KABBALAH IN OUR TIME : Part
I
A very brief introductory words
about what is, and what is not.
By Samuel Ben-Or Avital
The increased popularization
of the Kabbalah of our time has both positive and negative
aspects on the psyche of humanity. The gullibility
of accepting ideas, concepts, assumptions and ways
of beliefs without examining them can cause great damage
to many brains now pretending that they are “on the
right track”.
The whole movement of New Age
in America and other countries I witnessed was built on that
weak human gullibility to accept everything and assume without
thorough examination both with the brain and the heart. Once
the false of yesterday is repeated and repeated again and again
by oneself or manipulators with a hidden agenda, it becomes
the “
truth
” of today.
That is why Kabbalah spends
a lot of time in what we call “
preparation
”. A preparation that trains
the student to connect with the source of all creation and
make oneself ready to experience “both worlds”, “
this world
” (
Olam Hazeh
) and the “
world above
” (
Olam Elion
) right here on earth, with full clarity and intense great
pleasure.
This is a preparation that teaches
the student to rise above the sense of self only to a higher
state of being beyond the attitude of “
for me only
” and “
after me let there be flood
”. Developing an attitude that considers the “other” and the “stranger”
as our history teaches us, that we are strangers in a strange
land and to consider the “other more than oneself”.
The immense ego of our selves
(which is necessary to exist, but not more) causes this simple
concept not to be accepted by many. Just as the concept of
“immortality” is not accepted because of the wrong premises
that this “humanity” have been led to accept via many religions
and philosophies to accept “
death as an inevitability”
, rather than “
Death as an unacceptable reality
”.
These divisions in one’s understanding,
and living divided and conflicted as one is brought up to believe,
and as a result, the world is where it is today with nothing
learned from its bloody history. When the “
wrong is right
” “
right is wrong
” and the “
darkness is light
” way of thinking, the human pretense is pushing deeper into
what is called “
The edge of the edges
”.
I once uttered a very simple
and obvious realization to my students that, it is futile to
try to convince people what is the difference between a true
teacher and a false teacher, or how to recognize the true from
the false according to our simple human understanding. I said,
that the charlatan has a very important role to play, so that
those who are really searching can distinguish between the
false and the true. It was said: “
FALSE (fool’s) gold exist because
there is such a thing called TRUE GOLD
.” Or “
Counterfeiters exists because
there is such a thing called authentic gold
.”
So, this bring us back to the
immense popularization of the Kabbalah, and even those who
“teach Kabbalah” and presenting it in such a way to attract
the gullible and the superficial have a role to play, so that
those who seek the true gold will enter that gate and begin
their individual period of preparation and we witness then,
that the true student learns that great concept of the Kabbalah,
HOW to transform the false into the true and how to turn the
negative into the positive and change one’s inclination of
being bad to being fully good.
By the time that individual
transformation is caused by deep learning and purity of the
heart, and is really ready to BEGIN to study the Kabbalah.
Let me state once more clearly
here the genuine way of the Kabbalah:
The ancient-new science wisdom
of the Kabbalah teaches us a very practical method and effective
systems to apprehend the “
world above
” (
Olam Elion
), and the very root and source of our existence during
our lifetime here in “this world”.
Through this way of practical
wisdom we may achieve perfection, and can take control over
this life and transcends all limitations of so called “
time
” and “
space
”.
This way we may realizes our
true purpose and deep meaning in life and achieves – the real
tranquility, and infinite and unbounded enjoyment while we
are still living in “this world”.
No one can function properly
in this world without knowing it with one’s five (5) senses
limited perceptions, we call that “reality”, I must say, a
limited reality. The soul also, cannot function properly in
the “
world above
” (
Olam Elion
) without using the new tools
one must built beyond the five senses, that is, the other 95
senses we do not use.
The study and application of
the wisdom of kabbalah offers and provides us with the knowledge
to build the spiritual sense
, so we can also explore profoundly the “
Infinite with the new tools of the “infinite.
” Acquiring this sense of “
touching eternity
” while in this world is possible
with the Kabbalistic way of being and becoming.
In my Hebrew version of “
The Invisible Stairway: Kabbalistic
Meditations on the Hebrew Letters
”, I elaborate on few essentials
that are necessary for one to prepare to begin and be able
to study the Kabbalah via the “mystery” of the Hebrew letters.
Here are some of them.
1.
One has to come to an end of
philosophy
, meaning, to stop the vicious
circle of mental acrobatics with no direction whatsoever. It
is futile to repeat the utter failure of most philosophers
of all time.
2.
STOP arguing with the world
, because it is a great distraction
and, that does not mean not to take care of the events, thoughts
and activities of “this world”, but integrate that self discipline
until one does the first steps of the Tikkun, the restoration
needed that prepares one to “
enter the palace of learning
”.
3.
The third principle is:
Not to try to understand anything
during the period of preparation
.
Because when one tries one create an invisible obstacles
that retards his or her real understanding via experience,
rather than just a mental or physical understanding.
4. the fourth principle:
The profound question who am I and what is the meaning of my existence
in this world?
One must come to that nagging
question, who am I? what I am doing here? What is the meaning
of my life? Is there any sense in this cycle of habits and
routine and the rush and run for no purpose? A genuinely deep
question that one feels very urgent and honestly wants to dedicate
oneself to learning and ready to apply and work toward that
goal to find meaning and purpose. When one comes to that impasse
in life, and profoundly searching for a new door and a meaningful,
he may be ready to learn and apply the learning.
The above four guidelines are
not easily acceptable for one who was trained to “
play the violin with one hand
”, meaning that one is using only a fragmentation of one’s ability
and capacity of being and living. According to authentic knowledge
that life is animalistic and stagnant, and this proposition
of preparation can open the real gates of full reality and
true knowledge of creation, knowing the “Mysteries” of creation
and the purpose of our humanity being here at this crucial
time of transition and rapid change.
When we build and develop
that “spiritual sense” beyond our limited five senses
we enter into a new spiritual dimension of being, and
shifting from the “
will for me only
” to align, think and
act with the “
will of the creator.”