一位正统的信徒来找先知伊里亚。他很关心天堂和地狱这个问题,因为他想据此来塑造自己的生活道路。他走近先知问道:“地狱在哪儿?天堂在哪儿?”先知没有回答,而是拉着他的手,带他穿过阴暗的小巷来到一座宫殿。他们跨过一个铁门,走进一间大厅。大厅里挤了许多人:有穷人也有富人;有衣衫褴褛者也有佩戴珠宝者。大厅中央有一个熊熊燃烧的火堆,上面吊着一个沸腾的大汤锅。大厅里弥漫着汤锅里散发出来的香味。汤锅周围拥挤着面黄肌瘦的人,每个人都努力确保自己得到一份汤。伊里亚先知的陪同者大为吃惊,因为他发现每个人都拿着一个跟自己身体一样长的勺子,勺柄的末端安了一个木头把儿。长勺的其余部分都是铁做的,而且由于汤是滚烫的,所以铁勺也是灼热的。勺里若装了汤,足够一个人吃饱肚子。这些饥饿的人用长勺在锅里舀来舀去。每个人都想得到自己的那一份儿,但谁也得不到。大家吃力地把重勺从汤锅里提起来。但由于勺子太长,所以即便是一个最强壮的人也无法把汤送到自己嘴里。有些特别冒失的舀汤人,他们不是烫伤了自己的胳膊和脸,就是在贪婪和着急之中把热汤洒在了身边的其他舀汤者的肩上。于是他们互相责骂,并且用本来是帮他们舀汤充饥的长勺互相殴打。先知伊里亚抓住跟自己来的人的胳膊,说“这就是地狱!”他们离开那个大厅,一会儿就再也听不到那地狱般的喊叫声了。他们又穿过好几条黑暗的过道,走进了另一个大厅。这里也坐了许多人,而且大厅中央也有一个沸腾的汤锅。每个人的手里也都拿着一把长勺,跟先知和他的跟随者刚才在那个地狱般的大厅里看到的一个样子。但是这个大厅里的人们都营养良好,而且在大厅里只能听到满意的切切私语声和轻轻的用勺到锅里舀汤的声音。舀汤的时候总是两人一组合作:其中一人舀汤喂另一个人;一个人吃饱了,自己再舀汤喂他的伙伴。若是其中有一个人拿不动那重勺,便会有另外两个人过来帮忙。所以每个人都安安稳稳地喝汤。先知伊里亚对跟自己来的那个人说:“这就是天堂!”(东方故事)。 An orthodox believer came to the prophet Iria. He is very concerned about the issue of heaven and hell, because he wants to shape his own way of life. He approached the prophet and asked, “Where is Hell? Where is Heaven?” Instead of answering, the prophet took his hand and led him through a dark alley to a palace. They crossed an iron gate and walked into a hall. There were many crowds in the hall: there were the poor and the rich; there were rags and jewels. There was a burning fire in the middle of the hall with a boiling soup pot hanging from it. The hall filled with the smell of the soup pot. Crowded with thin yellow skin around the soup pot, everyone trying to make sure they get a soup. The accomplices of Iliya’s prophet were greatly surprised because he found that everyone was holding a spoon as long as his own body, and the end of the spoon handle placed a wooden handle. The rest of the long spoon is made of iron, and since the soup is hot, the iron spoon is also hot. If the soup spoon installed, enough to eat a full stomach. These hungry people scoop them with a long spoon in the pan. Everyone wants his own copy, but nobody gets it. Everyone struggled to lift the spoon from the stockpot. But because the spoon is too long, even one of the strongest people can not bring it to his mouth. Some particularly arrogant scoops, not scalding their arms and face, sprinkle the soup on the shoulders of other scoops in their greed and anxiety. So they scolded each other and beat each other with long spoons that would have helped them to scoop their stomachs. The prophet Iria seized the arm of the one who came with him and said, “This is hell!” They left the hall for a moment and could not hear the hellish cry again. They passed through several dark aisles and walked into another hall. There are also many people here, and there is also a boiling soup pot in the middle of the hall. Each man’s hand also held a long spoon, just as the Prophet and his followers had seen in that hell-like hall. But the people in this hall were well-nourished and could only hear satisfied cries and gently scoop-ladle soup in the hall. When the soup is always two people in a group of cooperation: one of them scoop soup to feed another person; a person full, and then his soup to feed his partner. If one of them does not move that heavy spoon, there will be two other people come to help. So everyone is safe to drink soup. Prophet Iria told the man who came to him, “This is paradise!” (Oriental story).