Kabbalah Course Discussion Group

Hi guys. Carry on without me for a bit. I'll get caught up, but I graduate in two weeks and I have a ton of stuff going on.

@Connor . . . Good Luck!!!

@OB1 ..... there are materials on the site OTHER than the course we are taking (i.e. where is says lesson 1 - 16) . . .

After registering for the Spring 2015 course we are going to a section for which this discussion group was set up.
The link to register is in the OP.

Edan wrote: I liked this idea that they spoke about as it seems distinctly different to the way the 'creator' is usually described in religion... usually they are a separate distinct entity.. and while one may become closer to the deity, they never become as the deity.

Yeah . . . the old paradigm versus the new paradigm . . .

but the new paradigm . . . is not new!!!! lol

Ok... so third lesson was basically a run down of important figures in Kabbalah history..

I couldn't watch the video (kept saying 'corrupted' when I loaded it), so I ended up listening at the gym (so once again, no notes taken).

I'm not sure anything particular stood out for me in this lesson, except to say that the 'system' that is Kabbalah is obviously not one person's system, but a system progressed by many.

Their comment about the Zohar being written from the higher level of understanding of the writer is a bit like being presented with a code you can't unravel unless you've read the code.

The progression from what you might call the 'un-illuminated' (when Abraham etc. were writing) to modern times seems like an interesting one. Even though the knowledge was kept hidden until people were worthy to read it, if you look back in history there's always determination to search for meaning even when it has been hidden or considered dangerous and suppressed.
Knowledge is so freely available now, it's hard to imagine having doors closed on you.

Here are my notes on lesson 3:

The Following Timeline Is:
Evolution of the will to receive
Evolution of humanity
Evolution of kabbalah

TIMELINE

after billions of years pass, homo sapiens emerge as "still" degree of desire
initially, only cared about preserving existence (hunting, shelter, procreation)
this happened all over globe

ADAM KADMON
Somewhere around Mesopotamia (5775 years ago) - (not to be confused with Adam of Bible)
Noted as first time homo sapien questions his existence.
Imagine all living off instincts and one wakes up and says: "What is the meaning of life?
He was first human to get in touch with upper reality.
Like a scientist, he was curious, curious, curious, then click.
A whole new dimension to the world he is living in, although not yet the kabbalah.

A book was written, but it will not make sense as it is suitable to the time/desire for which it was written.

Laws do not change. They are absolute.
Because desire is constantly changing, the methods used to overcome it are constantly changing as well.
It is not a different method, it is a method that adapts to the times.

ABRAHAM (4000 years ago)
First kabbalist
Ancient Babylon
Same Abraham as bible
Priest - advisor to king
studied and observed nature

For awhile ancient Babylon was a thriving metropolitan area. All got along well like one massive family.
Eruption of Ego - Exploitation - Spike in Ego - Spike in Self Interest

The Tower of Babel was metaphorically built to get to know God/Force
All the different languages (no one understanding each other) symbolized uncontrolled growth of desire, not understanding each other and clashing of desires.

Abraham wrote Sefir - Zohar - Book of Creation
First time there is a method of kabbalah and how to reach adhesion with Creator/Force

He observed that everything in nature built on connections, everything determined by the nature of that connection. There are always 2 elements of nature (nurturing/depleting, exciting/downer, . . . etc.)

MOSES (3,000 years ago)
same one that is said to have written 5 books to the Bible.
all of Bible is allegory
Leading people out of Egypt is symbol of leading self out of ego each day.

RASHBI (2,000 years ago)
Jews were oppressed in Israel by Romans
Rash be grabs 9 guys to study with him in a cave for 40 years.
They produce 40 volumes of encyclopedia.

This is all an illusion. The only thing that is real is desire.
One desire was created and it shattered.

ARI (16th century)
Created Tree of Life system
Wrote fundamental book of commentary on Zorah
characters appear out of nature
North of Jerusalem in Galilee
his scribed was burned with his books.

BAAL HaSulam (1884-1954)
the writings of Ari were expanded
wrote in modern day language so anyone can pick up and start ascent.
describes above/down structure

RABBISH (died in 1991)
took writings into groups
opened up method

Michael Laitman (beside Rabbish for 12 years)
written over 40 books
Professor of Ontology
Phd in Philosophy and Kabbalah
MSc in Medical Bio-Cybernetics
"To change the world, change the man"


Summary
*As desire develops, humanity develops - more pleasure for less
*but method for ascent develops right beside it.

I have been thinking about the above/down thing . . . and upper world . . . .
Lessons three and four are out and this concept has not yet been specifically addressed.

But . . something came to me this morning.
First, it is given that a problem can't be solved from within the same thought system that created it (Einstein --- i think).
Second . . . things like will, desire, passion, openmindedness . . . are all like bridges/activators to broader way of seeing.

So . . maybe . . .this upper world concept is entirely within our being . . . like when we want to see . . we will see
Maybe then, from a higher view so-called view. . we can see the egoic self more objectively . . hence better choosing .
Perhaps something like that???

Lesson 4: This lesson starts with the question: Do you live in reality or a dream?

Kabbalists gives an explanation. Science gives an explanation.

First the lesson looked at science Newtonian approach.
He said:
there is me and there is reality
I perceive with my 5 senses
Other people are born they perceive the world with their 5 senses and that is the way reality is
It is as I see it. I am as I see it.
I do not change.
I am constant.

Moving on to Einstein in 1900s.
He said: wait a minute.
I change because I can see the world differently
This is his theory of relativity.
The way I see the world is subjective.
Why did he say that?
Because even though we see common things, the way we feel, the sensations we experience are different.
So here, reality is still constant. I change.

Moving on to 1930s Quantum Physics.
Wait a minute . . .
If I look subjectively at life and see things are changing through my perception then it is really not possible for reality to be as it is. It cannot be constant.
So here, reality changes. I change.

Kabala <2000 years ago

Places reality here and the individual here and gives each one a great big question mark. This is the point of heart. (My note: same questions . . who am I?, what is meaning/purpose of life?

What is the Kabala explanation of reality?

Take our sense of sight for example. We see a wide world before us wondrously filled, but in fact; we see all that only in our own interior. There is kind of a photographic machine in our hind brain which portrays everything that appears to us and nothing outside of us. For that there is a kind of polished mirror in our brain that inverts everything seen there so we will see it outside our brain in front of our face. Yet, what we see outside us is not a real thing.

So it is said that I have to change in order for reality to change.
Kli: egoism is used for a higher order of reality.
Not to scrap the old for a new . . but to add a new to be built on. . .to grow spiritually.

How do we know when we have risen a degree?
What could not be seen before is now seen.

Through bestowal, light is attracted and effects an equalness of form (which is a matter of quality)
Light is opposite egoism.

There are 2 forces in reality
Attribute of bestowal
Attribute of reception

In this lesson a lot of time is giving about how bestowal is different than giving. Giving to want something in return and giving to give to the Force/Creator/Creation.

Being in the Force/Light above this layer of creation and being able to work with 2 layers simultaneously. The ego will keep growing but the positive Force is above it. The Kabala is about staying above the growing ego.

My note: I am reminded of ego, yet humility and 2 forces as one symbol (yin/yang symbol).
And the same time . . . I am also seeing the triangle invert itself, empty out and disappear.

Here are notes from the next lesson and some of the questions/answers from the lesson.

Lesson 5 - Intention

The quality of reception, in itself, it is a perceiving mechanism.
It is built to perceive reality in the way we see it through 5 senses.
Kabbalah says there is more to that reality.
Kabbalah teaches us how to see and perceive the way we were designed to.

The most basic level that kabbalist talk about intention to receive is that the will to receive is the only kind of intention we have. The desire to receive is neutral.
The intention that rides on this, is by default, the intention to receive for self.

Intention is the purpose or the way we are doing something.
Kabbalist say there is no other intention but to deliver pleasure to self.

For a moment, freeze. Notice how body starts to pull immediately.
There are a lot of actions that want to take place.
They are the expression of our desire to receive pleasure self.
This is where it starts. It grows to: How do I use the world to fulfill my needs, then my wants.
This desire caters to our bodies, our interest, to our future, the way people think of us.
It is like a maintenance service. Any service you could provide to someone else...
This intention is always there to receive for self.
Even in moments of stillness, there are internal calculations.

The will to receive is the whole substance of creation. The will to receive is the matter of creation.
It does not change. It is not bad or good.

We are talking about now levels of intention. There are only 2: will to receive and will to bestow.
When one moves hand from chair to table it is because he thinks he will enjoy it more.

Kabbalah shows us how to correct that starting point.

What is bestow? None of us are bestowing in this world. There is always a reward.
People do what they do because it makse them feel better.
They would not be able to not do it if it were otherwise. Altruistic tendency is selfish also.

It is natural law anything outside of body is unreal and empty.

Desire is like the inside of a cup. It has one intention-to receive.
Kabbalist tell us we can develop a thing called intention from the point in the heart.
It is like a lid on the cup. It transforms the purpose of the desire itself.

Our lense is a distorted picture. All I can see is what gives me pleasure or what I should run from.
If we develop the point of the heart, we can see things we never saw before.
Good acts won't get us there unless we develop that sense.
Intention is what changes the world- not our actions.

Question: How is correcting one's intention not another act of ego?
Answer: Indeed if we start digging deep, if current intention is ego, then I want to make it altruistic.
We can make our self crazy trying to change our intention, when we look at it.
Human ego is so tricky, sneaky, and so intricately produced.
There is more and more layers to every single thing that we are doing.
Correcting one's intention could, yes, be another act of ego.
It keeps getting more and more revealed to us. We are working on changing a big beast.
It is not so simple to just replace him. Every correction that we make, reveals further details.
We are realizing more lack of correction with each correction that we make.

Our perception of reality is driven by will to receive. A program that is constantly running.

What is intention?
The reason why we doing anything. If we are doing something there is intention behind it.
Action is not independent from intention.
E.g. knife may be cutting. A doctor may have one intent. A criminal may have another intent.

Will to receive is the only thing of matter. The only thing created by Creator/Force.
What is significant is level of intention behind it.
The intention to receive or the intention to bestow behind it.

In this Course they will teach how to change the intention.

Any movement of love that one performs toward another is performed with a reflected light of same reward that will eventually return to him for his own good. Such an act could not be considered love of another because it is judged by its end. It is like rent that finally pays off. However, the act of renting is not considered love of another, but any movement of love towards other without any spark of reflected light and no more for any kind of self gratification in return is completely impossible by nature. This means all the good deeds that they do towards their friends or their God is not for their love of friends or God, but for their love of themselves.

How to reach spirituality above this corporal life?
After we reach point in heart, we develop it, we attain it, then we can change intention.
Million of good acts. Is world getting better?
No, because of the intention
Act are coming from egoism.
To act beyond beasty needs, or we destroy the world.

Once we start attaining, once we change our intention, we start unlocking more and more layers we are not currently feeling.

In Kabbalah, Adam is symbol of collective soul.
Between the soul and the soul desire this collective light shattered.
Shattering created feeling of disconnection the process of the shattering.
Kabbalah is help with reconnecting and bringing to a higher level.

How can I do an action without self benefit?
Yes, drinking water is for myself and also necessity. Do not stop doing what doing. We will build above it.

Five new senses will lead us to spiritual sixth sense.
Everything we receive is within our 5 senses.
Based on our 5 senses, we develop spiritual desires.
We do not know what they are now, you start attaining them, you start feeling them.

Once you have new 5 senses, you see reality in new glasses, a wider way, and with understanding cause of everything.

How can I change my nature if there is not action without self benefit?
Once we make change. What looks like reality will stay the same.
Our perception will change - see more connection, see more love.

First understand - we are will to receive. Every action is for self benefit.
This is not in a bad way. This vessel is all will to receive.

Giving - don't change that. We want to speak above it. Look at intention
Kabbalah does not look at action.

This intention of bestowal is attained. It is not acquired like ethics.

How do we know I am changing my intention is not really ego trick?
To recognize is good because it will trick all the time.
Once you attain it, you know it for sure-no mistakes about it.
The tools we get is to learn how to walk with this ego:
What is ego? How does it work? And changing intention behind it.

Kabbalah isn't suppressing ego, it is walking with. We are walking above our desires.
We are using five senses in order to reach spirituality.
It is different, we are not putting ego aside. Reaching fulfillment is using our desires.
Building five new senses, rising above.

How will complete bestowal be complete fulfillment without draining?
It is not draining. We are not changing our nature. What we are changing is intention behind it.
Looking at intention in every action.