lectures16+17-第11部分

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annulled　and　entirely　separated　from　himself；　hears　resound



outside　of　him　this　voice　and　this　echo：　　I　AM　GOD：　　he　has　an



eternal　way　of　existing；　and　is　no　longer　subject　to



death。'〃＇273＇　　In　the　vision　of　God；　says　Plotinus；　〃what　sees　is



not　our　reason；　but　something　prior　and　superior　to　our　reason。　。



。　。　　He　who　thus　sees　does　not　properly　see；　does　not　distinguish



or　imagine　two　things。　　He　changes；　he　ceases　to　be　himself；



preserves　nothing　of　himself。　　Absorbed　in　God；　he　makes　but　one



with　him；　like　a　centre　of　a　circle　coinciding　with　another



centre。〃＇274＇　　〃Here；〃　writes　Suso；　〃the　spirit　dies；　and　yet　is



all　alive　in　the　marvels　of　the　Godhead　。　。　。　and　is　lost　in　the



stillness　of　the　glorious　dazzling　obscurity　and　of　the　naked



simple　unity。　It　is　in　this　modeless　WHERE　that　the　highest　bliss



is　to　be　found。〃＇275＇　　〃Ich　bin　so　gross　als　Gott；〃　sings　Angelus



Silesius　again；　〃Er　ist　als　ich　so　klein；　Er　kann　nicht　uber



mich；　ich　unter　ihm　nicht　sein。〃＇276＇







＇272＇　Upanishads；　M。　Muller's　translation；　ii。　17；　334。







＇273＇　Schmolders：　Op。　cit。；　p。　210。







＇274＇　Enneads；　Bouillier's　translation。　Paris；　1861；　iii。　　561。



Compare　pp。　473…477；　and　vol。　i。　p。　27。







＇275＇　Autobiography；　pp。　309；　310。







＇276＇　Op。　cit。；　Strophe　10。















In　mystical　literature　such　self…contradictory　phrases　as



〃dazzling　obscurity；〃　〃whispering　silence；〃　〃teeming　desert；〃　are



continually　met　with。　　They　prove　that　not　conceptual　speech；　but



music　rather；　is　the　element　through　which　we　are　best　spoken　to



by　mystical　truth。　　Many　mystical　scriptures　are　indeed　little



more　than　musical　compositions。















〃He　who　would　hear　the　voice　of　Nada；　'the　Soundless　Sound；'　and



comprehend　it；　he　has　to　learn　the　nature　of　Dharana。　。　。　。　　When



to　himself　his　form　appears　unreal；　as　do　on　waking　all　the　forms



he　sees　in　dreams；　when　he　has　ceased　to　hear　the　many；　he　may



discern　the　ONEthe　inner　sound　which　kills　the　outer。　。　。　。　



For　then　the　soul　will　hear；　and　will　remember。　　And　then　to　the



inner　ear　will　speak　THE　VOICE　OF　THE　SILENCE。　。　。　。　　And　now　thy



SELF　is　lost　in　SELF；　THYSELF　unto　THYSELF；　merged　in　that　SELF



from　which　thou　first　didst　radiate。　。　　。　　。　Behold！　thou　hast



become　the　Light；　thou　hast　become　the　Sound；　thou　art　thy　Master



and　thy　God。　　Thou　art　THYSELF　the　object　of　thy　search：　　the



VOICE　unbroken；　that　resounds　throughout　eternities；　exempt　from



change；　from　sin　exempt；　the　seven　sounds　in　one；　the　VOICE　OF



THE　SILENCE。　　Om　tat　Sat。〃＇277＇







＇277＇　H。　P。　Blavatsky：　　The　voice　of　the　Silence。















These　words；　if　they　do　not　awaken　laughter　as　you　receive　them；



probably　stir　chords　within　you　which　music　and　language　touch　in



common。　　Music　gives　us　ontological　messages　which　non…musical



criticism　is　unable　to　contradict；　though　it　may　laugh　at　our



foolishness　in　minding　them。　　There　is　a　verge　of　the　mind　which



these　things　haunt；　and　whispers　therefrom　mingle　with　the



operations　of　our　understanding；　even　as　the　waters　of　the



infinite　ocean　send　their　waves　to　break　among　the　pebbles　that



lie　upon　our　shores。







　〃Here　begins　the　sea　that　ends　not　till　the　world's　end。　　Where　



　　　　　we　stand；　　



Could　we　know　the　next　high　sea…mark　set　beyond　these　waves　　　　　



　　　　　that　gleam；



　We　should　know　what　never　man　hath　known；　nor　eye　of　man　　　　　



　　　　　hath　scanned。　。　。　。　　



Ah；　but　here　man's　heart　leaps；　yearning　towards　the　gloom　　　　　



　　　with　venturous　glee；　



From　the　shore　that　hath　no　shore　beyond　it；　set　in　all　the　　　　　



　　　　sea。〃＇278＇







＇278＇　Swinburne：　　On　the　Verge；　in　〃A　Midsummer　vacation。〃















That　doctrine；　for　example；　that　eternity　is　timeless；　that　our



〃immortality；〃　if　we　live　in　the　eternal；　is　not　so　much　future



as　already　now　and　here；　which　we　find　so　often　expressed　to…day



in　certain　philosophic　circles；　finds　its　support　in　a　〃hear；



hear！〃　or　an　〃amen；〃　which　floats　up　from　that　mysteriously



deeper　level。＇279＇　　We　recognize　the　passwords　to　the　mystical



region　as　we　hear　them；　but　we　cannot　use　them　ourselves；　it



alone　has　the　keeping　of　〃the　password　primeval。〃＇280＇







＇279＇　Compare　the　extracts　from　Dr。　Bucke；　quoted　on　pp。　398；



399。







＇280＇　As　serious　an　attempt　as　I　know　to　mediate　between　the



mystical　region　and　the　discursive　life　is　contained　in　an



article　on　Aristotle's　Unmoved　Mover；　by　F。　C。　S。　Schiller；　in



Mind；　vol。　ix。；　1900。















I　have　now　sketched　with　extreme　brevity　and　insufficiency；　but



as　fairly　as　I　am　able　in　the　time　allowed；　the　general　traits　of



the　mystic　range　of　consciousness。　　It　is　on　the　whole



pantheistic　and　optimistic；　or　at　least　the　opposite　of



pessimistic。　　It　is　anti…naturalistic；　and　harmonizes　best　with



twice…bornness　and　so…called　other…worldly　states　mind。







My　next　task　is　to　inquire　whether　we　can　invoke　it　as



authoritative。　　Does　it　furnish　any　WARRANT　FOR　THE　TRUTH　of　the



twice…bornness　and　supernaturality　and　pantheism　which　it　favors？







I　must　give　my　answer　to　this　question　as　concisely　as　I　can。　　In



brief　my　answer　is　thisand　I　will　divide　it　into　three　parts：







（1）　Mystical　states；　when　well　developed；　usually　are；　and　have



the　right　to　be；　absolutely　authoritative　over　the　individuals　to



whom　they　come。







（2）　No　authority　emanates　from　them　which　should　make　it　a　duty



for　those　who　stand　outside　of　them　to　accept　their　revelations



uncritically。







（3）　They　break　down　the　authority　of　the　non…mystical　or



rationalistic　consciousness；　based　upon　the　understanding　and　the



senses　alone。　　They　show　it　to　be　only　one　kind　of　consciousness。







They　open　out　the　possibility　of　other　orders　of　truth；　in　which；



so　far　as　anything　in　us　vitally　responds　to　them；　we　may　freely



continue　to　have　faith。







I　will　take　up　these　points　one　by　one。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1。



As　a　matter　of　psychological　fact；　mystical　states　of　a



well…pronounced　and　emphatic　sort　ARE　usually　authoritative　over



those　who　have　them。＇281＇　They　have　been　〃there；〃　and　know。　　It



is　vain　for　rationalism　to　grumble　about　this。　If　the　mystical



truth　that　comes　to　a　man　proves　to　be　a　force　that　he　can　live



by；　what　mandate　have　we　of　the　majority　to　order　him　to　live　in



another　way？　　We　can　throw　him　into　a　prison　or　a　madhouse；　but



we　cannot　change　his　mindwe　commonly　attach　it　only　the　more



stubbornly　to　its　beliefs。＇282＇　It　mocks　our　utmost　efforts；　as　a



matter　of　fact；　and　in　point　of　logic　it　absolutely　escapes　our



jurisdiction。　　Our　own　more　〃rational〃　beliefs　are　based　on



evidence　exactly　similar　in　nature　to　that　which　mystics　quote



for　theirs。　　Our　senses；　namely；　have　assured　us　of　certain



states　of　fact；　but　mystical　experiences　are　as　direct



perceptions　of　fact　for　those　who　have　them　as　any　sensations



ever　were　for　us。　　The　records　show　that　even　though　the　five



senses　be　in　abeyance　in　them；　they　are　absolutely　sensational　in



their　epistemological　quality；　if　I　may　be　pardoned　the　barbarous



expressionthat　is；　they　are　face　to　face　presentations　of　what



seems　immediately　to　exist。　＇281＇　I　abstract　from　weaker　states；



and　from　those　cases　of　which　the　books　are　full；　where　the



director　（but　usually　not　the　subject）　remains　in　doubt　whether



the　experience　may　not　have　proceeded　from　the　demon。







＇282＇　Example：　　Mr。　John　Nelson　writes　of　his　imprisonment　for



preaching　Methodism：　　〃My　soul　was　as　a　watered　garden；　and　I



could　sing　praises　to　God　all　day　long；　for　he　turned　my



captivity　into　joy；　and　gave　me　to　rest　as　well　on　the　boards；　as



if　I　had　been　on　a　bed　of　down。　　Now　could　I　say；　'God's　service



is　perfect　freedom；'　and　I　was　carried　out　much　in　prayer　that　my



enemies　might　drink　of　the　same　river　of　peace　which　my　God　gave



so　largely　to　me。〃　　Journal；　London；　no　date；　p。　172。















The　mystic　is；　in　short；　INVULNERABLE；　and　must　be　left；　whether



we　relish　it　or　not；　in　undisturbed　enjoyment　of　his　creed。　



Faith；　says　Tolstoy；　is　that　by　which　men　live。　And　faith…state



and　mystic　state　are　practically　convertible　terms。











　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2。



But　I　now　proceed　to　add　that　mystics　have　no　right　to　claim　that



we　ought　to　accept　the　deliverance　of　their　peculiar　experiences；



if　we　are　ourselves　outsiders　and　feel　no　private　call　thereto。　



The　utmost　they　can　ever　ask　of　us　in　this　life　is　to　admit　that



they　establish　a　presumption。　　They　form　a　consensus　and　have　an



unequivocal　outcome；　and　it　would　be　odd；　mystics　might　say；　if



such　a　unanimous　type　of　experience　should　prove　to　be　altogether



wrong。　　At　bottom；　however；　this　would　only　be　an　appeal　to



numbers；　like　the　appeal　of　rationalism　the　other　way；　and　the



appeal　to　numbers　has　no　logical　force。　　If　we　acknowledge　it；　it



is　for　〃suggestive；〃　not　for　logical　reasons：　　we　follow　the



majority　because　to　do　so　suits　our　life。







But　even　this　presumption　from　the　unanimity　of　mystics　is　far



from　being　strong。　　In　characterizing　mystic　states　an



pantheistic；　optimistic；　etc。；　I　am　afraid　I　over…simplified　the



truth。　　I　did　so　for　expository　reasons；　and　to　keep　the　closer



to　the　classic　mystical　tradition。　　The　classic　religious



mysticism；　it　now　must　be　confessed；　is　on