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Hi Dyrk,
Nature is in the form of a pyramid. The lowest part of the pyramid is the inanimate nature, then comes the vegetative, then animate, and then the speaking (human) level. Each lower level is greater in quantity while each higher level is greater in quality. Also each higher level has a stronger and stronger effect on all the lower levels. Meaning that humanity, the peak of the pyramid, has the strongest effect over the rest of nature.
Furthermore, the still, vegetative, and animate levels don’t require any correction, they are naturally in harmony with nature. Why then do they suffer? Because the uncorrected human ego is at the top of this pyramid and it causes all of the imbalances and harms on those lower levels. So when we correct that human level of egoism, the still, vegetative, and animate levels will return to their natural balance.
Once the human ego is corrected, we will also be able to properly relate to the other levels. Properly meaning that we will use the other levels only out of necessity. We learn that “necessity is neither praised nor condemned”, meaning that acquiring our normal necessities is neither good nor bad, it’s simply what we must do. Just like in nature when an animal eats another animal, it’s not doing it out of spite or to harm the other, but rather because this is simply how it was programmed and how it needs to survive. Likewise with us, when humanity corrects it’s egoistic nature, it will also use the lower levels of nature in a balanced way, without causing harm.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2016/01/chernobyl-is-flourishing/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Henry,
Every moment of our lives we’re in a dialog with the Creator. This is called that “there is none else besides Him”, that the Creator is the singular force behind ALL of reality. All of my thoughts, desires, all the events in life all originate from Him.
But the Creator operates on the frequency of bestowal, while our nature is on the frequency of reception. As such, we operate on two completely different frequencies. So it’s currently impossible for us to understand Him. We first need to correct our nature, become similar to Him, and only then will we begin to understand Him, to understand this constant dialog that’s happening between us.
We’ll learn more about this in the upcoming semester, in the meantime, check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2010/09/learn-the-creators-language/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Helen,
The first tip is to know that it’s important to stay balanced. Without a good balance in our corporeal lives, we won’t be able to advance in spirituality either. This is called “no flour, no Torah – no Torah, no flour”. Meaning a Kabbalist continues to exist on the level of this world throughout the entire spiritual ladder. So I cannot just turn into a monk and disconnect from this life and only focus on spirituality. On the other hand, if I only focus on corporeality, then I’m no different than an animal. So the important thing is to find the right balance between the two: to take care of all of one’s normal necessities: to work, take care of the family, health, etc (this is called flour) and to set aside some time to focus on spirituality (this is called Torah).
See my reply 190475 to Niklas below for more details: https://kabuconnect.com/forums/topic/ask-anything-about-week-4-lesson-and-materials-and-get-an-answer-from-a-senior-kabbalah-instructor-2/#post-190475
The second tip is to create some kind of framework for yourself. Like a routine or a daily schedule which includes time for all of your corporeal necessities as well as some time for spirituality. Try to stick to this routine no matter how you feel. So even when all you want is spirituality or the opposite when you don’t want it at all (which will happen once you advance a little), you will still stick to your routine.
The third tip is to tap into the strength of the spiritual environment, the Kabbalistic group. This will be very important especially after that initial honeymoon phase of spirituality is over and other desires will begin to grow and overshadow our desire for spirituality. See my reply 187619 to Niklas in the KR2 week 2 question forum for more details.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Niklas,
I cannot comment on your personal states, but in general the states that we go through are part of an accumulative process by which we build a true desire for spirituality. In this process we gradually begin to see that the ego is in charge of us and completely ruling us. Afterwards we begin to form a desire to come out of this ego. When we try to do that, we realize that we’re incapable of coming out of it. This then builds in us a true desire, a true prayer for the Creator to help us to come out of our ego.
Check out this blog post from Rav Laitman for more details: https://laitman.com/2011/01/praying-in-order-to-change/
Albert @ KabU
Hi Niklas,
Where is it coming from? We learned in the first lesson Kabbalah Revealed 2 that “there is none else besides Him”. Meaning that everything we experience we need to see it as coming from Him.
Regarding the constraints, KabU (in one form or another) has been around for close to 15 years. From all this experience, we saw that if we don’t set clear limits for the students, they either burn out or don’t properly absorb the fundamental materials. So it’s good that we have these limits in place.
It’s also good that you find a normal balance in life, to work, take care of your family, health, etc. The more we progress, the more we’ll see that the corporeal world was not created redundantly. But rather it’s a very important extension of our spiritual work. It’s specifically thanks to the corporeal life, which seemingly pulls us away from spirituality, that we will get an even stronger desire for spirituality.
It’s just like when lifting weights. If you just lift a 1 pound weight all the time, your muscles wont grow much. So you need to add some resistance, some more weight to get more results. Same with us. Our initial desire for spirituality is like that 1 pound weight. It wont get us very far into spirituality. So in order to grow our desire, the Creator adds some weight and resistance to it by giving us this corporeal world. This is why in addition to the spiritual work that we do here, it’s important that we also arrange our lives in the normal way: work, family, health, etc. All these things will help us to build a stronger desire for spirituality.
Albert @ KabU
Hi Niklas,
1. We had some recent site upgrades which caused some notifications to stop working. So it’s possible that few questions slipped through the radar. But in general, the instructors are very meticulous about answering every question. If something was not answered, it’s good to bring it to our attention, through Melody and the support team, so we can take care of it.
2. Regarding forum participation, it’s good to read other students questions. This is a good way to connect to them, to their desire. As for answering their questions, it’s better to leave that to the instructors. But it does not mean you have to be completely silent, there are other forms of interactions, besides answering questions, that are beneficial. Like showing warmth to each other and supporting each other throughout the path.
3/4. It’s good that you have this sensitivity that your actions might harm your fellow students. In general, we shouldn’t make any impulsive actions towards other students. This will usually cause harm. But if we measure our actions and make them out of love, then generally this will minimize or even completely eliminate any harm from our ego. And doing things out of love means that we don’t take our desire into consideration, but the other person’s desire.
It’s just like how we relate to our children. For example, let’s say that I love steak. I want to share my steak with everyone, even my 3 month old baby. But I know that the baby is not yet ready for this. So if I feed it the steak, I’ll ultimately be harming it. Likewise with our interaction with other students. If we act towards them not out of our own desire, but out of their desire, out of what they are ready for, then our actions won’t cause them any harm.
Regarding the Q/A with Julian, we’re still not doing practical work in a group. We’re in the preliminary stages where most of our work is on absorbing the materials. Similar to when a baby is born, the first few months it’s mostly passively just observing the world. And then when it gets older, it begins to react more and interact more with the world. So it’s perfectly fine for you to join the Q/A session with Julian.
5. Hearing other student’s questions is an important part of our spiritual work. Even in our lessons with Rav Laitman, he dedicates a lot of each lesson to the student’s Q/A. Through this process we integrate into one another, feel closer to each other, and also grow our own desire for spirituality. So I would recommend to read the Q/A forums regularly.
As for reading Kabbalah for the Student, that’s also good. Keep in mind that it can be very confusing if you misinterpret the basic terms. So if you have any questions from what you read there, feel free to post them in the general forums and we’ll clarify them.
Albert @ KabU
