"It talks about the immortality of the soul, the life to come, what we need to know about it for true life. How stupid! You have been given the possibility of ever-increasing good here, now; what do you want? Only he who does not know and does not want to find this good can talk about the future life. And what, I pray thee, is what we call the future life? The notion of future refers to time. And time is only the condition of consciousness in this life. To talk about the next life, when this life is over, is like talking about what form a piece of ice will take when it melts, or when, once transformed into water, its component parts will turn into steam. Besides, what need do I have of my life in the future, when all my spiritual life is only in the present? Life is in love, the love of people and of God. Neither one nor the other perishes with my death. Death is only the cessation of the separation of my consciousness.
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Author
Leo TolstoyAll Translations
All Translations
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It talks about the immortality of the soul, the life to come, what we need to know about it for true life. How stupid! You have been given the possibility of ever-increasing good here, now; what do you want? Only he who does not know and does not want to find this good can talk about the future life. And what, I pray thee, is what we call the future life? The notion of future refers to time. And time is only the condition of consciousness in this life. To talk about the next life, when this life is over, is like talking about what form a piece of ice will take when it melts, or when, once transformed into water, its component parts will turn into steam. Besides, what need do I have of my life in the future, when all my spiritual life is only in the present? Life is in love, the love of people and of God. Neither one nor the other perishes with my death. Death is only the cessation of the separation of my consciousness.
""Se vorbește despre nemurirea sufletului, viața viitoare, ce trebuie să știm despre aceasta pentru viața adevărată. Ce prostie! Ți s-a oferit posibilitatea unui bine care sporește tot mai mult aici, acum; ce mai vrei? Numai cel care nu cunoaște și nu vrea să găsească acest bine poate vorbi despre viața viitoare. Și ce e de fapt, mă rog, ceea ce numim viața viitoare? Noțiunea de viitor se referă la timp. Iar timpul e numai condiția conștiinței în viața asta. A vorbi despre viața viitoare, când se va termina viața asta, e ca și cum ai vorbi despre ce forma va lua o bucata de gheață când se va topi, sau când, odată transformată în apă, părțile ei componente se vor preface în abur. În plus, ce-mi trebuie mie viața în viitor, când toată viața mea spirituală e numai în prezent? Viața e în iubire, iubirea de oameni și de Dumnezeu. Nici una, nici alta nu pier odată cu moartea mea. Moartea e numai încetarea separării conștiinței mele."