lectures14+15-第12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！


compass　it；　he　kept　always　on　his　knees　or　on　his　feet。　　The



little　sleep　he　allowed　nature　to　take　was　snatched　in　a　sitting



posture；　his　head　leaning　against　a　piece　of　wood　fixed　in　the



wall。　　Even　had　he　wished　to　lie　down；　it　would　have　been



impossible；　because　his　cell　was　only　four　feet　and　a　half　long。　



In　the　course　of　all　these　years　he　never　raised　his　hood；　no



matter　what　the　ardor　of　the　sun　or　the　rain's　strength。　　He



never　put　on　a　shoe。　　He　wore　a　garment　of　coarse　sackcloth；　with



nothing　else　upon　his　skin。　　This　garment　was　as　scant　as



possible；　and　over　it　a　little　cloak　of　the　same　stuff。　　When　the



cold　was　great　he　took　off　the　cloak　and　opened　for　a　while　the



door　and　little　window　of　his　cell。　　Then　he　closed　them　and



resumed　the　mantlehis　way；　as　he　told　us；　of　warming　himself；



and　making　his　body　feel　a　better　temperature。　　It　was　a　frequent



thing　with　him　to　eat　once　only　in　three　days；　and　when　I



expressed　my　surprise；　he　said　that　it　was　very　easy　if　one　once



had　acquired　the　habit。　　One　of　his　companions　has　assured　me



that　he　has　gone　sometimes　eight　days　without　food。　。　。　。　His



poverty　was　extreme；　and　his　mortification；　even　in　his　youth；



was　such　that　he　told　me　he　had　passed　three　years　in　a　house　of



his　order　without　knowing　any　of　the　monks　otherwise　than　by　the



sound　of　their　voice；　for　he　never　raised　his　eyes；　and　only



found　his　way　about　by　following　the　others。　　He　showed　this　same



modesty　on　public　highways。　　He　spent　many　years　without　ever



laying　eyes　upon　a　woman；　but　he　confessed　to　me　that　at　the　age



he　had　reached　it　was　indifferent　to　him　whether　he　laid　eyes　on



them　or　not。　　He　was　very　old　when　I　first　came　to　know　him；　and



his　body　so　attenuated　that　it　seemed　formed　of　nothing　so　much



as　of　so　many　roots　of　trees。　With　all　this　sanctity　he　was　very



affable。　　He　never　spoke　unless　he　was　questioned；　but　his



intellectual　right…mindedness　and　grace　gave　to　all　his　words　an



irresistible　charm。〃







＇217＇　F。　Max　Muller：　　Ramakrishna；　his　Life　and　sayings；　1899；　p。



180。







＇218＇　Oldenberg：　　Buddha；　translated　by　W。　Hoey；　London；　1882；　p。



127。















We　find　accordingly　that　as　ascetic　saints　have　grown　older；　and



directors　of　conscience　more　experienced；　they　usually　have　shown



a　tendency　to　lay　less　stress　on　special　bodily　mortifications。　



Catholic　teachers　have　always　professed　the　rule　that；　since



health　is　needed　for　efficiency　in　God's　service；　health　must　not



be　sacrificed　to　mortification。　　The　general　optimism　and



healthy…mindedness　of　liberal　Protestant　circles　to…day　makes



mortification　for　mortification's　sake　repugnant　to　us。　　We　can



no　longer　sympathize　with　cruel　deities；　and　the　notion　that　God



can　take　delight　in　the　spectacle　of　sufferings　self…inflicted　in



his　honor　is　abhorrent。　　In　consequence　of　all　these　motives　you



probably　are　disposed；　unless　some　special　utility　can　be　shown



in　some　individual's　discipline；　to　treat　the　general　tendency　to



asceticism　as　pathological。







Yet　I　believe　that　a　more　careful　consideration　of　the　whole



matter；　distinguishing　between　the　general　good　intention　of



asceticism　and　the　uselessness　of　some　of　the　particular　acts　of



which　it　may　be　guilty；　ought　to　rehabilitate　it　in　our　esteem。　



For　in　its　spiritual　meaning　asceticism　stands　for　nothing　less



than　for　the　essence　of　the　twice…born　philosophy。　　It



symbolizes；　lamely　enough　no　doubt；　but　sincerely；　the　belief



that　there　is　an　element　of　real　wrongness　in　this　world；　which



is　neither　to　be　ignored　nor　evaded；　but　which　must　be　squarely



met　and　overcome　by　an　appeal　to　the　soul's　heroic　resources；　and



neutralized　and　cleansed　away　by　suffering。　　As　against　this



view；　the　ultra…optimistic　form　of　the　once…born　philosophy



thinks　we　may　treat　evil　by　the　method　of　ignoring。　　Let　a　man



who；　by　fortunate　health　and　circumstances；　escapes　the　suffering



of　any　great　amount　of　evil　in　his　own　person；　also　close　his



eyes　to　it　as　it　exists　in　the　wider　universe　outside　his　private



experience；　and　he　will　be　quit　of　it　altogether；　and　can　sail



through　life　happily　on　a　healthy…minded　basis。　　But　we　saw　in



our　lectures　on　melancholy　how　precarious　this　attempt



necessarily　is。　　Moreover　it　is　but　for　the　individual；　and



leaves　the　evil　outside　of　him；　unredeemed　and　unprovided　for　in



his　philosophy。







No　such　attempt　can　be　a　GENERAL　solution　of　the　problem；　and　to



minds　of　sombre　tinge；　who　naturally　feel　life　as　a　tragic



mystery；　such　optimism　is　a　shallow　dodge　or　mean　evasion。　　It



accepts；　in　lieu　of　a　real　deliverance；　what　is　a　lucky　personal



accident　merely；　a　cranny　to　escape　by。　It　leaves　the　general



world　unhelped　and　still　in　the　clutch　of　Satan。　　The　real



deliverance；　the　twice…born　folk　insist；　must　be　of　universal



application。　　Pain　and　wrong　and　death　must　be　fairly　met　and



overcome　in　higher　excitement；　or　else　their　sting　remains



essentially　unbroken。　　If　one　has　ever　taken　the　fact　of　the



prevalence　of　tragic　death　in　this　world's　history　fairly　into



his　mindfreezing；　drowning　entombment　alive；　wild　beasts；　worse



men；　and　hideous　diseaseshe　can　with　difficulty；　it　seems　to



me；　continue　his　own　career　of　worldly　prosperity　without



suspecting　that　he　may　all　the　while　not　be　really　inside　the



game；　that　he　may　lack　the　great　initiation。







Well；　this　is　exactly　what　asceticism　thinks；　and　it　voluntarily



takes　the　initiation。　　Life　is　neither　farce　nor　genteel　comedy；



it　says；　but　something　we　must　sit　at　in　mourning　garments；



hoping　its　bitter　taste　will　purge　us　of　our　folly。　The　wild　and



the　heroic　are　indeed　such　rooted　parts　of　it　that



healthy…mindedness　pure　and　simple；　with　its　sentimental



optimism；　can　hardly　be　regarded　by　any　thinking　man　as　a　serious



solution。　　Phrases　of　neatness；　cosiness；　and　comfort　can　never



be　an　answer　to　the　sphinx's　riddle。







In　these　remarks　I　am　leaning　only　upon　mankind's　common　instinct



for　reality；　which　in　point　of　fact　has　always　held　the　world　to



be　essentially　a　theatre　for　heroism。　　In　heroism；　we　feel；



life's　supreme　mystery　is　hidden。　　We　tolerate　no　one　who　has　no



capacity　whatever　for　it　in　any　direction。　　On　the　other　hand；　no



matter　what　a　man's　frailties　otherwise　may　be；　if　he　be　willing



to　risk　death；　and　still　more　if　he　suffer　it　heroically；　in　the



service　he　has　chosen；　the　fact　consecrates　him　forever。　



Inferior　to　ourselves　in　this　or　that　way；　if　yet　we　cling　to



life；　and　he　is　able　〃to　fling　it　away　like　a　flower〃　as　caring



noth