548、我有几次与刚从世上来的灵人谈论永生的状态，告诉他们，对他们来说，重要的是知道谁是那个国度的主人，它的管理体系和管理形式是什么样；就像世人去往另一个国家时，都希望提前了解国王是谁，是个什么样的人，政府是何性质，以及关于这个国家的其它信息。可以进入的喜乐，不管他们生活如何，甚至连那些对邻舍心怀仇恨，在通奸中度过一生的人也可以。他们完全没有意识到，天堂乃是相互和贞洁的爱，而天堂的喜乐则是由此产生的幸福。
那么在这个他们将要生活到永远的国度，不更应该这样做吗？我告诉他们，唯独主既统治天堂，也统治整个宇宙，因为统治这一个的，也必统治那一个；而且他们现在所在的国是主的国，它的律法就是永恒的真理，所有真理都基于这一伟大律法：人要爱主高于一切，且爱邻如己。事实上，不仅如此，他们若想变得像天使，必须爱邻胜己。
听到这些话，他们无言以对，因为活在肉身时，他们听过类似的话，却不相信。尽管他们听说要爱邻如己，但他们惊讶地发现，天堂竟真的存在这种爱，并且谁都有可能爱邻胜己。然而，他们被告知，在来世，一切良善都会无限增长，而肉体中的生命是这样，他们无法越过爱邻如己这个点，因为他们专注于肉体事物。不过，一旦肉体事物被除去，爱就会变得更纯粹，最终似天使一般。这就是爱邻胜己。
这种爱的可能性从某些人的婚姻之爱明显看出来，他们宁愿死也不愿让配偶受伤害；还可从父母对孩子的爱看出来，母亲宁愿忍受饥饿也不愿看到自己的孩子挨饿，甚至连鸟类和动物也是这样。这种爱的可能性同样从真正的友谊明显看出来，拥有这种友谊的人会为自己的朋友而甘冒任何风险；甚至从礼貌和伪装的友谊也能看出来，这种友谊为效仿真正的友谊，也会为他们所祝愿的人提供更好的东西，即便不是发自内心，也会口头上表达善意。最后，爱邻胜己的可能性从爱的真实性质明显看出来；爱的喜乐就在于为了爱，而不是为了自己服务他人。但那些爱自己胜过他人的人不会明白这些话，那些活在肉身时贪恋钱财的人，尤其贪婪者也不明白。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]548. Several times I have talked to spirits newly arrived from the world about the conditions of eternal life. "It's important for you to know who the Lord of the realm is, what his style of government is like, and what the form of government is," I pointed out. "On earth, the first thing you have to do on entering another country is to learn the identity and character of the monarch, the nature of the government, and other information about the country. How much more so in this realm, where you'll live forever?
"The Lord alone rules not just heaven but the whole universe," I said. "Whoever rules the one rules the other.
"The kingdom in which you now find yourself is the Lord's. The laws of this kingdom are eternal truths, all founded on this solitary law: you are to love the Lord above all and your neighbor as yourself. Not only this, in fact, but if you want to be like angels, you'll have to love your neighbor more than yourselves."
[2] To all this they had no answer, because during bodily life they had heard something similar but had not believed it. They were astounded to hear that in heaven people can and do love their neighbor more than themselves (although they had heard that they should love their neighbor as themselves).
"Everything good in the next life expands without limit," I told them. "Life bounded by the body is such that we can't progress any farther than loving our neighbor as ourselves, because we're wrapped up in bodily concerns. But when these concerns have been laid aside, love grows purer and purer until at last it is angelic. Angelic love is to love one's neighbor more than oneself.
[3] "That this kind of love is possible you could have known from the love between certain married partners who would prefer death to seeing their spouse injured. You could have known it from the love parents have for their children: a mother would rather starve than see her baby go hungry. And this is true even among birds and animals.
"You could have known it from true friendship in people who risk danger for the sake of their friends. You could even have known it from polite friendship — the pretense that tries to pass for real friendship — in which we offer the better portions to those in our good graces and bear selflessness on our lips (though not in our hearts).
"Last, you could have known it from the nature of love, which is such that its joy is to serve others, not for one's own sake but for the other person's."{*1} But these things were incomprehensible to those who loved themselves more than others and to those who had been money-grubbing during physical life. Least understanding of all were the misers.
Footnotes:
{*1} In the last three paragraphs, Swedenborg seems to follow the traditional Christian delineation of four different types of love: eros, or romantic, sexual love; storge, family feeling; philia, friendship; and agape, "charity" or selfless love. See Liddell and Scott 1968, under ἀγάπη (agápe), ἔρως (éros), φιλία (philía), στοργή (storgé); and Lewis [1960] 1988, throughout. [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 548
548. I have sometimes spoken with spirits fresh from the world concerning the state of eternal life, telling them how important it was for them to know who is the Lord of that kingdom, and what is the nature and form of its government, just as those in this world who go into another kingdom are especially interested to know who and of what sort is the king, what is the nature of the government, and many other things that belong to the kingdom; and how much more should they be interested in this kingdom, where they are to live forever. I told them that the Lord alone rules both heaven and the universe, for He who rules the one must rule the other; and that the kingdom in which they were now is the Lord's kingdom, the laws of which are eternal truths, all of which are based on the one great law that men shall love the Lord above all things and their neighbor as themselves, and now even more than themselves, for if they would be as the angels this is what they must do. To all this they could make no reply, because in their bodily life they had heard something of the kind, but had not believed it. They marveled that there is such love in heaven, and that it is possible for anyone to love his neighbor more than himself, seeing that they had heard that they were to love their neighbor as themselves. But they were instructed that in the other life all goods are immeasurably increased, and that the life in the body is such that men can go no further than loving the neighbor as themselves because they are in the things of the body, but that when these are removed, the love becomes purer, and at last angelic, which consists in loving the neighbor more than themselves. The possibility of such love is evident from the conjugial love that exists with some persons, who would suffer death rather than let their married partner be injured; and also from the love of parents for their children, in that a mother will endure starvation rather than see her infant hunger, and this even among birds and animals; and likewise from sincere friendship, in that perils will be undergone for our friends; and even from polite and feigned friendship, that would emulate real friendship in offering the better things to those to whom we wish well, making great professions even when they do not come from the heart. And finally its possibility is evident from the very nature of love, which finds its joy in being of service to others, not for the sake of self but for the love's own sake. But all this could not be comprehended by those who loved themselves more than others, and who in the bodily life had been greedy for gain, and least of all by the avaricious.
Elliott(1983-1999) 548
548. I have spoken several times to spirits recently arrived from the world about the state of eternal life, and have said that it was important for them to know who the Lord of that kingdom is, what is the system of government, and what form that government takes. It is the same in the world when people go to another kingdom; they wish to know beforehand who the king is and what he is like, what is the system of government, and many other facts concerning that kingdom. How much more does this apply in that kingdom where they are going to live for ever. I have told them that the Lord alone rules not only heaven but also the whole universe, for He who rules the one must rule the other, and also that the kingdom which they are now in is the Lord's kingdom, and that the laws of this kingdom are eternal truths, every one of which is based on the incomparable law that they are to love the Lord supremely and the neighbour as themselves. Indeed if they wished to be as the angels, they must now go beyond that and love the neighbour more than themselves.
[2] On hearing these things they have been speechless, for during their life-time they had heard something of the sort but had not believed it. Even though they had heard that they were to love the neighbour as themselves, they have been amazed that such love exists in heaven, and that it is possible for anyone to love the neighbour more than himself. They have been informed however that in the next life all goods increase without limit, whereas life in the body is such that they cannot progress beyond the point of loving their neighbour as themselves, because they are engrossed in bodily interests. Once the latter have been removed however, love becomes purer, and at length angelic. And this is loving the neighbour more than themselves.
[3] The possibility of such love has been made clear from the conjugial love of certain persons who would die rather than let their partner be harmed. It is also clear from the love of parents for their children; a mother would rather endure starvation than see her child go hungry, as is true even of birds and of animals. The possibility of that love is also apparent in real friendship in which people risk any danger for the sake of their friends. It is apparent even from that polite but counterfeit friendship which seeks to imitate real friendship by offering choicer things to those they wish well to, and by paying lip-service to good will even though it does not exist in their hearts. Finally, the possibility of loving the neighbour more than oneself is clear from the very nature of love whose joy resides in serving others for love's sake and not one's own. But people who loved themselves more than anybody else have not been able to grasp these things; nor have those who during their lifetime were eager for money, and least of all the avaricious.
Latin(1748-1756) 548
548. Cum spiritibus qui e mundo recens venerunt, aliquoties locutus de statu vitae aeternae, quod nempe iis scire {x}intersit, quis Dominus regni, quale regimen, et quae regiminis forma; sicut qui in mundo in aliud regnum veniunt, iis nihil prius est quam scire, quis et qualis rex, quale regimen, et plura quae istius regni sunt; magis in hoc regno in quo in aeternum victuri: et dictum, quod Dominus solus non modo regat caelum sed etiam universum, nam qui regit unum reget alterum; tum quod regnum in quo nunc sunt, sit Homini; et quod hujus regni leges sint veritates aeternae, quae omnes fundantur in illa unica lege ut ament Dominum supra omnia et proximum ut semet; immo nunc adhuc magis si velint esse sicut angeli, quod amare debeant proximum plus quam semet. Cum haec audiverunt, nihil respondere poterant, quia in vita corporis tale quid audiverunt sed non crediderunt: mirati quod talis amor sit in caelo, et quod dabilis ut quisque amet proximum plus quam semet, cum tamen audiverunt quod amarent proximum sicut semet: sed informati quod omnia bona indefinite crescant in altera vita, et quod talis vita sit in corpore ut non ultra progredi possint quam amare proximum ut semet, quia in corporeis; at iis remotis, tunc amor magis purus fit, et tandem angelicus, qui est amare proximum plus quam semet. [3] Quod talis amor dabilis sit, constare potuit ex quorundam amore conjugiali, quod praetulerint mortem quam ut laederetur conjux: ex amore parentum erga liberos, quod mater potius famem patiatur quam ut videat infantem esurire; etiam apud aves et animalia: ut et ab amicitia sincera, quod pro amicis pericula subeant: etiam ex amicitia civili et simulata, quae aemulari vult sinceram, quod potiora offerant iis quibus bene volunt; et tale ore ferant tametsi non corde: demum ex natura amoris, quae talis est ut gaudium ejus sit inservire aliis, non sui sed ejus causa. Verum haec non potuerunt capere qui se prae aliis amabant; et qui lucri avidi in vita corporis fuerunt; omnium minime avari.