喬·戈德史密斯 -《無邊的路》前言

以下就是這本書的前言部分：

前言

有一條道路，依循它，我們能夠使自己從罪過、疾病、貧窮，戰爭帶來的後果，以及經濟的動蕩中解脫出來。這條道路就是，將我們對於整個存在的物質性的感覺，轉換為對以靈性存在的生命的瞭解和覺知。

多少世紀以來，這個對於整個人類和宇宙作為物質存在的感覺，已經導致了人類個體和國家民族的恐懼不斷加深。隨著更多具有破壞性的物質力量被發現，這個情形還將繼續，甚至變得越來越劇烈。在這些武力中，最近被公佈的是一種化學品，據說，只要一盎司，就足以毀滅美國和加拿大的全體國民，而且就算是這個也很可能不是物質力量發展的終結。已經沒有什麼物質力量能夠戰勝這個化學品或是原子彈。在事物或是物質性的感覺里，已經沒有任何希望。只有經由達到一定程度的靈性意識，才能走上通往安全、和諧，以及健康的道路。

儘管有很多相反的信念，其實，最大的秘密是，真正的力量，無論是善意或是邪惡的力量，都不存在於對於人類和宇宙的事物或是物質性的感覺裡。那些獲得了一定程度的靈性意識的人們，已經在那個程度上證實了「精神」的真實存在。

各個時代中的先知、預言家，和聖人們的秘密，就是必須放棄對於存在的物質感，而獲得對於生命以及生命的活動的靈性意識。當代重視實踐與科學的宗教學校的很多學生們做了大量療癒與革新的工作，今天，這個秘密被這些工作證明是行之有效的。當這個世界瞭解，僅僅是通過獲得靈性意識而放下物質性的感覺這個方式，在那些學習古代教導的現代追隨者們的生命中，在改善他們的健康、財務以及安全各個方面所獲得的任何成功，這個世界也許會滿懷希望地好好探求靈性真理。

問題是：「一個人該如何著手開始獲得靈性意識，從而失去實物感？」回答是：「閱讀並學習自古以來被揭露的關於宇宙意識、靈魂或精神的真理，關於靈性創造與靈性法則的真理。從這些被揭露的真理中汲取靈性的感覺。」

在這本小書中，我寫下了關於靈性的真理，我學習各個時代的主要宗教以及哲學已經超過三十年，其中後十五年被用於靈性真理的實際應用，以解決人類存在中的各種問題 — 健康、事業、家庭生活，以及安全問題。

請相信，當一個人開始將注意力轉向關於生命的靈性意識，內在的寧靜就會到來，接著，在這個人的人類事物層面，一個外在的祥和也將隨之而來。外在世界將順應這個對真理的內在認識。

為所有這些關於真理的揭露提供依據的將會是你 — 當你親身經驗到這個內在和外在的轉變的時候。

Foreword

There is a way whereby we are able to rid ourselves of sin, sickness, poverty, and the results of wars and economic changes. This way is the exchanging of our material sense of existence for the understanding and consciousness of life as spiritual.

Down the centuries, the sense of man and the universe as being material has resulted in the development of fear for the personal self and national existence. This will continue and become even more intensified as more destructive material forces are discovered. The latest of these forces to be announced is a chemical, one ounce of which, it is claimed, would be sufficient to destroy the entire population of the United States and Canada, and even this is probably not the ultimate of material forces. There is no material power to overcome either this or the atomic bomb. There is no hope in matter or material sense. The way of security, harmony, and health is through attaining some measure of spiritual consciousness. The great secret is that despite all belief to the contrary, real power, either for good or evil, does not reside in matter or in the material sense of man and the universe. Those who have acquired some degree of spiritual consciousness have proved in that measure the reality of Spirit. The necessity for giving up the material sense of existence for the attainment of the spiritual consciousness of life and its activities is the secret of the seers, prophets, and saints of all ages. That it is practical is proved today by the healing and regenerating works done by many students of modern schools of practical or scientific religion. When the world learns that whatever success has been gained in improving conditions of health, wealth, and security in the lives of these modern followers of ancient teachings has been accomplished solely by the surrender of material sense through the attainment of spiritual consciousness.it may well look up with hope. Photo by Michael Held on Unsplash

The question is, “How does one set about attaining this spiritual consciousness and thereby lose material sense?” The answer is, “Read and study the truths revealed through all ages about the universal Consciousness, Soul or Spirit, and about spiritual creation and its laws. lmbibe the spiritual sense of these revelations.” ln this small volume, l have written the spiritual truth as l have gleaned it through over thirty years of study of the major religions and philosophies of all ages, the late fifteen years of which have been spent in the practical application of truth to problems of human existence - problems of health. business, family life, and security. Be assured inner peace will come as one turns to the spiritual consciousness of life.and an outer calm will follow in one's human affairs. The outer world will conform to the inner awareness of Truth. The authority for all of this revelation will be you-as you yourself experience this change within and without.