lectures16+17-第7部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！




words　could　teach　of　Sufism；　but　what　was　left　could　be　learned



neither　by　study　nor　through　the　ears；　but　solely　by　giving　one's



self　up　to　ecstasy　and　leading　a　pious　life。







〃Reflecting　on　my　situation；　I　found　myself　tied　down　by　a



multitude　of　bondstemptations　on　every　side。　　Considering　my



teaching；　I　found　it　was　impure　before　God。　　I　saw　myself



struggling　with　all　my　might　to　achieve　glory　and　to　spread　my



name。　　＇Here　follows　an　account　of　his　six　months'　hesitation　to



break　away　from　the　conditions　of　his　life　at　Bagdad；　at　the　end



of　which　he　fell　ill　with　a　paralysis　of　the　tongue。＇　Then；



feeling　my　own　weakness；　and　having　entirely　given　up　my　own



will；　I　repaired　to　God　like　a　man　in　distress　who　has　no　more



resources。　　He　answered；　as　he　answers　the　wretch　who　invokes



him。　　My　heart　no　longer　felt　any　difficulty　in　renouncing　glory；



wealth；　and　my　children。　　So　I　quitted　Bagdad；　and　reserving　from



my　fortune　only　what　was　indispensable　for　my　subsistence；　I



distributed　the　rest。　　I　went　to　Syria；　where　I　remained　about



two　years；　with　no　other　occupation　than　living　in　retreat　and



solitude；　conquering　my　desires；　combating　my　passions；　training



myself　to　purify　my　soul；　to　make　my　character　perfect；　to



prepare　my　heart　for　meditating　on　Godall　according　to　the



methods　of　the　Sufis；　as　I　had　read　of　them。







〃This　retreat　only　increased　my　desire　to　live　in　solitude；　and



to　complete　the　purification　of　my　heart　and　fit　it　for



meditation。　　But　the　vicissitudes　of　the　times；　the　affairs　of



the　family；　the　need　of　subsistence；　changed　in　some　respects　my



primitive　resolve；　and　interfered　with　my　plans　for　a　purely



solitary　life。　　I　had　never　yet　found　myself　completely　in



ecstasy；　save　in　a　few　single　hours；　nevertheless；　I　kept　the



hope　of　attaining　this　state。　　Every　time　that　the　accidents　led



me　astray；　I　sought　to　return；　and　in　this　situation　I　spent　ten



years。　　During　this　solitary　state　things　were　revealed　to　me



which　it　is　impossible　either　to　describe　or　to　point　out。　　I



recognized　for　certain　that　the　Sufis　are　assuredly　walking　in



the　path　of　God。　　Both　in　their　acts　and　in　their　inaction；



whether　internal　or　external；　they　are　illumined　by　the　light



which　proceeds　from　the　prophetic　source。　　The　first　condition



for　a　Sufi　is　to　purge　his　heart　entirely　of　all　that　is　not　God。



The　next　key　of　the　contemplative　life　consists　in　the　humble



prayers　which　escape　from　the　fervent　soul；　and　in　the



meditations　on　God　in　which　the　heart　is　swallowed　up　entirely。



But　in　reality　this　is　only　the　beginning　of　the　Sufi　life；　the



end　of　Sufism　being　total　absorption　in　God。　　The　intuitions　and



all　that　precede　are；　so　to　speak；　only　the　threshold　for　those



who　enter。　　From　the　beginning　revelations　take　place　in　so



flagrant　a　shape　that　the　Sufis　see　before　them；　whilst　wide



awake；　the　angels　and　the　souls　of　the　prophets。　　They　hear　their



voices　and　obtain　their　favors。　　Then　the　transport　rises　from



the　perception　of　forms　and　figures　to　a　degree　which　escapes　all



expression；　and　which　no　man　may　seek　to　give　an　account　of



without　his　words　involving　sin。



　



〃Whosoever　has　had　no　experience　of　the　transport　knows　of　the



true　nature　of　prophetism　nothing　but　the　name。　　He　may　meanwhile



be　sure　of　its　existence；　both　by　experience　and　by　what　he　hears



the　Sufis　say。　　As　there　are　men　endowed　only　with　the　sensitive



faculty　who　reject　what　is　offered　them　in　the　way　of　objects　of



the　pure　understanding；　so　there　are　intellectual　men　who　reject



and　avoid　the　things　perceived　by　the　prophetic　faculty。　　A　blind



man　can　understand　nothing　of　colors　save　what　he　has　learned　by



narration　and　hearsay。　　Yet　God　has　brought　prophetism　near　to



men　in　giving　them　all　a　state　analogous　to　it　in　its　principal



characters。　　This　state　is　sleep。　If　you　were　to　tell　a　man　who



was　himself　without　experience　of　such　a　phenomenon　that　there



are　people　who　at　times　swoon　away　so　as　to　resemble　dead　men；



and　who　＇in　dreams＇　yet　perceive　things　that　are　hidden；　he　would



deny　it　＇and　give　his　reasons＇。　　Nevertheless；　his　arguments



would　be　refuted　by　actual　experience。　　Wherefore；　just　as　the



understanding　is　a　stage　of　human　life　in　which　an　eye　opens　to



discern　various　intellectual　objects　uncomprehended　by　sensation；



just　so　in　the　prophetic　the　sight　is　illumined　by　a　light　which



uncovers　hidden　things　and　objects　which　the　intellect　fails　to



reach。　　The　chief　properties　of　prophetism　are　perceptible　only



during　the　transport；　by　those　who　embrace　the　Sufi　life。　　The



prophet　is　endowed　with　qualities　to　which　you　possess　nothing



analogous；　and　which　consequently　you　cannot　possibly　understand。







How　should　you　know　their　true　nature；　since　one　knows　only　what



one　can　comprehend？　　But　the　transport　which　one　attains　by　the



method　of　the　Sufis　is　like　an　immediate　perception；　as　if　one



touched　the　objects　with　one's　hand。〃＇249＇







＇249＇　A。　Schmolders：　　Essai　sur　les　ecoles　philosophiques　chez



les　Arabes；　Paris；　1842；　pp。　54…68；　abridged。















This　incommunicableness　of　the　transport　is　the　keynote　of　all



mysticism。　　Mystical　truth　exists　for　the　individual　who　has　the



transport；　but　for　no　one　else。　　In　this；　as　I　have　said；　it



resembles　the　knowledge　given　to　us　in　sensations　more　than　that



given　by　conceptual　thought。　　Thought；　with　its　remoteness　and



abstractness；　has　often　enough　in　the　history　of　philosophy　been



contrasted　unfavorably　with　sensation。







It　is　a　commonplace　of　metaphysics　that　God's　knowledge　cannot　be



discursive　but　must　be　intuitive；　that　is；　must　be　constructed



more　after　the　pattern　of　what　in　ourselves　is　called　immediate



feeling；　than　after　that　of　proposition　and　judgment。　　But　our



immediate　feelings　have　no　content　but　what　the　five　senses



supply；　and　we　have　seen　and　shall　see　again　that　mystics　may



emphatically　deny　that　the　senses　play　any　part　in　the　very



highest　type　of　knowledge　which　their　transports　yield。







In　the　Christian　church　there　have　always　been　mystics。　Although



many　of　them　have　been　viewed　with　suspicion；　some　have　gained



favor　in　the　eyes　of　the　authorities。　　The　experiences　of　these



have　been　treated　as　precedents；　and　a　codified　system　of



mystical　theology　has　been　based　upon　them；　in　which　everything



legitimate　finds　its　place。＇250＇　The　basis　of　the　system　is



〃orison〃　or　meditation；　the　methodical　elevation　of　the　soul



towards　God。　　Through　the　practice　of　orison　the　higher　levels　of



mystical　experience　may　be　attained。　　It　is　odd　that



Protestantism；　especially　evangelical　Protestantism；　should



seemingly　have　abandoned　everything　methodical　in　this　line。　



Apart　from　what　prayer　may　lead　to；　Protestant　mystical



experience　appears　to　have　been　almost　exclusively　sporadic。　　It



has　been　left　to　our　mind…　curers　to　reintroduce　methodical



meditation　into　our　religious　life。







＇250＇　Gorres's　Christliche　Mystik　gives　a　full　account　of　the



facts。　　So　does　Ribet's　Mystique　Divine；　2　vols。；　Paris；　1890。　　A



still　more　methodical　modern　work　is　the　Mystica　Theologia　of



Vallgornera；　2　vols。；　Turin；　1890。















The　first　thing　to　be　aimed　at　in　orison　is　the　mind's　detachment



from　outer　sensations；　for　these　interfere　with　its　concentration



upon　ideal　things。　　Such　manuals　as　Saint　Ignatius's　Spiritual



Exercises　recommend　the　disciple　to　　expel　sensation　by　a



graduated　series　of　efforts　to　imagine　holy　scenes。　　The　acme　of



this　kind　of　discipline　would　be　a　semi…hallucinatory



mono…ideisman　imaginary　figure　of　Christ；　for　example；　coming



fully　to　occupy　the　mind。　　Sensorial　images　of　this　sort；　whether



literal　or　symbolic；　play　an　enormous　part　in　mysticism。＇251＇　



But　in　certain　cases　imagery　may　fall　away　entirely；　and　in　the



very　highest　raptures　it　tends　to　do　so。　　The　state　of



consciousness　becomes　then　insusceptible　of　any　verbal



description。　　Mystical　teachers　are　unanimous　as　to　this。　Saint



John　of　the　Cross；　for　instance；　one　of　the　best　of　them；



thus　describes　the　condition　called　the　〃union　of　love；〃　which；



he　says；　is　reached　by　〃dark　contemplation。〃　　In　this　the　Deity



compenetrates　the　soul；　but　in　such　a　hidden　way　that　the　soul







〃finds　no　terms；　no　means；　no　comparison　whereby　to　render　the



sublimity　of　the　wisdom　and　the　delicacy　of　the　spiritual　feeling



with　which　she　is　filled。　。　。　。　We　receive　this　mystical



knowledge　of　God　clothed　in　none　of　the　kinds　of　images；　in　none



of　the　sensible　representations；　which　our　mind　makes　use　of　in



other　circumstances。　　Accordingly　in　this　knowledge；　since　the



senses　and　the　imagination　are　not　employed；　we　get　neither　form



nor　impression；　nor　can　we　give　any　account　or　furnish　any



likeness；　although　the　mysterious　and　sweet…tasting　wisdom　comes



home　so　clearly　to　the　inmost　parts　of　our　soul。　　Fancy　a　man



seeing　a　certain　kind　of　thing　for　the　first　time　in　his　life。　He



can　understand　it；　use　and　enjoy　it；　but　he　cannot　apply　a　name



to　it；　nor　communicate　any　idea　of　it；　even　though　all　the　while



it　be　a　mere　thing　of　sense。　　How　much　greater　will　be　his



powerlessness　when　it　goes　beyond　the　senses！　This　is　the



peculiarity　of　the　divine　language。　　The　more　infused；　intimate；



spiritual；　and　supersensible　it　is；　the　more　does　it　exceed　the



senses；