Audio Version Of The Blog – 07.25.12

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Finding A “Human”

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the workshop, everyone must constantly check himself, and the friends should support one another and remind one another of this point so that throughout the workshop everyone will feel the fear of leaving the connection. During all our life, we must hold onto the center of the group, not only during the lesson or the workshop.

However, a lesson or a workshop is the main time to work on our collective thought, which determines everything. Here, we need each other’s support without words, and, at the same time, we have to feel the inner burning. We have to discover some collective field that constantly spurs us on and keeps us “in the air.” It is all up to us.

It is as if you were signing a contract with the friends so that they would constantly care for you and make sure that you don’t leave this field with your thoughts. Pay them so that they will take care of you. This is called “buy yourself a friend.” You have to give the friend something so that he will be motivated to constantly spur you on.

However, how can he spur you on if we are all on the same level, and he himself needs someone to spur him on? Here, the upper providence operates, about which it is written, “the Creator is within His people.”

If we decide that we are committed to spur one another on, the Creator spurs us on. He gives us this power so that at least someone in the group constantly will be in contact with spirituality and will be conscious. This means that “the Creator dwells among His people.”

If there is a connection, it is called a house of assembly for prayer (Beit-Knesset) in which the Creator is present. As it is written, “I came to the house of prayer and did not find a single person?” However, if there is a connection among us, then the Creator will come and find a “human” in it!
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/17/12, The Study of the Ten Sefirot

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A Guide To Solving Problems

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Before you write a book or prepare a lecture course, you set a goal. Based on the goal and objectives, we can distinguish two types of material: informational and inspirational material.

The first one simply informs you that the method, the phenomenon, exists, and so forth. The second type encourages a person to do something. What is the best approach for structuring a book on the integral method?

Answer: Today, we are experiencing very fast dynamics: Society is changing, its point of view, the entire existing paradigm, everything is changing. Taking into account that we need to change society, solve the practical tasks of saving towns, cities, and suburbs from collapse, to solve the problems of unemployment, protect children from violence at school and citizens from killing on the streets, and so on, given all this, we need to publish a book in the form of a guide to solving these problems.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/31/12

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Disseminators Of Integral Ideas

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In Russia we have several groups of 10-12 people each, who specialize in integral learning. They have been studying the materials for six months, they have begun to write articles, and now the time has come for practical training. These are the circles we are preparing to become teachers and educators. What are our goals and objectives?

Answer: I think that first they need to study the materials on integral education and upbringing, learn to conduct focus groups, master classes, lectures, and then do practical training.

Groups can be much larger than 12 people. Let others join them – large social circles still need to be exposed to the integral knowledge.

First you need to make a class where you would teach and involve people in preparing materials for the publishing of books on the integral method, because this makes them advance.

Second, it is necessary to form them into a group, which will use this material (even before the actual book is ready, but parts of it are being prepared) and present these excerpts, these small works to different specialists, who will comment on them. This group will work with the material, get in touch with the specialists, and have various talks with them.

This way, this kind of work, the collection of materials, will basically turn into the formation of a certain community, a club, which will then generate their ideas in a more practical way, adapted to the social environment the club is in.

Our objective is to turn these people into active disseminators of the notion of the integral community, who would realize this through the search for appropriate scientists and specialists who agree with the integral ideas. I think that this is what matters most.

Because no matter where we are, we primarily must establish connection with people who society recognizes as the bearers of knowledge, who could join us and support us and one another to make this idea accessible to large circles of people. It is very important to the general population where the idea comes from; in other words, it must be a big community.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/31/12

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Altruism: No More Than 10% Or All 100%

Dr. Michael LaitmanOpinion (From Slon.ru): “Report ‘On the required proportion of altruists in society: a model study’ (the Institute of Management Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow).

“The prosperity of the economy is based on the correct proportions of altruists and egoists. If a society consists only of egoists, it will be ruined: Altruists are needed not only for moral or philosophical, but also for purely financial reasons. In an unfavorable environment, a society of egoists is unsustainable. However, the number of altruists greater than 10% among egoists is also harmful to society. …

“The researchers then altered the conditions of simulation: They made several participants ‘altruists;’ they always voted for the ‘suggestions’ that increased the ‘capital’ of society as a whole. While there were few ‘altruists,’ they acted to the detriment of themselves: Their ‘capital’ decreased, even if the ‘capital of society’ grew as a whole. The more ‘altruists,’ the better the society as a whole. The maximum benefit of society is when all are ‘altruists.’ …

“The researchers then complicated the model and introduced a different type of altruism – targeted support for the poorest in society, where members can go broke. Result: The total number of bankruptcy was reached when there is a minimum of 10% ‘altruists-philanthropists.’ A further increase in the share of ‘altruists’ leads to the state when they need to be protected, and the growth of this demand outstrips the growth of ‘protection,’ which they can provide. If society is too focused on ‘protecting the poor,’ it generally becomes poorer.”

My Comment: That is why up to 10% of altruists (See Baal HaSulam “The Last Generation”) is needed in the world for the egoistic society to prosper until it finds, as today, its final state and turns to the method of integral correction in order to reach a society that consists of altruists.
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The Picture Of Creation Hanging On Two Hooks

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn order to grasp the right picture of reality, we have to be familiar with the two points of view that there are, one which is the Creator’s perspective and one which is the created being’s, and to understand the relationship between them. Based on these two states we can determine our attitude towards the desire, so that eventually all these points will determine the relationship between the Creator and the created being according to their oppositeness and similarity to one another and will provide us with a new perception of reality.

It will no longer be the same false picture we see now that is called “the imaginary world,” which is one-sided and limited to only what goes through us, through the egoistic filter, thus providing us with the feeling of this world. With the wide and infinite reality outside us, beyond the limits of our perception, when it goes through our ego and reaches our feelings, it’s restricted to the size of a corporal picture of this world that we eventually feel. But in order to reach an unlimited perception, we need the new points of view.

Our limited and egoistic reality is called “animal” since it is perceived by our animal body. In order to feel the true reality, we need the two points of view: one point that is opposite from the Creator and another point that is similar to the Creator. Between these two points, from the different types of connections between them such as for and against, similar and the opposite, we build the new picture of our world. All the opposite attributes and all the similar ones will be the components of our perception.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/13/12, Writings of Baal HaSulam 

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Homework For Two

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Can you give an example of a joint, practical exercise that can be given to married couples in the integral education course?

Answer: First of all, we need to be concerned that their mutual influence on each other will be constant. Apart from that, during the time from meeting to meeting, they must maintain a connection between themselves, share impressions every few hours.

Couples work together in a partnership. Sometimes one of them is higher than the other and sometimes they are equals. They learn all of this in a new system of mutual relationships, doing homework every day. During the day they do follow ups:

How many times, in one way or another, did they have to remember the principle “love covers all transgressions,” how many times did they need to go above their ego in order to see their partner positively instead of negatively, and within themselves to see their egoism as negative instead of positive.

Each one exchanges the criticism of the partner with self-criticism, meaning, in clarifying his or her own attributes that are displayed in the other as bad. Couples note how many times they supported each other at home, and how many times that they were in contact with other couples, let’s say, once every three to four hours, by phone or internet or through conference calls.

And so they advance forwards every day meeting at the course and receiving new, methodological explanations. After a learning session should follow a workshop and homework for the next day.

In addition, one should allot separate time for clarification of the past day. It could be that something was not successful, so what can be done to succeed? And it can be that today, during the course, instead of going forward according to plan, it is worthwhile to go over the lesson and workshop on the same subjects and questions that accumulated from yesterday.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 7/11/12

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Changing The Old Program

Dr. Michael LaitmanI must understand that in my mutual relationships with others, the positive force is on the outside, and the negative force is inside me. It isn’t by chance that it is written, “Man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

It is a problem of how we perceive ourselves and the world. We naturally imagine that the world is corrupt and that we are corrected. We take care of ourselves, think about what is good for us, and look at everything from the perspective of how to use everything to our benefit. I constantly worry about one thing only: “How can I feel better?”

This indicator, this inner program that is constantly active inside us, is the ego. This program focuses all my thoughts and desires in one direction: to use the world for my own benefit.

If I imagine that my hardware, my “iron,” is the starting point, my abilities, my attributes, the potential of my thoughts and desires that are in it, then the ego is my software. This software of self-fulfillment was installed within me.

My attributes are neither good nor bad, but the egoistic software that operates me obliges me to use them for my own benefit and, at the same time, at the expense of others since this enables me to feel above those who are around me. This is our ego, the evil inclination. The inclination itself is the “iron,” and the evil is the software, the addition.

Now, I must turn this software from evil to good. The inclination stays the same, but I change the method of using it. I see that the endless chase of self-benefit only harms me in the end. The evil inclination is bad for me, but, when I begin with the help of the environment to change it to a good attitude toward others, it actually brings me good, too.

How does that happen? Why do I feel good when I treat others well, and why do I feel bad when I harm others? It is because I come closer to the truth this way and begin to feel that the others and I are the same thing.

It is like a mother who “merges” with her child. It brings us together so closely that we feel as one whole and merge into a new, inseparable system of mutual relationship by stopping to differentiate between what happens to myself or to someone else.

Thus, all of humanity becomes one family. Perhaps not right away, but it’s a start, and we already understand this approach that is totally based on psychology.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 7/11/12

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A Stunning Phenomenon!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: It has come to my attention that Israelis are very easily switched to feelings. While, say, in Russia, a person is used to solving problems with reason, and when I ask him: “What do you feel?”, he answers me with a question: “And what are feelings?”.

However, throughout the seminar on the integral method, which was carried out for regular people, I did not have to explain it. Maybe, it is a phenomenon of the influence by the common integral field?

Answer: I think that it is not only the influence of the common field. If you are not dealing with high level politicians, big public figures, and leaders of all kinds, who, by the nature of their work, have become so “covered up,” then everyone else can very quickly and very easily switch over to feelings. This can be seen in the results of the roundtables.

Even ardent enemies can face each other there, for example, Arab representatives from the so-called “occupied” territories and students from Tel-Aviv, who are absolutely different from each other, Bedouins from the Negev and so on. Meaning, that it can be professors and right next to them, the recently arrived repatriates from Ethiopia, Africa. And suddenly it turns out that the integral approach brings them to such a common denominator, that, say, after 40 minutes of talking, you no longer feel any difference between them.

That is an amazing phenomenon! It cannot be explained by anything other than the fact that we are moving towards commonality coinciding with nature, which begins to be revealed within us on the next level, today it is felt as unwanted, as a crisis and so on. And in reality, if we move towards it, then it turns out that here, in us, a kind of new force is emerging, new opportunities, a new internal structure of nature.

We suddenly jump up to a new platform, which is moving somewhere, and it becomes simple and easy for us. And based on our new commonality, which we literally have created in 30-40 minutes, we can reach agreements and solve various questions. We want to stay in this feeling. It must constantly be cultivated and developed, and then it will become the most important thing for us in our lives.

First and foremost, of course, we need to provide basic living conditions, food and shelter, for everyone. But in principle, this is what is actually physically needed for man, as a representative of the animal world, all else will be evaluated from the point of view of commonality. And maintaining this commonality, common confidence, common support, interaction, warmth, safety, everything that man subconsciously feels coming from what he has attained in this connection will be most important for him.

With no regrets, he will refuse all kinds of excess just to maintain this feeling and to exist in it, to live in it, so that there he would have everything necessary for life, and most importantly, the perception of himself in a warm environment, in harmony. This is because here he begins to feel the revelation of a special force, a special quality. This comes from the global integral nature, which today begins to influence us this way.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/30/12

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Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 07.25.12

Preparation to the Lesson

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Shamati #72 “Confidence Is the Clothing for the Light

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 Talmud Eser Sefirot, Part 3, “Ohr Pnimi,” Item 90, Lesson 3

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Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 46, Lesson 18

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