lecture20-第7部分

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enough　to　be　ME。　　The　〃objectivity〃　of　it　ought　in　that　case　to



be　called　EXCESSIVITY；　rather；　or　exceedingness。〃　ReCeJac：　　Essai



sur　les　fondements　de　la　conscience　mystique；　1897；　p。　46。















So　far；　however；　as　this　analysis　goes；　the　experiences　are　only



psychological　phenomena。　　They　possess；　it　is　true；　enormous



biological　worth。　　Spiritual　strength　really　increases　in　the



subject　when　he　has　them；　a　new　life　opens　for　him；　and　they　seem



to　him　a　place　of　conflux　where　the　forces　of　two　universes　meet；



and　yet　this　may　be　nothing　but　his　subjective　way　of　feeling



things；　a　mood　of　his　own　fancy；　in　spite　of　the　effects



produced。　　I　now　turn　to　my　second　question：　　What　is　the



objective　〃truth〃　of　their　content？＇352＇







＇352＇　The　word　〃truth〃　is　here　taken　to　mean　something　additional



to　bare　value　for　life；　although　the　natural　propensity　of　man　is



to　believe　that　whatever　has　great　value　for　life　is　thereby



certified　as　true。















The　part　of　the　content　concerning　which　the　question　of　truth



most　pertinently　arises　is　that　〃MORE　of　the　same　quality〃　with



which　our　own　higher　self　appears　in　the　experience　to　come　into



harmonious　working　relation。　　Is　such　a　〃more〃　merely　our　own



notion；　or　does　it　really　exist？　　If　so；　in　what　shape　does　it



exist？　　Does　it　act；　as　well　as　exist？　　　And　in　what　form　should



we　conceive　of　that　〃union〃　with　it　of　which　religious　geniuses



are　so　convinced？







It　is　in　answering　these　questions　that　the　various　theologies



perform　their　theoretic　work；　and　that　their　divergencies　most



come　to　light。　　They　all　agree　that　the　〃more〃　really　exists；



though　some　of　them　hold　it　to　exist　in　the　shape　of　a　personal



god　or　gods；　while　others　are　satisfied　to　conceive　it　as　a



stream　of　ideal　tendency　embedded　in　the　eternal　structure　of　the



world。　　They　all　agree；　moreover；　that　it　acts　as　well　as　exists；



and　that　something　really　is　effected　for　the　better　when　you



throw　your　life　into　its　hands。　　It　is　when　they　treat　of　the



experience　of　〃union〃　with　it　that　their　speculative　differences



appear　most　clearly。　　Over　this　point　pantheism　and　theism；



nature　and　second　birth；　works　and　grace　and　karma；　immortality



and　reincarnation；　rationalism　and　mysticism；　carry　on　inveterate



disputes。







At　the　end　of　my　lecture　on　Philosophy＇353＇　I　held　out　the　notion



that　an　impartial　science　of　religions　might　sift　out　from　the



midst　of　their　discrepancies　a　common　body　of　doctrine　which　she



might　also　formulate　in　terms　to　which　　physical　science



need　not　object。　　This；　I　said；　she　might　adopt　as　her　own



reconciling　hypothesis；　and　recommend　it　for　general　belief。　　I



also　said　that　in　my　last　lecture　I　should　have　to　try　my　own



hand　at　framing　such　an　hypothesis。







＇353＇　Above；　p。　445。















The　time　has　now　come　for　this　attempt。　　Who　says　〃hypothesis〃



renounces　the　ambition　to　be　coercive　in　his　arguments。　The　most



I　can　do　is；　accordingly；　to　offer　something　that　may　fit　the



facts　so　easily　that　your　scientific　logic　will　find　no　plausible



pretext　for　vetoing　your　impulse　to　welcome　it　as　true。







The　〃more；〃　as　we　called　it；　and　the　meaning　of　our　〃union〃　with



it；　form　the　nucleus　of　our　inquiry。　　Into　what　definite



description　can　these　words　be　translated；　and　for　what　definite



facts　do　they　stand？　　It　would　never　do　for　us　to　place　ourselves



offhand　at　the　position　of　a　particular　theology；　the　Christian



theology；　for　example；　and　proceed　immediately　to　define　the



〃more〃　as　Jehovah；　and　the　〃union〃　as　his　imputation　to　us　of　the



righteousness　of　Christ。　　That　would　be　unfair　to　other



religions；　and；　from　our　present　standpoint　at　least；　would　be　an



over…belief。







We　must　begin　by　using　less　particularized　terms；　and；　since　one



of　the　duties　of　the　science　of　religions　is　to　keep　religion　in



connection　with　the　rest　of　science；　we　shall　do　well　to　seek



first　of　all　a　way　of　describing　the　〃more；〃　which　psychologists



may　also　recognize　as　real。　　The　subconscious　self　is　nowadays　a



well…accredited　psychological　entity；　and　I　believe　that　in　it　we



have　exactly　the　mediating　term　required。　　Apart　from　all



religious　considerations；　there　is　actually　and　literally　more



life　in　our　total　soul　than　we　are　at　any　time　aware　of。　　The



exploration　of　the　transmarginal　field　has　hardly　yet　been



seriously　undertaken；　but　what　Mr。　Myers　said　in　1892　in　his



essay　on　the　Subliminal　Consciousness＇354＇　is　as　true　as　when　it



was　first　written：　　〃Each　of　us　is　in　reality　an　abiding



psychical　entity　far　more　extensive　than　he　knowsan



individuality　which　can　never　express　itself　completely　through



any　corporeal　manifestation。　　The　Self　manifests　through　the



organism；　but　there　is　always　some　part　of　the　Self　unmanifested；



and　always；　as　it　seems；　some　power　of　organic　expression　in



abeyance　or　reserve。〃＇355＇　　Much　of　the　content　of　this　larger



background　against　which　our　conscious　being　stands　out　in　relief



is　insignificant。　　Imperfect　memories；　silly　jingles；　inhibitive



timidities；　〃dissolutive〃　phenomena　of　various　sorts；　as　Myers



calls　them；　enters　into　it　for　a　large　part。　　But　in　it　many　of



the　performances　of　genius　seem　also　to　have　their　origin；　and　in



our　study　of　conversion；　of　mystical　experiences；　and　of　prayer；



we　have　seen　how　striking　a　part　invasions　from　this　region　play



in　the　religious　life。







＇354＇　Proceedings　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research；　vol。



vii。　p。　305。　For　a　full　statement　of　Mr。　Myers's　views；　I　may



refer　to　his　posthumous　work；　〃Human　Personality　in　the　Light　of



Recent　Research；〃　which　is　already　announced　by　Messrs。　



Longmans；　Green　&　Co。　as　being　in　press。　　Mr。　Myers　for　the



first　time　proposed　as　a　general　psychological　problem　the



exploration　of　the　subliminal　region　of　consciousness　throughout



its　whole　extent；　and　made　the　first　methodical　steps　in　its



topography　by　treating　as　a　natural　series　a　mass　of　subliminal



facts　hitherto　considered　only　as　curious　isolated　facts　and



subjecting　them　to　a　systematized　nomenclature。　　How　important



this　exploration　will　prove；　future　work　upon　the　path　which



Myers　has　opened　can　alone　show。　　compare　my　paper：　　〃Frederic



Myers's　services　to　Psychology；〃　in　the　said　Proceedings；　part



xlii。；　May；　1901。







＇355＇　Compare　the　inventory　given　above　on　pp。　472…4；　and　also



what　is　said　of　the　subconscious　self　on　pp。　228…231；　235…236。















Let　me　then　propose；　as　an　hypothesis；　that　whatever　it　may　be　on



its　FARTHER　side；　the　〃more〃　with　which　in　religious　experience



we　feel　ourselves　connected　is　on　its　HITHER　side　the



subconscious　continuation　of　our　conscious　life。　Starting　thus



with　a　recognized　psychological　fact　as　our　basis；　we　seem　to



preserve　a　contact　with　〃science〃　which　the　ordinary　theologian



lacks。　　At　the　same　time　the　theologian's　contention　that　the



religious　man　is　moved　by　an　external　power　is　vindicated；　for　it



is　one　of　the　peculiarities　of　invasions　from　the　subconscious



region　to　take　on　objective　appearances；　and　to　suggest　to　the



Subject　an　external　control。　　In　the　religious　life　the　control



is　felt　as　〃higher〃；　but　since　on　our　hypothesis　it　is　primarily



the　higher　faculties　of　our　own　hidden　mind　which　are



controlling；　the　sense　of　union　with　the　power　beyond　us　is　a



sense　of　something；　not　merely　apparently；　but　literally　true。







This　doorway　into　the　subject　seems　to　me　the　best　one　for　a



science　of　religions；　for　it　mediates　between　a　number　of



different　points　of　view。　　Yet　it　is　only　a　doorway；　and



difficulties　present　themselves　as　soon　as　we　step　through　it；



and　ask　how　far　our　transmarginal　consciousness　carries　us　if　we



follow　it　on　its　remoter　side。　　Here　the　over…beliefs　begin：　



here　mysticism　and　the　conversion…rapture　and　Vedantism　and



transcendental　idealism　bring　in　their　monistic



interpretations＇356＇　and　tell　us　that　the　finite　self　rejoins　the



absolute　self；　for　it　was　always　one　with　God　and　identical　with



the　soul　of　the　world。＇357＇　　Here　the　prophets　of　all　the



different　religions　come　with　their　visions；　voices；　raptures；



and　other　openings；　supposed　by　each　to　authenticate　his　own



peculiar　faith。







＇356＇　Compare　above；　pp。　410　ff。







＇357＇　One　more　expression　of　this　belief；　to　increase　the



reader's　familiarity　with　the　notion　of　it：







〃If　this　room　is　full　of　darkness　for　thousands　of　years；　and　you



come　in　and　begin　to　weep　and　wail；　'Oh；　the　darkness；'　will　the



darkness　vanish？　　Bring　the　light　in；　strike　a　match；　and　light



comes　in　a　moment。　　So　what　good　will　it　do　you　to　think　all　your



lives；　'Oh；　I　have　done　evil；　I　have　made　many　mistakes'？　　It



requires　no　ghost　to　tell　us　that。　　Bring　in　the　light；　and　the



evil　goes　in　a　moment。　　Strengthen　the　real　nature；　build　up



yourselves；　the　effulgent；　the　resplendent；　the　ever　pure；　call



that　up　in　every　one　whom　you　see。　　I　wish　that　every　one　of　us



had　come　to　such　a　state　that　even　when　we　see　the　vilest　of



human　beings　we　can　see　the　God　within；　and　instead　of



condemning；　say；　'Rise；　thou　effulgent　One；　rise　thou　who　art



always　pure；　rise　thou　birthless　and　deathless；　rise　almighty；



and　manifest　your　nature。'　。　。　。　This　is　the　highest　prayer　that



the　Advaita　teaches。　　This　is　the　o