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582. 六十一, 地狱的样貌, 位置和数目
在灵界, 就是灵人和天使所在的地方, 事物看上去和自然界, 就是世人所在地方的差不多, 甚至如此相似, 以至于乍看之下, 似乎没有什么区别. 在那里你会看到平原, 大山, 小山, 悬崖峭壁和它们之间的山谷; 还会看到水域和地上所见到的许多其它事物. 然而, 所有这些事物都来自一个属灵的源头, 因而都是灵人和天使眼所看到的, 而非世人眼所看到的, 因为世人在自然界. 属灵人看见来自属灵源头的事物, 属世人则看见来自属世源头的事物. 这意味着人的肉眼没有办法看到灵界的事物, 除非他被允许在灵里, 或直到他死后成为灵. 另一方面, 天使或灵人根本看不见自然界的任何事物, 除非他与一个被允许与他交谈的世人同在. 因为人的肉眼适合接受自然界的光, 天使和灵人的眼睛适合接受灵界的光; 尽管这二者的眼睛看上去极为相似. 属世人无法理解灵界竟是这样子, 感官人更不理解, 因为这种人除了用肉眼看到, 用手摸到的东西外, 什么也不信. 这意味着他只相信通过视觉和触觉所收集到的东西, 并在此基础上进行思考. 所以, 他的思维是物质的, 而非属灵的. 正是由于灵界和自然界之间的这种相似性, 死后的人难以相信他已不在他所出生并已离开的世界, 因而死亡只是简单被称为从一个世界过渡到像这样的另一个世界. 从前面论述天堂的代表和表象的章节(天国的奥秘 170-176节)可以看出, 这两个世界就具有这种相似性.
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582. 地獄的形狀, 位置及數量
靈和天人所居的心靈世界, 其環境看起來和人類所居的自然界相似, 以致乍看之下, 兩者似乎沒有分別。那裡有平原, 有高山, 有小山, 有峭壁, 有山谷, 有江河, 和自然界一樣。不過它們都出自靈性的源頭, 為靈和天人所見, 不為世人所見。靈界之人可見心靈之物, 世間之人可見物質之物。就是說, 世間之人看不見心靈世界的事物, 除非他進入靈裡, 或者死後成為靈。另一方面, 靈和天人也看不見物質世界的事物, 除非他與某個世間之人相通。世人的眼睛適合接收物質世界的光線, 天人和靈的眼睛適合接收心靈世界的光線。不過, 兩者的眼睛表面看似沒什麼兩樣。
對於心靈世界的如此模樣, 物質之人無法理解, 感官主義者更不能, 因為凡是看不見摸不著的事物, 他們一概不信。他們只信看得見摸得著的事物, 在此基礎上進行思考。所以, 他們的思維是物質性思維, 不是靈性思維。
正因心靈世界和物質世界如此相似, 才使得進入靈界之人不敢相信他已離開曾經生而為人的人間。也正因如此, 他們稱死亡不過是從一個世界轉入了另一個世界。
582. The Appearance, Location, and Number of the Hells
In the spiritual world, the world where spirits and angels live, things look much the same as they do in the natural world where we live - so similar that at first glance there seems to be no difference. You see plains there, mountains, hills, and cliffs with valleys between them, you see bodies of water and many other things that we find on earth. However, they all come from a spiritual source, so they are visible to the eyes of spirits and angels but not to our eyes because we are in a natural world. Spiritual people see things that come from a spiritual source, and natural people see things that come from a natural source. This means that there is no way for our eyes to see things in the spiritual world unless we are allowed to be in the spirit, or until we become spirits after death. On the other hand, angels and spirits are utterly incapable of seeing anything in the natural world unless they are with some one of us who has been allowed to talk with them. Our eyes are adapted to receive the light of the natural world, and the eyes of angels and spirits are adapted to receive the light of the spiritual world; yet the two kinds of eyes look exactly alike.
Natural people cannot understand that the spiritual world is like this, and sense-centered people even less so, being people who believe nothing unless they can see it with their physical eyes and touch it with their hands. This means they believe only what they glean through their sight and touch and that they think on this basis; so their thought is material and not spiritual.
Because of this resemblance between the spiritual world and the natural world, it is hard for people after death to realize that they are not in the world where they were born, the world they have just left; so they actually call death nothing but a crossing from one world into another like it.
On this kind of resemblance between the two worlds, see the discussion above of representations and appearances in heaven (170-176).
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582. THE APPEARANCE, SITUATION, AND NUMBER OF THE HELLS
In the spiritual world, or in the world where spirits and angels are, similar objects appear as in the natural world, or where men are. These are similar in that as to external appearance there is no difference. In that world appear plains and mountains, hills and rocks, and valleys between them; also waters, and many other things that are seen on earth. But yet all these things are from a spiritual origin, and all appear therefore before the eyes of spirits and angels, and not before the eyes of men, because men are in the natural world. Spiritual beings see the things that are from a spiritual origin, and natural beings the things that are from a natural origin. Consequently, man with his eyes can in no way see the objects that are in the spiritual world unless he is permitted to be in the spirit, or after death when he becomes a spirit. On the other hand, an angel and a spirit are unable to see anything at all in the natural world unless they are with a man who is permitted to speak with them. For the eyes of man are adapted to the reception of the light of the natural world, and the eyes of angels and spirits are adapted to the reception of the light of the spiritual world; although the eyes of the two are exactly alike in appearance. That the spiritual world is such, the natural man cannot comprehend, and least of all the sensual man, who believes nothing except what he sees with his bodily eyes and touches with his hands, and therefore takes in by sight and touch. He thinks from these things, so his thought is material and not spiritual. Such being the likeness between the spiritual world and the natural world, man after death can hardly believe otherwise than that he is in the world where he was born, and from which he has departed. For this reason they call death simply a translation from one world into another like it. (That the two worlds are thus alike can be seen above, where the representatives and appearances in heaven have been treated of; 170-176.)
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582. THE APPEARANCE, SITUATION, AND NUMBER OF THE HELLS.
In the spiritual world, that is, in the world where spirits and angels are, the same objects appear as in the natural world, that is, where men are. In external appearance there is no difference. In that world plains and mountains, hills and rocks, and valleys between them are seen; also waters, and many other things that are seen on earth. And yet all these things are from a spiritual origin, and all are therefore seen by the eyes of spirits and angels, and not by the eyes of men, because men are in the natural world. Spiritual beings see such things as are from a spiritual origin, and natural beings such things as are from a natural origin. Consequently man with his eyes can in no way see the objects that are in the spiritual world unless he is permitted to be in the spirit, or after death when he becomes a spirit. On the other hand, an angel or a spirit is unable to see any thing at all in the natural world unless he is with a man who is permitted to speak with him. For the eyes of man are fitted to receive the light of the natural world, and the eyes of angels and spirits are fitted to receive the light of the spiritual world; although the eyes of the two are exactly alike in appearance. That the spiritual world is such the natural man cannot comprehend, and least of all the sensual man, who believes nothing except what he sees with his bodily eyes and touches with his hands, and therefore takes in by sight and touch. As his thought is from such things it is material and not spiritual. Such being the likeness between the spiritual world and the natural world, man can hardly believe after death that he is not in the world where he was born, and from which he has departed. For this reason death is called simply a translation from one world into another like it. (That the two worlds are thus alike can be seen above, where representatives and appearances in heaven have been treated of, 170-176)
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582. [LXI.] DE APPARENTIA, SITU ET PLURALITATE INFERNORUM.
In mundo spirituali, seu in mundo ubi sunt spiritus et angeli, similia apparent quae in mundo naturali, seu ubi homines sunt; adeo similia, ut quoad externam faciem nulla sit differentia. Apparent ibi planities, et apparent montes, colles et petrae, ac inter illa valles insuper etiam aquae, et plura alia quae super tellure. Sed usque illa omnia ex spirituali origine sunt quapropter apparent coram oculis spirituum et angelorum, et non coram oculis hominum, quia homines in naturali mundo sunt; ac spirituales vident illa quae ex origine spirituali sunt, et naturales illa quae ex origine naturali. Quapropter homo oculis suis nequaquam potest videre illa quae in mundo spirituali sunt, nisi detur illi in spiritu esse, et nisi quam post mortem cum fit spiritus: vicissim etiam angelus et spiritus prorsus non aliquid in naturali mundo possunt videre, si non sint apud hominem cui datum est loqui cum illis; oculi enim hominis accommodati sunt receptioni lucis mundi naturalis, et oculi angelorum et spirituum accommodati sunt receptioni lucis mundi spiritualis, et tamen utrisque sunt oculi ad aspectum prorsus similes. Quod mundus spiritualis sit talis, homo naturalis non potest comprehendere ac minime homo sensualis, qui est qui nihil credit nisi quam quae corporis sui oculis videt, et ejus manibus tangit proinde quae per visum et tactum hausit: et ex illis cogitat cui ideo cogitatio materialis est, et non spiritualis. Quia talis similitudo est mundi spiritualis et mundi naturalis, ideo homo post mortem vix aliter scit, quam quod in mundo sit ubi natus est, et e quo exivit ob quam causam etiam vocant mortem modo translationem ab uno mundo in similem alium. (Quod talis similitudo utriusque mundi sit, videatur supra, ubi de Repraesentativis et Apparentiis in Caelo, 170-176, actum est.)