322、要谨防这种错误观念：灵人没有远远比活在肉身时更为敏锐的感觉。我通过成千上万次的重复经历知道，事实恰恰相反。若有人因对灵人性质的先入为主的观念而不愿相信这一点，那就让他们进入来世后自己去发现吧，因为在来世，他们的亲身经历会迫使他们不得不相信。首先，灵人有视觉，因为他们生活在光中；善灵、天使灵和天使也生活在光中，并且这光如此明亮，以至于世间正午之光几乎无法与之相比。他们住在光中，并凭这光看见；关于这光，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后详述。灵人也有听觉，并且这听觉如此敏锐，以至于肉体的听觉无法与之相比。几年来，他们几乎不间断地与我交谈；他们还有嗅觉；关于他们的言语和嗅觉，蒙主的神性怜悯，也容后再述。他们有一种最为微妙、敏锐的触觉，这在地狱会带来痛苦和折磨，因为所有感觉都与触觉有关；事实上，它们只是触觉的不同形式和变化而已。
他们有欲望和情感，这也是他们活在肉身时无法相比的；对此，蒙主的神性怜悯，容后再述。灵人的思维远比他们活在肉身时的思维敏锐和清晰得多。他们的一个思维观念所包含的信息，比他们在世时的一千个观念所包含的还要丰富。他们彼此的对话如此直接、切中要害、睿智和清晰，以至于人若稍有领会，必目瞪口呆。总之，灵人拥有世人所拥有的一切，而且更加完善，只是没有了物质的骨肉及其缺陷。他们承认并发觉，即便他们活在肉身期间，进行感觉的也是灵；它虽出现在肉体中，但仍旧不属于肉体。因此，当肉体被抛弃时，感觉会更加敏锐和完美。生命在于感觉，因为没有感觉，就没有生命；感觉如何，生命就如何；谁都能知道这一点。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]322. Avoid succumbing to the false opinion that spirits lack the power of sensation, and sensation much keener than they had while living in the body. I know the opposite to be true from thousands and thousands of experiences. If you do not want to believe, because of assumptions you make about the spirit, keep it to yourself when you enter the other life.{*1} There actual experience will make a believer out of you.
Spirits have eyesight, since they live in light, and good spirits, angelic spirits, and angels live in such bright light that the world's noonday light can hardly be compared to it. (More will be said later on [1521-1534], with the Lord's divine mercy, about the light that they live in and see by.)
Not only that, they also have hearing, and such sensitive hearing that their [former,] physical hearing cannot be measured against it. They have talked with me almost continually for several years now{*2} (but more about their speech will also be told later on [1634-1650, 1757-1764], with the Lord's divine mercy).
They have a sense of smell (also dealt with later [1516], with the Lord's divine mercy).
They have an extremely sensitive sense of touch, from which come the excruciating pangs of hell. All the senses relate to touch, since they are simply different varieties of it.{*3} [2] They have desires and feelings to which, again, the ones they had during physical existence cannot be compared. (These too will be expanded on below [994:3], with the Lord's divine mercy.)
They think much more clearly and precisely than they did during the life of the body, packing more into a single mental image than they did into a thousand when they engaged in thought during bodily life.
They talk to each other with such great acumen, subtlety, wisdom, and clarity that if we perceived only part of what they said we would be astounded.
In short, they have lost absolutely nothing they need in order to be human — and more perfectly human at that — except flesh and bones, and the accompanying imperfections.
They acknowledge and perceive that during bodily life the spirit was what actually sensed things. Although sensation seemed to take place in their bodies it was not, in fact, physical. Consequently when the body has been laid aside, sensation lives on with much greater acuity and perfection. Life consists in sensation because without it there is no life, and the quality of sensation determines the quality of life, as anyone can recognize.
Footnotes:
{*1} Although Swedenborg describes the spiritual world as a place of complete honesty, where any spoken words that diverge from the speaker's true opinions sound noticeably strained and harsh, people nevertheless retain the option of keeping silent; see Revelation Unveiled 294:1; Divine Providence 224:3. [JSR]
{*2} For more details on the dates of Swedenborg's spiritual awakening, see note 1 in 5. [JSR]
{*3} What Swedenborg means here is that the five senses are simply different modes of detecting the impingement of various particles on the human body. He discusses his theory of the senses extensively in his unpublished manuscript of 1744, Draft on the Five Senses (Swedenborg 1976b). There he uses the term "touch" both in a general sense, as the detection of particles impinging on any organs of sense, and in its narrower meaning of "the sensation perceived by the nerve fibers of the skin." In 444 of that work he states: "The origin of all sensation is from touch [in the broad sense], or external impulse... . The sensations of touch [in the narrow sense], taste, and smell arise from a touch [in the broad sense], or impulse of heavy particles, ... but the sense of hearing and of sight [is] from a touch, or impulse, of particles not heavy, but of active force, that is of particles of the atmosphere." See also his posthumously published manuscript Draft on Sensation (Swedenborg 1984), 150-151. Compare Aristotle On the Soul 3:12 (434b). [SS]
Potts(1905-1910) 322
322. Beware of the false notion that spirits do not possess far more exquisite sensations than during the life of the body. I know the contrary by experience repeated thousands of times. Should any be unwilling to believe this, in consequence of their preconceived ideas concerning the nature of spirit, let them learn it by their own experience when they come into the other life, where it will compel them to believe. In the first place spirits have sight, for they live in the light, and good spirits, angelic spirits, and angels, in a light so great that the noonday light of this world can hardly be compared to it. The light in which they dwell, and by which they see, will of the Lord's Divine mercy be described hereafter. Spirits also have hearing, hearing so exquisite that the hearing of the body cannot be compared to it. For years they have spoken to me almost continually, but their speech also will of the Lord's Divine mercy be described hereafter. They have also the sense of smell, which also will of the Lord's Divine mercy be treated of hereafter. They have a most exquisite sense of touch, whence come the pains and torments endured in hell; for all sensations have relation to the touch, of which they are merely diversities and varieties. They have desires and affections to which those they had in the body cannot be compared, concerning which of the Lord's Divine mercy more will be said hereafter. Spirits think with much more clearness and distinctness than they had thought during their life in the body. There are more things contained within a single idea of their thought than in a thousand of the ideas they had possessed in this world. They speak together with so much acuteness, subtlety, sagacity, and distinctness, that if a man could perceive anything of it, it would excite his astonishment. In short, they possess everything that men possess, but in a more perfect manner, except the flesh and bones and the attendant imperfections. They acknowledge and perceive that even while they lived in the body it was the spirit that sensated, and that although the faculty of sensation manifested itself in the body, still it was not of the body; and therefore that when the body is cast aside, the sensations are far more exquisite and perfect. Life consists in the exercise of sensation, for without it there is no life, and such as is the faculty of sensation, such is the life, a fact that anyone may observe.
Elliott(1983-1999) 322
322. Let people beware of falsely assuming that spirits do not possess far keener sensory powers than they did in the life of the body. From thousands of experiences I know that the reverse is true. But if, because of their presuppositions about the spirit, they are unwilling to believe it, let them find out for themselves when they enter the next life, where their own experience will force them to believe it. Not only do spirits have the gift of sight, since they are living in light; good spirits, angelic spirits, and angels also live in a light so bright that the light of this world at midday is scarcely comparable to it. The light in which they live and by which they see will in the Lord's Divine mercy be described later on. Spirits also have a sense of hearing so keen that the sense of hearing in their physical body cannot be reckoned its equal. For several years now, with scarcely any break, they have been holding conversations with me. But their speech also will in the Lord's Divine mercy be described later on. They have the sense of smell, which also will in the Lord's Divine mercy be described later on. They have a very delicate sense of touch, which in hell brings about pain and torment. For all sensations are related to the sense of touch; indeed they are just different forms and variations of that sense.
[2] They have desires and affections, with which those they had in the life of the body cannot be compared. More, in the Lord's Divine mercy, will be said about these later on. They are far more penetrating and discriminating in their thinking than they were during their lifetime. One idea of their thinking embodies more than a thousand ideas did during their lifetime. In what they say to one another they are so direct and to the point, so clear-cut and discriminating, that if man were to catch only a fraction of it he would be dumbfounded. To sum up, they have lost absolutely nothing; they are as men, yet more perfect, but without material flesh and bones and the imperfections that go with these. They acknowledge and perceive that even during their lifetime it was the spirit that was active in sensation, and that although it presented itself within the body, it still did not belong to the body. When therefore the body has been laid aside, sensations are far more excellent and perfect. Life consists in sensation, for no life is possible without sensation, and as is the sensation so is the life, a point which anyone is capable of knowing.
Latin(1748-1756) 322
322. Caveant sibi ab opinione falsa quod spiritus sint absque sensitivo exquisitiore multo quam in vita corporis; contrarium scio a mille et mille experientiis; sique non credere velint ex causa suarum suppositionum de spiritu, habeant sibi, cum in alteram vitam veniunt, ubi ipsa experientia faciet eos credere: non solum habent visum, nam vivunt in luce, et spiritus boni, angelici et angeli in tanta luce ut lux meridiei in mundo ei vix comparari possit: de luce in qua vivunt et vident, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus: habent auditum, tam exquisitum ut auditus eorum in corpore non aequiparari possit; mecum locuti sunt nunc per aliquot annos fere continue; sed de loquela eorum etiam, ex Divina Domini misericordia, in sequentibus: habent olfactum, de quo etiam, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus: habent tactum exquisitissimum, inde dolores et cruciatus in inferno; nam ad tactum se referunt omnes sensationes, quae sunt modo diversitates et varietates tactus: habent cupiditates et affectiones, quibus nec comparari possunt eae quas habuerunt in vita corporis, de quibus plura, ex Divini Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus: cogitant multo perspicacius et distinctius quam cogitarunt in vita corporis; in una idea cogitationis plura involvunt quam in mille cum cogitarunt in vita corporis: loquuntur inter se ita acute, subtiliter, sagaciter et distincte, ut si perciperet homo modo aliquid de eo, obstupesceret: in summa, nihil prorsus amiserunt quin sint sicut homines sed perfectiones, praeter ossa et carnem et inde imperfectiones. Agnoscunt et percipiunt quod dum in corpore vixerunt, fuerit spiritus qui sensit, quod tametsi apparuit in corpore, usque non fuit corporis; quare rejecto corpore vivunt sensationes multo exquisitiores et perfectiones; vita consistit in sensu, nam absque sensu nulla vita, et qualis sensus talis vita quod cuivis potest notum esse.