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XXV. THE SEVEN-NUANCE-VIEW APPLIED TO FOUR PHILOSOPHICAL
PROBLEMS
Now, describing, - by citing a fourfoldness of the 'equivocal' doctrine in respect of a rootdistinction through comprising all States of all substances - His Holiness's facility in relishing the ambrosial sap of truth, he says - XXV. Quodammodo perishable, eternal, similar, of diverse form,
utterable, not utterable, existent and non-existent, one same thing: O Lord of the discerning! This is a suecession of belehings)
coming up from the nectar of deep-drunk truth. Quodammodo, the adverb signifying the equivocal' view is to be construed with all the eight words. One same thing, one entity to which they belong. Quodammodo, in a way, perishable; of a nature to perish, (199) that is non-eternal; quodammodo eternal, having the attribute of non-perishing is the meaning. This suffices for one affirmation, videlicet 'eternal and non-eternal'. Likewise quodammodo similar, having the form of universality as cause of recurrence; quodammodo of diverse form, of different form, consisting of dissimilar evolution, in the form of a particularity, as cause of separateness, is the meaning. Hereby we have a second aspect in the form of universality and particularity.
Likewise, quodammodo utterable, statable; quodammodo, not utterable, not statable, is the meaning. And here 'un-utterable', as a compound, would have been logical. Nevertheless, the word 'utterable being current.in regard to womb, etc., in order to avoid impropriety 'not utterable' has been employed by the author of the Laudation uncompounded. Hereby we have the third distinction, in the own-form of expressible and inexpressible. Likewise, quodammodo existent, actual, in the form of being, is the meaning: quodammodo non-existent, different therefrom. Hereby the fourth affirmation, termed existence and non-existence.
O Lord of the discerning! Chief of those who count! This, 'the just mentioned', 'succession of belchings coming up from the nectar of deep-drunk truth'; from the context, or from the general sense, 'Thy' is understood. Truth, outlining of the own-form of reality as it stands. That same, because giving riddance of old age and death, because of being enjoyable by the enlightened, because of abolishing the poison-flood of falsehood, and because of creating internal delight, is neetar, ambrosia, nectar of truth; when deeply, not on the level of others, drunk, quaffed, nectar of truth; therefrom come up, manifested, thereby caused, succession of belchings, 'series of belchings' is the meaning. For, just as someone having gulped up to the neck an ambrosial sap, emits, in consequence of it, a succession of belchings, so Your Holiness also, having quaffed at will ambrosia of truth, removing old age and death, in consequence of its taste belched up, by way of teaching, a succession of belchings, defined as the tetrad of distinctions in the 'equivocal' doctrine which is our topic.
Or else, the disputants for the non-equivocal view, who led to satiety upon poisonous food of falsehood, their forms of belchings in the shape of such and such statement have already been exhibited. But those who, favoured by abundance of matured ancient merit, have drunk
1) As has often been remarked, this idea and expression have in some countries no impropriety. 10 Thomas, The Flower Spray
