Kabbalah

[NikolaiI]

Someone, I don't know who, mentioned the site Kabbalah.info on the forum a little while ago. I watched the video FAQ then, and was interested by it, and tonight I was just looking at it again, and came across something that was so profound, so deep and penetrating, that I really wanted to share it, so I am typing it out; also I'll tell you how to get to the video as there is not a link.

on this website, http://kabbalah.info, click ont the option "World Peace" and then the question "Why must the world face so much traumua? Is it God's will?" which leads to the video I am typing the words to here.


What can we do as individuals? Great question. Because there are no physical, political, scientific, or humanitarian actions that can change this situation, if we don't change it individually first.

Quantum physics has recently discovered that the results of experiments are determined in some way by the person doing them. But they don't yet know how this happens, or the extent of the influence. The wisdom of Kabbalah is an ancient science dealing precisely with how human awareness affects reality. The Kabbalists-- through their investigations using a method of experimentation that incorporates human awareness, having penetrated the causal forces-- revealed in their books that the general law, which they call the thought of creation, is to create a creature and fill the creature with complete fulfillment. In other words, we, and everything in existence, are undergoing a process of development with the goal of reaching a perfected state exactly like the state of the force that created us.

You could call this the will of God, the blueprint, containing the purpose, meaning, and outcome of life, in all its details and all the forces that bring this about.

It's an intention. A desire. It is good that does good. It never changes. We do.

All the disasters and the wars that we are now experiencing are just the measure of the difference of the quality of our individual and collective intention and the quality of intention behind this law governing nature, called Light.

The inner life of humanity is the determining factor for how nature treats us. So how can that be?

The inanimate, vegetative and animal natures of existence are actually parts of us. The only difference between them is the amount of desire for change that they have. The amount of quality as opposed to quantity. That's why there's so much inanimate matter in the universe compared to the number of even the simplest organic life forms.

One rose contains the desire of all the rocks in the universe. One fly contains the desire of all the plants on earth, and one person contains and eclipses the desire of the entire system below them. So an individual affects all of reality, according to how similar or dissimilar their inner qualities are to the Light. So what can an individual do? Change their inner qualities. Kabbalah tells us what quality to change, and how.

For more information, check out the links above.

And this is typed quotation from the video in the link.

What do you think?? PLEASE respond!!

[blazeofglory]

Someone, I don't know who, mentioned the site Kabbalah.info on the forum a little while ago. I watched the video FAQ then, and was interested by it, and tonight I was just looking at it again, and came across something that was so profound, so deep and penetrating, that I really wanted to share it, so I am typing it out; also I'll tell you how to get to the video as there is not a link.

on this website, http://kabbalah.info, click ont the option "World Peace" and then the question "Why must the world face so much traumua? Is it God's will?" which leads to the video I am typing the words to here.



And this is typed quotation from the video in the link.

What do you think?? PLEASE respond!!

Nikolai, more often than not I like your ideas, and the curiosity you live with. I do not what drives you curious. I do not care you are a theist or atheist. I often disagree to your ideas. Mine are at times a bit different and I try to be honest to what I really feel about the world I am in. You told me my ideas shift. They do immensely as a matter of fact.

But with all this I like you the way you are. I like your ideas for you come up with ranges of ideas. You have encompassed bigger domains of knowledge and spiritual experiences.

You got me now curious about this Kabbalah. I will Google it now. Something I read of it on the site you gave me arrested my attention and of course this domain interests me.

Notwithstanding the fact that I am different from you, yet I am very curious as regards the universe I am in and my relationship with the world.

[NikolaiI]

http://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/science_and_kabbalah/articles_by_rav_laitman/the_science_of_kabbalah.htm

[JBI]

Seems a pretty basic blurb on Kabbalah, though just so you know, to be a traditional Kabbalist you need to be over 40 and male, and need to be extremely well versed in scripture, Talmud, and Rabbinics.

If you go to Safed (pronounced tsfat), the Kabbalah center of the world, you can see the graves of those who didn't meet the qualifications to practice Kabbalah, and were destroyed by the knowledge, or other such freak-accidents (these are of course, similar to the folk myths that surround most ancient cities).

In truth, what most people get now when they look into Kabbalah is watered down mass-produced gunk that seems to take a thin layer of the spiritual elements of traditional Kabbalah, and fuse it with contemporary spiritualism (similar to the "New Age" philosophers) and create a sort of cult-experience that in no way resembles real Kabbalah.

Britney Spears, Madonna, and Lindsay Lohan, despite what they pretend, have never practiced Kabbalah, and never will practice Kabbalah, as they cannot. Sorry to say it, but Kabbalah, in the traditional sense, is reserved for old well-educated Jews, and few others.

[NikolaiI]

Seems a pretty basic blurb on Kabbalah, though just so you know, to be a traditional Kabbalist you need to be over 40 and male, and need to be extremely well versed in scripture, Talmud, and Rabbinics.

If you go to Safed (pronounced tsfat), the Kabbalah center of the world, you can see the graves of those who didn't meet the qualifications to practice Kabbalah, and were destroyed by the knowledge, or other such freak-accidents (these are of course, similar to the folk myths that surround most ancient cities).

In truth, what most people get now when they look into Kabbalah is watered down mass-produced gunk that seems to take a thin layer of the spiritual elements of traditional Kabbalah, and fuse it with contemporary spiritualism (similar to the "New Age" philosophers) and create a sort of cult-experience that in no way resembles real Kabbalah.

Britney Spears, Madonna, and Lindsay Lohan, despite what they pretend, have never practiced Kabbalah, and never will practice Kabbalah, as they cannot. Sorry to say it, but Kabbalah, in the traditional sense, is reserved for old well-educated Jews, and few others.

I also read that it is reserved for those who already have a deep undrstanding in the area of knowledge of the soul. Yet this is not a mark against it, simply a quality that is in fact important in understanding any system of knowledge. Buddhism has this quality too-- the main thing is; yes the information is available to us, and entirely accessible if, as they say, our desire is great and pure. But how can we hope to learn anything if we do not approach with respect? The same is true of Buddhism, as I said, as well as Vaishnavism.

The website, if you saw, is called questionyourreality.com. They are sharing the information to help teach.

[JBI]

There is a difference though; Kabbalah stems from connecting with the Torah, and other scriptures by different methods. If someone, lets say, doesn't know Hebrew, then they cannot possibly partake in Kabbalah. If someone doesn't know scripture, they cannot possibly partake in Kabbalah. The text is the backdrop and the very essence of Kabbalah. It's like trying to understand music while being deaf, or visual art while being blind. Kabbalistic texts for this reason aren't really translated, because it is assumed that Hebrew is understood beyond fluently.

[NikolaiI]

So what is your direction about Kabbalah, would you say then we shouldn't pursue it, because of its confidential nature?

[JBI]

I say that you really can't pursue true Kabbalah without being 40, a man, and fluent in Hebrew (both modern and biblical). The above passage isn't really Kabbalistic per say, it is similar to comparing a fortune cookie to Confucius' work.

I of course, cannot begin to explain Kabbalah, because, like I mentioned, I cannot partake in it. It is very much a secret little gathering. I do know enough however, to say with confidence that the above quote seems more like a sales pitch than anything Kabbalistic. But what do you expect? Spiritualism is literally sold by the bottle, and the truth is, people buy it.

In truth, the above quote seems to me similar to reducing philosophy to the study of whether or not trees make sounds when they fall but are unheard.

[NikolaiI]

If they only start when they are 40, what then?
I understand that the Kabbalists would essentialy consider knowledge of Hebrew a must. But this person's explaination doesn't say he must be male and 40 though. He says it is meant for those who have already achieved some attainment of realization of the soul-- or something like this. Anyway I have obviously done disservice if that's what you think of his presentation. Also I typed out what was originally a speech in a video. I hope you'll check out the website and see for yourself.

If you know about Kabbalah to know that the above quote is "full of it," then tell us why, specifically. Otherwise don't insult without clarifying.

[blazeofglory]

I say that you really can't pursue true Kabbalah without being 40, a man, and fluent in Hebrew (both modern and biblical). The above passage isn't really Kabbalistic per say, it is similar to comparing a fortune cookie to Confucius' work.

I of course, cannot begin to explain Kabbalah, because, like I mentioned, I cannot partake in it. It is very much a secret little gathering. I do know enough however, to say with confidence that the above quote seems more like a sales pitch than anything Kabbalistic. But what do you expect? Spiritualism is literally sold by the bottle, and the truth is, people buy it.

In truth, the above quote seems to me similar to reducing philosophy to the study of whether or not trees make sounds when they fall but are unheard.

I agree with you that certain prayers cannot be translated into another language at all. I too got interested to read something of it but after reading your comments on it I gave up the desire of going further. This is the same case in Sanskrit. There are prayers in Sanskrit that cannot be translated into any other language and if they are translated the core thing of the prayer gets garbled or warped.

[NikolaiI]

The Zohar was kept hidden for 900 years, between the 2nd and the 11th centuries CE, since those who possessed its wisdom understood that at the time, people did not need it and would misunderstand its contents.

Only in the 16th century CE did a Kabbalist arise who explained the fundamentals of Kabbalah - The Holy Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572). The Ari stated that from his time on, the wisdom of Kabbalah was ready to be opened to everyone.

Commentaries on the works of the Ari and The Zohar appeared only in the 20th century - the century that saw the fiercest outburst of human desires in history. During this period, a unique soul appeared - that of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam). Baal HaSulam explained the wisdom of Kabbalah in a way our generation could understand. Moreover, Baal HaSulam was the only Kabbalist in the 20th century who wrote commentaries on The Zohar and on the works of the Ari.

This does not mean that there were no great Kabbalists before him, but only that their works are not easily understood by contemporary students. Today’s popularity and high demand for Kabbalah testify to our generation’s readiness to absorb its universal message, and to comprehend the authentic texts that speak of the root of our lives and how to attain it.

http://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/mystzohar.htm

[JBI]

Kabbalah isn't a prayer, it is more of an approach to reading scripture, which creates strange effects on the reader. To the observant Jew, and Kabbalist, every word is in the Torah for a reason, and therefore it is important that you deal with the exact words, that is, the established Torah canon, and not with, lets say, the KJV, or some other translation.

[blazeofglory]

Kabbalah isn't a prayer, it is more of an approach to reading scripture, which creates strange effects on the reader. To the observant Jew, and Kabbalist, every word is in the Torah for a reason, and therefore it is important that you deal with the exact words, that is, the established Torah canon, and not with, lets say, the KJV, or some other translation.

Then this religion is language specific