Audio Version Of The Blog – 06.10.12

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The Simplicity Of The Idea

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the main idea of the integral method that we can offer to wide audiences?

Answer: The idea is very simple: Everything can only be solved through unification because this is the most important law of nature.

Right now this law openly manifests to us in all the existing systems, including artificial ones we created. And this speaks to the fact that we ourselves are becoming integrally connected inside us and there is nowhere to go: It is the system of nature, which is closing on us more and more, pressing us with the environment and other factors. It turns out that we have no other choice—we ourselves need to become similar to these systems.

The idea is very simple. It didn’t come from the head, from some intellectual conclusions, but from researching nature. Do you want to verify this? Please do! Thousands of scholars from different fields of science, technology, psychology, and political sciences will confirm this for you

Question: And what is this correct connection?

Answer: A correct connection is an understanding of the mutual participation in our shared earthly life. We are gradually becoming closed in. Let’s start to change in this direction. Then we can arrange our life correctly.

In general, people understand this because after all, it drips through the media, it hangs in the air, and there’s no getting around it. We see how interconnected the European countries are, and what a huge problem it is that they cannot communicate and cooperate correctly despite the fact that they’re seemingly tied to each other. Only one factor, a human being, is the source of imbalance and distortions there. All the systems have already become integral.
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From a Talk About Integral Education, 5/20/2012

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A Step Forward

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe should always try to remember that everything that happens to us is not blind fate, but rather comes from the Creator, and there is none else besides Him. If I suddenly remember the Creator, it isn’t by chance either, but it is because this is what the Creator wants, and so He reminds me of that. Therefore, I should be thankful that I am given the feeling of the special treatment that is given to me from Above, and I should respond accordingly. This means that the Creator has brought me near Him.

This approximation can be felt as good or as bad. The feeling is in the desire to receive, and if it is a good feeling, I have to work above it and try to do something for the Creator’s benefit.

A good feeling is a problem since our desire to receive feels pleasure in it and is filled with pride. I enjoy or am simply in a good mood for having filled my desire with respect, control, and knowledge. In such conditions it is hard for me to know why I am suddenly drawn to the Creator: perhaps it is because my desire to receive feels good now and it pushes me forward so that the Creator will fill my pride, my desire for control and respect.

It is much easier to attribute myself to the Creator when I don’t feel fulfillment, but rather feel darkness. Then I don’t receive any compensation in my desire to receive. In such cases, even if I make the slightest effort and want to adhere to the Creator without receiving any pleasure for it, I will already be above my desire to receive, which didn’t receive any reward.

It turns out that weak people should be led through the darkness so that from the darkness it will be easier for them to rise and advance in “faith above reason.” Since they don’t receive anything within reason, everything is in the dark. This is how a person is allowed to grow.

However, great people are given the hardening of the heart; they are tried by experiencing success in money, respect, knowledge, and control. Then a person feels the Light, meaning the filling in all these desires, but he has to rise above it and to adhere to the Creator, not for the reward in his desire to receive. This is very hard work.

It says: “call Him when He is near.” But near what, is it near my desire to receive or near my ability to rise above it?

Perhaps the Creator is sending me an unpleasant feeling, but by that wants to bring me closer and to help me reach Him above my desire to receive. By giving me different fillings in my corporeal egoistic desire, He doesn’t become closer to me. On the contrary, He draws away. He may be closer to me if despite all the egoistic temptations I adhere to Him more strongly.

Everything is evaluated with regard to a person who checks and measures his states. The main thing is how he interprets all the states and rises above them by justifying the Creator who wants to bring him closer to Him. If a person understands that, then no matter what comes along, he receives any state as the most optimal state to get closer to the Creator. Thus they become close to one another.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/07/12, Shamati #241

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Under The Control Of Concealment

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe are under the control of concealment, which means that we don’t feel the One operating and managing us, the One awakening our thoughts and desires. Thus we feel as if we ourselves are operating from within our thoughts and desires.

This means that if I did something and succeeded, then that’s my success. If I didn’t succeed, then it’s my fault or from within my ego, I begin to blame my destiny, or my surroundings.

The concealment is given to us to overcome it and to discover the One who is operating us and not just operating us, but operating us kindly. This means the concealment has several shades, and we need to discover the force that operates us. Thus if we want freedom of choice in our efforts, exertion, and actions being ours, it is possible only if we act towards the disclosure of the Creator.

And we perform the rest of the actions because that’s the way the Creator directs us. And it is only in relation to His disclosure that He leaves us some open space since He awaits this from us and wants to be disclosed as the one and only force that is good and does good.

Thus everything that takes place in life, both bad and good, all kinds of situations that occur, the person receives as correct and helpful towards the disclosure of the Creator. And then he sees that he has the ability to act at every moment.

And even more than that, while he feels that he is detached from the Creator, actually he is the closest to Him. It is then that he feels a need to reveal the Creator.

Why is a person given the feeling that he is lacking adhesion to the Creator? This is since he is weak and can’t awaken by himself but needs awakening. And when the Creator awakens him, it is called that the person becomes close to Him.

It needs to be understood and clear to a person when he receives some kind of situation and responds to it that there is none else besides Him, and all that is in a person and his world was sent to him from above. And his role is only to find the deficiency for the disclosure of the root of everything that happens, the reasons for everything. This means to discover the upper force, the Creator, the Keter (Crown).

This kind of prayer and demand must always be in a person so that he will discover the reason for each state that comes to him
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/05/12, Shamati #25

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Altruism In Children

Opinion (from Psy-Factor): “Three to four-year old children behave as absolute egoists; by the age of seven-eight, they start thinking about others. In children, care for the others is based on the pursuit of equality. At the same time, they develop a preferential concern for the members of their social group.”
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A Cobweb Between Us

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from Aalto University): “Research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre has revealed how experiencing strong emotions synchronizes brain activity across individuals.

“Human emotions are highly contagious. Seeing others’ emotional expressions such as smiles triggers often the corresponding emotional response in the observer. Such synchronization of emotional states across individuals may support social interaction: When all group members share a common emotional state, their brains and bodies process the environment in a similar fashion.

“Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have now found that feeling strong emotions makes different individuals’ brain activity literally synchronous.

“The results revealed that especially feeling strong unpleasant emotions synchronized brain’s emotion processing networks in the frontal and midline regions. On the contrary, experiencing highly arousing events synchronized activity in the networks supporting vision, attention and sense of touch.

“Sharing others’ emotional states provides the observers a somatosensory and neural framework that facilitates understanding others’ intentions and actions and allows to ‘tune in’ or ‘sync’ with them. Such automatic tuning facilitates social interaction and group processes, says Adjunct Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from the Aalto University.”

My Comment: Recent studies illustrate the view of Kabbalists that we are all parts of a unified system. Currently, this system is manifested more clearly as a general integral relationship between all humans and all parts of nature. But our egoism is not integral, and that is why we cannot behave correctly in the integral relationship that is revealed between us. The cause of the crisis is in this contradiction between the integral system of connection and all parts of nature and society. The only solution is to correct egoism—to make it integral as well. This is the subject of integral education.
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In A Friendly Atmosphere

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When speaking about integral education and upbringing, you do not have a single doubt that this path is better than the one we are now following?

Answer: In general, the fact that it is better is even clear to anyone when you explain it to him or her. A person might say: “This is complicated. It might not work, but it is good.” No one will call it bad because this is a good path from beginning to end. Moreover, we realize it on ourselves. So, there is no doubt that it works.

Question: The current social system is outdated, it does not work, but people are used to it. And there is a new, good system with fantastic prospects, but to transition toward it, a person must overcome fear and inertia. How can this be done?

Answer: We have found a way to approach school principals. Our system of mutual guarantee is close to them.

We host regional “round tables” in small towns, in the central squares, and we invite the local government. Teachers, school principals, and the general public attend these round tables. Every table has 10-15 people who discuss municipal and other problems.

All this is directed towards solving these problems through unity: This is the objective. After all, they usually decide things at their meetings by arguing with one another.

But there is a completely different atmosphere here. We want to get together in order to come to an agreement around a round table, to understand how we will be able to solve a certain problem together, by helping one another, instead of pulling the blanket over to their own side. And they reach amazing conclusions.

After this kind of success, a completely different atmosphere arises in and around the local government. When we can, we invite radio stations, television, and the press. So all this resonates in a certain way. We come there with equipment and broadcast it over our TV channel. Naturally, the information also ends up on the Internet. The local press covers the “round tables,” after all the mayor and other important people take part in them and express their opinions. This really appeals to them.

After this, we already can propose the integral methodology for realization.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/20/12

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Smoothing Out the Imbalance

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There is a pyramid of human needs: food, sex, family, wealth, honor, knowledge, and spiritual revelation. If we consider the method of integral education from the perspective of the pyramid, when we talk about family, honor, and knowledge everyone understands. But when it comes to money and we say that there will be no money, and we will have to give up many things, it scares people off.

Answer: By no means do we talk about that. On the contrary, we approach everything from a selfish point of view and tell a person what he will get and not what he will loose, how much will be gained and not how much of it will go away.

On the contrary, if he is properly connected to the society in an integral manner, then there is no need for huge systems, which consume enormous resources today. These are police authorities, various safety and security systems. When we come to a comfortable state, vast resources will be freed up.

In addition, when a person starts feeling integrally connected to the society, the environment changes inevitably as well. He feels it as his own, and therefore saves, protects, and defends. The environment is no longer indifferent to him; he is no longer ready to burn everything to win it, which is, in general, just pennies.

If you calculate everything, it turns out that through the good and right attitude towards society, huge resources will be freed up that we can redirect to any other tasks.

It is not about taking away everything from the rich and giving to the poor, but about the fact that in the process of education, the society will become more equal and there will be no huge differences between the rich and the poor as it is in a magnitude of millions today. A normal difference within the society would be, say, no more than 10-15 times.

It’s enough for rich people to feel rich because they actually have money, power, and strength to realize their potential.

It’s not just that they are rich, it’s because of their inner qualities, that the average person doesn’t have, that they became rich and the others have not. So all of that should be left intact.

The imbalance in society remains, we do not destroy anything, we do not enter into a dictatorship of equality, absolute liberalism, and so on, on the one hand, and do not lead it to anarchy on the other. We slowly start smoothing out all the contradictions in society not through violence but through educating people! It will occur only in response to the changes of the people themselves, and it will be voluntary and desireable.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/20/12

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Seminar Protocol

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Do you recommend assigning people who will take care of discipline at the seminars, or should they be self-regulated?

Answer: People come to seminars to get together, connect with each other, feel the unity, and immediately start discussing these sensations.

There must be a person in the group who initiates the discussion, a person “on duty.” Today, you are the one who takes care of it; tomorrow, it’ll be my turn. Everybody has to have a printout with the list of questions to be discussed at the seminar.

However, sometimes it’s good not to provide the list of questions to the participants of the circle; absence of the list of questions will make people even more confused with the topic of their discussion. Thus, they will try to formulate the question in their own way by asking: “What did he just say? What was the question again?” This state of mind is very useful. One needs to “pull” oneself out of confusion and therefore delves deep into the topic, and by doing so one understands the topic more precisely, since he is searching for the ways to articulate the question. It brings him to a better understanding of how and why the question should be verbalized.

All depends on the level of independence and seriousness of the group. There is a chance that there are newcomers who do not have a clue about what they are doing in the group. It means that one who “comes and goes” should be prohibited.

There have to be people who are appointed to observe the protocol of seminars: the leader of the “circle” and the “general manager/leader” who oversees the overall order.

However, over time, the group starts to better understand its task and learns why and how it is supposed to act. Similar to a child who grows gradually and at first, jerks his hands and feet without any clue in what direction to move, but eventually starts to act more thoughtfully.
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From “Questions About Workshops” 5/25/12

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Great Light Instead Of A Small Spark

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If the spiritual spark has such a great force, then why isn’t a person giving it as a whole, and instead constantly fluctuates, sometimes rising and sometimes falling?

Answer: It’s because a person’s responsibility is to establish a correct connection between the desire to enjoy and the spiritual spark. On one side, there’s the Creator, the spiritual spark, and on the other side is the creature, the desire to enjoy. And I need to connect one with the other, to clothe one in another.

The desire to enjoy is our natural material, the real me. But now, the spiritual spark illuminates me and I lose my head, not knowing what to strive for, to some spiritual world that’s who-knows-where. A person, having felt this draw for the first time, loses balance and a sense of reality. This is why in our days, our whole world seems fragile and distraught.

And our job is to reveal a great Light of NRNHY instead of a spark, and to attain the entire depth of the desire and to connect them together, for that desire to acquire the form of the Light and clothe in it. Then it will become a vessel or vestments for the Light, and we’ll reveal not a small spark, but Light 620 times more powerful.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/12, Shamati, #21

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