　Good　by　its　incoming；　does　yet　take　place　by　its　side。　　　　　In　any　case　if　the　man　that　has　attained　felicity　meets　some　turn　of　fortune　that　he　would　not　have　chosen；　there　is　not　the　slightest　lessening　of　his　happiness　for　that。　If　there　were；　his　felicity　would　be　veering　or　falling　from　day　to　day；　the　death　of　a　child　would　bring　him　down；　or　the　loss　of　some　trivial　possession。　No：　a　thousand　mischances　and　disappointments　may　befall　him　and　leave　him　still　in　the　tranquil　possession　of　the　Term。　　　　　But；　they　cry；　great　disasters；　not　the　petty　daily　chances！　　　　　What　human　thing；　then；　is　great；　so　as　not　to　be　despised　by　one　who　has　mounted　above　all　we　know　here；　and　is　bound　now　no　longer　to　anything　below？　　　　　If　the　Sage　thinks　all　fortunate　events；　however　momentous；　to　be　no