Question: In the first semester, I felt that something was happening within me; in the second semester, I actively participated in work; while in the third semester, I discovered that in fact I didn’t understand anything and no feeling remained other than the fear of getting lost. And even though I hear the morning lessons, I don’t hear them.

Answer: You personally, together with several other students, are passing through a unique internal period of preparations for the new state. So don’t hurry, this will pass. Suddenly an awakening will come to you and you will begin to feel something completely new. This will not be entry into the spiritual world yet, but already some kinds of spiritual sensations.

The idea is that the inner program is changing within us. It is being perfected all the time and everything is happening like in a computer: You are uploading new software and after that you must do a “restart” to pass from one level of work to another.

This is exactly what is happening to you now. The inner perfection of the adaptation of the program to this and to the spiritual world is being realized in you and soon you will begin to feel more.

And the state of confusion, emptiness, lack of understanding, and messiness, will return quite often; otherwise, you could not advance forward. This is typical for everyone, but gradually you will get used to it.
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From the Moscow Virtual Convention “Unity Without Boundaries” Day Two 12/14/13, Lesson 2

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Preparation to the Lesson

Workshop “Unity”

The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, Parashat, “VaYikahel,” Item 141

Talmud Eser Sefirot, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter 8, Item 95

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to the The Book of Zohar,” Item 18

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”: When you examine the above three states, you will find that one completely necessitates the other, in a way that, if one were to be cancelled, the others would be cancelled, too.

The most common and understandable complaint against the Creator is: Why didn’t He create everything in the finished form? Seemingly, what would be easier?

Why does He need us to suffer and thus, consciously or unconsciously, curse Him as the cause of our suffering? Why has He created us not perfect, but completely opposite? Why do we become as we develop worse and worse and recognize this over and over again? We become aware of this to the point that this no longer causes uneasiness and becomes routine.

So, maybe, the Creator has “overlooked,” “missed,” or “left something unfinished”? How can such imperfect actions originate from perfection? This “customer’s complaints” sound quite fair.

On the other hand, if you try to look at the matter from the Creator’s side: indeed, why did He have to create the three states of creation and lead us by the path of great suffering from the first to the third state? How could the second state, the fall from Infinity into our worst contradictory world from which we ascend back, become possible? How can He Himself manage all these systems, to be included, “clothed” in them, so as to manifest various forms of relations and teach us lessons?

We understand that parents in our world have no alternative because, as it is said, “the impulse of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Here, strictness in relation to children is necessary. But why does the Almighty Creator resort to such methods?

In short, all the key issues with respect to the created being are focused on his three states, on the spiral from perfection (1) through the system of the worlds (2) to perfection (3),  and here lies the problem of life and death, the problem of suffering, completely divorced from spiritual awareness. We cannot justify all this within the framework of our mind.

However, if we understand the true relationship between the three states, then we will solve all similar problems, working out a systematic approach to them, as they will arise before us again and again. In fact, the Creator has created the unique, perfect first state. It is unchangeable; nothing happens there contrary to perfection. However, this perfection is revealed not in the Creator, but in the receiving created beings, and only in their inner state that we call the “third.”

In the first state, created beings do not feel themselves at all; they do not really exist. They begin to manifest themselves as existing to the extent that they attain perfection. By rising from the current state and attaining spiritual degrees, to that same extent, they feel their existence until they rise to their full height, on par with the Creator.

Thus, perfection inherent in the first state stems from the third, in which the created being attains it. But at the beginning, they just represent Reshimot, potential, and have to go through a certain process to eventually achieve perfection. This process is the second state.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/5/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Why can’t I hold on to the feeling of unity, to the “raspberry ball,” it keeps disappearing?

Answer: It doesn’t matter if it disappears. We should look at the benefit of our actions and if I can add effort I am happier that it is lost than if I have it, because what I already have is mine. If I stall even for a second in the state that I have achieved, it begins to rot.

The moment I begin to enjoy my state, I should understand that it’s an egoistic pleasure. If I enjoy the change of states, the derivative, which means not the speed but the acceleration, the increasing speed of the changes, then it’s the right pleasure. If I simply enjoy the state itself, then it’s already a shell.

Just like in physics, a body that moves at a constant speed which may be very high is considered to be standing still, and with regard to me, it isn’t moving. It can be considered to be moving only if its speed changes. So if your speed constantly grows, you can be glad, and it’s a good joy. It’s called “joy of a Mitzvah,” since you are constantly adding, which means that you are raising more and more desires to correction.

What’s more, you mustn’t enjoy in a constant state. You should advance like an old man who is bent, constantly looking for a deficiency in order to accelerate his speed.

Question: How can we hold the raspberry ball?

Answer: The raspberry ball can be held only by the group’s effort and with the help of the Upper Force. We must constantly play with this ball, like dough when baking matzah, which you cannot stop kneading even for a second, until you put it in the oven. It cannot be kneaded longer than 18 minutes: the nine Sefirot of the Direct and the nine Sefirot of the Reflected Light, and then immediately in the oven!
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/2/14, Lesson on the Topic: “9 Steps”

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Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 11: For the body, which is the will to receive for itself, extends from its root in the Thought of Creation, through the system of the impure worlds, as it is written, “and [from] a wild donkey a man will be born” (“Job” 11, 12). And he remains under the authority of that system for the first thirteen years, which is the time of corruption.

And by engaging in Mitzvot from thirteen years of age onwards, in order to bestow contentment upon his Maker, he begins to purify the will to receive for himself imprinted in him, and slowly turns it to be in order to bestow. By that he extends a holy soul from its root in the thought of creation. And it passes through the system of the pure worlds and dresses in the body. This is the period of correction.

The “13 years” that Baal HaSulam speaks of refers to something that has nothing to do with our world. In our world a person is not considered a grownup at 13-years-old, but rather a baby who is still operated by his natural instincts. We don’t expect him to act rationally and to understand what he does or to deeply clarify his actions. Accordingly, there are no laws by which he has to abide.

But in spirituality it’s a totally different concept, and it refers to a person who has to complete his work on the previous levels. He yearns for the goal and wants to reach it by the different means he was given, and constantly acquires the negative vessels in contrast to his positive vessels. But time after time he discovers the greater dominance of the system of ABYA of impurity which he overcomes and doesn’t let it rule. But then it appears even stronger than before, and once again a person doesn’t let it rule…

A person actually advances by two systems, since he wouldn’t be able to distinguish the system of impurity without the system of Holiness. So it is actually the system of impurity that manages him along the way.

Thus we are under the influence of the system of impurity, the shell, during the first phase of our advancement to spirituality. The spiritual desire to receive in order to receive constantly grows in these worlds, and a person feels its growing dominance. He doesn’t just feel it, but rather feels it with regard to connection and mutual guarantee. All our discernments are with regard to the one vessel, the reconnection into one man as it was before the breaking of the vessels. This is what we are attracted to in our correction and accordingly receive different hardenings of the heart, which means that the Reshimot (reminiscences) are revealed one by one in heavier forms of the intention of in order to receive.

This continues until we reach the state of “delighting the Creator.” When a person is able to delight the Creator it’s a sign of the next state, which means that he is already in some level of equivalence of form with Him by being under the influence of the systems of the worlds of BYA of holiness.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 01/01/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: How can you possible to explain to someone that our lack of balance with nature can affect the biosphere, for example?

Answer: All of the universe is one system! The world is global; all the systems are interconnected in it. When you ask how each one of us influences the natural environment or causes a tsunami through his negative thoughts, you are going to the level of the person who says: “Explain to me why there was an earthquake in the ocean, why did a wave come and cover everyone?” Certainly we cannot show this to him.

How can we approach people to show them everything? I am in a quandary myself. Therefore it is better to approach them from another side.

When we look at society, we see how it’s beginning to suffer, how the former middle class is gradually disappearing by descending to the lower class, and the lower class is already below the poverty line. It’s to these people that we turn.

They are not interested in high matters even though they may be educated people; rather, it’s a normal, quiet, and calm existence that interests them. Life has beaten them so much that the ego has narrowed their field of vision to a minimal state: “Give us….” We have internalized such admiration and respect for America, while there are 43 million Americans who are waiting for only one thing: to eat a free bowl of warm soup and get a place to sleep in a hostel. 43 million! In his small circle, the person needs everything to be okay: to eat, to sleep, to close his eyes and not see anything. People who are close to this situation are more sensitive and easily absorb the integral method that we bring to them.

Question: But are we bringing them a formula that is already too simplistic?

Answer: Why? They are normal people who themselves understand and already feel where humanity is going. And today there are many people like this! These are not people who were born in the colonies (of former prisoners) somewhere, that came out of caves, or down from the mountains; these are normal, educated people.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/26/13

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Question: In every system there are deviations that are considered the norm; therefore, it’s doubtful that everything can be ideal in an integral system.

Answer: When we begin to be involved in balancing the system through an integral society, we discover that nature enters into an internal dynamic balance with us. It gives us the exercises required for our development, not to harm, but to benefit us. It’s like parents who give a child all kinds of games that present him with a particular goal: assembling a puzzle, Lego set, and the like.

It becomes clear to us that nature is intentionally playing with us in order to develop us. Therefore from the threatening conditions we begin to see its subtle relationship and kind face towards us.

Question: Which problems and exercises can nature present to us?

Answer: These can be of all kinds. Everything that happens today are also exercises. They seem to us to be too harsh because we are not ready for them; we are so behind in our integral development that we cannot resolve the simplest exercises. We are like students that were left in a class and missed all the materials covered; we look at the records that nature presents to us in the form of pictures and don’t understand anything. A person within the group understands everything because he looks at the world integrally and correctly through the center of the group. For him this is a game.

And this game already has a nature which is friendly and good and not dangerous! In that which seemed threatening and lethal to us in the past, we now discover the love and tremendous concern of nature for our development.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/26/13

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Opinion (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet): “The planet’s resources are being depleted; the number of natural disasters is increasing. This poses new challenges for people. To solve them, we must learn to see the entire humanity as a whole.

“In today’s world with its global economic and environmental problems, the state borders become secondary. The same can be said about religious differences. Global challenges, rising before us, go beyond the framework of countries and religions. They relate to the entire humanity, and therefore we must act together.

“Through education, we can change people’s thinking, so that their priority becomes not self, but the global we. Each of us is part of a greater we. Conversely, the whole world is part of each of us. So, it is in our own interests to seriously take care of the welfare of the entire humankind and the environment.

“The idea of socialism is founded on the welfare of society as a whole, but not of one individual. Marxist economy talks about the equal distribution of wealth. And in capitalism, everyone pursues only his own profit.

“We can change the world only by relying on people’s goodwill, through education, rather than by force.

“The modern education system is focused on material values. As for spiritual values: love, compassion, forgiveness – various religious traditions talk about them. We must teach children the basics of morality. But it is difficult to do, relying solely on religion. We need a secular ethics.”

My Comment: The conclusions are correct, but there is no solution, only wishes. But it is also good—if it is heard. Usually, people nod in agreement to those like the Dalai Lama and then forget. But they need to hear, and then, with appropriate suffering, they will remember not only wishes, but also will find the solution: integral education.
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