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How do we know/feel we are giving contentment to the Creator?
How do we know/feel we are not giving contentment to the Creator?
Great question and Answer. Great provision of links to source material, will watch! Very bright jewels.
Why do our sources speak so despairingly about dogs?
In the morning lesson yesterday, the article spoke about how a dog and a donkey is lower than a beast. What does this mean? I remember the teaching that, generally speaking, what is written does not refer to anything in this world. Can you open this up for me a little bit?
How does the ego come to submission under spirituality?
The ego, with its slippery and insidious nature, is a beastly inclination that seems to define our very existence. I find the word “insidious” particularly fitting, because it is literally defined as “proceeding in a, gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.”
The question that lingers in my mind is this: How does the ego ultimately yield to the influence of spirituality?
Authentic sources have conveyed to me that our objective is not to completely eliminate the ego, but rather to redirect its intention. As I delve into these teachings, I am increasingly conscious of the pervasive presence of egoism in my own life, dominating almost every aspect. Reflecting on moments when my egoism flared up (ie. satisfying myself at the cost of the other), I often wonder if there could have been an alternative reaction, or if it was truly impossible to behave differently.
This leads me to ponder whether egoism in spirituality simply dissolves and aligns with spiritual intentions, or if it assumes a new, imperceptible state beyond my current understanding?
I’ve learned about prayer from Kabbalah, that only a true prayer is answered. Which comes from a place of absolute need, deficiency. A prayer that is not meant to change the world to fit my needs, but to ask the Creator to change me. But my prayers don’t ever seem to work. What am I doing wrong? Am I looking in the wrong direction for the answer? I keep on coming up to this roadblock.
In many of the Kabbalah lessons from this school, there is a recurring emphasis on refraining from creating visual representations of God. My interpretation of this teaching is rooted in the belief that such depictions stimulate our intellect/ego but do not necessarily contribute to real spiritual growth. Interestingly, I’ve observed that this school frequently employs schematics, diagrams, and illustrations as teaching tools for spirituality. Personally, I find myself deeply drawn to this method of instruction because it resonates with me on a profound level.
Rather than viewing these diagrams as mere intellectual stimulants, I see them as symbolic arrows pointing us towards a deeper feeling of the Creator. I’ve even had dreams of transforming these diagrams into sculptures. However, this apparent contradiction between the teachings against graven images and the use of visual aids in our spiritual journey raises some questions for me.
When is it acceptable to create visual representations in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, and when does it cross the line into forbidden territory?
