- This topic has 158 replies, 57 voices, and was last updated hace 4 semanas by
.
- Respuestas
I don’t know if I was a Kabbalist in a former lifetime, but I have always had a similar perspective on prayer and the collective good. You can only imagine the debates I’ve had over the years with my Jewish, Christian, and Muslim friends about prayer. I would ask them “if you believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infallable, eternal, and knows the end from the beginning, then how would it make sense that by complimenting God and asking repeatedly for something that you could get God to change his plans for you or the world?” And that doesn’t even take into account that most of my friends were born in the USA into middle-class or upper middle-class families and have enjoyed a standard of living and level of safety that less than 10% of the people of this planet have. How audacious to ask for more when we were already given SO much more than the average person on this planet. Then there’s the concept of mutually exclusive prayers. For example, when a person asks for things like fame and fortune but also asks for their family to be safe, happy, and close. Could it be that God did not give you that big promotion because he knew that it would cause you to work more hours, to be tired all the time, impatient, and not able to spend enough quality time with your spouse and children? So could it be that by not giving you that big promotion God gave you a situation that would better allow you to achieve your more important intrinsic desires as opposed to your more external and material desires? Prayer as done by most people reminds me of the Arabian stories of the Djinn: you are granted 3 wishes, you get whatever you wish for, but somehow whatever you wished for is turned into a curse. That is why I never ask God for anything aside for things like “perspective” or “correction” knowing that if I ask for something selfish or materialistic it would only open the door for me to be taught an uncomfortable lesson (LOL!).
Now for my questions…
If it is our intention for the collective good that is the true prayer, then is there any need for specific prayers if we already have unshakable faith in the Creator always giving everyone and doing everything in the world that are exactly what is required for their personal and our societal evolution?
If we have an unwavering “knowing” and unshakable faith rather than fleeting and changing feelings in regard to our Creator’s plan for us and for our world, how would we experience the “ascending” and “descending” process described in Kabbalah?
The concept of “humility” and being “less than” was discussed in reference to the other Kabbalists in our group. This concept was related to being more in equivalence with our Creator. This makes no sense at all. Our Creator doesn’t feel “less than.” Our Creator doesn’t even enter into the arena of comparisons of any kind.
Do the feet compare themselves to the hands? Does the liver compare itself to the kidneys? NO! They each do their jobs to the best of their ability and rely on the other organs to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
I would make more sense to me that that our goal in being part of a Kabbalist group would be to avoid comparisons of any kind and to simply offer our best in any situation accepting that there will always be others who can offer more in certain ways in certain situations or that the group’s goals may or may not make sense to us at any given time.
It would seem to me that this “humility” and “less than” scenario described is more of an exercise or a place along our evolutionary road to one of non-comparison and unquestioning cooperation.
What of the things I have stated are in alignment with the Kabbalist perspective?
In what ways might I be confused about these things?
If it is our intention for the collective good that is the true prayer, then is there any need for specific prayers if we already have unshakable faith in the Creator always giving everyone and doing everything in the world that are exactly what is required for their personal and our societal evolution?
<b>I need to ask that the world will come closer to the correct connection among all people, the only thing missing for them to see a spiritual solution to all their problems, which are all to eventually lead to us running out of alternative solutions.</b>
If we have an unwavering “knowing” and unshakable faith rather than fleeting and changing feelings in regard to our Creator’s plan for us and for our world, how would we experience the “ascending” and “descending” process described in Kabbalah?
Good question. One can’t. That’s called faith below reason. Meaning: even though all of reality is in suffering, I say, “It’s all for the best, blessed is the Creator.” What we need is faith above reason.
The concept of “humility” and being “less than” was discussed in reference to the other Kabbalists in our group. This concept was related to being more in equivalence with our Creator. This makes no sense at all. Our Creator doesn’t feel “less than.” Our Creator doesn’t even enter into the arena of comparisons of any kind.
There is something to it. One day you will be right. However, there is an entire system of corrections between you and that day. Meaning: that is the Creator’s relation toward the Creation in the world of Eyn Sof. But we are in an imaginary world, following what is called the Breaking of the Vessels, and now it’s different. We can’t skip steps. And one of the first steps is to lower myself before those who have awakened to the study of Kabbalah.Because already I am under the desires of all kinds of others in the world, who unanimously agree that corporeality is most important. I need to nullify before desires that prize spirituality as most important. That way I will add to my own spiritual desire, which, in the meantime, is insufficient.
Do the feet compare themselves to the hands? Does the liver compare itself to the kidneys? NO! They each do their jobs to the best of their ability and rely on the other organs to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
No, when it comes to actual carrying out of your roles in the Kabbalistic group, and later, the soul, you’re all equal. But every organ needs to consider itself as subservient, really an absolute slave to the rest of the body, if you want this analogy.
I would make more sense to me that that our goal in being part of a Kabbalist group would be to avoid comparisons of any kind and to simply offer our best in any situation accepting that there will always be others who can offer more in certain ways in certain situations or that the group’s goals may or may not make sense to us at any given time.
We also need to compare, especially when it comes to what each contributes spiritually. Here, it’s as the sages say, that “envy, lust and honor bring a person out of this world,” to the spiritual world.
It would seem to me that this “humility” and “less than” scenario described is more of an exercise or a place along our evolutionary road to one of non-comparison and unquestioning cooperation.
It’s ok to think so for now. But actually, it never ends, until the end of correction, at least 125 spiritual degrees away.
Is it because of our egos that our global world is in crisis eventhough more connected than ever?
How can one live with laws of spiritual altruism of Kabbalah in such a world, society and connect to the Uper force, G-d, bestowal with The Light that reforms (beyond the group, teachers and books -or with all that- but daily)?
Hi Tamar,
Yes, because of our egos we became very well-connected, so that we won’t be able to extricate ourselves from our interdependence, even if we’d very much like to. We didn’t intend to become interdependent; we wanted to use each other. Soon, we will be forced to recognize our absolute dependence on each and everyone else. There’s a beautiful side to this but we need to rise above our egos to see it.
To live the laws of bestowal I need to start with a small group that, so to speak, represents a mini-humanity, and see to what extent I can keep those laws, at least with them. Here, I strip away extraneous, superfluous forms and focus precisely on those that spiritually matter. This is what we will practice in the Kabablistic group. Daily life implementation only follows from this.
Since I started studying kabbalah, I have disconnected myself from most groups that I was in if not totally then partially. On the other hand too I was feeling lonely yearning to join a group that I will connect to spiritually.
You should maintain the necessary connections though: family, work, etc. Especially in the beginning, the Kabbalistic group serves a very targeted purpose, so it will not be able to serve any of those corporeal needs. Think of it sort of like the role going to a karate class every day might play in your life, though here the purpose is much higher: due to its specificity, it can’t replace everything.
Hello,
My family and I are doing KabU courses together. Anyway, in the video for week 4.4 of Kabbalah in Action Julian encouraged students to find a group to study with.
I was under the impression that is what we are doing with KabU. Is that incorrect?
If our participation in KabU does not count as study with a group, does KabU have groups to study with?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Smith
Hi Smith,
Yes, studying with KabU is in a group who are studying mostly asynchronously for now. There will need to be a bit more contact than that as your knowledge grows and you learn the function of that group, in further detail. So, there will also be opportunities for many live classes, Zoom sessions, and so on, as you advance.
What specifically do you mean when you say that what a student of Kabbalah only needs is a commitment to the group, the books. and the teacher. In terms of the group of fellow students, am I correct in thinking this means that when you are together you trust that all involved are seeking in the same understanding and intent of practice? Or are there other components? Is commitment being used here to mean trust in its validity or something else? Thank you.
I do not understand how your response answers my questions. Perhaps I was not clear. I am questioning what are the specific commitments to teacher, books and group that you said is the essential requirement for continuing to learn Kabbalah with you. Thank you.
The work in the Kabbalistic group includes, actually, all the corrections a person has to make toward the Creator. So, the study of it is vast. It’s written about it in the articles of Rabash, especially the first 20, which are best studied in a group, with guidance – which is the essence of the Graduate Program. But feel free to start reading them: https://kabbalahmedia.info/en/sources/IHYcOU8k
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.