lecture08-第5节

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Let　me　turn　now　to　the　kind　of　case；　the　religious　case；　namely；



that　immediately　concerns　us。　　Here　is　one　of　the　simplest



possible　type；　an　account　of　the　conversion　to　the　systematic



religion　of　healthy…mindedness　of　a　man　who　must　already　have



been　naturally　of　the　healthy…minded　type。　　It　shows　how；　when



the　fruit　is　ripe；　a　touch　will　make　it　fall。







Mr。　Horace　Fletcher；　in　his　little　book　called　Menticulture；



relates　that　a　friend　with　whom　he　was　talking　of　the



self…control　attained　by　the　Japanese　through　their　practice　of



the　Buddhist　discipline　said：







〃'You　must　first　get　rid　of　anger　and　worry。'　　'But；'　said　I；



'is　that　possible？'　　'Yes；'　replied　he；　'it　is　possible　to　the



Japanese；　and　ought　to　be　possible　to　us。'







〃On　my　way　back　I　could　think　of　nothing　else　but　the　words　get



rid；　get　rid'；　and　the　idea　must　have　continued　to　possess　me



during　my　sleeping　hours；　for　the　first　consciousness　in　the



morning　brought　back　the　same　thought；　with　the　revelation　of　a



discovery；　which　framed　itself　into　the　reasoning；　'If　it　is



possible　to　get　rid　of　anger　and　worry；　why　is　it　necessary　to



have　them　at　all？'　　I　felt　the　strength　of　the　argument；　and　at



once　accepted　the　reasoning。　　The　baby　had　discovered　that　it



could　walk。　　It　would　scorn　to　creep　any　longer。







〃From　the　instant　I　realized　that　these　cancer　spots　of　worry　and



anger　were　removable；　they　left　me。　　With　the　discovery　of　their



weakness　they　were　exorcised。　　From　that　time　life　has　had　an



entirely　different　aspect。







〃Although　from　that　moment　the　possibility　and　desirability　of



freedom　from　the　depressing　passions　has　been　a　reality　to　me；　it



took　me　some　months　to　feel　absolute　security　in　my　new　position；



but；　as　the　usual　occasions　for　worry　and　anger　have　presented



themselves　over　and　over　again；　and　I　have　been　unable　to　feel



them　in　the　slightest　degree；　I　no　longer　dread　or　guard　against



them；　and　I　am　amazed　at　my　increased　energy　and　vigor　of　mind；



at　my　strength　to　meet　situations　of　all　kinds　and　at　my



disposition　to　love　and　appreciate　everything。







〃I　have　had　occasion　to　travel　more　than　ten　thousand　miles　by



rail　since　that　morning。　　The　same　Pullman　porter；　conductor；



hotel…waiter；　peddler；　book…agent；　cabman；　and　others　who　were



formerly　a　source　of　annoyance　and　irritation　have　been　met；　but



I　am　not　conscious　of　a　single　incivility。　　All　at　once　the　whole



world　has　turned　good　to　me。　　I　have　become；　as　it　were；



sensitive　only　to　the　rays　of　good。







〃I　could　recount　many　experiences　which　prove　a　brand…new



condition　of　mind；　but　one　will　be　sufficient。　　Without　the



slightest　feeling　of　annoyance　or　impatience；　I　have　seen　a　train



that　I　had　planned　to　take　with　a　good　deal　of　interested　and



pleasurable　anticipation　move　out　of　the　station　without　me；



because　my　baggage　did　not　arrive。　　The　porter　from　the　hotel



came　running　and　panting　into　the　station　just　as　the　train



pulled　out　of　sight。　　When　he　saw　me；　he　looked　as　if　he　feared　a



scolding。　and　began　to　tell　of　being　blocked　in　a　crowded　street



and　unable　to　get　out。　　When　he　had　finished；　I　said　to　him：　　'It



doesn't　matter　at　all；　you　couldn't　help　it；　so　we　will　try　again



to…morrow。　　Here　is　your　fee；　I　am　sorry　you　had　all　this　trouble



in　earning　it。'　　The　look　of　surprise　that　came　over　his　face　was



so　filled　with　pleasure　that　I　was　repaid　on　the　spot　for　the



delay　in　my　departure。　　Next　day　he　would　not　accept　a　cent　for



the　service；　and　he　and　I　are　friends　for　life。







〃During　the　first　weeks　of　my　experience　I　was　on　guard　only



against　worry　and　anger；　but；　in　the　mean　time；　having　noticed



the　absence　of　the　other　depressing　and　dwarfing　passions；　I



began　to　trace　a　relationship；　until　I　was　convinced　that　they



are　all　growths　from　the　two　roots　I　have　specified。　　I　have　felt



the　freedom　now　for　so　long　a　time　that　I　am　sure　of　my　relation



toward　it；　and　I　could　no　more　harbor　any　of　the　thieving　and



depressing　influences　that　once　I　nursed　as　a　heritage　of



humanity　than　a　fop　would　voluntarily　wallow　in　a　filthy　gutter。







〃There　is　no　doubt　in　my　mind　that　pure　Christianity　and　pure



Buddhism；　and　the　Mental　Sciences　and　all　Religions　fundamentally



teach　what　has　been　a　discovery　to　me；　but　none　of　them　have



presented　it　in　the　light　of　a　simple　and　easy　process　of



elimination。　　At　one　time　I　wondered　if　the　elimination　would　not



yield　to　indifference　and　sloth。　　In　my　experience；　the　contrary



is　the　result。　　I　feel　such　an　increased　desire　to　do　something



useful　that　it　seems　as　if　I　were　a　boy　again　and　the　energy　for



play　had　returned。　　I　could　fight　as　readily　as　（and　better　than）



ever；　if　there　were　occasion　for　it。　　It　does　not　make　one　a



coward。　　It　can't；　since　fear　is　one　of　the　things　eliminated。　　I



notice　the　absence　of　timidity　in　the　presence　of　any　audience。　



When　a　boy；　I　was　standing　under　a　tree　which　was　struck　by



lightning；　and　received　a　shock　from　the　effects　of　which　I　never



knew　exemption　until　I　had　dissolved　partnership　with　worry。　



Since　then；　lightning　and　thunder　have　been　encountered　under



conditions　which　would　formerly　have　caused　great　depression　and



discomfort；　without　＇my＇　experiencing　a　trace　of　either。　



Surprise　is　also　greatly　modified；　and　one　is　less　liable　to



become　startled　by　unexpected　sights　or　noises。







〃As　far　as　I　am　individually　concerned；　I　am　not　bothering　myself



at　present　as　to　what　the　results　of　this　emancipated　condition



may　be。　　I　have　no　doubt　that　the　perfect　health　aimed　at　by



Christian　Science　may　be　one　of　the　possibilities；　for　I　note　a



marked　improvement　in　the　way　my　stomach　does　its　duty　in



assimilating　the　food　I　give　it　to　handle；　and　I　am　sure　it　works



better　to　the　sound　of　a　song　than　under　the　friction　of　a　frown。



Neither　am　I　wasting　any　of　this　precious　time　formulating　an



idea　of　a　future　existence　or　a　future　Heaven。　　The　Heaven　that　I



have　within　myself　is　as　attractive　as　any　that　has　been　promised



or　that　I　can　imagine；　and　I　am　willing　to　let　the　growth　lead



where　it　will；　as　long　as　the　anger　and　their　brood　have　no　part



in　misguiding　it。〃＇95＇







＇95＇　H。　Fletcher：　　Menticulture；　or　the　A…B…C　of　True　Living；　New



York　and　Chicago；　1899；　pp。　26；　36；　abridged。















The　older　medicine　used　to　speak　of　two　ways；　lysis　and　crisis；



one　gradual；　the　other　abrupt；　in　which　one　might　recover　from　a



bodily　disease。　　In　the　spiritual　realm　there　are　also　two　ways；



one　gradual；　the　other　sudden；　in　which　inner　unification　may



occur。　　Tolstoy　and　Bunyan　may　again　serve　us　as　examples；



examples；　as　it　happens；　of　the　gradual　way；　though　it　must　be



confessed　at　the　outset　that　it　is　hard　to　follow　these　windings



of　the　hearts　of　others；　and　one　feels　that　their　words　do　not



reveal　their　total　secret。







Howe'er　this　be；　Tolstoy；　pursuing　his　unending　questioning；



　seemed　to　come　to　one　insight　after　another。　　First　he



perceived　that　his　conviction　that　life　was　meaningless　took　only



this　finite　life　into　account。　　He　was　looking　for　the　value　of



one　finite　term　in　that　of　another；　and　the　whole　result　could



only　be　one　of　those　indeterminate　equations　in　mathematics　which



end　with　infinity。　　Yet　this　is　as　far　as　the　reasoning　intellect



by　itself　can　go；　unless　irrational　sentiment　or　faith　brings　in



the　infinite。　　Believe　in　the　infinite　as　common　people　do；　and



life　grows　possible　again。







〃Since　mankind　has　existed；　wherever　life　has　been；　there　also



has　been　the　faith　that　gave　the　possibility　of　living。　　Faith　is



the　sense　of　life；　that　sense　by　virtue　of　which　man　does　not



destroy　himself；　but　continues　to　live　on。　　It　is　the　force



whereby　we　live。　If　Man　did　not　believe　that　he　must　live　for



something；　he　would　not　live　at　all。　　The　idea　of　an　infinite



God；　of　the　divinity　of　the　soul；　of　the　union　of　men's　actions



with　Godthese　are　ideas　elaborated　in　the　infinite　secret



depths　of　human　thought。　　They　are　ideas　without　which　there



would　be　no　life；　without　which　I　myself；〃　said　Tolstoy；　〃would



not　exist。　　I　began　to　see　that　I　had　no　right　to　rely　on　my



individual　reasoning　and　neglect　these　answers　given　by　faith；



for　they　are　the　only　answers　to　the　question。〃







Yet　how　believe　as　the　common　people　believe；　steeped　as　they　are



in　grossest　superstition？　　It　is　impossiblebut　yet