lectures16+17-第6部分
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midnight。 I had a long drive in a hansom to my lodging。 My
mind; deeply under the influence of the ideas; images; and
emotions called up by the reading and talk; was calm and
peaceful。 I was in a state of quiet; almost passive enjoyment;
not actually thinking; but letting ideas; images; and emotions
flow of themselves; as it were; through my mind。 All at once;
without warning of any kind; I found myself wrapped in a
flame…colored cloud。 For an instant I thought of fire; an
immense conflagration somewhere close by in that great city; the
next; I knew that the fire was within myself。 Directly afterward
there came upon me a sense of exultation; of immense joyousness
accompanied or immediately followed by an intellectual
illumination impossible to describe。 Among other things; I did
not merely come to believe; but I saw that the universe is not
composed of dead matter; but is; on the contrary; a living
Presence; I became conscious in myself of eternal life。 It was
not a conviction that I would have eternal life; but a
consciousness that I possessed eternal life then; I saw that all
men are immortal; that the cosmic order is such that without any
peradventure all things work together for the good of each and
all; that the foundation principle of the world; of all the
worlds; is what we call love; and that the happiness of each and
all is in the long run absolutely certain。 The vision
lasted a few seconds and was gone; but the memory of it and the
sense of the reality of what it taught has remained during the
quarter of a century which has since elapsed。 I knew that what
the vision showed was true。 I had attained to a point of view
from which I saw that it must be true。 That view; that
conviction; I may say that consciousness; has never; even during
periods of the deepest depression; been lost。〃'244'
'244' Loc。 cit。; pp。 7; 8。 My quotation follows the privately
printed pamphlet which preceded Dr。 Bucke's larger work; and
differs verbally a little from the text of the latter。
We have now seen enough of this cosmic or mystic consciousness;
as it comes sporadically。 We must next pass to its methodical
cultivation as an element of the religious life。 Hindus;
Buddhists; Mohammedans; and Christians all have cultivated it
methodically。
In India; training in mystical insight has been known from time
immemorial under the name of yoga。 Yoga means the experimental
union of the individual with the divine。 It is based on
persevering exercise; and the diet; posture; breathing;
intellectual concentration; and moral discipline vary slightly in
the different systems which teach it。 The yogi; or disciple; who
has by these means overcome the obscurations of his lower nature
sufficiently; enters into the condition termed samadhi; 〃and
comes face to face with facts which no instinct or reason can
ever know。〃 He learns
〃That the mind itself has a higher state of existence; beyond
reason; a superconscious state; and that when the mind gets to
that higher state; then this knowledge beyond reasoning comes。 。
。 。 All the different steps in yoga are intended to bring us
scientifically to the superconscious state or Samadhi。 。 。 。
Just as unconscious work is beneath consciousness; so there is
another work which is above consciousness; and which; also; is
not accompanied with the feeling of egoism 。 。 。 。 There is no
feeling of I; and yet the mind works; desireless; free from
restlessness; objectless; bodiless。 Then the Truth shines in its
full effulgence; and we know ourselvesfor Samadhi lies
potential in us allfor what we truly are; free; immortal;
omnipotent; loosed from the finite; and its contrasts of good and
evil altogether; and identical with the Atman or Universal
Soul。〃'245'
'245' My quotations are from Vivekananda; Raja Yoga; London;
1896。 The completest source of information on Yoga is the work
translated by Vihari Lala Mtra: Yoga Vasishta Maha Ramayana。 4
vols。 Calcutta; 1891…99。
The Vedantists say that one may stumble into superconsciousness
sporadically; without the previous discipline; but it is then
impure。 Their test of its purity; like our test of religion's
value; is empirical: its fruits must be good for life。 When a
man comes out of Samadhi; they assure us that he remains
〃enlightened; a sage; a prophet; a saint; his whole character
changed; his life changed; illumined。〃'246'
'246' A European witness; after carefully comparing the results
of Yoga with those of the hypnotic or dreamy states artificially
producible by us; says: 〃It makes of its true disciples good;
healthy; and happy men。 。 。 。 Through the mastery which the yogi
attains over his thoughts and his body; he grows into a
'character。' By the subjection of his impulses and propensities
to his will; and the fixing of the latter upon the ideal of
goodness; he becomes a 'personality' hard to influence by others;
and thus almost the opposite of what we usually imagine a medium
so…called; or psychic subject to be。 Karl Kellner: Yoga: Eine
Skizze; Munchen; 1896; p。 21。
The Buddhists used the word 〃samadhi〃 as well as the Hindus; but
〃dhyana〃 is their special word for higher states of
contemplation。 There seem to be four stages recognized in
dhyana。 The first stage comes through concentration of the mind
upon one point。 It excludes desire; but not discernment or
judgment: it is still intellectual。 In the second stage the
intellectual functions drop off; and the satisfied sense of unity
remains。 In the third stage the satisfaction departs; and
indifference begins; along with memory a self…consciousness。 In
the fourth stage the indifference; memory; and self…consciousness
are perfected。 'Just what 〃memory〃 and 〃self…consciousness〃 mean
in this connection is doubtful。 They cannot be the faculties
familiar to us in the lower life。' Higher stages still of
contemplation are mentioneda region where there exists nothing;
and where the mediator says: 〃There exists absolutely nothing;〃
and stops。 Then he reaches another region where he says: 〃There
are neither ideas nor absence of ideas;〃 and stops again。 Then
another region where; 〃having reached the end of both idea and
perception; he stops finally。〃 This would seem to be; not yet
Nirvana; but as close an approach to it as this life
affords。'247'
'247' I follow the account in C。 F。 Koeppen: Die Religion des
Buddha; Berlin; 1857; i。 585 ff。
In the Mohammedan world the Sufi sect and various dervish bodies
are the possessors of the mystical tradition。 The Sufis have
existed in Persia from the earliest times; and as their pantheism
is so at variance with the hot and rigid monotheism of the Arab
mind; it has been suggested that Sufism must have been inoculated
into Islam by Hindu influences。 We Christians know little of
Sufism; for its secrets are disclosed only to those initiated。
To give its existence a certain liveliness in your minds; I will
quote a Moslem document; and pass away from the subject。
Al…Ghazzali; a Persian philosopher and theologian; who flourished
in the eleventh century; and ranks as one of the greatest doctors
of the Moslem church; has left us one of the few autobiographies
to be found outside of Christian literature。 Strange that a
species of book so abundant among ourselves should be so little
represented elsewherethe absence of strictly personal
confessions is the chief difficulty to the purely literary
student who would like to become acquainted with the inwardness
of religions other than the Christian。 M。 Schmolders has
translated a part of Al…Ghazzali's autobiography into
French:'248'
'248' For a full account of him; see D。 B。 Macdonald: The Life
Of Al…Ghazzali; in the Journal of the American Oriental Society;
1899; vol。 xx。; p。 71。
〃The Science of the Sufis;〃 says the Moslem author; 〃aims at
detaching the heart from all that is not God; and at giving to it
for sole occupation the meditation of the divine being。 Theory
being more easy for me than practice; I read 'certain books'
until I understood all that can be learned by study and hearsay。
Then I recognized that what pertains most exclusively to their
method is just what no study can grasp; but only transport;
ecstasy; and the transformation of the soul。 How great; for
example; is the difference between knowing the definitions of
health; of satiety; with their causes and conditions; and being
really healthy or filled。 How different to know in what
drunkenness consistsas being a state occasioned by a vapor that
rises from the stomachand BEING drunk effectively。 Without
doubt; the drunken man knows neither the definition of
drunkenness nor what makes it interesting for science。 Being
drunk; he knows nothing; whilst the physician; although not drunk
knows well in what drunkenness consists; and what are its
predisposing conditions。 Similarly there is a difference between
knowing the nature of abstinence; and BEING abstinent or having
one's soul detached from the world。Thus I had learned what
words could teach of Sufism; but what was left could be learned
neither by study nor through the ears; but solel