Entries in the 'Group Work' Category

The Expensive Scheme

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe all become integrated with each other. All our thoughts are in each other. No matter how we express them, we still experience the same states internally. Which ones, it does not matter.

We study the wisdom of Kabbalah from the top downward, from the world of Infinity to our world, and here, at the convention on integral education, we pass it from the bottom up, discussing how to rise from our world to the world of Infinity.

It is all one methodology, the same at all the levels. The difference is only in understanding, in the depth of solutions to the questions that arise. But they are solved in the same way: by greater unity among us, integration with each other, connecting the wider circles of humanity to us, and naturally, together with this, even greater yearning for the Creator. That is all.

I am very glad that we have found this brief, simple scheme, because it could be difficult to express. Now, we have come to the state when seemingly we have succeeded and it is in front of us in a compact form.

We will still have to learn it well, put it inside ourselves so that everyone feels: “That’s how I have to work, and then everything will go smoothly.”

We will start to work on this whole scheme internally, will begin to perceive everything through it.

In general, well done! Thank you.
[126951]
From the Integral Education Convention, Day Two 2/3/14, Workshop 3

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Connected Hearts

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: In what manner are we included in the ascents and descents of the friends?

Answer: We want to unite and be included in the feelings of the friends in that we nullify ourselves in regard to each other as much as our heart is ready for this. We want to take sandpaper and rub our heart so that it will be more sensitive to others; we want to do something with him so that he will not be so opaque. If I am linked to the heart of the friend, I acquire all that is in his heart: all his ascents and descents, everything that he did in the past, both the good things and the bad things.

In fact, it is not important if they are good or bad, for I acquire the intensity. The Creator arranged the bad things for a friend from the start. The good things could happen to him in the way of suffering or in the way of Torah and they pass over him. I can acquire, receive, all of this experience. It was specifically for this that there was the shattering of the desires so that everyone could do his small part of the work and could we could enrich each other through mutual integration.

We don’t understand what a spiritual level is. It is not so high that it is impossible to attain, but only if we take the entire history of each from each other. Through my inclusion with a friend, I acquire all the incarnations through which he passed, the entire way through which his soul passed, in that he descended from the world of Infinity (Olam Ein Sof) and was shattered together with my soul. And after this, we underwent a multitude of incarnations together, and now we have met in order to be linked with each other.

After the shattering of the collective soul, the souls were divided and distanced from each other. They passed through a long process of change, passing through Babylon and the rest of the trials. And now that they have finally reached connection, I can receive all that the rest went through and experienced throughout all of history, and therefore I become a complete Kli that includes the whole world within it. And this is how it is for each one of us, and nobody bothers another!  This is the unification of the integral Kli.

It is completely unimportant if the friend feels this or not. If I subdue myself and connect with him, I receive his effort, his connection, all that is in him.
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From a Preparation Lesson for the Arava Convention, 1/30/14

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According To The Creator’s Instructions

Dr. Michael LaitmanIntegral Education Convention, Workshop 1: We must not forget that every second each of us will experience exits from the state of unity and will return to it again.

It is actually thanks to such exits and returns that each of us and all of us together will gradually begin to feel our common space, until it becomes permanent, until we dwell in it permanently. We have to do this as quickly as possible.

We have to attain a new state in our group in the connection between us by rising above our ego, by connecting in mutual guarantee, and as if sacrificing ourselves for it. But in fact, it isn’t self-sacrifice at all.

It simply turns out that I prefer the desires and the goal of the group over my personal ones, although we understand that there is nothing personal here. It is all the advice and the instructions of the Creator to each of us: He gives us different hardenings of the heart, obstacles, problems, etc., so that we will be able to ascend above them.

Everyone has his own problems and everyone experiences them in his own way, but we have to collect them all, reject them, and ascend to the level of mutual guarantee.

There we connect and attain the connection correctly. We begin to feel the need to ascend to a higher level, to the Creator. Our next level is the Creator.

Thus we need to advance. When someone falls, we have to respond immediately and to pick him up. We have to constantly keep everyone floating with their heads above the water, until we become like a float, and thus constantly ascend, ascend, ascend. This refers to both women and men, to everyone personally. In this state we actually complete the whole work.

There are three parts in the spiritual Partzuf: HBD, HGT, and NHY. So on the lower levels they are fulfilled in greater details, but there is nothing new, only increasingly greater revelations of the same principles.
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From the World Zohar Week “Integral Education Convention” Day One 2/02/14, Workshop #1

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The Near And The Far

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe need connection, yet not connection between us, rather with the Creator. Therefore in order to reach connection with the Creator, to discover him, it’s up to us to build an appropriate relationship between us according to the principle, “the end of the action is in the preliminary thought.”

The connection between us must pass above the ego and cause mutual bestowal.

This connection must be equal for everyone, both distant and close. It’s up to us to be concerned about all of our friends all over the world since this makes it possible for us to feel if we are in bestowal or not.

This is because I don’t feel any closeness to friends who are far away. We are in an inner connection with people whose faces are familiar, and it’s different with friends who are not included in this circle. They provide me with the right feeling: Am I truly found in bestowal or not?

This is very important: Am I maintaining the right orientation? Am I concerned about all of the friends as they are, like a mother who brings all of her children “under her wing”? This is a sign for me of yearning for bestowal.

That is how each one examines himself, is concerned for others, and strengthens them. And together we aim to keep the connection with the Creator, for the compliance with the similarity of His properties. For this is what is most important, discovering the Creator according to our yearning for Him, for bestowal. And we realize this bestowal among us within the group, and also between all the friends around the world.

This is because there is no far and near in spirituality. Bestowal is bestowal. But the problem is that I don’t comprehend the entire system, only some part of it. But this part is also integral. It cannot be less than this or more than this, for there is no “partial” in spirituality. The system can be revealed to me to this degree or another, but there is no measuring stick for integrality, for it is always revealed one hundred percent in each part.

Therefore it’s up to us to aspire to feel a homogeneous group, complete in everything. There are no great and small, there are no far and near. I relate to all equally. This is a very important test with whose help I correct, “polish,” and “calibrate” the characteristic of bestowal within me so that it will be more and more correct.

And within the characteristic of bestowal, I become closer to feeling the Creator. And in this way I correct my Kli, vessel, desire; it comes closer and closer to discovering the higher power. It’s good and benevolent to the bad and the good, to the near and the far, to all without exception. Therefore I also advance in that way.

In this case, through my efforts, I awaken the Light that Reforms and it brings me into compliance with it. And so the question is, right now, how do we direct ourselves towards the power of bestowal, towards the Creator, with the help of an equal relationship to the near and the far?
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/28/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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Dr. Michael LaitmanPreparation for the Integral Convention: Crisis

“As the advantage of the Light out of the darkness.” We have to explain to people what a great gift we were given. We are the ones who have to guide the whole world to the end of correction, which means to the revelation of the corrected state of humanity.

This is the reason that the world is revealed as global and the connection between all its parts is revealed as integral: Everyone is incorporated in everyone else and everyone depends on everyone else, and it’s impossible to correct one part of the world without correcting another part.

Why do all our plans fail? Why do we waste billions of dollars and nothing happens? Look at the world leaders who set the tone in politics, economics, industry, commerce, technology, education, culture, and the family: The higher their status and the greater the number of people who are affected by their decisions, the more mistaken they are.

Now we see more and more often that anyone who makes a decision by himself agrees that he is wrong. The reason is that we can only make decisions through unity. It doesn’t matter what level of unity it is, and you don’t have to reach the end of correction for that. You should only make a decision from a point where you really try to resemble the Creator as much as possible, even if the Creator is concealed.

A new leadership is revealed in the world these days. Previously the leadership was fulfilled along one line only and we advanced only by the power of blows. We felt bad and we escaped the bad feeling to the good, like animals. But now the leadership is revealed in two lines and so one person cannot make a decision since only a group can deal with it. A group should find a solution as the middle line.

In light of the five previous points of integral education, we can assess correctly why the world is in a state of crisis. On the other hand, there is no crisis in our group and we are advancing towards increasingly greater unity. This is why we discuss the crisis and solve it by ourselves.
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Preparation for the Integral Convention, Nine Stages On The Path To Unity, Point 6

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The Higher Desire Is Complete Unity

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom the book, Likkutei Halachot: The essence of love and oneness is in the desire where each one wants what his friend wants, and there is no difference in their desires, all are included in one desire, and through this they are included in the higher desire—unity.

I don’t know what this higher is. It has no form; it is not found. There is no higher by itself. Where is the spiritual ladder found? Was it in Jacob’s dream as the Torah tells us?

The ladder doesn’t exist without us. I create and build the higher the moment that I connect with the friends; with them I reach a complete degree of unity, and then a higher level that didn’t exist before is presented to me. So the Creator is called, “Come and See” because we build and create Him ourselves; we give Him His form.

Therefore it is written, “The essence of love and oneness is in our desire, where each one wants what his friend wants, and there is no difference in their desires so they are connected with each other, and included in one desire; through this they are included in the higher desire, and by reaching one collective desire we discover the higher—our unity.” Then we understand that we have reached the higher level.
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From a Preparation Lesson for the Arava Convention, 1/30/14

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A Formula With One Unseen Variable

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can we unite if we don’t feel the pain of our shattering?

Answer: Connection is only possible with a united effort. Alone you can scream for even a thousand years, but this won’t help. Here there must be a group effort where everyone is attracted to each other and ready for mutual guarantee (Arvut). Everyone must be ready to be responsible for the others: one for all and all for one.

These are the necessary conditions; it is impossible to replace them with anything else. And you want to finish the work yourselves, but this is impossible. You forget the formula and don’t take it into account. The formula is that we are making efforts to try to connect among us, to carry out all kinds of activities within the group in order to resemble the Light that Reforms. It must influence us and change us.

We are not changed by our connection. Through our inclination to connect, we awaken the intensity of the Light, the influence of the energy field in which we are found. The more that we try to connect between us in all kinds of forms, with this we awaken the action of bestowal, meaning the Creator who fills the world. And He illuminates us according to our efforts, and it is not important that they might be incorrect and confused. The main thing is the effort that attracts the Light that Reforms. And then this Light changes me.

You ask: What form must we attain? This doesn’t concern me and doesn’t matter to me; I never reach that form myself. It is the Light that influences me and connects me with the friends in this form that is suitable to its revelation. Then instead of Ohr Makif (Surrounding Light) that arranges and corrects our connections, it transforms into Ohr Pnimi (Inner Light).

This is the same Light; no changes are made in the Light itself. But it sometimes appears as Ohr Makif and sometimes as Ohr Pnimi, sometimes as NRNHY and more. There exist a multitude of types of Light: Ohr Yashar, Ohr Hozer. But it is precisely the Light that makes the form for me.

You say: “We want to reach connection!” Where is the Creator within this sentence? And what do we want this connection for? Also for His sake! The Creator realizes this connection and He is also discovered within it. And from our side, we are only attracted to this connection, but certainly we don’t succeed in doing anything if the Light does not connect between us. All that is required of us is to attain the right intention.
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From a Preparation Lesson for the Arava Convention, 1/30/14

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Dr. Michael LaitmanPreparation for the Integral Convention: Two Opposites (The Law of Equivalence of Form)

The basic fundamental law of reality is the law of equivalence of form. According to the law of equivalence of form, the created being was created as something from nothing from the reality of something from something.

These two poles—something from nothing and something from something—are totally opposite from one another in our reality. However, in the Creator’s plan that is above our reality, these poles connect into one. As a result, the law of equivalence of form obliges creation to pursue this unity until it can independently reveal the thought of creation in which everything is unified.

By attaining the raspberry ball and the greatest importance of the goal, we see that we still cannot attain the concept of unity. We lack the inner forces in order to constantly focus our thoughts and our efforts on bestowal, on the Creator.

We want to cross check these two concepts of bestowal and the Creator, which mean to imagine the Creator as the attribute of bestowal. But the attribute of bestowal can be revealed only when it’s dressed in the desire to receive. In other words, we discover the Creator only in the matter that He created and not in any other way.

When it’s revealed in a person, the attribute of bestowal aligns his actions and thoughts. This means that the Creator is “clothed” in a person, in a person’s attributes, and then he acts as the one who bestows. This form is called the Creator. Only when we see ourselves and the Creator that is dressed in us, can we reveal the Creator.

We actually see ourselves all the time. When we look at the world, we also see ourselves, although in the opposite form, but it is still ourselves. Thus, according to the revelation of the attribute of bestowal, we see how it is dressed in the whole world. We discover that the attribute of bestowal dominates the world and this form is called Shechina (Divinity).

Thus we understand why we have to force ourselves to worry about the external environment. We can ascend to the revelation of the Creator and reach unity with the Creator from the raspberry ball only to the extent that we discover this attribute in the whole world.

The world becomes our vessel; all of reality is my vessel, my soul; everything that is external to me is me. But I see it on the outside in order to discover the attribute of bestowal more clearly, 620 times greater, in order to intensify and to amplify the feeling of Nefesh of Nefesh in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity) above the power of the forces of impurity. This is how I begin to understand that the whole world was meant for me, for my work.

We have to recognize and understand that the forces of separation are necessary and we must understand them correctly. We have to enter a mode that we will accept the feelings of rejection as the left line against which the right line is evoked, the force of the group. We don’t see it as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to connect the right and the left lines and to create the middle line to advance even further towards depicting the Creator.
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Preparation for the Integral Convention, Nine Stages On The Path To Unity, Point 5

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The Only Test

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: This convention is a convention of our connection with the Creator. What does this mean?

Answer: There cannot be connection without feeling the Creator. Otherwise, how do we know that we have reached connection? We test it only by discovering the Creator within the connection. Only in this way can we be sure that we have connected.

Therefore unity between us cannot exist without that one force that is discovered within us as a characteristic that fills and connects us, that stabilizes us. This is what we call having reached connection. Without the Creator, the connection will not happen: He must stabilize our connection and testify that we have attained Him.
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From the Talk at a meal 1/26/14

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The Correct Calculation – Social Reliance

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom Rabash’s Article “A Prayer of Many”: …We can interpret the words of the holy Zohar, which advises those people with an inner demand, who cannot accept the state they are in because they do not see any progress in the work of God, and believe what is written… The advice is to ask for the whole collective.

In other words, everything that one feels that he is lacking and asks fulfillment for, he should not say that he is an exception, meaning that he deserves more than what the collective has. Rather, “I dwell among my own people,” meaning I am asking for the entire collective because I wish to come to a state where I will have no care for myself whatsoever, but only for the Creator to have contentment. Therefore, it makes no difference to me if the Creator takes pleasure in me or can receive the pleasure from others.

The fact that we only perceive a small fragment of reality is not essential. Authentic reality is integral, closed, single, and unified; this one vessel was created, organized by, and fulfilled with one Light called “The Lord and His Name are One” where the Creator is the Light and His Name a vessel, desire.

If we want to eventually start perceiving the true reality, responding to it correctly, and becoming its conscious participants, being worthy of a human developmental level rather than just behaving at inanimate, vegetative, or animate levels that are completely subordinate to the Light, we should start thinking solely about our society. In fact, all of us already act accordingly. We never make mistakes, nor do we ever commit “bad” deeds since we are just following the orders of nature without even acknowledging this fact.

That’s why only those who study Kabbalah can be considered “sinners” or “righteous” since they understand that reality is global, integral, general, unified, and that the Light fulfills it and acts inside it. If it is so, then how can we make personal, individual plans or rely on ourselves? How can anything of an individual nature exist if the entire system is completely intertwined?

There is no such thing as individuality. Each element is an inseparable part of a whole. It is included in all other elements of the system and the entire structure is a part of them.

There are just 10 Sefirot; each of which is divided into 10 parts and so on to infinity. That’s why it is impossible to state that we have something that belongs exclusively to us. Everything is collective! There is nothing outside us since we are present in each particle of the entire structure.

Thus, correct calculations are always of a social nature. There is nothing private. “Individuality” apart from a commonality is just a point in which we agree that we completely belong to the entirety and that nothing but wholeness exists.

We should think, feel, receive, and bestow solely through our sense of commonality—only through unity!
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From the Preparation for the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/27/14

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