658. 第10节 归给人的只是意愿而非思想
凡受过教育的人都知道, 心智包含两部分或两种官能, 即意愿与觉知。 但几乎没人知道如何正确区分它们, 并列举出它们各自的属性, 然后重新联结它们。 不能这样做的人, 对于心智只能形成最模糊的概念。 所以, 除非首先描述各自的属性, 否则无法理解“归给人的只是意愿而非思想”这样的说法。 概括地说, 二者的属性如下:
(1) 爱本身及其所属之物居于意愿; 知识, 聪明和智慧居于觉知。 意愿将其爱呼入这些事物, 获得它们的支持和同意。 结果, 人的爱什么样, 随之其聪明就是什么样, 而这些决定了人是什么样。
(2) 由此可推知, 一切善与一切恶皆属于意愿, 因为凡出于爱的就是所谓的善, 即便它可能是恶的, 这是快乐导致的结果, 快乐构成爱的生命, 意愿通过其快乐进入觉知, 并获得它的同意。
(3) 因此, 意愿是人生命的存在或本质, 而觉知是彰显或由此的存在。 由于本质若非被赋予某种形式, 就没有真实性, 所以意愿若非存于觉知, 也没有真实性。 故, 意愿成形于觉知, 以便它能进入光明。
(4) 意之爱就是目的, 它在觉知中寻求并找到借以发展为结果的原因。 因为目的就是目标, 这是人所寻求的东西, 所以目标也属于意愿, 它通过意图进入觉知, 促使它考虑和制订方法, 并以产生结果为目标确定这类方法。
(5) 自我的一切皆存于意愿, 它先天就是邪恶, 但它能通过二次出生变成良善。 人第一次受生于父母, 但第二次则受生于主。
(6) 从这几段话可以看出, 意愿和觉知拥有不同的属性, 它们通过创造就象存在和彰显那样被联结起来。 因此, 人之所以为人主要由于意愿, 其次由于觉知。 这就是为何归给人的不是思想, 而是意愿的原因, 善与恶也是一样, 因为如前所述, 这些东西居于意愿, 并由此居于觉知的思维。
658. No Spiritual Credit or Blame Is Assigned to Us on the Basis of What We Think; It Is Assigned Only on the Basis of What We Will
Every educated person knows that there are two faculties or parts to the mind: the will and the intellect. Few are aware, however, of how to tell them apart, how to describe the properties of each, and how the two work together. People who do not know these things cannot develop anything beyond an extremely obscure idea of their own mind. Therefore, the point made in the heading - that no spiritual credit or blame is assigned to us on the basis of what we think; it is assigned only on the basis of what we will - cannot possibly be comprehended unless the attributes of thinking as opposed to willing are covered first. In a brief summary, the attributes of the two are as follows.
(1) Love itself and things related to love reside in our will. Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom reside in our intellect. Our will brings the influence of its love to bear on the contents of our intellect and induces them to show it favor and consent. As a result, our nature as a human being depends on the nature of our love and our understanding.
[2] (2) From this it follows that everything good and everything evil is a matter of the will. Whatever comes from love we call good, even if it is actually evil; the delight that constitutes the life of our love has this effect. Through this delight the will influences the intellect and secures its consent.
[3] (3) Our will is therefore both the underlying reality and the essence of our life; the intellect is both the capacity to become manifest and the actual manifestation of our life. Essence is nothing unless it takes shape in some form; likewise the will is nothing unless it takes shape in the intellect. Therefore the will gives itself a form in the intellect and brings itself to light.
[4] (4) The love that is in our will is our purpose. It uses the intellect to find and collect the means of bringing itself forth into results. Because our purpose is also our plan - something love intends to carry out - our plan, too, belongs to our will. Through the process of forming an intention, our love enters our intellect and urges it to think of and reflect on means, and to come to decisions that lead in time to results.
[5] (5) Our entire sense of self resides in our will. The first time we are born, the self is evil. The second time we are born, the self becomes good. The first time, we are born of our parents; the second time, we are born of the Lord.
[6] From these few points it is clear that the will has one set of attributes and the intellect has another. They are created to be joined together, just as an underlying reality and its capacity to become manifest are joined together. Therefore we are who we are primarily because of our will, and only secondarily because of our intellect. This is why we are assigned spiritual credit or blame on the basis of what we will (and therefore whether our actions have been good or evil), not on the basis of what we think. Evil or goodness, as mentioned above, reside primarily in our will and only secondarily in our intellect.
658. X. One's thoughts are not imputed to anyone, only one's will.
Every educated person knows that the mind contains two parts or faculties, the will and the understanding. But few people know how to make a proper distinction between them, to enumerate their properties individually and then to combine them. Those who are unable to do this inevitably acquire only the dimmest notion about the mind. So unless the properties of each taken by itself are first described, the meaning of this statement, that one's thoughts are not imputed to anyone, only one's will, cannot be grasped.
The properties of each are in summary form the following:
1. Love itself, and things to do with love, are lodged in the will; knowledge, intelligence and wisdom are lodged in the understanding. The will breathes its love into these, and brings about their favour and assent. As a result, what one's love and so one's intelligence are like determine what one is like oneself.
[2] 2. It follows from this that all good and also all evil belong to the will. For whatever arises from love is called good, even though it might be evil, for this is the result of the pleasure which makes up the will's life. By means of this pleasure the will enters into the understanding and gains its consent.
[3] 3. The will then is the being (esse) or essence of a person's life, but the understanding is the coming-into-being (existere) or arising from this. Since an essence has no reality unless it is endowed with a form, so the will has no reality unless it is in the understanding. The will therefore takes a form upon itself in the understanding, so that it may come to light.
[4] 4. The love in the will is the end in view, and in the understanding it seeks and finds causes, through which it may advance to its realisation. Since the end in view is an aim and this is what it seeks, it is also the aim of the will, by means of which it enters into the understanding, and impels it to consider and turn over the means, and to determine upon such means as aim at producing the effect.
[5] 5. All of a person's self (proprium) is in the will. It is from his first birth evil, and becomes good as the result of his second birth. One's first birth is from one's parents, the second from the Lord.
[6] 6. These few remarks will enable it to be seen that the will and the understanding have different properties, which from creation have been linked in the same relation as Being and Coming-into-being. Consequently it is primarily the will that makes a person a human being, only secondarily is it the understanding. Hence it is that one's will is imputed to one, but not one's thought; and likewise evil and good, since these, as I have said, are lodged in the will and only from there enter into the thought process of the understanding.
658. X. THOUGHT IS NOT IMPUTED TO ANYONE, BUT WILL ONLY.
Every educated man knows that the mind has two faculties or parts, the will and the understanding; but few know how to distinguish them aright, to examine their properties separately, and again unite them. Those who are unable to do this can form for themselves only the most obscure idea respecting the mind; therefore unless the properties of each are first separately described, this statement that thought is not imputed to anyone, but will only, cannot be understood. In brief, the properties of the two are as follows:
1. Love itself and the things pertaining to it reside in the will, and knowledge, intelligence and wisdom in the understanding; and these the will inspires with its love, and secures their favor and agreement; and the result is, that such as the love is, and the consequent intelligence, such is the man.
2. From this it also follows that all good as well as all evil belongs to the will; for whatever proceeds from the love is called good, even if it be evil, this being the result of delight, which constitutes the life of the love, the will, through its delight entering the understanding and producing consent.
3. Consequently the will is the being or essence of man's life, while the understanding is the outgo or existence therefrom. And as an essence is nothing except it is in some form, so the will is nothing unless it is in the understanding; wherefore the will takes form in the understanding, and thus comes to light.
4. Love in the will is the end, and in the understanding seeks and finds the causes whereby it advances into effect. And because the end is the purpose, and this is what the man intends, purpose also belongs to the will and through the intention enters the understanding and impels it to consider and evolve the means, and to conclude upon such things as tend to effects.
5. Everything that is man's very own is in the will, and is evil from the first birth, but it becomes good by means of the second birth. The first birth is from parents, but the second from the Lord.
6. From these few statements it can be seen that the property of the will and the property of the understanding are different; and that from creation these are conjoined like being and existence; consequently that man is man primarily from the will, and secondarily from the understanding. This is why thought is not imputed to man, but will, and consequently good and evil, because these, as before said, reside in the will and from that in the thought of the understanding.
658. X. WILL IS IMPUTED, BUT THOUGHT IS NOT IMPUTED TO ANY ONE.
Every scholar knows that there are two faculties or functions of the mind, the will and the understanding; but few know how to distinguish them aright, to examine their properties separately and then set these in their proper relationship. Those who cannot do this can form for themselves only the most obscure idea concerning the mind; therefore, unless the properties of the will and the understanding are first separately described, the truth of the proposition will not be comprehended, that will is imputed but not thought. The properties of each are briefly these:
1. Love itself, and what pertains to love, reside in the will, while knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom reside in the understanding; and the will inspires these with its love, and procures their favor and assent; hence every man is such as are his love and resulting intelligence.
2. It follows from this that all good and also all evil are of the will; for whatever proceeds from love is called good, although it should be evil, since delight, which constitutes the life of love, causes it to be so called. The will, by means of this delight, enters the understanding, and gains its consent.
3. The will, therefore, is the being (esse) or essence of man's life, but the understanding is the existing (existere) or the existence threrefrom. And since essence is nothing unless it is in some form, so the will is nothing unless it is in the understanding. Therefore, the will takes its form in the understanding, and thus comes to light.
4. Love in the will is the end, and in the understanding it seeks and finds causes by means of which it may proceed to the effect. Because the end is the purpose, and it is this which intends, purpose also pertains to the will, and by means of intention enters the understanding, and prompts it to consider and evolve means and to determine on what may tend to produce effects.
5. The whole of man's proprium is in the will, and is evil from his first birth, but becomes good from the second birth. The first birth is from parents, the second from the Lord.
From these few considerations it may be seen that the will and the understanding have different and distinct properties. By creation these are united, like being (esse) and existing (existere); consequently a man is a man primarily by virtue of his will, and secondarily by virtue of his understanding. Hence it is that will is imputed to man, but not thought; and therefore evil and good are imputed, because these, as was just stated, reside in the will, and thence in the thought of the understanding.
658. Quod nulli imputetur Cogitatio, sed Voluntas.
Omnis Eruditus scit, quod duae facultates seu partes Mentis sint, Voluntas et Intellectus, sed pauci sciunt juste discernere illas, et proprietates illarum singulatim lustrare, et has deinde conjungere; qui hoc non possunt, nec possunt aliquam notionem nisi obscurissimam de Mente sibi comparare; quare nisi prius proprietates cujusvis per se describuntur, non comprehenditur hoc, quod nulli imputetur cogitatio, sed voluntas. Proprietates utriusque in compendio, sunt hae. 1. Quod ipse amor, et quae amoris sunt, resideant in voluntate, et quod scientia, intelligentia, et sapientia in intellectu, et quod his voluntas inspiret suum amorem, ac operetur favorem et assensum; inde est, quod qualis amor et inde intelligentia, talis homo.
[2] Ex hoc etiam sequitur, quod omne bonum et quoque omne malum sit voluntatis, nam quicquid ex amore procedit, vocatur bonum, tametsi foret malum, nam jucundum quod facit vitam amoris, producit hoc: Voluntas per hoc jucundum intrat intellectum, et producit consensum.
[3] Est itaque Voluntas esse seu essentia vitae hominis, Intellectus autem est existere seu existentia inde: et quia essentia non est aliquid nisi in quadam forma, ita voluntas nisi in intellectu; quare voluntas se format in intellectu, et sic in lucem prodit.
[4] Amor in Voluntate est finis, et in intellectu conquirit et invenit causas, per quas se promoveat ad effectum; et quia finis est propositum, et hoc intendit, est quoque propositum voluntatis, et per intentionem intrat intellectum, et hunc agit ad versandum et volvendum media, et ad concludendum talia quae tendunt ad effectus.
[5] Omne proprium hominis inest voluntati, et hoc est malum a prima nativitate, et fit bonum ex altera; prima nativitas est ex parentibus, altera autem ex Domino.
[6] Ex his paucis videri potest, quod alia proprietas sit Voluntatis, 1 et alia Intellectus, et quod ex creatione conjunctae sint sicut esse et existere; consequenter, quod homo sit homo primario ex voluntate, et secundario ex intellectu; inde est quod homini imputetur voluntas, non autem cogitatio, proinde malum et bonum, quia haec, ut dictum est, in voluntate, et inde in intellectus cogitatione resident.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio forte: Vcluntatis.