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I’m very confused about something and am hoping to gain clarity around it. If I am not wrong about hearing the instruction for us to maintain faith above reason why then in the week 3 lesson reading from the Shamati it says this:
“This is considered that the judgment is just, that only in this manner can we come to the ultimate goal, to understand within reason, with complete and absolute understanding of which there is no higher, that only by way of faith and bestowal can we achieve the purpose.”
It says this again in the first part of the reading. This seems like a contradiction to me. Please help me to understand. Thank you.
Juule,
Many things in the wisdom of kabbalah will seem like contradictions.
In spirituality two things can exist at once. In corporeality two things can only exist at two different times.
This concept of faith above reason will clarify over time.In order for there to be faith above reason, there has to be reason. These things will go hand in hand as a spiritual process.
Seth@KabU
If we are practicing Kabbalah, what would be the need for a religion given that Bible/Tanakh is referred as a book of source of Kabbalah.
Hai Mag,
During this part of our study, we are learning many new definitions.
For example when something is great, we say that it is “cool”, but to our grandparents, “cool” means that something is actually cold.
Similarly when the kabbalists write about religion it means attainment.
Obviously for us in our world, religion has nothing to do with attaining Godliness.
Regarding Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc. these give people important cultural structure in their lives and there is no reason to throw them away, in fact, a person can keep what his family keeps but a kabbalist distinguishes these customs from the work of his soul in attaining Godliness.
Seth@KabUThanks Seth, but if religion has nothing to do with attaining Godliness, then between belonging and believing, what you mean is religion is more about belonging and a cultural heritage. But it’s a side effect of religion where faith below reason and hope and love is the foundation of religion. I asked what would be the need of religion if faith below reason is direct conflict with faith above reason.
You can obviously keep it as a cultural heritage but the essence will be empty. Having said that most of the Kabbalist articles refer to Tanakh so there is a reference it’s shared, although the meaning of the text is interpreted differently.
Any thoughts?
Hai Mag,
When you say “religion”, you are not referring to attaining the Creator.
You are referring to the religions that we see in the world.
The Tanakh is written only by kabbalists, by those who have attainment of the spiritual degrees that they write about.
There is no words in any of those books about philosophy or theory.Here are some excerpts from our teacher, the kabbalist Rav Laitman,
” Kabbalah was born before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Torah speaks of Abraham “bestowing gifts” to the sons of his concubines and sending them East, thus laying the foundation for Eastern teachings. Everything stems from one source.The collective desire is divided into many parts, and each part has its own individual path of correction. Certain parts can commence with correction immediately. They constitute the group that Abraham had taken out of Babylon. The other parts have scattered around the world, with each part developing individually in accordance with its unique set of qualities.
Their means of advancement are the various religions, faiths, and cultures. A person can easily remain in his faith and follow the spiritual path at the same time. Baal HaSulam writes about this in his Writings of The Last Generation:
“The religious formation of all the nations should first and foremost obligate its members to bestow upon their fellow man the concept of another person’s life coming before one’s own, a formation of ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’… But otherwise, each nation may pursue its own religion and traditions, and one must not interfere with the other.”
That is, we must not meddle in the affairs of other nations and cultures. Let them have these things; people need them. This whole “territory” has nothing to do with the spiritual world. As a person advances, it turns into a cultural platform for him, a set of traditions, and does not get in the way.
If I want to rise above my nature so as to unite with everybody, even the relationships between religions appear to me in a new light. As a Muslim, I suddenly understand that I can advance toward the goal alongside a Christian, and, truly, what can stop us?
Everyone is used to their own home cooking, and nobody is taking that away from you. As Baal HaSulam writes, everyone can remain in their religion, and nobody has the right to meddle in your affairs precisely because this has nothing to do with the spiritual path. Ultimately, in our world, religions constitute culture, tradition that corresponds from the beginning to the nature of the various parts of Malchut and conforms to the root of the soul.”
Seth@KabU
Hi Seth, I have a bit of a personal question to you and totally understand if you do not wish to answer…as you have no doubt been on this path of Kabbalah for a great deal longer than us, could you possibly describe in any way where we are all heading in terms of our daily reality from what you have experienced please. Do you feel more joy in your day than you did from when you began? Obviously, as several other students have said before, we have had ups and downs within our studies in terms of clarity and doubts. Are you at a point now where your experience has left you in no doubt that Kabbalah is something you feel is the answer to all of reality? Thanks
Anthony,
A person notices many changes, but this depends on the person. You can sit for many years next to someone else who is studying with you and one can go through 10,000 changes and the other 10 changes for example.
There is the matter of the soul, there is also the matter of the exertion in the work.
But on the most fundamental level, when a person begins to understand who he is, where he is, what are the forces operating on him, how they work and where it is all developing to, this changes everything.
Certainly a person can be more calm and confident amidst the stormy sea of life’s changes.
It is clear to me that this wisdom answers my questions on the nature of reality and the meaning of life. A person should not believe anyone else about this. A person must do a serious investigation, as much as he wants and can, as much as it is important to him until he finds a place that can answer his questions.
Seth@KabUThanks Seth. I appreciate you answering this question for me. Some days, this all seems to make so much sense. I feel that I am connected to what the wisdom speaks of and others, it all seems to be some fairy story. Persistence, belief and consistency is the key. I am sure working in groups will be of great benefit to all of us.
Anthony,
This is normal and this is how it works.
Like walking, left and right, left and right.
When the light fills, everything is clear, everything makes sense, in that state I can give praise and gratitude but in that state I don’t have a true prayer because I feel the illumination of the light.
Then a person is emptied and he renews himself and has what to ask for.
Seth@KabU
This is really a mind absorbing lesson for me.
Thank you Tony Kosinec and the entire Kabu team.
My question is:
How did the expression “the wrath of God” or a similar one like “and God destroyed them and scattered their bones in the wilderness” manage to enter the scripture? Is there a deeper knowledge in Kabbalah to explain these “barbaric/cruel” description of the Creator?
Also is the scripture Tony mentioned in this lesson different from the old testament of the Bible?
Christian,
Raising dust to be similar to the Creator, that’s a long and complicated process from inanimate to vegetative, to animate to the speaking degree who eventually comes in contact with and becomes similar to the Creator (in his qualities).
Along the way there are a lot of things that happen, the Earth was once a ball of fire, then a ball of ice. Eventually there was a person who had feelings and he goes through many tumultuous experiences. All in all, the Creator does not change, but the experience of the person changes and all of these names are from the perspective of the Creature.
You may be called Dad, or son or boss or friend, but it’s all Christian.
Seth@KabU
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