pagan and christian creeds-第70章

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　kind　which　you　desire；　because　in　that　quest　you　will　probably　not　succeed。　The　Great　Self　is　not　such　a　fool　as　to　be　taken　in　in　that　way。　It　may　be　trueand　it　is　truethat　if　ye　seek　FIRST　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven　all　these　things　shall　be　added　unto　you；　but　you　must　seek　it　first；　not　second。＇

Here　is　a　passage　from　Towards　Democracy：　〃As　space　spreads　everywhere；　and　all　things　move　and　change　within　it；　but　it　moves　not　nor　changes；

〃So　I　am　the　space　within　the　soul；　of　which　the　space　without　is　but　the　similitude　and　mental　image；

〃Comest　thou　to　inhabit　me；　thou　hast　the　entrance　to　all　lifedeath　shall　no　longer　divide　thee　from　whom　thou　lovest。

〃I　am　the　Sun　that　shines　upon　all　creatures　from　within　gazest　thou　upon　me；　thou　shalt　be　filled　with　joy　eternal。〃

Yes；　this　great　sun　is　there；　always　shining；　but　most　of　the　time　it　is　hidden　from　us　by　the　clouds　of　which　I　have　spoken；　and　we　fail　to　see　it。　We　complain　of　being　out　in　the　cold；　and　in　the　cold；　for　the　time　being；　no　doubt　we　are；　but　our　return　to　the　warmth　and　the　light　has　now　become　possible。


Thus　at　last　the　Ego；　the　mortal　immortal　selfdisclosed　at　first　in　darkness　and　fear　and　ignorance　in　the　growing　babe　FINDS　ITS　TRUE　IDENTITY。　For　a　long　period　it　is　baffled　in　trying　to　understand　what　it　is。　It　goes　through　a　vast　experience。　It　is　tormented　by　the　sense　of　separation　and　alienationalienation　from　other　people；　and　persecution　by　all　the　great　powers　and　forces　of　the　universe；　and　it　is　pursued　by　a　sense　of　its　own　doom。　Its　doom　truly　is　irrevocable。　The　hour　of　fulfilment　approaches；　the　veil　lifts；　and　the　soul　beholds　at　last　ITS　OWN　TRUE　BEING。


We　are　accustomed　to　think　of　the　external　world　around　us　as　a　nasty　tiresome　old　thing　of　which　all　we　can　say　for　certain　is　that　it　works　by　a　〃law　of　cussedness〃so　that；　whichever　way　we　want　to　go；　that　way　seems　always　barred；　and　we　only　bump　against　blind　walls　without　making　any　progress。　But　that　uncomfortable　state　of　affairs　arises　from　ourselves。　Once　we　have　passed　a　certain　barrier；　which　at　present　looks　so　frowning　and　impossible；　but　which　fades　into　nothing　immediately　we　have　passed　itonce　we　have　found　the　open　secret　of　identitythen　the　way　is　indeed　open　in　every　direction。

The　world　in　which　we　livethe　world　into　which　we　are　tumbled　as　children　at　the　first　onset　of　self…consciousness　denies　this　great　fact　of　unity。　It　is　a　world　in　which　the　principle　of　separation　rules。　Instead　of　a　common　life　and　union　with　each　other；　the　contrary　principle　（especially　in　the　later　civilizations）　has　been　the　one　recognizedand　to　such　an　extent　that　always　there　prevails　the　obsession　of　separation；　and　the　conviction　that　each　person　is　an　isolated　unit。　The　whole　of　our　modern　society　has　been　founded　on　this　delusive　idea；　WHICH　IS　FALSE。　You　go　into　the　markets；　and　every　man's　hand　is　against　the　othersthat　is　the　ruling　principle。　You　go　into　the　Law　Courts　where　justice　is；　or　should　be；　administered；　and　you　find　that　the　principle　which　denies　unity　is　the　one　that　prevails。　The　criminal　（whose　actions　have　really　been　determined　by　the　society　around　him）　is　cast　out；　disacknowledged；　and　condemned　to　further　isolation　in　a　prison　cell。　'Property'　again　is　the　principle　which　rules　and　determines　our　modern　civilizationnamely　that　which　is　proper　to；　or　can　be　appropriated　by；　each　person；　as　AGAINST　the　others。　

In　the　moral　world　the　doom　of　separation　comes　to　us　in　the　shape　of　the　sense　of　sin。　For　sin　is　separation。　Sin　is　actually　（and　that　is　its　only　real　meaning）　the　separation　from　others；　and　the　non…acknowledgment　of　unity。　And　so　it　has　come　about　that　during　all　this　civilization…period　the　sense　of　sin　has　ruled　and　ranged　to　such　an　extraordinary　degree。　Society　has　been　built　on　a　false　base；　not　true　to　fact　or　lifeand　has　had　a　dim　uneasy　consciousness　of　its　falseness。　Meanwhile　at　the　heart　of　it　alland　within　all　the　frantic　external　strife　and　warfarethere　is　all　the　time　this　real　great　life　brooding。　The　kingdom　of　Heaven；　as　we　said　before；　is　still　within。

The　word　Democracy　indicates　something　of　the　kindthe　rule　of　the　Demos；　that　is　of　the　common　life。　The　coming　of　that　will　transform；　not　only　our　Markets　and　our　Law　Courts　and　our　sense　of　Property；　and　other　institutions；　into　something　really　great　and　glorious　instead　of　the　dismal　masses　of　rubbish　which　they　at　present　are；　but　it　will　transform　our　sense　of　Morality。

Our　Morality　at　present　consists　in　the　idea　of　self…goodness　one　of　the　most　pernicious　and　disgusting　ideas　which　has　ever　infested　the　human　brain。　If　any　one　should　follow　and　assimilate　what　I　have　just　said　about　the　true　nature　of　the　Self　he　will　realize　that　it　will　never　again　be　possible　for　him　to　congratulate　himself　on　his　own　goodness　or　morality　or　superiority；　for　the　moment　he　does　so　he　will　separate　himself　from　the　universal　life；　and　proclaim　the　sin　of　his　own　separation。　I　agree　that　this　conclusion　is　for　some　people　a　most　sad　and　disheartening　onebut　it　cannot　be　helped！　A　man　may　truly　be　'good'　and　'moral'　in　some　real　sense；　but　only　on　the　condition　that　he　is　not　aware　of　it。　He　can　only　BE　good　when　not　thinking　about　the　matter；　to　be　conscious　of　one's　own　goodness　is　already　to　have　fallen！

We　began　by　thinking　of　the　self　as　just　a　little　local　self；　then　we　extended　it　to　the　family；　the　cause；　the　nationever　to　a　larger　and　vaster　being。　At　last　there　comes　a　time　when　we　recognizeor　see　that　we　SHALL　have　to　recognizean　inner　Equality　between　ourselves　and　all　others；　not　of　course　an　external　equalityfor　that　would　be　absurd　and　impossible　but　an　inner　and　profound　and　universal　Equality。　And　so　we　come　again　to　the　mystic　root…conception　of　Democracy。

And　now　it　will　be　said：　〃But　after　all　this　talk　you　have　not　defined　the　Self；　or　given　us　any　intellectual　outline　of　what　you　mean　by　the　word。〃　Noand　I　do　not　intend　to。　If　I　could；　by　any　sort　of　copybook　definition；　describe　and　show　the　boundaries　of　myself；　I　should　obviously　lose　all　interest　in　the　subject。　Nothing　more　dull　could　be　imagined。　I　may　be　able　to　define　and　describe　fairly　exhaustively　this　inkpot　on　the　table；　but　for　you　or　for　me　to　give　the　limits　and　boundaries　of　ourselves　is；　I　am　glad　to　say；　impossible。　That　does　not；　however；　mean　that　we　cannot　FEEL　and　be　CONSCIOUS　of　ourselves；　and　of　our　relations　to　other　selves；　and　to　the　great　Whole。　On　the　contrary　I　think　it　is　clear　that　the　more　vividly　we　feel　our　organic　unity　with　the　whole；　the　less　shall　we　be　able　to　separate　off　the　local　self　and　enclose　it　within　any　definition。　I　take　it　that　we　can　and　do　become　ever　more　vividly　conscious　of　our　true　Self；　but　that　the　mental　statement　of　it　always　does　and　probably　always　will　lie　beyond　us。　All　life　and　all　our　action　and　experience　consist　in　the　gradual　manifestation　of　that　which　is　within　usof　our　inner　being。　In　that　senseand　reading　its　handwriting　on　the　outer　world　we　come　to　know　the　soul's　true　nature　more　and　more　intimately；　we　enter　into　the　mind　of　that　great　artist　who　beholds　himself　in　his　own　creation。





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