839.最后，我们谈到了内在人和外在人。我说，拥有内在觉察力的人处于真理之光，它是天堂之光，而只有外在觉察力的人则缺乏真理之光，因为他们只处于尘世之光；因此内在人拥有聪明智慧，而外在人却有疯狂和扭曲的幻觉（n.345）；内在人是属灵的，因为他们从超越身体的灵思考，故在光中看见真理；而外在人是感官属世的，因为他们从身体感官的谬误思考，所以就象透过乌云看真理，当他们脑子里反思它们时，就会视谬误如真理；内在人象站在平原中间的高山、城市的高塔，或海中灯塔上的人；而外在人则象站在山脚深谷、塔底的地下室，或灯塔下小船里的人，只能看见离他们最近的东西。而且，内在人就象住在楼房或宫殿的二、三层的人，这楼房或宫殿的墙壁是一系列透明玻璃窗户，因此他们能俯瞰整座城市，看清其中的每间房屋；而外在人则象住在最底层的人，且底层的窗户用纸糊上了，以致他们甚至看不见屋外的街道，而只能看到它里面的东西，就是这些东西，还是借助烛光或火光看到的。同样，内在人就象空中翱翔的飞鹰，拥有广阔的视野，能看清遍布在它们下面的一切事物；另一方面，外在人则象站在柱子上的公鸡，朝地上踱步的母鸡大声啼鸣。此外，内在人感觉自己所知之于未知，好比一桶水之于湖泊；而外在人则深信自己无所不知。这些话令非洲人感到高兴，因为凭其殊胜的内在视觉，他们承认这是事实。
839. 最后, 我们谈到了内在人和外在人。 我说, 拥有内在觉察力的人处于真理之光, 它是天堂之光, 而只有外在觉察力的人则缺乏真理之光, 因为他们只处于尘世之光; 因此内在人拥有聪明智慧, 而外在人却有疯狂和扭曲的幻觉 (n。345) ;内在人是属灵的, 因为他们从超越身体的灵思考, 故在光中看见真理; 而外在人是感官属世的, 因为他们从身体感官的谬误思考, 所以就象透过乌云看真理, 当他们脑子里反思它们时, 就会视谬误如真理; 内在人象站在平原中间的高山, 城市的高塔, 或海中灯塔上的人; 而外在人则象站在山脚深谷, 塔底的地下室, 或灯塔下小船里的人, 只能看见离他们最近的东西。 而且, 内在人就象住在楼房或宫殿的二, 三层的人, 这楼房或宫殿的墙壁是一系列透明玻璃窗户, 因此他们能俯瞰整座城市, 看清其中的每间房屋; 而外在人则象住在最底层的人, 且底层的窗户用纸糊上了, 以致他们甚至看不见屋外的街道, 而只能看到它里面的东西, 就是这些东西, 还是借助烛光或火光看到的。 同样, 内在人就象空中翱翔的飞鹰, 拥有广阔的视野, 能看清遍布在它们下面的一切事物; 另一方面, 外在人则象站在柱子上的公鸡, 朝地上踱步的母鸡大声啼鸣。 此外, 内在人感觉自己所知之于未知, 好比一桶水之于湖泊; 而外在人则深信自己无所不知。 这些话令非洲人感到高兴, 因为凭其殊胜的内在视觉, 他们承认这是事实。
839. The last topic we took up was the differences between internal and external people. I said, "People who have an inner perception about things are in the light of truth, which is the light of heaven. People who have an outer perception about things are not in the light of truth, because the light in which they consider things is only the light of the world. Internal people have intelligence and wisdom; external people have insanity and reversed vision. Internal people are spiritual, because they think with their spirit when it is lifted out of their body, and this is how they are able to see truths in light. External people are earthly and sense-oriented, because they think on the basis of mistaken impressions they receive through their bodily senses; therefore they see truths as being in a kind of fog, and when they ponder them inwardly, they take for truth things that are actually false.
"Internal people are like people who are standing in a clearing on the top of a mountain, or standing at the top of a tower in a city, or standing at the top of a lighthouse by the sea. External people are like people who are standing in a valley at the foot of a mountain, or in an underground vault below a tower, or in a rowboat moored by the lighthouse - they only see what is close at hand.
[2] "Internal people are like people who live on the second or third floor of a large home with walls that consist entirely of windows of clear glass; they have a sweeping view of the city in all directions and they recognize every building in it. External people are like people who live on the bottom floor with windows made of pieces of paper glued together. They cannot see even part of the street outside their own house; the only things they can see are inside their home, and the light there is as dim as if it came from a candle or a fireplace.
"Internal people are like eagles flying high, which can see everything that lies beneath them for miles in every direction. External people are like roosters who climb up on a little footbridge to crow loudly at hens that are walking around on the ground.
"Internal people realize that what they know compared to what they don't is like the amount of water in a jar compared to the amount of water in a lake. External people are quite sure they know everything there is to know. "
The Africans enjoyed hearing all this because, as a result of their highly developed inner sight, they recognized the truth of it.
839. Finally we talked about the interior and the exterior man. I said that people who have an inward perception of matters are in the light of truth, which is the light of heaven; people who have an outward perception of matters lack the light of truth, since they have only the world's light. So interior men possess intelligence and wisdom, whereas exterior men have madness and reversed vision. Interior people are spiritual, because their thinking comes from the spirit, which is raised above the body, so that they see truths in light. But exterior people are natural - sensual, because their thinking is based on the fallacies of the bodily senses, so that they see truths as if in a fog, and, when they turn them over in their minds, see falsities as truths. Internal people are like those who stand on a mountain in a plain, or on a tower in a city, or on a look-out position at sea; but external people are like those who stand in the valley below a mountain, or in a basement beneath the tower, or in a boat below the look-out position, and they can only see what is close at hand.
[2] Further, I said, internal people are like those who live on the second or third floors of a house or a palace, which has an unbroken series of windows made of crystalline glass for walls; they have a full view in all directions and can recognise any building in the city. But external people are like those who live on the ground floor, with windows of sheets of paper pasted together, so they cannot even see any street outside the house, but only what is inside it, and that only by candle or firelight. Internal people are also like eagles soaring aloft, with a wide view of everything beneath them; on the other hand external people are like cocks standing on a pedestal and crowing loudly at the hens walking on the ground. Moreover internal people perceive that what they know compared with what they do not is like the water in a bucket compared with the water in a lake; but external people are quite convinced that they know everything. These remarks delighted the Africans, because their interior vision, in which they are particularly strong, enabled them to acknowledge that this is how it is.
839. Finally we talked about the interior and exterior man. It was said that men who perceive things interiorly are in the light of truth, which is the light of heaven, while those who perceive things exteriorly are in no light of truth, because they are in the light of the world only; thus interior men are in intelligence and wisdom, but exterior men are in insanity and in distorted vision (n. 345); that interior men are spiritual because they think from the spirit exalted above the body, and therefore see truths in light; while exterior men are sensual-natural because they think from the fallacies of the bodily senses; therefore they see truths as in a thick cloud, and when they reflect upon them in themselves they see fallacies as truths; that internal men are like those standing on a mountain in the midst of a plain, or on a tower in a city, or on a lighthouse at sea; while external men are like those standing in a valley at the foot of a mountain, in a vault beneath a tower, or in a boat at the foot of a lighthouse, seeing only what lies nearest to them. Moreover, internal men are like those who live in the second or third story of a house or palace, the walls of which are a continuous window of clear glass, who look round about upon the city in its whole extent and recognize every cottage in it; while external men are like those who live in the lowest story, the windows of which are made of pasted pieces of paper, who cannot see even a single street outside of the house, but only what is within it, and not even that, except by the light of a candle or of the fire. And again, internal men are like eagles soaring aloft and seeing all things spread out beneath them; while external men, on the other hand, are like cocks standing on a post and crowing aloud before the hens that are walking on the ground. Furthermore, internal men perceive that what they know compared with what they do not know is like water in a pitcher as compared to that in a lake; while external men have no other thought than they know everything. The Africans were delighted with these remarks, because from the interior vision in which they excel they recognized that it was so.
839. The last subject of our conversation was The Interior and Exterior Man, and the following is the substance of what was said. Men who perceive things interiorly are in the light of truth, which is the light of heaven; and men who perceive things exteriorly are in no light of truth, because they are only in the light of the world; so that interior men are intelligent and wise, but exterior men are insane and their vision is distorted. Interior men are spiritual, because they think from the spirit elevated above the body, and, therefore, see truths in light; but external men are sensual natural beings, because they think from the fallacies of the bodily senses. Therefore, they see truths as in a cloud, and when they meditate upon them they see falsities as truths. Internal men are like those who stand on a mountain in a plain, or on a tower in a city, or on a watch tower by the sea; whereas external men are like those who stand in a valley at the foot of a mountain, or in a vault under a tower, or in a, boat at the foot of a watch tower, who see nothing but what is close to them.
Moreover, internal men are like those who live in the second or third storey of a house or palace, the walls of which have spacious windows of clear glass, who have an extensive view of the city in all directions and know every little building in it; but external men are like those who live in the lowest storey, the windows of which are made of paper pasted together, who do not see even a single street outside the house, but only what is within it, and that only by the light of a candle or fire. Further, internal men are like eagles soaring aloft, with a wide view of all that is beneath them; but on the other hand, external men are like cocks fully than others, and each assented to them according that stand on a mounting post 1 and crow aloud before the hens that walk about on the ground. Lastly, internal men perceive that what they know, compared with what they do not know, is like the water in a pitcher compared with the waters of a lake; while external men fancy they know everything. The Africans were delighted with what was said, because from the interior vision in which they excel, they acknowledged its truth.
Footnotes:
1. super stapide. Probably stapede as from stapes, ladder or stop for mounting a horse.
839. Postremo consociatus est sermo de INTERIORE ET EXTERIORE HOMINE; et dictum est, quod homines, qui interius res percipiunt, sint in luce veri, quae est lux Coeli, et quod homines qui exterius res percipiunt sint in nulla luce veri, quia solum in luce Mundi; quod sic homines Interiores sint in intelligentia et sapientia, Exteriores autem in vesania et in visione praepostera: quod homines Interiores sint spirituales, quia ex spiritu elevato supra corpus cogitant, quare vident vera in luce; at quod Exteriores homines sint Naturales sensuales, quia ex fallaciis sensuum corporis cogitant; quare vident vera sicut in nimbo, et cum apud se versant illa, vident falsa ut vera: quod Interni homines sint sicut qui stant super Monte in campo, aut super Turri in urbe, aut super Specula in mari; at Externi homines sunt sicut qui stant in valle sub monte, aut in crypta sub turri, aut in cymba sub specula, qui non vident nisi quam proxima:
[2] et porro, Interni homines 1 sunt sicut qui habitant in secunda aut tertia mansione Domus seu Palatii, cujus parietes sunt continentes fenestrae ex vitris chrystallinis, qui in Urbe perspiciunt circum circa in amplitudine, et cognoscunt quamvis aediculam ibi; at Externi homines sunt sicut qui in infima mansione habitant, cujus fenestrae sunt ex papyris conglutinatis, qui ne quidem aliquam plateam extra domum vident, sed solum illa quae intra domum sunt, et haec non nisi quam ex candela aut foco: Interni homines etiam sunt sicut Aquilae in alto, et vident late omnia sub se; et vicissim Externi homines sunt sicut Galli, qui super stapide alta voce coram gallinis, quae humi gradiuntur, canunt: et insuper Interni homines percipiunt quod illa quae sciunt ad illa quae non sciunt, sint modo sicut aquae in urna ad aquas in lacu; at Externi homines non aliter percipiunt, quam quod sciant omnia. Ex his dictis laetati sunt Africani, quia ex interiori visu, quo praepollent, agnoverunt quod ita sit.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: homine.