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Kabbalah: The Bnei Baruch Association – Kabbalah Education & Research Institute.
Kabbalah Revealed
Attainment of Unity
of the Universe
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by Rav Michael Laitman, PhD.
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Continuation of lesson given by Rav Michael Laitman PhD
Date: July 8, 2004
Conception is Revealed through Reaching the Goal
It is well known that the result of an action is always present in the original conception. In accordance with His goal, the Creator created in a reverse order (if one may say that about Him) all the actions that lead to this goal. However, the notions like time and action do not exist with regard to the Creator; therefore at His level (although we do not understand it) the conception, the action and the result are completely identical and exist simultaneously. That is to say, the Creator's will to bestow delight upon His creatures is realized without any intermediate states.
All that we learn (the four stages of the direct Light's development, the Light's restriction, division, and spreading, the descent of the worlds down to the level of our world and the soul's ascent to the state of Infinity) takes place only with regard to us. The only state in which we exist is attained and manifested in this fashion. The state conceived by the Creator was instantly realized in His conception. We exist within this conception and there is nothing else in reality.
All that we perceive, as realized in material (in us) and the spiritual states through which we gradually pass in order to attain this conception, takes place only with regard to us. All of these sensations awaken within us and form one unified impression of His attitude towards us - His desire to delight the creation.
In reality there is nothing besides His thought in which we exist. The science of Kabbalah speaks about the way we attain the Creator's conception, how we begin perceiving ourselves as existing within it, and how this conception is realized through us. Yet, all of this exists only in our perception, hence it is called desire: "Kli de Kabbalah" (vessel of reception) in which we feel the Creator's conception. The development of this vessel (Kli) is the subject of the science of Kabbalah. In other words, Kabbalah is the study of the Creator's conception, of His thought.
Physicists (especially astrophysicists) also assert that the universe constitutes one single thought, one conception. They receive this impression in the process of their research of outer space.
After the goal is defined, it becomes clear that the order of creation is predetermined in all of its manifestations and only in accordance with the goal to delight the creation. Humankind will develop and ascend in relation to the property of bestowal until it can feel the Upper governing force as its neighbor.
The Creator's initial conception was immediately realized in His attitude towards created beings. They appeared in the state of merging with Him and in absolute delight. Yet, created beings gradually realize this state because they have to acquire the need to feel, absorb, and enjoy this state. In Kabbalah it is called, "Kli Kodem le Ohr," which means that the vessel (desire) should precede the fulfillment.
Therefore, the creation's attainment of its own state is gradually manifested at all the levels of the spiritual worlds.
According to the Creator's plan, humankind should first develop a desire for its eternal and perfect state and only after that will it be able to feel and enjoy it. That is how all people advance towards this sole state, either by choosing the path of suffering or the path of correction, the path of Light and Kabbalah. All the preceding states are merely the creation's awakening towards this true perfection.
Thus, creation always feels the same - its true state albeit in a small, limited measure. The degrees of this unique and perfect sensation are called the world of creation. The nature of creation is programmed to push it towards the attainment of this state of perfection, similarity and unity with the Creator.
The property of bestowal is acquired step-by-step. A person climbs the rungs of this ladder, one by one, until he reaches his goal. The quantity and quality of these levels are determined by two kinds of reality.
The first is the reality of matter, i.e., the descending order of the Upper Light's revelation from the Initial Source, which defines the measure and quality of the Light emanating from the Creator's essence. This Light goes through a sequence of concealments until material reality and material creations emerge from it.
The spreading of the Light from up to down creates the Kelim. These vessels created by the Light are not considered creatures yet. They simply constitute the forms with whose help the Light is gradually diminished, materialized (if one might say so), and clothed in "robes," concealments. However, no creatures exist at this point as yet.
The second is the reality of the Higher consciousness. After the revelation of the Light's descent the reverse process begins - creation's ascent, its attainment of the Creator. Climbing the rungs of the spiritual ladder, humankind continues ascending until it reaches the purpose of creation.
Now creation (desire) is gradually clothed in the same levels and forms through which the Light previously descended and materialized. It grows more and more similar to the Light until it becomes absolutely equivalent to it at the highest level and reveals the Creator's thought to delight His creatures.
Both of these realities are researched in all their particular details by the science of Kabbalah.
Kabbalah speaks about the one and only existing state and explains how man can attain it. It embraces the entire creation, but not the Creator Himself. It is forbidden to research Him because He does not manifest within us tangibly enough to make this research accurate and reliable. Only by studying His actions will we finally attain His plan.
Therefore, no other true knowledge exists in the universe. The rest is included in this science because everything speaks only about the creation and how it attains its ultimate state.
Upper Ruling Force
We can call it the Creator or nature (the words Creator and nature - Elokim and Teva - have the same numerical value) because they are the same: through nature He rules over us.
With regard to us nature falls into two parts: attainable and unattainable. All forces that influence us (our desire) both on the inside and on the outside and all that we attain inside our desire with the help of the mind are called nature or the Creator. In this way, the notions "Ohr" and "Kli" are explained in more comprehensible terms.
Kabbalists characterize the Upper ruling Force, which is usually called the Creator, as absolute kindness. This is how they attain it in their own sensations - as the ultimate manifestation of the outer and inner nature and of all the laws that influence desires. The Creator or nature cannot possibly cause harm to anyone. This fact is perceived by Kabbalists who attain it and who identify it as the principal law of the universe. This law embraces the entire universe and determines all that happens in it. As a rule, we perceive the actions made by nature and society not as absolute kindness, but as evil.
We perceive them as such not because that is the way they are, but rather because we are opposite to the desire which can perceive the Creator's influence correctly. As Kabbalists correct their desire, they begin to feel this absolute law of the Creator's kind attitude towards His creations.
Common sense clearly indicates that egoism (the will to receive for one's self) lies at the root of all evil deeds. By saying "common sense," I mean those who have already attained nature and researched themselves on the basis of materialistic psychology. They see and understand why a person harms others and perceives the world negatively. This happens only because of his natural egoism. If man diminished or corrected his egoism, he would feel much better.
Consequently, by decreasing or increasing egoism one can partly avoid blows, but cannot find delight. The only way to achieve delight is to transform egoism into altruism by using the intention "for the Creator" instead of "for one's self."
How good it would be if we could simply diminish our egoism and quietly exist in a small and secluded world. The fact is that nature will never agree to that. It is pre-programmed to lead the entire creation towards the ultimate goal; hence, whether we want it or not, we cannot remain at the low level of primitive, childish egoism, but have to grow.
What does this "obligation to grow" mean? As we grow, we inevitably arrive at the point when we can no longer reduce and control our egoism. It explodes within us so uncontrollably that we shamelessly and unreservedly rush to satisfy its whims. As a result, the painful blows that follow make us realize that egoism is evil, but we cannot get away from it. This way we finally come to the conclusion that egoism must be replaced with the opposite quality, altruism. There is no alternative. However, this path is very long and painful; hence, Kabbalah calls it the path of suffering.
Instead, a person can persuade himself to change egoism for altruism with the help of Kabbalah studies. During his studies and group work, the Upper Light imperceptibly and insensibly awakens in him the aspiration to become an altruist.
In that case, the person does not have to dodge blows; the Upper Light projects before him good, pleasant, and perfect states that he can achieve. Man suffers not from the painful blows that befall him, but from the absence of perfection. The projected states appear so delightfully attractive, that the person feels enough power to ask the Upper force to transform his egoism into altruism.
The passionate pursuit of one's own well being generated by the will to receive compels man to harm his neighbor. If personal well being brought no satisfaction, there would be no basis for evil in the world.
And if we occasionally come across a creature that harms others not because of "the desire to receive," the only reason for that lies in the habit that originated in this desire.
By virtue of habit that turned into second nature, instinct, he continues causing harm. There are such animals; and we have such states, but they are subconscious and do not originate in downright egoism.
Since we perceive the Upper governing force as absolutely perfect, it is clear that no "will to receive" is present in it. Therefore, it has no reason whatsoever to harm anyone. Furthermore, it possesses the "will to bestow," the desire to pour its goodness upon the created beings.
The absence of the will to receive is a natural consequence of the absolute good. "Not to give and not to receive" is impossible; such a neutral state does not exist in nature. One can be either in the state of reception or in the state of bestowal. You may say, "And what about Tzimtzum, the Kelim de Kabbalah without the Kelim de Hashpa'a or vice versa?"
If I only have the Galgalta Eynaim (GE), what can I give? I want to give, but I cannot. This is called the Kelim de Hashpa'a (GE, the Kelim of bestowal). I wish to bestow, and it is a totally different matter that there is no such opportunity. Why does Tzimtzum take place? Although I passionately desire the Light, I restrict myself because I wish to stop being opposite to the Creator. This is the beginning of bestowal. I restrict myself not because I feel bad; I am motivated by the desire to become similar to the Creator. It comes as a reaction to shame (e.g., "Bread of Shame"), not pain. The difference is enormous.
Therefore, we say that no intermediate state between reception and bestowal exists. The passage between the two states goes through an infinite gap called the Machsom (energy threshold). Being infinite in magnitude, it is always aimed at the world of Infinity and aspires to reach its height.
Whatever good or bad feelings creatures may have are sent by the Upper force, which possesses one single quality - the desire to bestow, to be good to them. This is the only law that determines its attitude towards creation. From this it follows that obviously all creatures receive only good from it and that they were created for no other reason but for reception of its goodness.
Therefore, Kabbalists define this force as the absolute good. They attain it as such and we can only rely on their words. However, faith gives no power. Until the properties of a person are opposite to the Upper force, everything that emanates from it will be perceived by him inversely.
Question: Does it matter what Tzimtzum it is, the first or the second?
No, it doesn't. Here we speak only of how man restricts his desire, prefers not to work with it. This can happen depending on what he feels either under the influence of suffering, or because it is opposite to the Giver (Creator).
These states can even merge into one. When I perceive the Creator, I feel pain because I am opposite to Him. Does it hurt because I am opposite to Him or because I am not similar to Him? Does this pain come from my affected egoistical desire or from the altruistic one that I lack?
What do I want - to reduce my egoism to stop suffering or to acquire the Creator's altruism, to be like Him? Is my action aimed at achieving comfort for myself or is it meant to bestow to Him, to become like Him for His sake? This determines the direction of Tzimtzum. Here these two reasons come into contact.
However, the transition from one state to the other - from egoism to altruism - is instantaneous. There is no intermediate state between except the one I described above.
Question: A habit turns into second nature. I see no reason why this should be so. Is this an attempt to escape the realization of evil? It turns out that I stick to this habit without realizing that I have to advance. Why does this principle exist?
You have asked several questions. We see that a habit becomes second nature because when a person receives pleasure by doing something, this pleasure creates in him a certain form.
I am told: "First try something, and then you will start enjoying it." For example, they say, Coca-Cola® brings pleasure, and although I do not know it, I gradually get used to its taste and begin to like it. This way, people acquire a habit for coffee, cigarettes, etc. I remember that when I started smoking I felt terrible, but I wished to be like other adults. This is an awful state. Every smoker knows how unpleasant the beginning is.
Subsequently, this state turns into a habit, which generates pleasure (need). You cannot rid yourself of it; you are obliged to satisfy this habit. It becomes a sort of a program inside you, but you have gradually built this Kli by yourself. This did not happen immediately. At the beginning you did not feel this pleasure. You were developing this Kli with a totally different motivation, until it turned into the need for the pleasure that a cigarette holds.
At first, you want everyone to see that you smoke like an adult. Afterwards, when it turns into a habit, it does not matter anymore if they see you or not. Smoking becomes a need; in this way you created within yourself a Kli. This is called: habit turns into second nature. The Light gradually creates the Kli in the same way.
Why is it so? This is the reverse side of what we can do. That is to say, we can attract all kinds of pleasures (in the form of actions) that we cannot yet feel today, and by carrying out those actions we can gradually develop the ability to enjoy them.
There is an article "A Habit Becomes Second Nature" in the book "Shamati" ("I Heard"), in which Rabash (Rabbi Baruch Ashlag) quotes his father Baal HaSulam saying that under the influence of gradual adaptation man begins to feel the spiritual world. Does this mean that in our animate state we can get used to it by growing more intelligent and sensitive? No it doesn't; and here he writes: "You can create a Kli for something that does not bring you pleasure today and feel the delight of bestowal."
That is all. The Baal HaSulam calls it a purely psychological problem.
Nowadays efforts are made to set society against smoking to prevent young people from acquiring this bad habit.
Now imagine a society which cultivates the property of bestowal. Under its influence I can gradually acclimate myself to such actions and develop a taste for them. It will come to me from above because this taste of Light corresponds with my Kli. I will gradually create this Kli, although in the beginning I will feel nothing good in it. On the contrary, it will be as awful as smoking the first cigarette. Hence, the Baal HaSulam says that a habit creates within us another nature - bestowal.
The article explains that we gradually adapt for the spiritual sensation and start perceiving it as pleasure, although at first we feel neither the action itself nor the pleasure in it. So what if I bestow to someone? However, little by little, these acts of bestowal can help me to acquire another nature.
In the Introduction to "The Study of Ten Sefirot" the Baal HaSulam explains that only this principle underlies the process of entering the spiritual realm. He writes: "If a person (i.e., an ordinary person unacquainted with the intricacies of Kabbalah) wishes to enter the spiritual world, he should restrict himself to a diet of bread and water and to the most primitive conditions. He should completely stop indulging his body and give up any form of enjoyment. As this gradually develops into a habit, the person's body will stop demanding pleasures."
His desire to achieve this state will attract the Light from above, and although this happens without his conscious realization, it is still called a habit. A person does not take this influence into account. However, every action of ours stimulates a certain reaction from above because the Light built all levels from up to down in such a way that even in our world (below the Machsom) we are exposed to the Light's special influence.
The Light's special influence is attracted by our unwillingness to use egoism and to pay attention to suffering. The Light approaches us because we become more similar to it by breaking out of our egoistical vessel. Our properties grow more equal to the properties of the Light and it begins to elevate us higher and higher.
As the Baal HaSulam explains in the Introduction to "The Study of Ten Sefirot," this is the most natural way to pass from our world to the spiritual.
In our time we use the Upper Light instead of the aforementioned restrictions. This innovation was introduced by the so-called sages of the Talmud. They decreed that there is no more need for a person to suffer because the Kli had grown.
When in the period of the 2nd Temple the Kli was small (at zero and first levels of egoism), the restrictive actions described above could be used for entering the Upper world. Later on the Kli momentarily passed to the next level of Aviut and the old measures turned out useless. A person could no longer be content with a piece of dry bread and a cup of water.
Since such restriction was impossible, the sages of that time suggested another solution: "Through our books we will create such powerful sources of Light and a new method that will enable man to change not under the influence of suffering but through the study of Kabbalah." By studying Kabbalah, a person attracts upon himself the Upper Light (Ohr Makif). In principle, this Light brings man to the same result as the described habit - to gradual adaptation.
In both cases we advance by means of adaptation (a habit becomes second nature), but in Kabbalah this happens with the help of the Upper Light. All the same we have to study in a group and draw the Light with the help of our actions. However, in this case, instead of restricting ourselves to bread and water, we try to act as altruists within the group.
Therefore, although we still have to restrict ourselves and get used to altruistic actions directed to others, this takes place not at a primitive level (when we restrain our animate nature), but on a higher, "human" level. The Upper Light gradually purifies us and creates within us the prerequisites for correct intention.
These actions are also called a habit, i.e., they gradually become second nature. Our participation lies in the quality and the quantity of the efforts generated by our desire for it.
Continue to Page 2
Go to October's Lesson
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Kabbalist Rav Michael Laitman, PhD.,
Kabbalist, Rabbi, & Author
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World leading Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD has an MS in Bio Cybernetics and a PhD in Philosophy and Ontology.
Rav Laitman is the author of 25 internationally selling books on Kabbalah; his books have been translated into nine languages.
His lessons are broadcast live throughout the Internet and cable TV to tens of thousands of students the world over. In recent years he has become a sought-after lecturer in academic and learning circles in the US and Europe
His search for the meaning of life led him to the teachings of Kabbalah in the 1970’s. At first he studied Kabbalah with various teachers in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. In 1979 he discovered his true teacher, Kabbalist Rav Baruch Shalom Halevi Ashlag (1907-1991).
From the time he met Rav Baruch Ashlag (known as the Rabash), he was never apart from him and spent most of his time in his presence, as his disciple and personal assistant. Up until his death, Rabash passed on to Rav Laitman the wisdom he had acquired from his father, Kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam for his Sulam commentary on The zohar (The Book of Radiance).
Rav Dr. Laitman held a successful public meeting in San-Francisco in March 2005 with leading American scientists, participants of the blockbuster hit "What the Bleep Do We Know?" Here are some of the impressions of the scientists after meeting Dr. Laitman:
Fred Alan Wolf, PhD. author of eleven books, among them The Yoga of Time Travel, Matter into Feeling: a new Alchemy of Science and Spirit, and Mind into Matter: "I admire your knowledge. I would love to sit at your feet and study for a long time."
Jeffery Satinover, MD (Psychiatry), MS (Physics) – Author of seven books including The Quantum Brain & Cracking the Bible Code: "The emergence of Kabbalah from its concealment in a genuine form is historically significant and is truly remarkable."
Rav Laitman is the founder and president of the Bnei Baruch Association – Kabbalah Education & Research Institute. Bnei Baruch is an Israeli based non-profit organization that is dedicated to spreading the wisdom of Kabbalah to all of humanity.
Bnei Baruch conducts daily Kabbalah lessons, broadcasted live on the Internet and available for free.
In 1996 Bnei Baruch created, what is now the largest and most popular Internet site on the subject of Kabbalah--www.kabbalah.info. This website provides unlimited access to Kabbalistic texts and media in over twenty languages, and hosts over a million readers every month.
Website: www.kabbalah.info.
Further information is available at www.kabbalah.info.
The following study
e-books, and resources are free,
and available in the formats listed below:
• "Attaining the Worlds Beyond",
by Kabbalist, Rav Michael Laitman, PhD.
Audio book
(MP3 format): www.kabbalah.info/
engkab/
worlds_beyond.htm
PDF:
www.kabbalah.info/
engkab/
book_4/Attaining-Text.pdf
•"Kabbalah for Beginners"
Palm download:
www.kabbalah.info
/engkab/ebook/kab_
for_beginners.htm
•"What the Bleep…"
Video Discussion:
www.kabbalahmedia.info/
~video/KabbalahMeets
ModernScience/Kabbalah
MeetsModernScience_
pilot_eng.mpg
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