In the News (from The Voice of Russia): “The standoff between Christianity and Islam in European countries is becoming more and more dangerous each year. According to some experts, today the European community is facing a harsh choice: if the Islamization of Europe continues, one might soon have to say good-bye to Christianity in the countries of the Old World.

“For a number of years on the eve of Christmas various European countries are shaken by scandals. In an increasing number of states the authorities refuse to put up in public places that integral attribute of the holiday, a Christmas tree, decorated with a nativity scene. The politicians explain their actions by their fear to insult the religious feelings of those who don’t believe in the Biblical stories. The demand to take off the Christian attributes primarily comes from Muslim communities, which are more and more aggressively trying to impose on the West their moral and religious values and view of the world. …

“If in the past Muslims living in the EU did not like the presence of dogs in the streets and public places in Europe, they demanded the authorities to issue special laws that would limit the breeding of such ‘impure animals,’ now they are demanding that Sharia Law be introduced at the state level. Some laws of Islamic law are already used in Belgium and the Netherlands in reviewing civil cases. …

“A spark of grudge slowly but surely turned into a real fire. … According to preliminary calculations, by 2025 about 40 million Muslims will live in the EU. In some countries the number of mosques has already surpassed the number of Christian churches. The Old World has no longer the opportunity to choose one or the other. …”

My Comment: There is no place for comment because the facts are cited. The tiredness of old Europe and the energetic youth of Islam are not comparable—and there is no choice. It is said in the Torah about Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, from whom Islam originated: “His hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him,” the entire world will deal with it.

As for the relationship between Arabs and Jews, it is said there in the Torah: “And he shall dwell before the face of all his brethren.” The descendants of the two brothers Ishmael and Isaac will not mix with one another, but will live separately against each other in an unpleasant close proximity.
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Question: In the system of integrality, it is said that a person can use his egoistic attributes for the benefit of himself and of others. How can we use such attributes as envy, vanity, cunning, and ambition?

Answer: Only in order to deceive our ego.

During the study of integral education we teach how to correctly use all of our attributes against our egoism.

For example, it is possible to use our cunningness in order to deceive our ego and not another person. After all, we bring our ego outside and fight it, not in order to kill it, but in order to change the way we use it. Egoism in itself can be a very good attribute.

When all egoistic desire is applied for the benefit of the rest, then it transforms into altruism. There is always a reverse, a mirror application.

Let’s take hatred as an example. If you begin to hate the ego in its natural manifestation of unconscious, you will suddenly discover how it controls you. Together with this, hatred against the ego grows with such great force that you are ready for anything just to restrain it. And finally, seizing the moment, you snap a bridle on it with a sweet feeling of victory, and tighten it more and more.

But you don’t kill the ego. When it begins to choke you, slowly pet it, taming it, just like taming a wild horse when it is already full of fury and passes that point and begins to obey you. Then it can be easily applied in a positive way.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/26/13

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Question: Integral groups focus on a person attempting to go beyond his ego, to rise above it, to be integrated with the other participants in the group. Along with this, it is recommended to turn away from regular life, to leave everything behind at the door of the group.

Answer: No, people do not isolate themselves from external society. This is not asceticism; this is not entry into a closed cell, rather it is work on our nature.

A person continues to participate in the life of society in a regular way. He has a family, children, work; in other words , he is a regular member of society. But together with this, a new direction in life, philosophy of life, appears within him that rises in value and overrides his regular way of life.

He can change his work so that it will be easier for him to study, he can change his residence to be closer to a group, but he doesn’t leave society; he doesn’t forego anything. On the contrary, at some stage, when he learns a bit about the integral method, a person begins to turn to wider circles of society. When he completely masters the method, he goes out to the society and begins to actively implement it there.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/26/13

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Question: Does the ego change its form during the shared work with the altruistic force, or will it remain as it was in its essence?

Answer: With the correct interaction between egoism and the force opposite to it, we begin to learn about one force from the other force, to understand their essence correctly, to perceive whom we are building between them. In fact, we are constructing that power that produced both the egoism and the altruism. It’s called the higher power of nature that produced the Big Bang in its time. It is from the Big Bang that the two forces were created: the altruistic force, which is hidden in nature, and the egoistic force, that began to extend, to conquer space, to contract and compress all of the matter that was created.

Together with this, within the matter, the altruistic force is acting all the time, but it works without being felt. After all, if it didn’t exist, how would the elements have been connected? They would have only been scattered around. If the force of altruism had not connected everything, then egoism wouldn’t have had the possibility of separating, pushing to the sides, expanding.

Expansion always requires the existence of the inner force that keeps the connection, and if there is no connection, then this is no longer development. Development is an expansion of the limits of the previous state where new qualitative linkages, new laws of switching, are being discovered in it.

Therefore both egoism and altruism exist in nature. In that we derive the hidden altruistic component from nature, we begin to develop ourselves and human society as one unified whole. Simultaneously, besides humanity, we use the nature of the still, vegetative, and animate in that spirit, in that harmony, in that global and integral movement towards unity, towards reciprocal integration in each other. We build one whole from all parts of nature. And then the only creature that we create from the unity of all the parts is discovered. And this is called Adam, that is, resembles the Creator, from the word “Domeh – similar.”

Thus, through the creation of this system, we discover in it that force that produces the positive and negative components from it. We call this force the Creator because it created our entire universe and us, created all the prerequisites so that we would construct ourselves wisely from the two opposing forces and we would understand what this force is.
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From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/24/13

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Preparation to the Lesson

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot,” Item 133

The Book of Zohar — Selected Excerpts, Parashat, “VaYikahel,” “The Ascent of the Prayer,” Item 131

Talmud Eser Sefirot, “Histaklut Pnimit,” Vol. 1, Part 2, Chapter 8, Item 87/2

Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 15

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We should speak about the greatness of the goal in the group, about our desire to rise above our nature, which we cannot remain in any longer, and about the need to reach connection between us. We have enough troubles. If we want to improve our lives in this world, we have to draw positive forces, a positive attitude regarding our connection.

I turn to all the friends so that together we will discuss how we can reach this connection. We have to do our best to imagine the good connection that existed before the breaking of the vessels when there was one soul, one vessel, one thought, and one feeling for all, so that everyone will feel the others as if we belong to one body and are in it, which is called “as one man in one heart.”

Everyone, even if he feels himself, will perceive the others as cells in one organ, and that each cell gives to others and bestows upon them so that the whole body will function properly. If we understand that this should be our inclination in order to attain a state in which the Creator is revealed, Godliness, the Upper force, spirituality, then all the means and the opportunities are in our hands. The Creator puts our hands on the fate and says: “Accept it as goodness.”

The whole world supports us in this work to such an extent that life is becoming hard and meaningless. However, on the other hand, there is a new illuminated road that opens up before us and a delightful and special opportunity. Thus we build an ark in which we can save ourselves and perhaps even the whole world from the flood that is approaching and which is rising higher and higher. In the meantime, this flood only scares and threatens us from a distance, but it’s already felt here and there spreading chaos and helplessness.

In our first meeting with a group or with the public, we have to explain that spirituality is totally based on the power of mutual guarantee. It is purposeful that we first feel distant from one another, opposite from one another, hate and are repulsed by one another. It is on purpose that we are all at the foot of Mt. Sinai in a state of mutual hate, like the students of Rabbi Simon.

But it’s a good state, since by overcoming it, we can acquire the Godly attributes. As created beings, we can only feel a state of “the advantage of the Light from the darkness.” If we have these two discernments, then in the contrast between them we can see and feel one another. We cannot see only Light or only darkness. But we can see the Light in contrast to the darkness or the darkness in contrast to the Light. Therefore, the Creator has arranged this state for us so that we will be able to attain, feel, understand, and attain Godliness.

This is the goal of our first gathering. This is where a group begins. If we want to start the spiritual path, we have to know that it starts from attaining the first condition: the attainment of mutual guarantee. The attainment of mutual guarantee is also divided into several stages: first we should understand and accept things and then start fulfilling it gradually until we reach mutual guarantee. This is actually the first phase.
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From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/30/13

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Question: The air is always full of love during our conventions, how can we intensify the feeling of love before the convention in February? How can we maximize it? How can we absorb the warmth that envelops you and be filled by it?

Answer: There is only one way to do it: preparation. The creation itself is an indication of that. I am equipped with a desire, with excitement, I worry because I want to fulfill the most important thing, and not only in this life but in all my reincarnations. I have already come to this world so many times that I don’t want to be born again and live here. Even egoistically without an intention of in order to bestow, without any connection to the Creator, but simply. So I have to see this as an unprecedented opportunity, a unique irrevocable opportunity.

What will I gain from this convention that cannot happen anywhere else? There are no such events in our life that can push me so strongly forward along the spiritual path.

Question: What should our preparation focus on? What should my yearning focus on?

Answer: On mutual connection. Through this connection, I will receive what everyone attains and gains. I envy them, I envy the friends who prepare this whole event for us, and I yearn to be incorporated.

It is said: “There is a person who attains his spiritual world in an hour.” So I have come here in order to attain everything the friends have attained. This is possible. In spirituality, like in connected vessels, the abundance is poured from one vessel to another. If I connect to someone who is great, I am also great. This is the rule, so let’s do it.

This is how I want to work and this is the only reason I am coming to the convention. We have another month of such intensive preparation. A person who wants to will be ready to attain his world.
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From the 2^nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/30/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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Question: Suppose that the altruistic force becomes an integral part of a person and begins to dictate new norms of behavior to him. Then, what? How does a person like this need to behave?

Answer: When the altruistic force begins to speak in a person, he acts in accordance with it. To the degree that it realizes itself in a person, he will act to that degree. He becomes qualitatively better, more honest and, yes, more supportive and sympathetic, actively helpful to everyone.

Question: In our world, it will be very difficult for people like this.

Answer: I don’t know. I don’t personally feel this.

Certainly, a person like this will not participate in filthy intrigues and machinations at work. He will not pursue capital. He will swap priorities.

Suppose that advancement in a career is imperative for him for the needs of some of his achievements as a scientist, as an expert. So, he will be involved with this. However, if this doesn’t interest him, he will not climb the career ladder at the expense of others.

The person doesn’t become “dry.” He lives a full life but, together with this, he views the world with completely different eyes. Outside, he seems like a relaxed, balanced, intelligent, kind, and friendly person, while within him intense changes are taking place that are not seen by those around him.

Gradually, the mutual connection between people that is called the “upper world” begins to be revealed to him. He begins to see the system of our connections that is found between us and behaves according to this. Therefore, there cannot be any conflict with the society here, for he becomes the most useful component of society.

Who could disagree with him? Who could be against him? The external field—which is composed of two forces and already operates within him—will never make things such that it will be bad for him. On the contrary, he is found in equivalence, in resemblance, in mutual connection, in harmony, with nature.
[124319]
From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/26/13

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Question: We have spoken about the state of our modern society and what it should be. But what happens between these two states? We know that a transition from one social state to another is preceded by dramatic circumstances for an individual because his life begins to fall apart.

Answer: In our case this process is even more difficult. The previous transitions have been jumps from one egoistic level to another because the ego continued to increase for thousands of years and accordingly the social configurations reformatted: slavery, feudalism, capitalism, post-modernism, and others, but now we have reached such a level where everything is beginning to fall.

When we are reminded of the past, we sometimes say: “The eighties were good.” In what way were they good? That the egoistic development of thousands of years of humanity had reached its peak of saturation? And this peak fell during the days of our youth. We felt some kind of freedom then, the need to survive did not bear down on us, the futility of our existence had not been discovered yet.

At the end of the eighties everything began to fall and gradual withdrawal began. In his day, Vernadsky and other philosophers had foreseen this, but nobody listened to them. And today people don’t want to accept this even though it has already been understood for many years. The same thing has been happening with the wisdom of Kabbalah, for the time being they don’t want to hear about it, but there is no way to refute it.

In the past these philosophers were sharply criticized; people didn’t accept the wisdom of Kabbalah at all and didn’t want to hear anything about it. But today it has become clearer that everything is sliding down to a new level, causing great personal and social problems, but there is no remedy for this; some kind of revolution must take place.

But not a physical revolution as there were in the previous stages: the Hundred Years War, the slave revolts, the protests of the landowners, the ruin of the peasants, and so forth. All these were indicators of evolution, but the egoistic evolution! The ego grew causing a need to restart the physical format: social, technological, familial, personal, etc.

Now, the transition from the system that developed under the pressure of egoistic forces is beginning to slide downward; that is, the egoistic forces are losing ground. We are beginning to see that the leadership doesn’t work, not in factories, not in the army, not in governmental institutions, not in schools, not in the family.

What restraint can hold a child? Where is the husband that listens to his wife? Where is the worker who hears his manager’s voice without question? Where is the government: the parliament, the head of state? Where are they? They don’t exist. The authorities “peep” from the television screen, yet nobody pays attention to their twittering. It is understood that the media tries to play along with them by creating an image of great leaders, but, in fact, nobody hears them.

Factory managers complain all the time that people don’t have the motivation to work; they cannot compel themselves and don’t want to work. When the ego descends, it doesn’t see perspectives. How is it possible to obligate a machine to work without electricity, energy, gasoline, and so forth? There is no way!

Now we are in a free-fall, and in the meantime we don’t see other forces that can replace the ego as the developmental force for us. But the ego is already expiring. And this is the downward slide. The ego is gradually getting smaller and is losing its attraction in our eyes. How much can we shop and run around? How long can you travel around the world? How much time can you spend sitting in bars and restaurants?

It’s not because the person is satisfied, but because the desire for this is lost for him; it disappeared somewhere. There is supposedly an immense world in front of you, but the youth are stuck on their cell phones, SMS, empty, and foolish talk. Where are the ideals? Where is art? Where is science? Where is the conquest of space? Where are the dreams of discovering new lands? All this is gone.

Question: Enthusiasm and excitement like this prevailed in society during the sixties.

Answer: And what was the excitement? The ego worked for our benefit. It pushed us towards great attainments. But today this no longer exists, and we cannot do anything. We require an absolutely different force to lead us forward.
[123814]
From Kab TV’s “An Integral World” 10/24/13

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