the soul of the far east-第20章

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es　beyond　this　life。　　But　though　professing　agnosticism　while　they　live；　they　turn；　when　the　shadows　of　death's　night　come　on；　to　the　bosom　of　that　faith　which　teaches　that；　whatever　may　have　been　one's　earthly　share　of　happiness；　〃'tis　something　better　not　to　be。〃

Strange　it　seems　at　first　that　those　who　have　looked　so　long　to　the　rising　sun　for　inspiration　should　be　they　who　live　only　in　a　sort　of　lethargy　of　life；　while　those　who　for　so　many　centuries　have　turned　their　faces　steadily　to　the　fading　glory　of　the　sunset　should　be　the　ones　who　have　embodied　the　spirit　of　progress　of　the　world。　　Perhaps　the　light；　by　its　very　rising；　checks　the　desire　to　pursue；　in　its　setting　it　lures　one　on　to　follow。

Though　this　religion　of　impersonality　is　not　their　child；　it　is　their　choice。　　They　embraced　it　with　the　rest　that　India　taught　them；　centuries　ago。　　But　though　just　as　eager　to　learn　of　us　now　as　of　India　then；　Christianity　fails　to　commend　itself。　　This　is　not　due　to　the　fact　that　the　Buddhist　missionaries　came　by　invitation；　and　ours　do　not。　　Nor　is　it　due　to　any　want　of　personal　character　in　these　latter；　but　simply　to　an　excess　of　it　in　their　doctrines。

For　to…day　the　Far　East　is　even　more　impersonal　in　its　religion　than　are　those　from　whom　that　religion　originally　came。　　India　has　returned　again　to　its　worship　of　Brahma；　which；　though　impersonal　enough；　is　less　so　than　is　the　gospel　of　Gautama。　　For　it　is　passively　instead　of　actively　impersonal。

Buddhism　bears　to　Brahmanism　something　like　the　relation　that　Protestantism　does　to　Roman　Catholicism。　　Both　bishops　and　Brahmans　undertake　to　save　all　who　shall　blindly　commit　themselves　to　professional　guidance；　while　Buddhists　and　Protestants　alike　believe　that　a　man's　salvation　must　be　brought　about　by　the　action　of　the　man　himself。　　The　result　is；　that　in　the　matter　of　individuality　the　two　reformed　beliefs　are　further　apart　than　those　against　which　they　severally　protested。　　For　by　the　change　the　personal　became　more　personal；　and　the　impersonal　more　impersonal　than　before。　The　Protestant；　from　having　tamely　allowed　himself　to　be　led；　began　to　take　a　lively　interest　in　his　own　self…improvement；　while　the　Buddhist；　from　a　former　apathetic　acquiescence　in　the　doctrine　of　the　universally　illusive；　set　to　work　energetically　towards　self…extinction。　　Curious　labor　for　a　mind；　that　of　devoting　all　its　strength　to　the　thinking　itself　out　of　existence！　Not　content　with　being　born　impersonal；　a　Far　Oriental　is　constantly　striving　to　make　himself　more　so。

We　have　seen；　then；　how　in　trying　to　understand　these　peoples　we　are　brought　face　to　face　with　impersonality　in　each　of　those　three　expressions　of　the　human　soul；　speech；　thought；　yearning。　　We　have　looked　at　them　first　from　a　social　standpoint。　　We　have　seen　how　singularly　little　regard　is　paid　the　individual　from　his　birth　to　his　death。　　How　he　lives　his　life　long　the　slave　of　patriarchal　customs　of　so　puerile　a　tendency　as　to　be　practically　impossible　to　a　people　really　grown　up。　　How　he　practises　a　wholesale　system　of　adoption　sufficient　of　itself　to　destroy　any　surviving　regard　for　the　ego　his　other　relations　might　have　left。　　How　in　his　daily　life　he　gives　the　minimum　of　thought　to　the　bettering　himself　in　any　worldly　sense；　and　the　maximum　of　polite　consideration　to　his　neighbor。　　How；　in　short；　he　acts　toward　himself　as　much　as　possible　as　if　he　were　another；　and　to　that　other　as　if　he　were　himself。　Then；　not　content　with　standing　stranger　like　upon　the　threshold；　we　have　sought　to　see　the　soul　of　their　civilization　in　its　intrinsic　manifestations。　　We　have　pushed　our　inquiry；　as　it　were；　one　step　nearer　its　home。　　And　the　same　trait　that　was　apparent　sociologically　has　been　exposed　in　this　our　antipodal　phase　of　psychical　research。　We　have　seen　how　impersonal　is　his　language；　the　principal　medium　of　communication　between　one　soul　and　another；　how　impersonal　are　the　communings　of　his　soul　with　itself。　　How　the　man　turns　to　nature　instead　of　to　his　fellowman　in　silent　sympathy。　And　how；　when　he　speculates　upon　his　coming　castles　in　the　air；　his　most　roseate　desire　is　to　be　but　an　indistinguishable　particle　of　the　sunset　clouds　and　vanish　invisible　as　they　into　the　starry　stillness　of　all…embracing　space。

Now　what　does　this　strange　impersonality　betoken？　　Why　are　these　peoples　so　different　from　us　in　this　most　fundamental　of　considerations　to　any　people；　the　consideration　of　themselves？　The　answer　leads　to　some　interesting　conclusions。


Chapter　8。　　Imagination。

If；　as　is　the　case　with　the　moon；　the　earth；　as　she　travelled　round　her　orbit　turned　always　the　same　face　inward；　we　might　expect　to　find；　between　the　thoughts　of　that　hemisphere　which　looked　continually　to　the　sun；　and　those　of　the　other　peering　eternally　out　at　the　stars；　some　such　difference　as　actually　exists　between　ourselves　and　our　longitudinal　antipodes。　　For　our　conception　of　the　cosmos　is　of　a　sunlit　world　throbbing　with　life；　while　their　Nirvana　finds　not　unfit　expression　in　the　still；　cold；　fathomless　awe　of　the　midnight　sky。　　That　we　cannot　thus　directly　account　for　the　difference　in　local　coloring　serves　but　to　make　that　difference　of　more　human　interest。　　The　dissimilarity　between　the　Western　and　the　Far　Eastern　attitude　of　mind　has　in　it　something　beyond　the　effect　of　environment。　　For　it　points　to　the　importance　of　the　part　which　the　principle　of　individuality　plays　in　the　great　drama　daily　enacting　before　our　eyes；　and　which　we　know　as　evolution。　　It　shows；　as　I　shall　hope　to　prove；　that　individuality　bears　the　same　relation　to　the　development　of　mind　that　the　differentiation　of　species　does　to　the　evolution　of　organic　life：　that　the　degree　of　individualization　of　a　people　is　the　self…recorded　measure　of　its　place　in　the　great　march　of　mind。

All　life；　whether　organic　or　inorganic；　consists；　as　we　know；　in　a　change　from　a　state　of　simple　homogeneity　to　one　of　complex　heterogeneity。　　The　process　is　apparently　the　same　in　a　nebula　or　a　brachiopod；　although　much　more　intricate　in　the　latter。　　The　immediate　force　which　works　this　change；　the　life　principle　of　things；　is；　in　the　case　of　organic　beings；　a　subtle　something　which　we　call　spontaneous　variation。　　What　this　mysterious　impulse　may　be　is　beyond　our　present　powers　of　recognition。　　As　yet；　the　ultimates　of　all　things　lie　hidden　in　the　womb　of　the　vast　unknown。　　But　just　as　in　the　case　of　a　man　we　can　tell　what　organs　are　vital；　though　we　are　ignorant　what　the　vital　spark　may　be；　so　in　our　great　cosmical　laws　we　can　say　in　what　their　power　resides；　though　we　know　not　really　what　they　are。　　Whether　mind　be　but　a　sublimated　form　of　matter；　or；　what　amounts　to　the　same　thing；　matter　a　menial　kind　of　mind；　or　whether；　which　seems　less　likely；　it　be　a　something　incomparable　with　substance；　of　one　thing　we　are　sure；　the　same　laws　of　heredity　govern　both。　　In　each　a　like　chain　of　continuity　leads　from　the　present　to　the　dim　past；　a　connecting　clue　which　we　can　follow　backward　in　imagination。　　Now　what　spontaneous　variation　is　to　the　material　organism；　imagination；　apparently；　is　to　the　mental　one。　　Just　as　spontaneous　variation　is　constantly　pushing　the　animal　or　the　plant　to　push　out；　as　a　vine　its　tendrils；　in　all　directions；　while　natural　conditions　are　as　constantly　exercising　over　it　a　sort　of　unconscious　pruning　power；　so　imagination　is　ever　at　work　urging　man's　mind　out　and　on；　while　the　sentiment　of　the　community；　commonly　called　common　sense；　which　simply　means　the　point　already　reached　by　the　average；　is　as　steadily　tending　to　keep　it　at　its　own　level。　　The　environment　helps；　in　the　one　case　as　in　the　other；　to　the　shaping　of　the　development。　　Purely　physical　in　the　first；　it　is　both　physical　and　psychical　in　the　second；　the　two　reacting　on　each　other。　　But　in　either　case　it　is　only　a　constraining　condition；　not　the　divine　impulse　itself。　　Precisely；　then；　as　in　the　organism；　this　subtle　spirit　checked　in　one　direction　finds　a　way　to　advance　in　another；　and　produces　in　consequence　among　an　originally　similar　set　of　bodies　a　gradual　separation　into　species　which　grow　wider　with　time；　so　in　brain　evolution　a　like　force　for　like　reasons　tends　inevitably　to　an　ever…increasing　individualization。

Now　what　evidence　have　we　that　this　analogy　holds？　　Let　us　look　at　the　facts；　first　as　they　present　themselves　subjectively。

The　instinct　of　self…preservation；　that　guardian　angel　so　persistent　to　appear　when　needed；　owes　its　summons　to　another　instinct　no　less　strong；　which　we　may　call　the　instinct　of　individuality；　for　with　the　same　innate　tenacity　with　which　we　severally　cling　to　life　do　we　hold　to　the　idea　of　our　own　identity。　　It　is　not　for　the　philosophic　desire　of　preserving　a　very　small　fraction　of　humanity　at　large　that　we　take　such　pains　to　avoid　destruction；　it　is　that　we　insensibly　regard　death　as　threatening　to　the　continuance　of　the　ego；　in　spite　of　the　theories　of　a　future　life　which　we　have　so　elaborately　developed。　　Indeed；　the　psychical　shrinking　is　really　the　quintessence　of　the　physical　fear。　　We　cleave　to　the　abstract　idea　closer　even　than　to　its　concrete　embodiment。　　Sooner　would　we　forego　this　earthly　existence　than　surrender　that　something　we　know　as　self。　　For　sufficient　cause　we　can　imagine　courting　death；　we　cannot　conceive　of　so　much　as　exchanging　our　individuality　for　another's；　still　less　of　abandoning　it　altogether；　for　gradually　a　man；　as　he　grows　older；　comes　to　regard　his　body　as；　after　all；　separable　from　himself。　　It　is　the　soul's　covering；　rendered　indispensable　by　the　climatic　conditions　of　our　present　existence；　one　without　which　we　could　no　longer　continue　to　live　here。　　To　forego　it　does　not　necessarily　negative；　so　far　as　we　yet　know；　the　possibility　of　living　elsewhere。　　Some　more　congenial　tropic　may　be　the　wandering　spirit's　fate。　　But　to　part　with　the　sense　of　self　seems　to　be　like　taking　an　eternal　farewell　of　the　soul。　　The　Western　mind　shrinks　before　the　bare　idea　of　such　a　thought。

The　clinging　to　one's　own　identity；　then；　is　now　an　instinct；　whatever　it　may　originally　have　been。　　It　is　a　something　we　inherited　from　our　ancestors　and　which　we　shall　transmit　more　or　less　modified　to　our　descendants。　　How　far　back　this　consciousness　has　been　felt　passes　the　possibilities　of　history　to　determine；　since　the　recording　of　it　necessarily　followed　the　fact。　　All　we　know　is　that　its　mention　is　coeval　with　chronicle；　and　its　origin　lost　in　allegory。　　The　Bible；　one　of　the　oldest　written　records　in　the　world；　begins　with　a　bit　of　mythology　of　a　very　significant　kind。　　When　the　Jews　undertook　to　trace　back　their　family　tree　to　an　idyllic　garden　of　Eden；　they　mentioned　as　growing　there　beside　the　tree　of　life；　another　tree　called　the　tree　of　knowledge。　　Of　what　character　this　knowledge　was　is　inferable　from　the　sudden　self…consciousness　that　followed　the　partaking　of　it。　　So　that　if　we　please　we　may　attribute　directly　to　Eve's　indiscretion　the　many　evils　of　our　morbid　self…consciousness　of　the　present　day。　But　without　indulging　in　unchivalrous　reflections　we　may　draw　certain　morals　from　it　of　both　immediate　and　ultimate　applicability。

To　begin　with；　it　is　a　most　salutary　warning　to　the　introspective；　and　in　the　second　place　it　is　a　striking　instance　of　a　myth