lectures16+17-第1章

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Lectures　XVI　and　XVII







MYSTICISM







Over　and　over　again　in　these　lectures　I　have　raised　points　and



left　them　open　and　unfinished　until　we　should　have　come　to　the



subject　of　Mysticism。　　Some　of　you；　I　fear；　may　have　smiled　as



you　noted　my　reiterated　postponements。　　But　now　the　hour　has　come



when　mysticism　must　be　faced　in　good　earnest；　and　those　broken



threads　wound　up　together。　　One　may　say　truly；　I　think；　that



personal　religious　experience　has　its　root　and　centre　in　mystical



states　of　consciousness；　so　for　us；　who　in　these　lectures　are



treating　personal　experience　as　the　exclusive　subject　of　our



study；　such　states　of　consciousness　ought　to　form　the　vital



chapter　from　which　the　other　chapters　get　their　light。　　Whether



my　treatment　of　mystical　states　will　shed　more　light　or　darkness；



I　do　not　know；　for　my　own　constitution　shuts　me　out　from　their



enjoyment　almost　entirely；　and　I　can　speak　of　them　only　at　second



hand。　　But　though　forced　to　look　upon　the　subject　so　externally；



I　will　be　as　objective　and　receptive　as　I　can；　and　I　think　I



shall　at　least　succeed　in　convincing　you　of　the　reality　of　the



states　in　question；　and　of　the　paramount　importance　of　their



function。







First　of　all；　then；　I　ask；　What　does　the　expression　〃mystical



states　of　consciousness〃　mean？　　How　do　we　part　off　mystical



states　from　other　states？







The　words　〃mysticism〃　and　〃mystical〃　are　often　used　as　terms　of



mere　reproach；　to　throw　at　any　opinion　which　we　regard　as　vague



and　vast　and　sentimental；　and　without　a　base　in　either　facts　or



logic。　　For　some　writers　a　〃mystic〃　is　any　person　who　believes　in



thought…transference；　or　spirit…return。　　Employed　in　this　way　the



word　has　little　value：　　there　are　too　many　less　ambiguous



synonyms。　　So；　to　keep　it　useful　by　restricting　it；　I　will　do



what　I　did　in　the　case　of　the　word　〃religion；〃　and　simply　propose



to　you　four　marks　which；　when　an　experience　has　them；　may　justify



us　in　calling　it　mystical　for　the　purpose　of　the　present



lectures。　In　this　way　we　shall　save　verbal　disputation；　and　the



recriminations　that　generally　go　therewith。







1。　　Ineffability。The　handiest　of　the　marks　by　which　I　classify



a　state　of　mind　as　mystical　is　negative。　　The　subject　of　it



immediately　says　that　it　defies　expression；　that　no　adequate



report　of　its　contents　can　be　given　in　words。　　It　follows　from



this　that　its　quality　must　be　directly　experienced；　it　cannot　be



imparted　or　transferred　to　others。　　In　this　peculiarity　mystical



states　are　more　like　states　of　feeling　than　like　states　of



intellect。　　No　one　can　make　clear　to　another　who　has　never　had　a



certain　feeling；　in　what　the　quality　or　worth　of　it　consists。　



One　must　have　musical　ears　to　know　the　value　of　a　symphony；　one



must　have　been　in　love　one's　self　to　understand　a　lover's　state



of　mind。　　Lacking　the　heart　or　ear；　we　cannot　interpret　the



musician　or　the　lover　justly；　and　are　even　likely　to　consider　him



weak…minded　or　absurd。　The　mystic　finds　that　most　of　us　accord　to



his　experiences　an　equally　incompetent　treatment。







2。　　Noetic　quality。Although　so　similar　to　states　of　feeling；



mystical　states　seem　to　those　who　experience　them　to　be　also



states　of　knowledge。　　They　are　states　of　insight　into　depths　of



truth　unplumbed　by　the　discursive　intellect。　　They　are



illuminations；　revelations；　full　of　significance　and　importance；



all　inarticulate　though　they　remain；　and　as　a　rule　they　carry



with　them　a　curious　sense　of　authority　for　after…time。







These　two　characters　will　entitle　any　state　to　be　called



mystical；　in　the　sense　in　which　I　use　the　word。　　Two　other



qualities　are　less　sharply　marked；　but　are　usually　found。　These



are：







3。　　Transiency。Mystical　states　cannot　be　sustained　for　long。　



Except　in　rare　instances；　half　an　hour；　or　at　most　an　hour　or



two；　seems　to　be　the　limit　beyond　which　they　fade　into　the　light



of　common　day。　　Often；　when　faded；　their　quality　can　but



imperfectly　be　reproduced　in　memory；　but　when　they　recur　it　is



recognized；　and　from　one　recurrence　to　another　it　is　susceptible



of　continuous　development　in　what　is　felt　as　inner　richness　and



importance。







4。　　Passivity。Although　the　oncoming　of　mystical　states　may　be



facilitated　by　preliminary　voluntary　operations；　as　by　fixing　the



attention；　or　going　through　certain　bodily　performances；　or　in



other　ways　which　manuals　of　mysticism　prescribe；　yet　when　the



characteristic　sort　of　consciousness　once　has　set　in；　the　mystic



feels　as　if　his　own　will　were　in　abeyance；　and　indeed　sometimes



as　if　he　were　grasped　and　held　by　a　superior　power。　　This　latter



peculiarity　connects　mystical　states　with　certain　definite



phenomena　of　secondary　or　alternative　personality；　such　as



prophetic　speech；　automatic　writing；　or　the　mediumistic　trance。　



When　these　latter　conditions　are　well　pronounced；　however；　there



may　be　no　recollection　whatever　of　the　phenomenon；　and　it　may



have　no　significance　for　the　subject's　usual　inner　life；　to



which；　as　it　were；　it　makes　a　mere　interruption。　　Mystical



states；　strictly　so…called；　are　never　merely　interruptive。　　Some



memory　of　their　content　always　remains；　and　a　profound　sense　of



their　importance。　　They　modify　the　inner　life　of　the　subject



between　the　times　of　their　recurrence。　　Sharp　divisions　in　this



region　are；　however；　difficult　to　make；　and　we　find　all　sorts　of



gradations　and　mixtures。







These　four　characteristics　are　sufficient　to　mark　out　a　group　of



states　of　consciousness　peculiar　enough　to　deserve　a　special　name



and　to　call　for　careful　study。　　Let　it　then　be　called　the



mystical　group。



　



Our　next　step　should　be　to　gain　acquaintance　with　some　typical



examples。　　Professional　mystics　at　the　height　of　their



development　have　often　elaborately　organized　experiences　and　a



philosophy　based　thereupon。　　But　you　remember　what　I　said　in　my



first　lecture：　　phenomena　are　best　understood　when　placed　within



their　series；　studied　in　their　germ　and　in　their　over…ripe　decay；



and　compared　with　their　exaggerated　and　degenerated　kindred。　　The



range　of　mystical　experience　is　very　wide；　much　too　wide　for　us



to　cover　in　the　time　at　our　disposal。　　Yet　the　method　of　serial



study　is　so　essential　for　interpretation　that　if　we　really　wish



to　reach　conclusions　we　must　use　it。　　I　will　begin；　therefore；



with　phenomena　which　claim　no　special　religious　significance；　and



end　with　those　of　which　the　religious　pretensions　are　extreme。







The　simplest　rudiment　of　mystical　experience　would　seem　to　be



that　deepened　sense　of　the　significance　of　a　maxim　or　formula



which　occasionally　sweeps　over　one。　〃I've　heard　that　said　all　my



life；〃　we　exclaim；　〃but　I　never　realized　its　full　meaning　until



now。〃　　〃When　a　fellow…monk；〃　said　Luther；　〃one　day　repeated



the　words　of　the　Creed：　　'I　believe　in　the　forgiveness　of　sins；'



I　saw　the　Scripture　in　an　entirely　new　light；　and　straightway　I



felt　as　if　I　were　born　anew。　　It　was　as　if　I　had　found　the　door



of　paradise　thrown　wide　open。〃＇226＇　This　sense　of　deeper



significance　is　not　confined　to　rational　propositions。　　Single



words；＇227＇　and　conjunctions　of　words；　effects　of　light　on　land



and　sea；　odors　and　musical　sounds；　all　bring　it　when　the　mind　is



tuned　aright。　　Most　of　us　can　remember　the　strangely　moving　power



of　passages　in　certain　poems　read　when　we　were　young；　irrational



doorways　as　they　were　through　which　the　mystery　of　fact；　the



wildness　and　the　pang　of　life；　stole　into　our　hearts　and　thrilled