January 8, 2025
Archive for July, 2014
July 9, 2014 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Articles, Books, Perception of Reality
What Kabbalah Can Do to Your Perception
There is a story about the American Indians who did not see Columbus’s armada approaching, since they simply had no previous memories, conception of such structures as ships.
If we think some more about the Indians and Columbus’ ships we might ask this: If a caveman were to be born in today’s world, would he see the cars and the buildings? The answer is that he would not. Would he then bump into buildings or be hit by a car as soon as he left the sidewalk?
Before we answer these questions, we must understand that we perceive only such Forms that our senses are equipped to detect. For example, the air around us, which seems empty, might actually be as condensed and solid as cement. We are accustomed to seeing this world as a space where we can move about freely. But if we build appropriate tools of perception, we will feel that the world is actually filled with the Creator’s enormous powers, which do not allow us any free movement. If this were to happen, we would feel totally controlled by the Creator, as if we were “planted” in cement, unable to make even a single free gesture.
Because our caveman would not have the sense that perceives the wall as Matter or as Form in Matter, he would be able to go through walls as if they were air. Kabbalists wish to direct our observations so we can perceive the world correctly. If we were to draw ourselves just a bit off our ordinary perception of the world and into the real perception that Kabbalists describe, this world may seem very strange to us.
Why What You Perceive on the Outside Is Really Inside of You
Today, many quantum physicists are discovering that the world has a “strange” regularity of time, space, and motion. For example, they say that objects can be in more than one place at a time. This oddity leads them to think that everything is measured with respect to the observer. This means that the existence or absence of the caveman’s wall, as well as the ability to move through it, are measured solely by the state of the perceiver’s vessels.
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July 8, 2014 at 9:51 pm · Filed under Events, Music
Dear Friends,
We are now making an exciting global music video for the new ONE Convention song, We are the People!, and in order to capture and promote the message of a happy and peaceful global connection among people.
We would like to get input from friends all around the world. Instead of shooting this music video by ourselves, we are opening this up to everyone around the world who is concerned about the world’s situation and wants to bring about a better world, so get ready to shoot!
Instructions – How to Participate in this Global Music Video:
- Listen to and/or download the song: We are the People! [on SoundCloud] »
- Open this spreadsheet of video shots needed »
- Mark the clips you are going to shoot. It would be best if you could shoot a few of the shots yourself, or with your group.
- Each shot should be no shorter than 10 seconds and no longer than 15 seconds.
- Make sure there is good light (beware of intense direct sunlight and indoor environments in the afternoon and evening).
- Put the camera on a tripod or a steady surface and shoot the scene.
- If you have a good confident camera person feel free to move around, shoot several shots of the same scene, etc.
- In the repeating chorus (2 and 3) please come up with ideas of your own to shoot and send 🙂
- Please shoot on an HD camera or use your phone with the highest resolution possible.
- Make it fun, exaggerated, creative, dramatic and from the heart!
Due Date:
- July 20, 2014.
- However, of course, the sooner the better!
Send To:
Together as ONE!
The ONE Convention Team
July 8, 2014 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Articles, Books
Why It Is Impossible to Know Something’s True Essence
Kabbalah teaches us that reality could be divided into four layers: essence, abstract form, form clothed in matter and matter.
Our tools of perception can never perceive the Essence, regardless of our degree. Although what we perceive is indeed the Essence, we can only perceive it through Matter, and we cannot even imagine what the Essence itself is like. Moreover, we cannot even want to perceive the Essence.
For example, none of us feels that an additional sixth finger would be welcome. However, if we could imagine that we once had a sixth finger, and that we could do something with it that we cannot do today, then we could talk about a need for a sixth finger. But if we never had an additional finger, we could not even imagine how it would benefit us. This is why we will never want a sixth finger.
Similarly, since we never felt an Essence, we cannot want to perceive the Essence. Attainment of Matter, the manifestation of the actions of the Essence that is present within the Matter, is quite satisfactory.
The above discussion raises an important question: If we cannot perceive the Essence, how did Kabbalists know that it exists? For the time being, we will leave this question unanswered, but we promise to return to it later.
How Practical Experimentation Is Used In Kabbalah
The will to receive is the Matter. It is divided into five degrees. When the will to receive is integrated with the intention to bestow, it adopts different Forms, from the most opposite from the Creator to the Form of the Creator Himself. While spiritually evolving, we gradually study all the qualities that Matter might assume. This is called “Formative Learning.”
We have a genuine desire to acquire the Forms of bestowal that are dressed in Matter. A genuine desire means that it is a desire that stems from having had this Form before and not having it now.
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July 7, 2014 at 1:30 pm · Filed under Events
Question: How should Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center students prepare themselves in order to be ready for encountering the idea of dissemination at the ONE Convention?
Dr. Michael Laitman: A person need not pressure himself. He needs to feel comfortable. You need to come to the convention with high spirits, like you are coming to a party. You are not coming there in order to work day and night. No. You come to have fun with your friends, whether you know them or not, but you come to a festival, to a party, first of all.
Although you want to read and connect to others, but these things need to be as preparation to go to a party. You need to prepare. Maybe you go buy a new outfit, maybe a tie, maybe a shirt, maybe you get a haircut. What are we going to bring? Maybe a good bottle of wine or something? The thing is preparation. Preparation needs to be the same as for a party. That is the kind of spirit: no pressure. That is what’s most important. Come with a smile from one ear to the other, and behind the ears.
Student: Just to mention that everyone is invited to this party, everyone is accepted, new and veteran. Also, as mentioned earlier, there will be a training meant for everyone in order to exactly explain what is the wisdom of connection that stems from the wisdom of Kabbalah, and how anyone can be involved in it, all in this whole, happy festival atmosphere.
Question: Now to continue what you mentioned, to come really happy, like to a party, a student from New York is asking: I feel a lot of excitement about the ONE Convention. How can I help a friend feel the importance?
Dr. Laitman: Try! What can I tell you? There are many friends who want to make their friends excited. I think when we get ready for a convention in Israel, we need to build a lot of stuff—kitchen, buying tons of food. You have those general things, so I don’t know. Start cheering each other up. That’s the main thing. That’s all you need.
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July 6, 2014 at 7:30 pm · Filed under Events
Student: You speak a lot about the laws of nature being integral laws, however the laws of nature dictate that the strong defeat the weak.
Dr. Michael Laitman: The strong defeat the weak until the world becomes integral. In an integral world, one who is connected with others defeats the lone strong one. That is why we are seeing that individualistic tendencies today are losing out, because the world is becoming more integral and the laws of an integral system are working in it. There is nothing you can do about it. Those who do not accept and discover the laws of the integral system will experience constant decline.
Question: How can I know that the process of becoming more global is the next future stage, and not maybe just some tiny thing that we need to correct in ourselves?
Dr. Laitman: First, we believe Kabbalists because they have been talking about these things for thousands of years and the world is advancing according to what they wrote in their sources, their texts. They explained the laws of the general nature, the Higher Nature.
To further explain it, we see how true it is that the process of becoming more global are the laws of Nature, and as we move deeper into connection between us and working against our will, our desire, we get illumination from above. It is still a small illumination.
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