lectures16+17-第3章

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trance　of　fiery；　vacant；　apprehensive；　skeptical　Self　from　which



I　issue；　or　these　surrounding　phenomena　and　habits　which　veil



that　inner　Self　and　build　a　self　of　flesh…and…　blood



conventionality？　　Again；　are　men　the　factors　of　some　dream；　the



dream…like　unsubstantiality　of　which　they　comprehend　at　such



eventful　moments？　　What　would　happen　if　the　final　stage　of　the



trance　were　reached？〃＇231＇







＇231＇　H。　F。　Brown：　　J。　A。　Symonds。　a　Biography；　London；　1895；　pp。



29…31；　abridged。















In　a　recital　like　this　there　is　certainly　something　suggestive　of



pathology。＇232＇　　The　next　step　into　mystical　states　carries　us



into　a　realm　that　public　opinion　and　ethical　philosophy　have　long



since　branded　as　pathological；　though　private　practice　and



certain　lyric　strains　of　poetry　seem　still　to　bear　witness　to　its



ideality。　　I　refer　to　the　consciousness　produced　by　intoxicants



and　anaesthetics；　especially　by　alcohol。　　The　sway　of　alcohol



over　mankind　is　unquestionably　due　to　its　power　to　stimulate　the



mystical　faculties　of　human　nature；　usually　crushed　to　earth　by



the　cold　facts　and　dry　criticisms　of　the　sober　hour。　　Sobriety



diminishes；　discriminates；　and　says　no；　drunkenness　expands；



unites；　and　says　yes。　　It　is　in　fact　the　great　exciter　of　the　YES



function　in　man。　　It　brings　its　votary　from　the　chill　periphery



of　things　to　the　radiant　core。　　It　makes　him　for　the　moment　one



with　truth。　　Not　through　mere　perversity　do　men　run　after　it。　　To



the　poor　and　the　unlettered　it　stands　in　the　place　of　symphony



concerts　and　of　literature；　and　it　is　part　of　the　deeper　mystery



and　tragedy　of　life　that　whiffs　and　gleams　of　something　that　we



immediately　recognize　as　excellent　should　be　vouchsafed　to　so



many　of　us　only　in　the　fleeting　earlier　phases　of　what　in　its



totality　is　so　degrading　a　poisoning。　　The　drunken　consciousness



is　one　bit　of　the　mystic　consciousness；　and　our　total　opinion　of



it　must　find　its　place　in　our　opinion　of　that　larger　whole。







＇232＇　Crichton…Browne　expressly　says　that　Symonds's　〃highest



nerve　centres　were　in　some　degree　enfeebled　or　damaged　by　these



dreamy　mental　states　which　afflicted　him　so　grievously。〃　　　



Symonds　was；　however；　a　perfect　monster　of　many…sided　cerebral



efficiency；　and　his　critic　gives　no　objective　grounds　whatever



for　his　strange　opinion；　save　that　Symonds　complained



occasionally；　as　all　susceptible　and　ambitious　men　complain；　of



lassitude　and　uncertainty　as　to　his　life's　mission。















Nitrous　oxide　and　ether；　especially　nitrous　oxide；　when



sufficiently　diluted　with　air；　stimulate　the　mystical



consciousness　in　an　extraordinary　degree。　　Depth　beyond　depth　of



truth　seems　revealed　to　the　inhaler。　　This　truth　fades　out；



however；　or　escapes；　at　the　moment　of　coming　to；　and　if　any　words



remain　over　in　which　it　seemed　to　clothe　itself；　they　prove　to　be



the　veriest　nonsense。　　Nevertheless；　the　sense　of　a　profound



meaning　having　been　there　persists；　and　I　know　more　than　one



person　who　is　persuaded　that　in　the　nitrous　oxide　trance　we　have



a　genuine　metaphysical　revelation。







Some　years　ago　I　myself　made　some　observations　on　this　aspect　of



nitrous　oxide　intoxication；　and　reported　them　in　print。　　One



conclusion　was　forced　upon　my　mind　at　that　time；　and　my



impression　of　its　truth　has　ever　since　remained　unshaken。　　It　is



that　our　normal　waking　consciousness；　rational　consciousness　as



we　call　it；　is　but　one　special　type　of　consciousness；　whilst　all



about　it；　parted　from　it　by　the　filmiest　of　screens；　there　lie



potential　forms　of　consciousness　entirely　different。　　We　may　go



through　life　without　suspecting　their　existence；　but　apply　the



requisite　stimulus；　and　at　a　touch　they　are　there　in　all　their



completeness；　definite　types　of　mentality　which　probably



somewhere　have　their　field　of　application　and　adaptation。　　No



account　of　the　universe　in　its　totality　can　be　final　which　leaves



these　other　forms　of　consciousness　quite　disregarded。　　How　to



regard　them　is　the　questionfor　they　are　so　discontinuous　with



ordinary　consciousness。　　Yet　they　may　determine　attitudes　though



they　cannot　furnish　formulas；　and　open　a　region　though　they　fail



to　give　a　map。　At　any　rate；　they　forbid　a　premature　closing　of



our



accounts　with　reality。　　Looking　back　on　my　own　experiences；　they



all　converge　towards　a　kind　of　insight　to　which　I　cannot　help



ascribing　some　metaphysical　significance。　　The　keynote　of　it　is



invariably　a　reconciliation。　　It　is　as　if　the　opposites　of　the



world；　whose　contradictoriness　and　conflict　make　all　our



difficulties　and　troubles；　were　melted　into　unity。　　Not　only　do



they；　as　contrasted　species；　belong　to　one　and　the　same　genus；



but　one　of　the　species；　the　nobler　and　better　one；　is　itself　the



genus；　and　so　soaks　up　and　absorbs　its　opposite　into　itself。　



This　is　a　dark　saying；　I　know；　when　thus　expressed　in　terms　of



common　logic；　but　I　cannot　wholly　escape　from　its　authority。　I



feel　as　if　it　must　mean　something；　something　like　what　the



hegelian　philosophy　means；　if　one　could　only　lay　hold　of　it　more



clearly。　　Those　who　have　ears　to　hear；　let　them　hear；　to　me　the



living　sense　of　its　reality　only　comes　in　the　artificial　mystic



state　of　mind。＇233＇







＇233＇　What　reader　of　Hegel　can　doubt　that　that　sense　of　a



perfected　Being　with　all　its　otherness　soaked　up　into　itself；



which　dominates　his　whole　philosophy；　must　have　come　from　the



prominence　in　his　consciousness　of　mystical　moods　like　this；　in



most　persons　kept　subliminal？　　The　notion　is　thoroughly



characteristic　of　the　mystical　level　and　the　Aufgabe　of　making　it



articulate　was　surely　set　to　Hegel's　intellect　by　mystical



feeling。















I　just　now　spoke　of　friends　who　believe　in　the　anaesthetic



revelation。　　For　them　too　it　is　a　monistic　insight；　in　which　the



OTHER　in　its　various　forms　appears　absorbed　into　the　One。







〃Into　this　pervading　genius；〃　writes　one　of　them；　〃we　pass；



forgetting　and　forgotten；　and　thenceforth　each　is　all；　in　God。



There　is　no　higher；　no　deeper；　no　other；　than　the　life　in　which



we　are　founded。　　'The　One　remains；　the　many　change　and　pass；'　and



each　and　every　one　of　us　IS　the　One　that　remains。　。　。　。　This　is



the　ultimatum。　。　。　。　　As　sure　as　beingwhence　is　all　our



careso　sure　is　content；　beyond　duplexity；　antithesis；　or



trouble；　where　I　have　triumphed　in　a　solitude　that　God　is　not



above。〃＇234＇







＇234＇　Benjamin　Paul　Blood：　　The　Anaesthetic　Revelation　and　the



Gist　of　Philosophy；　Amsterdam；　N。　Y。；　1874；　pp。　35；　36。　　Mr。



Blood　has　made　several　attempts　to　adumbrate　the　anaesthetic



revelation；　in　pamphlets　of　rare　literary　distinction；　privately



printed　and　distributed　by　himself　at　Amsterdam。　　Xenos　Clark；　a



philosopher；　who　died　young　at　Amherst　in　the　'80's；　much



lamented　by　those　who　knew　him；　was　also　impressed　by　the



revelation。　　〃In　the　first　place；〃　he　once　wrote　to　me；　〃Mr。



Blood　and　I　agree　that　the　revelation　is；　if　anything



non…emotional。　　It　is　utterly　flat。　　It　is；　as　Mr。　Blood　says；



'the　one　sole　and　sufficient　insight　why；　or　not　why；　but　how；



the　present　is　pushed　on　by　the　past；　and　sucked　forward　by　the



vacuity　of　the　future。　　Its　inevitableness　defeats　all　attempts



at　stopping　or　accounting　for　it。　　It　is　all　precedence　and



presupposition；　and　questioning　is　in　regard　to　it　forever　too



late。　　It　is　an　initiation　of　the　past。'　The　real　secret　would　be



the　formula　by　which　the　'now'　keeps　exfoliating　out　of　itself；



yet　never　escapes。　　What　is