429、灵人界看似崇山峻岩间的谷地，到处是蜿蜒起伏的山丘。天堂社群的大门和门口只有那些预备好上天堂的人才能看见，其他人则找不到。从灵人界到每个天堂社群只有一个入口和一条路，但这条路在上升的过程中会分为数条。
地狱的大门和门口也只有那些即将进入地狱的人才能看见，那时，这些门向他们开放。当这些门被打开时，便看见阴暗的、看上去是乌黑的洞穴向下倾斜到深渊，那里又有更多的门，令人作呕的恶臭通过这些洞穴散发出来，使得善灵逃离，因为他们憎恶这些，但恶灵却寻求它们，以这些为乐。因为人在世时若以自己的邪恶为乐，死后就会以这邪恶所对应的恶臭为乐。在这方面，恶人好比喜食腐肉的禽兽，如乌鸦、豺狼、野猪，它们一闻到腐肉或污秽的臭气，就飞奔过去。我曾听见一个灵人闻到从天堂流出的气息后大声地喊叫，好像受到撕心裂肺的折磨；而当从地狱流出的气息临到他时，他就变得平静而快乐。
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429. 灵人界看似一个被高山峭壁包围的山谷, 到处是峡谷和高地. 天堂社群的大门和门户只有那些预备上天堂的人才能看见, 其他人则找不到. 从灵人界进入每个天堂社群的入口只有一个, 入口处也只有一条路; 但这条路在上升的过程中会分为数条. 地狱的大门和门户也只有那些即将进入地狱的人才能看见. 大门向他们开放, 然后他们便看见幽暗, 漆黑的洞穴倾斜而下, 直入深渊, 那里又有更多的门. 刺鼻的恶臭通过这些洞穴散发出来, 使得善灵逃离, 因为他们憎恶这些恶臭; 但恶灵却寻求它们, 被其吸引, 因为他们以之为乐. 事实上, 人在世时若以自己的邪恶为乐, 死后就会以他的邪恶所对应的恶臭为乐. 在这方面, 恶人好比喜食腐肉的鸟, 兽, 如乌鸦, 豺狼, 野猪, 它们一闻到腐肉或粪堆的恶臭, 就趋之若鹜. 我曾听见一个灵人一闻到天堂所流出的气息, 就极其痛苦地大喊大叫; 而地狱所流出的气息一临到他身上, 他就变得平静而快乐.
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429. 靈界看似一片被大山與陡崖包圍的山谷, 各處高低起伏。進入天國社群的門只有正預備好上天國的人才能看見, 其它人看不見。有一個入口從靈界通向每個社群, 進入後便見有一條路, 在上升的過程中, 這條路會分為數條。
進入地獄的入口也只有正預備好下地獄的人才能看見。地獄之門向他們打開, 一打開便見到漆黑, 幽暗的洞穴, 傾斜而下, 直到深處, 深處有更多的出入口。惡臭從中發出, 使得善靈掩鼻逃避開來, 惡靈卻被其吸引, 因為他們以之為樂。事實上, 人在世時若喜歡造作惡事, 死後也必喜歡與其惡對應的臭氣。在這方面, 他們可與烏鴉, 豺狼, 野豬等喜食腐肉的鳥類或畜類作比;一聞到腐敗的臭味, 它們就趨之若鶩。我曾見一人在嗅到天國之氣時厲聲尖叫, 嗅到地獄之氣時卻怡然自得。
429. The world of spirits looks like a valley surrounded by mountains and cliffs, with dips and rises here and there. The doors and gates to heavenly communities are visible only to people who are being readied for heaven. No one else finds them. There is one entrance to each community from the world of spirits with a single path beyond it; but as the path climbs, it divides into several.
The doors and gates to the hells are visible only to the people who are going to enter them. They open for them, and once they are opened you can see dark, sooty caves slanting downward into the depths, where there are still more gates. Rank, foul stenches breathe out from them, stenches that good spirits flee because they are repelled by them, while evil spirits are drawn toward them because they find them delightful. In fact, just as we find delight in our own evil in this world we find delight after death in the stench that corresponds to our evil. We might compare this with the delight of carrion birds and beasts like crows and wolves and pigs who fly or run toward rotting corpses as soon as they get wind of them. I heard one man who screamed aloud in utter torment at a breath of air from heaven, but was calm and happy when a breath from hell reached him.
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429. The world of spirits appears like a valley between mountains and rocks, with windings and elevations here and there. The gates and doors of the heavenly societies are visible only to those who are prepared for heaven; others cannot find them. There is one entrance from the world of spirits to each heavenly society, opening through a single path which branches out in its ascent into several. The gates and doors of the hells also are visible only to those who are about to enter, to whom they are then opened. When these are opened, gloomy and seemingly sooty caverns are seen tending obliquely downwards to the abyss, where again there are many doors. Through these caverns, nauseous and fetid stenches exhale, from which good spirits flee because they abominate them, but evil spirits seek for them because they delight in them. For as everyone in the world has been delighted with his own evil, so after death he is delighted with the stench to which his evil corresponds. In this respect, the evil may be likened to rapacious birds and beasts, like ravens, wolves, and swine, which fly or run to carrion or dunghills when they scent their stench. I heard a certain spirit crying out loudly as if from inward torture when struck by a breath flowing forth from heaven; but he became tranquil and glad as soon as a breath flowing forth from hell reached him.
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429. The world of spirits appears like a valley between mountains and rocks, with windings and elevations here and there. The gates and doors of the heavenly societies are visible to those only who are prepared for heaven; others cannot find them. There is one entrance from the world of spirits to each heavenly society, opening through a single path which branches out in its ascent into several. The gates and doors of the hells also are visible only to those who are about to enter, to whom they are then opened. When these are opened gloomy and seemingly sooty caverns are seen tending obliquely downwards to the abyss, where again there are many doors. Through these caverns nauseous and fetid stenches exhale, which good spirits flee from because they abominate them, but evil spirits seek for them because they delight in them. For as everyone in the world has been delighted with his own evil, so after death he is delighted with the stench to which his evil corresponds. In this respect the evil may be likened to rapacious birds and beasts, like ravens, wolves, and swine, which fly or run to carrion or dunghills when they scent their stench. I heard a certain spirit crying out loudly as if from inward torture when struck by a breath flowing forth from heaven; but he became tranquil and glad as soon as a breath flowing forth from hell reached him.
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429. Mundus spirituum apparet sicut vallis inter montes et petras, hic et ibi insinuata et elevata. Portae et ostia ad societates caelestes non apparent, solum illis qui praeparati ad caelum sunt, nec inveniuntur ab aliis; ad quamlibet societatem e mundo spirituum unus introitus est, post quem una via, sed quae in ascensu divaricatur in plures. Portae et ostia ad inferna nec apparent nisi quam illis qui intraturi sunt, quibus tunc aperiuntur quibus apertis apparent antra furva et sicut fuliginosa, tendentia oblique deorsum in profundum, ubi iterum plura ostia sunt: per antra illa exhalantur nidores tetri et fetores, quos boni spiritus fugiunt, quia aversationi sunt, at mali spiritus appetunt quia delectationi sunt; sicut enim quisque in mundo delectatus est suo malo, ita post mortem delectatur fetore cui malum ejus correspondet; comparari in hoc possunt avibus et feris rapacibus, ut corvis, lupis, porcis, qui ex percepto nidore ad cadaverosa et stercorea advolant et accurrunt. Audivi aliquem alte exclamantem sicut ex intrinseco cruciatu, cum feriit illum halitus effluens e caelo ac tranquillum et laetum, cum feriebat illum halitus effluens ex inferno.