lecture20-第10章

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often　fail　to　be　aroused　in　an　individual　until　certain



particular　intellectual　beliefs　or　ideas　which；　as　we　say；　come



home　to　him；　are　touched。＇358＇　These　ideas　will　thus　be　essential



to　that　individual's　religion；which　is　as　much　as　to　say　that



over…beliefs　in　various　directions　are　absolutely　indispensable；



and　that　we　should　treat　them　with　tenderness　and　tolerance　so



long　as　they　are　not　intolerant　themselves。　As　I　have　elsewhere



written；　the　most　interesting　and　valuable　things　about　a　man　are



usually　his　over…beliefs。







＇358＇　For　instance；　here　is　a　case　where　a　person　exposed　from



her　birth　to　Christian　ideas　had　to　wait　till　they　came　to　her



clad　in　spiritistic　formulas　before　the　saving　experience　set



in：







〃For　myself　I　can　say　that　spiritualism　has　saved　me。　　It　was



revealed　to　me　at　a　critical　moment　of　my　life；　and　without　it　I



don't　know　what　I　should　have　done。　　It　has　taught　me　to　detach



myself　from　worldly　things　and　to　place　my　hope　in　things　to



come。　　Through　it　I　have　learned　to　see　in　all　men；　even　in　those



most　criminal；　even　in　those　from　whom　I　have　most　suffered；



undeveloped　brothers　to　whom　I　owed　assistance；　love；　and



forgiveness。　　I　have　learned　that　I　must　lose　my　temper　over



nothing　despise　no　one；　and　pray　for　all。　　Most　of　all　I　have



learned　to　pray！　　And　although　I　have　still　much　to　learn　in　this



domain；　prayer　ever　brings　me　more　strength；　consolation；　and



comfort。　　I　feel　more　than　ever　that　I　have　only　made　a　few　steps



on　the　long　road　of　progress；　but　I　look　at　its　length　without



dismay；　for　I　have　confidence　that　the　day　will　come　when　all　my



efforts　shall　be　rewarded。　　So　Spiritualism　has　a　great　place　in



my　life；　indeed　it　holds　the　first　place　there。〃　　Flournoy



Collection。















Disregarding　the　over　beliefs；　and　confining　ourselves　to　what　is



common　and　generic；　we　have　in　the　fact　that　the　conscious　person



is　continuous　with　a　wider　self　through　which　saving　experiences



come；＇359＇　a　positive　content　of　religious　experience　which；　it



seems　to　me；　is　literally　and　objectively　true　as　far　as　it　goes。







If　I　now　proceed　to　state　my　own　hypothesis　about　the　farther



limits　of　this　extension　of　our　personality；　I　shall　be　offering



my　own　over…belief　though　I　know　it　will　appear　a　sorry



under…belief　to　some　of　youfor　which　I　can　only　bespeak　the



same　indulgence　which　in　a　converse　case　I　should　accord　to



yours。







＇359＇　〃The　influence　of　the　Holy　Spirit；　exquisitely　called　the



Comforter；　is　a　matter　of　actual　experience；　as　solid　a　reality



as　that　of　electro　magnetism。〃　　W。　C。　Brownell；　Scribner's



Magazine；　vol。　xxx。　p。　112。















　The　further　limits　of　our　being　plunge；　it　seems　to　me；



into　an　altogether　other　dimension　of　existence　from　the　sensible



and　merely　〃understandable〃　world。　　Name　it　the　mystical　region；



or　the　supernatural　region；　whichever　you　choose。　　So　far　as　our



ideal　impulses　originate　in　this　region　（and　most　of　them　do



originate　in　it；　for　we　find　them　possessing　us　in　a　way　for



which　we　cannot　articulately　account）；　we　belong　to　it　in　a　more



intimate　sense　than　that　in　which　we　belong　to　the　visible　world；



for　we　belong　in　the　most　intimate　sense　wherever　our　ideals



belong。　　Yet　the　unseen　region　in　question　is　not　merely　ideal；



for　it　produces　effects　in　this　world。　　When　we　commune　with　it；



work　is　actually　done　upon　our　finite　personality；　for　we　are



turned　into　new　men；　and　consequences　in　the　way　of　conduct



follow　in　the　natural　world　upon　our　regenerative　change。＇360＇



But　that　which　produces　effects　within　another　reality　must　be



termed　a　reality　itself；　so　I　feel　as　if　we　had　no　philosophic



excuse　for　calling　the　unseen　or　mystical　world　unreal。







＇360＇　That　the　transaction　of　opening　ourselves；　otherwise　called



prayer；　is　a　perfectly　definite　one　for　certain　persons；　appears



abundantly　in　the　preceding　lectures。　　I　append　another　concrete



example　to　rein　force　the　impression　on　the　reader's　mind：







〃Man　can　learn　to　transcend　these　limitations　＇of　finite　thought＇



and　draw　power　and　wisdom　at　will。　。　。　。　The　divine　presence　is



known　through　experience。　　The　turning　to　a　higher　plane　is　a



distinct　act　of　consciousness。　　It　is　not　a　vague；　twilight　or



semi…conscious　experience。　　It　is　not　an　ecstasy；　it　is　not　a



trance。　　It　is　not　super…consciousness　in　the　Vedantic　sense。　　It



is　not　due　to　self…hypnotization。　　It　is　a　perfectly　calm；　sane；



sound；　rational；　common…sense　shifting　of　consciousness　from　the



phenomena　of　sense…perception　to　the　phenomena　of　seership；　from



the　thought　of　self　to　a　distinctively　higher　realm。　。　。　。　For



example；　if　the　lower　self　be　nervous；　anxious；　tense；　one　can　in



a　few　moments　compel　it　to　be　calm。　　This　is　not　done　by　a　word



simply。　　Again　I　say；　it　is　not　hypnotism。　　It　is　by　the　exercise



of　power。　　One　feels　the　spirit　of　peace　as　definitely　as　heat　is



perceived　on　a　hot　summer　day。　　The　power　can　be　as　surely　used



as　the　sun　s　rays　can　be　focused　and　made　to　do　work；　to　set　fire



to　wood。〃　　The　Higher　Law；　vol。　iv。　pp。　4；　6；　Boston；　August；



1901。















God　is　the　natural　appellation；　for　us　Christians　at　least；　for



the　supreme　reality；　so　I　will　call　this　higher　part　of　the



universe　by　the　name　of　God。＇361＇　　We　and　God　have　business　with



each　other；　and　in　opening　ourselves　to　his　influence　our　deepest



destiny　is　fulfilled。　　The　universe；　at　those　parts　of　it　which



our　personal　being　constitutes；　takes　a　turn　genuinely　for　the



worse　or　for　the　better　in　proportion　as　each　one　of　us　fulfills



or　evades　God's　demands。　　As　far　as　this　goes　I　probably　have　you



with　me；　for　I　only　translate　into　schematic　language　what　I　may



call　the　instinctive　belief　of　mankind：　　God　is　real　since　he



produces　real　effects。







＇361＇　Transcendentalists　are　fond　of　the　term　〃Over…soul；〃　but　as



a　rule　they　use　it　in　an　intellectualist　sense；　as　meaning　only　a



medium　of　communion。　　〃God〃　is　a　causal　agent　as　well　as　a　medium



of　communion；　and　that　is　the　aspect　which　I　wish　to　emphasize。















The　real　effects　in　question；　so　far　as　I　have　as　yet　admitted



them；　are　exerted　on　the　personal　centres　of　energy　of　the



various　subjects；　but　the　spontaneous　faith　of　most　of　the



subjects　is　that　they　embrace　a　wider　sphere　than　this。　　Most



religious　men　believe　（or　〃know；〃　if　they　be　mystical）　that　not



only　they　themselves；　but　the　whole　universe　of　beings　to　whom



the　God　is　present；　are　secure　in　his　parental　hands。　　There　is　a



sense；　a　dimension；　they　are　sure；　in　which　we　are　ALL　saved；　in



spite　of　the　gates　of　hell　and　all　adverse　terrestrial



appearances。　　God's　existence　is　the　guarantee　of　an　ideal　order



that　shall　be　permanently　preserved。　　This　world　may　indeed；　as



science　assures　us；　some　day　burn　up　or　freeze；　but　if　it　is　part



of　his　order；　the　old　ideals　are　sure　to　be　brought　elsewhere　to



fruition；　so　that　where　God　is；　tragedy　is　only　provisional　and



partial；　and　shipwreck　and　dissolution　are　not　the　absolutely



final　things。　　Only　when　this　farther　step　of　faith　concerning



God　is　taken；　and　remote　objective　consequences　are　predicted；



does　religion；　as　it　seems　to　me；　get　wholly　free　from　the　first



immediate　subjective　experience；　and　bring　a　REAL　HYPOTHESIS　into



play。　　A　good　hypothesis　in　science　must　have　other　properties



than　those　of　the　phenomenon　it　is　immediately　invoked　to



explain；　otherwise　it　is　not　pr