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This aspect of Spirituality that we refer to as the “free will” of the person living in this “world” is one of the most interesting and seemingly contradictory.
In the “Related” section for this week, there is a video by Rav Laitman titled, “There Is None Else Besides Him | Fundamentals of Kabbalah | Webinar with Kabbalist Dr. Laitman” that would be very helpful for everyone to watch because it addresses this issue of “free will” directly. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_O07Nz1nt8.
In Albert’s response to Patricia above he says, “Yes, this follows the saying that: the Creator puts man’s hand on the good fate and says “choose this for yourself”. Meaning He awakened your point in the heart and brought it to a good spiritual environment in which you can nourish it. After that the rest is up to you.”
My question to Albert then is, Who is this “you” that you refer to, as “the rest is up to you.” In this video, Rav Laitman is answering many questions from groups around the world, and he is pretty clear that there really is no other Presence, no other Being except the Creator.
Yes, He created the Creation but is this Separate from Him? Yes, initially we are taught that quality-wise, being receivers for our “selves” and He being the only Bestower, we are opposites. But this is only a way of looking at things from our temporary experience of believing we could actually BE separate. But Who put “us” in this state? There is only the Creator, there is no “other”, not you, not me, not anyone, not anything. He IS the ONE and the ONLY. The seemingness of separation is just an illusion that He Himself created for Himself, for His own Purposes. It is His Way of appreciating His Own Godliness. But there is no Actual separate you and me to share in this appreciation. He really is the only ONE.
Rav Laitman did say in this video that he Knows himself to be One with the Creator. In this state, and only in this state of Actual, and Eternal Attainment of Oneness with the Creator can “you” dissipate the illusion of being a separate ego, and merge into your Eternal Essence, your Actual Uniqueness as an aspect of the Creator. There never was a separation, there never was a journey from uncorrected to correction. Now your Real Will to only receive to Bestow is One with Creator’s Only Will to Bestow, and this is the only Actual Free Will that is possible. He only chooses to Bestow to Himself in all the infinitude of Unique Aspects of Himself that He has Created. There is no Actual “other”. This has always been Reality for all of Eternity, and could never BE any other way.
Blessings to all.
Hi John,
In practice, we cannot defer to “there is none else besides Him” if we have not attained that for ourselves.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2014/10/if-i-am-not-for-myself-then-no-one-will-help-me/
Attaining that state works according to the law of equivalence of form. Meaning that in order to attain spirituality, we first need to become similar to it, to the spiritual qualities of love and bestowal. But since this is completely against our nature, we need a supportive environment that will help us in achieving this goal.
It’s just like with the example of going to the gym and lifting weights. Naturally this is something extremely painful and unpleasant. But when we’re under a good influence of the gym environment, have friends that value such things, read lots of articles about staying healthy etc, we begin to enjoy these things. And what was previously a painful activity turns into something pleasurable. It all depends on the influence of the environment.
So through the spiritual environment, we get the necessary support and importance of coming out of our egoistic nature. And even more importantly, through that same spiritual environment we draw the force of the light in order to actualize this change. For this reason, the Kabbalists equate our main freedom in life in choosing to be influenced by a good spiritual environment.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2012/10/bestowal-should-become-fashionable/
Albert @ KabU
Thank you everyone for all the questions and input. I am struck by the magnitude of the “idea” of free will vs the actual reality of free will. I have often felt throughout my life a “powerlessness” to change certain situations no matter what I did, and with the best “will” in the world I was still unable to change. Of course on reflection I was nearly always trying to change others, situations or things to my way of thinking or viewpoint.
I now understand why it was so exhausting, mentally draining and pointless.
I hope I remember it for next time.
Thanks
when you are in the path of discovering that all what you perceive in this physical world is not real and its perceived just by you.
there is some horrible feeling of fears a rise here….may be fear of losing who you used to take yourself to be …
please if there is some insights about those states and how the wisdom of kabbalah refers to them.
Hi Marouane,
Yes, it’s common to have such feelings. Here are some things to keep in mind to help you stabilize this picture:
1. The physical world is real until you attain otherwise. If the Kabbalist attained something and wrote about it, this is their attainment, not yours. You cannot just take their attainments as your own. So until you attain otherwise, this world is very much so real.
2. Even after we attain spirituality, we continue to exist on the level of this world throughout the entire spiritual ladder of development. So we cannot just disconnect from this world and start living in the clouds. Rather we must continue to exist as normal people do: to work, take care of our health, families, etc.
3. The entire spiritual path is one of correcting our egoistic nature, for it to operate in the direction of bestowal. We don’t lose anything as a result of this correction. On the contrary, we only gain. This is because our current state is the lowest and worst possible state. When we begin to correct ourselves, we’ll gain higher and higher levels of perception and experience exponentially greater levels of fulfillment.
Here’s an excerpt from Rav Laitman’s blog on this:
“In our world, everything is opposite to perfection because one acts at the expense of the other. Our world is the lowest, the worst of the worlds. Only ascent above it is possible. There is nothing worse than this world.”
Albert @ KabU
Hi Albert
When it is said that: ” spirituality can be achieved in one lifetime.”
Does that mean, that individual parts of the one soul, Adam HaRishon, can achieve this alone?
Can some parts of the one soul achieve it gradually or must it be all 600.000 at once?In the upper world there is no time and space, and measurement of distance, is in equality of qualities, so does it matter when in time and space, one part of the soul achieves this?
I don’t know If I am making my questions clear, sorry 🙂
Best regards
Hi Peter,
Spirituality is the process of reconnecting to the shattered soul. It can never be done alone because we need someone with whom to connect with. We do this type of work in groups of ten. In other words, we don’t need to wait for all of humanity to reconnect all at once, rather it’s done gradually. First we connect within our own group of ten. Then a few groups of ten connect together, and then a few more, etc. Until we come to include all of humanity in that connection. We’ll learn more about these things in the advanced semesters where each one will receive their own group with whom to practice this.
As for when, yes that is important. It’s like building a giant jigsaw puzzle, first you start with the corners and only afterwards do you work your way to the center. Those with awakened points in the heart are like those corner pieces, they need to start this whole process. Only after they finish their work, is it possible for other parts of humanity to start this work.
Albert @ KabU
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