lectures16+17-第3节

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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　it；　indeed；　that　keeps　existence



exfoliating？　　The　formal　being　of　anything；　the　logical



definition　of　it；　is　static。　　For　mere　logic　every　question



contains　its　own　answerwe　simply　fill　the　hole　with　the　dirt　we



dug　out。　　Why　are　twice　two　four？　　Because；　in　fact；　four　is



twice　two。　　Thus　logic　finds　in　life　no　propulsion；　only　a



momentum。　　It　goes　because　it　is　a…going。　But　the　revelation



adds：　　it　goes　because　it　is　and　WAS　a…going。　　You　walk；　as　it



were；　round　yourself　in　the　revelation。　　Ordinary　philosophy　is



like　a　hound　hunting　his　own　tail。　　The　more　he　hunts　the　farther



he　has　to　go；　and　his　nose　never　catches　up　with　his　heels；



because　it　is　forever　ahead　of　them。　　So　the　present　is　already　a



foregone　conclusion；　and　I　am　ever　too　late　to　understand　it。　



But　at　the　moment　of　recovery　from　anaesthesis；　just　then；　BEFORE



STARTING　ON　LIFE；　I　catch；　so　to　speak；　a　glimpse　of　my　heels；　a



glimpse　of　the　eternal　process　just　in　the　act　of　starting。　　The



truth　is　that　we　travel　on　a　journey　that　was　accomplished　before



we　set　out；　and　the　real　end　of　philosophy　is　accomplished；　not



when　we　arrive　at；　but　when　we　remain　in；　our　destination　（being



already　there）which　may　occur　vicariously　in　this　life　when　we



cease　our　intellectual　questioning。　That　is　why　there　is　a　smile



upon　the　face　of　the　revelation；　as　we　view　it。　　It　tells　us　that



we　are　forever　half　a　second　too　late　that's　all。　　'You　could



kiss　your　own　lips；　and　have　all　the　fun　to　yourself；'　it　says；



if　you　only　knew　the　trick。　　It　would　be　perfectly　easy　if　they



would　just　stay　there　till　you　got　round　to　them。　Why　don't　you



manage　it　somehow？〃















Dialectically　minded　readers　of　this　farrago　will　at　least



recognize　the　region　of　thought　of　which　Mr。　Clark　writes；　as



familiar。　　In　his　latest　pamphlet；　〃Tennyson's　Trances　and　the



Anaesthetic　Revelation；〃　Mr。　Blood　describes　its　value　for　life



as　follows：







〃The　Anaesthetic　Revelation　is　the　Initiation　of　Man　into　the



Immemorial　Mystery　of　the　Open　Secret　of　Being；　revealed　as　the



Inevitable　Vortex　of　Continuity。　　Inevitable　is　the　word。　　Its



motive　is　inherentit　is　what　has　to　be。　　It　is　not　for　any　love



or　hate；　nor　for　joy　nor　sorrow；　nor　good　nor　ill。　　End；



beginning；　or　purpose；　it　knows　not　of。







〃It　affords　no　particular　of　the　multiplicity　and　variety　of



things　but　it　fills　appreciation　of　the　historical　and　the　sacred



with　a　secular　and　intimately　personal　illumination　of　the　nature



and　motive　of　existence；　which　then　seems　reminiscentas　if　it



should　have　appeared；　or　shall　yet　appear；　to　every　participant



thereof。







〃Although　it　is　at　first　startling　in　its　solemnity；　it　becomes



directly　such　a　matter　of　courseso　old…fashioned；　and　so　akin



to　proverbs