Question: You always say that we must turn our descents into constant ascents. Is this merely a mental attitude or is it something more? What is the difference between a descent and an ascent?

Answer: It lies in your attitude toward them.

Comment: Suppose a person feels bad, but he understands that, thanks to this, he will connect with spirituality on a psychological level.

My Response: No, that is religion: “I will suffer, and then I will receive a reward.” There is no such thing in Kabbalah. The Creator does not want you to suffer. Since He is in an absolutely perfect state, He wants you to attain this state as well.

Comment: But people say that if you feel bad now, it means you are in a state of ascent.

My Response: Absolutely not! This is simply foolish and incorrect!

An ascent is when I evaluate my state, whatever it may be, solely according to whether or not it brings me closer to the Creator. A descent is when I am unable to evaluate my state on terms of its proximity to the Creator, but instead I evaluate it by how I feel.

Comment: So in any case, regardless of the sensation…

My Response: What importance does the sensation have! If a sensation dictates my attitude toward my current state, this is called a descent. But if my connection with the Creator dictates my attitude toward my state, this is called an ascent.

Question: How do I transform what my “flesh,” my physical sensation, dictates?

Answer: Here lies the little problem: how to rise above yourself.

Comment: But surely I can do this psychologically.

My Response: You cannot do anything on your own. You can say whatever you want, go through all sorts of training exercises, but in doing so, you do not actually change yourself; you are merely training yourself. You can accustom yourself to pain, do whatever you like, it will give you nothing.

There is a vast array of techniques, but none of them alter human nature. A person cannot reach a demand to the Creator that would actually transform him.

Question: How can one use a descent as a means of ascent?

Answer: You must undergo a transformation that you receive the force of bestowal from above, the quality of Bina; this alone can effect this change within you.

Comment: All this seems conceptually clear: the light acts on you and everything falls in place.

My Response: You will understand nothing until it takes place within you, within you!

Such is this wisdom, because it speaks of transformations that must occur inside of you. If you have not experienced them, you will not understand what it is. You may construe a purely intellectual image in your mind, but it will bear any resemblance to what actual reality will be.

It is like trying to explain the concept of a human being to a dog. It may gaze at you with utter devotion as if it is with you with all its soul and heart, but with its dog’s soul, it will not understand you.

Therefore, all sorts of psychological changes are nonsense. You can find a multitude of techniques, throughout the world, but you will not find one that alters human nature. This is a truth that cannot be explained to yogis or to anyone else.
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From KabTV’s “I Got A Call. Use the Descent” 9/26/10

Related Material:
How Can You Recognize a Spiritual Descent?
Descent Is Disconnection from the Creator
What Is A Descent In Spirituality?

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