lectures16+17-第12章

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immense　lie　of　which　the　world　remains　a　victim。　　She　discovers；



in　the　new　light　from　above；　that　in　genuine　honor　there　is



nothing　spurious；　that　to　be　faithful　to　this　honor　is　to　give



our　respect　to　what　deserves　to　be　respected　really；　and　to



consider　as　nothing；　or　as　less　than　nothing；　whatsoever　perishes



and　is　not　agreeable　to　God。　。　。　。　She　laughs　when　she　sees



grave　persons；　persons　of　orison；　caring　for　points　of　honor　for



which　she　now　feels　profoundest　contempt。　　It　is　suitable　to　the



dignity　of　their　rank　to　act　thus；　they　pretend；　and　it　makes



them　more　useful　to　others。　　But　she　knows　that　in　despising　the



dignity　of　their　rank　for　the　pure　love　of　God　they　would　do　more



good　in　a　single　day　than　they　would　effect　in　ten　years　by



preserving　it。　。　。　。　She　laughs　at　herself　that　there　should



ever　have　been　a　time　in　her　life　when　she　made　any　case　of



money；　when　she　ever　desired　it。　。　。　。　　Oh！　if　human　beings　might



only　agree　together　to　regard　it　as　so　much　useless　mud；　what



harmony　would　then　reign　in　the　world！　With　what　friendship　we



would　all　treat　each　other　if　our　interest　in　honor　and　in　money



could　but　disappear　from　earth！　　For　my　own　part；　I　feel　as　if　it



would　be　a　remedy　for　all　our　ills。〃＇262＇







＇262＇　Vie；　pp。　229；　230；　231…233；　243。















Mystical　conditions　may；　therefore；　render　the　soul　more



energetic　in　the　lines　which　their　inspiration　favors。　　But　this



could　be　reckoned　an　advantage　only　in　case　the　inspiration　were



a　true　one。　　If　the　inspiration　were　erroneous；　the　energy　would



be　all　the　more　mistaken　and　misbegotten。　So　we　stand　once　more



before　that　problem　of　truth　which　confronted　us　at　the　end　of



the　lectures　on　saintliness。　　You　will　remember　that　we　turned　to



mysticism　precisely　to　get　some　light　on　truth。　　Do　mystical



states　establish　the　truth　of　those　theological　affections　in



which　the　saintly　life　has　its　root？















In　spite　of　their　repudiation　of　articulate　self…description；



mystical　states　in　general　assert　a　pretty　distinct　theoretic



drift。　　It　is　possible　to　give　the　outcome　of　the　majority　of



them　in　terms　that　point　in　definite　philosophical　directions。



One　of　these　directions　is　optimism；　and　the　other　is　monism。　We



pass　into　mystical　states　from　out　of　ordinary　consciousness　as



from　a　less　into　a　more；　as　from　a　smallness　into　a　vastness；　and



at　the　same　time　as　from　an　unrest　to　a　rest。　　We　feel　them　as



reconciling；　unifying　states。　　They　appeal　to　the　yes…function



more　than　to　the　no…function　in　us。　In　them　the　unlimited　absorbs



the　limits　and　peacefully　closes　the　account。　　Their　very　denial



of　every　adjective　you　may　propose　as　applicable　to　the　ultimate



truthHe；　the　Self；　the　Atman；　is　to　be　described　by　〃No！　no！〃



only；　say　the　Upanishads＇263＇though　it　seems　on　the　surface　to



be　a　no…function；　is　a　denial　made　on　behalf　of　a　deeper　yes。



Whoso　calls　the　Absolute　anything　in　particular；　or　says　that　it



is　THIS；　seems　implicitly　to　shut　it　off　from　being　THAT　it　is



as　if　he　lessened　it。　　So　we　deny　the　〃this；〃　negating　the



negation　which　it　seems　to　us　to　imply；　in　the　interests　of　the



higher　affirmative　attitude　by　which　we　are　possessed。　The



fountain…head　of　Christian　mysticism　is　Dionysius　the　Areopagite。







He　describes　the　absolute　truth　by　negatives　exclusively。







＇263＇　Muller's　translation；　part　ii。　p。　180。















〃The　cause　of　all　things　is　neither　soul　nor　intellect；　nor　has



it　imagination；　opinion；　or　reason；　or　intelligence；　nor　is　it



reason　or　intelligence；　nor　is　it　spoken　or　thought。　　It　is



neither　number；　nor　order；　nor　magnitude；　nor　littleness；　nor



equality；　nor　inequality；　nor　similarity；　nor　dissimilarity。　　It



neither　stands；　nor　moves；　nor　rests。　。　。　。　It　is　neither



essence；　nor　eternity；　nor　time。　　Even　intellectual　contact　does



not　belong　to　it。　　It　is　neither　science　nor　truth。　　It　is　not



even　royalty　or　wisdom；　not　one；　not　unity；　not　divinity　or



goodness；　nor　even　spirit　as　we　know　it；〃　etc。；　ad　libitum。＇264＇







＇264＇　T。　Davidson's　translation；　in　Journal　of　Speculative



Philosophy；　1893；　vol。　xxii。；　p。　399。















But　these　qualifications　are　denied　by　Dionysius；　not　because　the



truth　falls　short　of　them；　but　because　it　so　infinitely　excels



them。　　It　is　above　them。　　It　is　SUPER…lucent；　SUPER…splendent；



SUPER…essential；　SUPER…sublime；　SUPER　EVERYTHING　that　can　be



named。　　Like　Hegel　in　his　logic；　mystics　journey　towards　the



positive　pole　of　truth　only　by　the　〃Methode　der　Absoluten



Negativitat。〃＇265＇







＇265＇　〃Deus　propter　excellentiam　non　immerito　Nihil　vocatur。〃



Scotus　Erigena；　quoted　by　Andrew　Seth：　　Two　Lectures　on　Theism；



New　York；　1897；　p。　55。















Thus　come　the　paradoxical　expressions　that　so　abound　in　mystical



writings。　　As　when　Eckhart　tells　of　the　still　desert　of　the



Godhead；　〃where　never　was　seen　difference；　neither　Father；　Son；



nor　Holy　Ghost；　where　there　is　no　one　at　home；　yet　where　the



spark　of　the　soul　is　more　at　peace　than　in　itself。〃＇266＇　As　when



Boehme　writes　of　the　Primal　Love；　that　〃it　may　fitly　be　compared



to　Nothing；　for　it　is　deeper　than　any　Thing；　and　is　as　nothing



with　respect　to　all　things；　forasmuch　as　it　is　not　comprehensible



by　any　of　them。　　And　because　it　is　nothing　respectively；　it　is



therefore　free　from　all　things；　and　is　that　only　good；　which　a



man　cannot　express　or　utter　what　it　is；　there　being　nothing　to



which　it　may　be　compared；　to　express　it　by。〃＇267＇　　Or　as　when



Angelus　Silesius　sings：







　〃Gott　ist　ein　lauter　Nichts；　ihn　ruhrt　kein　Nun　noch　Hier；



　　Je　mehr　du　nach　ihm　greiffst；　je　mehr　entwind　er　dir。〃＇268＇







＇266＇　J。　Royce：　　Studies　in　Good　and　Evil；　p。　282。







＇267＇　Jacob　Bellmen's　Dialogues　on　the　Supersensual　Life；



translated　by　Bernard　Holland；　London；　1901；　p。　48。







＇268＇　Cherubinischer　Wandersmann；　Strophe　25。















To　this　dialectical　use；　by　the　intellect；　of　negation　as　a　mode



of　passage　towards　a　higher　kind　of　affirmation；　there　is



correlated　the　subtlest　of　moral　counterparts　in　the　sphere　of



the　personal　will。　　Since　denial　of　the　finite　self　and　its



wants；　since　asceticism　of　some　sort；　is　found　in　religious



experience　to　be　the　only　doorway　to　the　larger　and　more　blessed



life；　this　moral　mystery　intertwines　and　combines　with　the



intellectual　mystery　in　all　mystical　writings。







〃Love；〃　continues　Behmen；　is　Nothing；　for　〃when　thou　art　gone



forth　wholly　from　the　Creature　and　from　that　which　is　visible；



and　art　become　Nothing　to　all　that　is　Nature　and　Creature；　then



thou　art　in　that　eternal　One；　which　is　God　himself；　and　then　thou



shalt　feel　within　thee　the　highest　virtue　of　Love。　。　。　。　The



treasure　of　treasures　for　the　soul　is　where　she　goeth　out　of　the



Somewhat　into　that　Nothing　out　of　which　all　things　may　be　made。　



The　soul　here　saith；　I　HAVE　NOTHING；　for　I　am　utterly　stripped



and　naked；　I　CAN　DO　NOTHING；　for　I　have　no　manner　of　power；　but



am　as　water　poured　out；　I　AM　NOTHING；　for　all　that　I　am　is　no



more　than　an　image　of　Being；　and　only　God　is　to　me　I　AM；　and　so；



sitting　down　in　my　own　Nothingness；　I　give　glory　to　the　eternal



Being；　and　WILL　NOTHING　of　myself；　that　so　God　may　will　all　in



me；　being　unto　me　my　God　and　all　things。〃＇269＇







＇269＇　Op。　cit。；　pp。　42；　74；　abridged。















In　Paul's　language；　I　live；　yet　not　I；　but　Christ　liveth　in　me。　



Only　when　I　become　as　nothing　can　God　enter　in　and