上天的世界有多少？

关于你的问题，问上天的世界，你必须知道一个事实：上天的世界之多乃是不可胜数，范围之大也是无可限量。无人可以估计它和理解它，除了全知的、智慧圆满的上天。想想你在睡眠的状态下，诚然，我说，这个现象是发生在人身上种种天界的征兆之中，最神奇的一种，假如人们能在心中思考这个问题。

你看到，在你梦中出现的事物，过了一段时间，如何全面地发生在现实之中。假如你梦境中的世界跟你活着的这个世界是相同的，那么，当梦发生的那一刹那，它就必须马上成为现世里的一个事实。

事情假如如此，你当能够见证。然而，事情并非如此。因此只可得出结论，梦的世界跟你活着的这个世界是不同的，它是另一个世界。

梦里的世界是没有起始，也没有终结的。假如说，你的梦境乃是获得完全荣耀和全能的上天恩赐予你真正之本性之中，捆绑在你的自我之内，这个说法也是对的，可以被满意的接受。

假如说，你的灵魂，逾越了睡眠的局限，脱下所有世俗的羁绊后，在上天的动力下，飞越一个隐蔽在这世界最内里的真实之中的畛域，也是正确的。

诚然，我说，上天的创造涵盖这个世界和以外的世界，以及这些生物和以外的生物。在每一个世界里祂命定了各种除了祂，那完全的搜寻者、完满的智慧者之外，无人可以寻获的事物。

要是你能冥想我们为你启示的事物，你将能发现上天——你的主和所有世界之主——的旨意。在这些世界里，神圣智慧的神秘都受到珍惜。然而我们不会不断谈论这个议题，因为我们的言词已使一些人的行动给我们带来了多重的悲伤，假如你属于那奔向我们的声音的人群。——巴哈欧拉

李开璇译（2015年11月7日）

As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this phenomenon is the most mysterious of the signs of God amongst men, were they to ponder it in their hearts. Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in thy dream is, after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been identical with the world in which thou livest, it would have been necessary for the event occurring in that dream to have transpired in this world at the very moment of its occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must necessarily follow that the world in which thou livest is different and apart from that which thou hast experienced in thy dream. This latter world hath neither beginning nor end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that this same world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God, within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It would equally be true to maintain that thy spirit, having transcended the limitations of sleep and having stripped itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the act of God, been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures apart from these creatures. In each of these worlds He hath ordained things which none can search except Himself, the All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom have been treasured. We have refrained from dwelling upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed Us from the actions of them that have been created through Our words, if ye be of them that will hearken unto Our Voice. ——Baha’u’llah

译者评述：

上天的世界有几个，大千世界有几重，跟正在地球上蝇营狗苟的我们来说真的那么重要吗？很多人选择将它抛诸脑后，待到临死的时刻，忽然想到还未有答案才惶恐不已，然而已经太迟了。通过梦我们可以看到另一个世界的一鳞半爪，但是也不能说那就是人死后要去的地方，因为上天的世界，不管物质还是精神，数量和广度都无限多无限大，必定是天外有天；自由的灵魂总会有它快乐翱翔的天空。对于这些世界的描绘的确不必详尽，认同这个理念比什么都来的重要。这样，就可以在现世的生活中，以德行营养我们的灵魂，使它将来以最健全的姿态飞入灵性的世界。那才是真正的、永远的福泽。

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