In our work, every step is measured by our intention. Each new action demands a new, sharper intention. Actions themselves may take various forms, but the key is to know what outcome I wish to receive as a result of my efforts.

Here is where we have to measure ourselves: How much do I care for the reward and what kind of reward is it? We speak not about corporeal rewards, but of more exalted values of a spiritual nature although they may have different vectors: for the sake of reception or for the sake of bestowal.

If a person demands a reward for his work in his Kli, then his intention is aimed at reception. He wants to feel, understand, attain, ascend, and so on. In other words, it doesn’t matter what exactly my desire is. If the goal is related to me and examination is taking place in my desires, then my calculation, despite being spiritual, is still egoistic.

Even if I wish to attain brotherly love, love of others, and love for the Creator, I still need to dig deeper and examine how I define these terms: What is their content, impurity or sanctity? Thus, essentially, a person examines the results of his work: either in his own Kli or in the Creator.

One might think: “Can I really place a reading device in the Creator and verify whether I have pleased Him? And what’s after that? If the result is positive, will I myself feel good and warm in my soul? Or is my intention aimed solely at Him, without any contact with myself?”

All such verifications may be accomplished only if we are doing genuine work, meaning revealing the Creator in the group. The love of friends serves as some type of purifier for intentions and desires, with the help of which I get purified from egoistic calculation and don’t err in my examination of who I am, what the group is, and to what degree I am loyal to it and not to myself.

As a result, I realize that I am incapable of even the tiniest act of bestowal. It is beyond my capacity. So, I turn to the group because the friends gave me a sensation of Arvut (mutual guarantee) and they can provide me with the strength to bestow.

The greatness of the friends and the group supply the fuel to me, which continues up to a certain level, until I build my Kli. Having completed its correction, I wish to use it, and that’s when in the group I discover the Creator, to whom I had initially aspired. Only now, I turn to Him together with the friends, from our common desire, to ask for the force of faith. Thereby, we attain adhesion with Him.
[23192]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/11/10, “Who Testifies Upon the Person”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Fata Morgana
Laitman.com Post: The Secret Of The Group
Laitman.com Post: The Smallest Fluctuations In Intention
Laitman.com Post: Preparing Yourself To Approach The Creator

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Prayer and Intention - No Comments →

From the will to receive, which was created as existence from absence, the Creator created the World of Infinity. There, the desire remains in adhesion with the Light in its final form that He had wished for and established. It is His influence that holds this entire perfection together.

After that, the Creator divided this structure into parts, the will to receive and the Light, and handed them to us to use. Now, we have to utilize the desire and the Light so as to reach the goal, meaning to equalize ourselves with the Creator. Everything is in our hands: Having understood what is required of us, we are able to do it.

So go ahead, you start building it. You have all the necessary settings to gradually re-create the state of the World of Infinity. Yet, it takes a while to comprehend and feel this work. What is the Light? What is the will to receive: a thought or an act? What is an act?

A person gets confused and becomes more ignorant than a little child in the beginning stage of his life journey. It takes years to understand even the basics: the essence of the matter which the created being is made of and the essence of the force that is needed to make changes.

Our current state has been given to us for the most intensive and effective advancement. The world that we find ourselves in isn’t comprised of some artificial conditions, but is a natural outcome of all stages of evolution. From it, we may begin constructing ourselves and forming something totally new with the help of the will to receive and the Light.

Existing at the animate level, I have an opportunity to build a created being that is related to the next, human level of existence and has a spiritual rather than corporeal form. I use the two forces, desire and Light, and combine them so as to give birth to some third element.

Specifically in me, just as I am, has been lain a capacity to accomplish this. How? It is possible by way of arranging an environment. “The environment” is my impression of a utopia that I desire to manifest. I need to visualize a corresponding image and desire with all my might for it to become true reality. By chiseling its details, sharpening its image, and discerning connections and contradictions in it, I eventually “reach the standard.” And then, it manifests in reality.

Therein lies the essence of my “game”: I exert effort, greater and greater, until it finally occurs. And thus every time, ascending higher and higher, penetrating deeper and deeper, I understand and feel more and more.
[22631]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/5/10, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Fear Of God Is His Treasure
Laitman.com Post: The Zone Of Light
Laitman.com Post: It Isn’t Just A Game

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work - No Comments →

Spiritual Simulator: Questions of the Day

Filed under: Group Work - No Comments →

Question: How far do I have to go in ascending above reason if the group seems flawed to me? It is written, “Do not sit at a gathering of fools.” What if the friends are harming my spiritual progress?

Answer: You’re right, yet a person has to understand that this state was sent to him from Above. He never sees the truth. If instead of constantly criticizing others, he accepts them above reason, then even a tiny spiritual spark from his friends will help him to advance.

We have to perceive reality the way it is. I was not placed in random, accidental conditions, but in a situation the Creator created for me. He is the one who determines what I see and feel. Therefore, one can and must always advance above reason. While I help build the group and employ constructive criticism, at the same time in the spiritual regard, I must always view the current state as the most effective and the best for my advancement.

Difficult confrontations and collisions in the process of the group’s formation and activity do not belong to spirituality. This is material work, but in the process we build, destroy, and build again.

At the same time, in a completely different dimension, each of us considers the friends great, bows his head before them, and sees them as “angels” sent by the Creator.

We are talking about two dimensions of perception and we have to learn to separate them from one another. On one hand, the group is a structure in this world. On the other hand, the group is a connection of souls that I must be included in. These dimensions of the group’s perception require different attitudes.

I may not agree with the forms of dissemination, with the friends that skip lessons and don’t fulfill their responsibilities to the general structure, but when I unite with them for the sake of my spiritual progress, I have to advance above my own opinion and knowledge and lower myself before them.
[#23064]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/10/10, “The Matter of Above Reason”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Secret Of The Group
Laitman.com Post: Circulation And Spiritual Work
Laitman.com Post: A Station With Infinite Energy

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work - 1 Comment →

Question: To what extent should I feel my dependence on the friends? Does my well-being also depend on them?

Answer: If you don’t feel good, then turn to the friends and ask them for strength. Doesn’t the Light control all the atoms and molecules? And doesn’t health come from it as well?

Do you really think that the material nature lives by its own laws and only the soul is influenced by the force of the Light? This entire “dream” of the picture of our world, including all the bodies and everything else, is a projection of the Light. So why shouldn’t I ask it for everything I need?

You need conditions that enable you to be entirely devoted to bestowal. These conditions are what you should ask for. The group must also help you do this: If we understand that we absolutely depend on the Light, then it will be easier for every person to turn to the Light with a demand.

This is true for every demand. For example, I put my hand in my pocket hoping that I will take out a million dollars. It didn’t work? That means I have a problem with a lack of faith. There is nothing that I couldn’t demand from the Creator for the sake of bestowal. If you are certain that you desire bestowal, then demand it. That is how you correct your Kelim. Demand it, but not for yourself.

Question: Should I demand it from the Creator or the group?

Answer: When I turn to the group, I have to turn to the Creator who is concealed inside it. The group itself does not have any forces. But when I delve deeper, to the force of unity among friends who have already revealed the grain of spiritual desire, the Creator is present in that grain and His force is not limited in any way.

There is no limit to the Light. It is present and unlimited even in a small and weak group. I am the one who determines what I will derive from it.

Thus, I must always turn to the Creator through the group. He is the source of all the strength. My request must happen only according to the principle, “Israel (me), the Torah (the group), and the Creator (the Light) are one.”

During the study you can demand anything you lack (including health and success) to enable your thoughts to be about bestowal. That’s because everything belongs to one desire, but you correct it in different forms. However, in reality we are always talking about the same lack of Light inside the vessel.
[23186]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/11/10, “Who Testifies Upon the Person”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: A Simple Formula For Spiritual Life
Laitman.com Post: Our Spiritual Growth Resembles A Seed Planted Into The Ground

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Prayer and Intention - 1 Comment →

The Torah is referred to as both “the elixir of life” and “a deadly poison.” A person who corrects himself, wishing to be equivalent to the Creator and to perceive the concealed part of reality, uses the method called the “Torah.” It is a special program found in nature.

When we use it correctly, we reveal nature in its fullness along with our true existence. We sense not just a useless existence in a temporary body, but the other part of reality, the spiritual world.

Ultimately, we correct our instruments of perception. We only perceive a minor part of reality in our five senses, but we can grasp another part of reality in a new sense which is built on bestowal outward, instead of consumption. The method of correction does not break anything, it only completes. It allows us to acquire the power of bestowal and experience the World of Infinity, that is, the unlimited reality.

However, there is danger here: an incorrect use of the method. We reveal a special force in nature that we did not previously know existed. This force is called the “Light.” Its influence can either be positive or negative.

When I aspire towards love of others (unity) from the beginning, this force’s influence is directed the same way. However, if I did not direct myself towards unity from the very beginning, then this force increases hatred in me. In this way, the Light helps me when used as intended, and if I do not use it as intended, then my egoism increases in order to display my hatred of others. Everything depends on the way I intend to use the force of the Torah.

This is why there is no coercion in spiritual development. After all, if a person  is not ready to aspire towards his correction, he can inflict harm upon himself. Regrettably, we see many examples of incorrect study of the Torah around us.
[23002]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/8/10, Shamati #161

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: The Light That Brings You Back To The Creator
Laitman.com Post: Tempted By A Tiny Spark Of Light
Laitman.com Post: Will You Use Kabbalah As A Potion Of Death Or Elixir Of Life?

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Torah - No Comments →

Question: Where in The Zohar can we find the description of mutual bestowal between a person and the group?

Answer: It’s everywhere and in every instant! The entire Book talks solely about it. The Zohar describes to us the point of connection between us: The souls unite together in Malchut and then, from their connection, they establish a connection with Zeir Anpin (ZA) or the Creator (Kadosh Baruch Hu). This is called “Israel (those who aspire to the Creator), the Torah (the Light), and the Creator are one.” The Zohar describes everything from the point of these three connected components: 1. every one of us, 2. all of us together, and 3. the Creator.

The text constantly speaks of the point of connection of these three components in their diverse manifestations: multiple states in their approximation and ascension, up to their complete adhesion. We feel the diversity of the spiritual world or even the variety of our corporeal sensations today from within the same point of connection or lack thereof. Beside this point, nothing else exists.

That same point of Malchut of the World of Atzilut, which feels that it isn’t connected with the others and the Creator, is called Malchut of this world. When this point starts acquiring a connection with the others and the Creator, then we can talk about the types of connection between us, and that is spirituality.

This continues until we reach the World of Infinity that we perceive within this Malchut as well, within the connection between the three components. When this connection becomes infinite, it is defined as Malchut of Infinity. In other words, only Malchut of the World of Atzilut in all its manifestations is the place where the connection between us and the Creator in it are revealed.

Therefore, The Zohar describes nothing but what is occurring in the point of connection and only adds information which can enable us to assemble a more accurate picture. This is similar to how I look at a blurry image on the computer screen and don’t know what the problem is. A specialist arrives and explains to me in detail what exactly needs to be corrected.

Thus, the Baal HaSulam’s Commentary to The Book of Zohar provides us with the detailed information about components that we should focus on in order to construct an integral picture.
[23080]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/10/10, The Zohar

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Format Yourself For Spirituality
Laitman.com Post: Between Malchut and Bina
Laitman.com Post: A Marvelous Bridge Into The Zohar

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Q&A, Zohar - No Comments →

Question: How do I work on connecting with the friends in the group beyond the work on Kabbalah circulation?

Answer: Circulation has absolutely nothing to do with spiritual connection between us. It is a burden we have accepted as our duty so as to serve the world on the corporeal level. Obviously, it is desirable that dissemination were done solely by our people since they can infuse it with the spiritual spark, but in principle, we can recruit outsiders for it as well.

As to spirituality, it is defined as our unity above the level of egoism or our climbing the spiritual degrees by acting above reason. There is no other possibility. This work is not related to dissemination; it is personal and available to everyone, even if the person lives in Alaska in complete isolation.

True circulation is spreading one’s desire for connection and love in the entire network of connections between the souls.
[23051]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/10/10, “The Matter of Above Reason”

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: Circulating The Spiritual Force
Laitman.com Post: What Is Real “Kabbalah Dissemination”?
Laitman.com Post: The Connection Between Group And Enterprise

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work, Kabbalah Dissemination, Q&A, Spirituality - No Comments →

Spiritual Simulator: Questions of the Day

Filed under: Group Work - No Comments →

Baal HaSulam, Shamati #161, "The Matter of the Giving of the Torah": "I labored and did not find, do not believe." We must understand the meaning of “I found.” What is there to find? Find concerns finding grace in the eyes of the Creator.

It is written about actualizing the method of correction: “I labored and found.” What kind of odd motto is this? I can understand the “labored,” but the “found” part is very unclear.

If I correct myself so as to achieve love of others, in this good attitude toward others and connection with them, I find not just anybody but the Creator Himself: the all-inclusive force of nature which binds everything into one whole system. Everything depends on labor. I must invest myself and sweat as I try to gather the entire system, to construct relationships with others, to establish the correct connection, and to feel it out in the darkness.

In this I labor, and then I ultimately find the Creator the moment the system’s parts unify. Thus, I reveal the universal force, and it becomes my inner life force. And if I don’t labor and conduct this search, I will lack the understanding and impressions necessary to unite all the souls.

Indeed, it is up to me to attain this system and learn to control it, just as every cell cares for the body as a whole, even though we have yet to reveal this. The same principle applies to all of creation: Each element is interconnected with all others and the whole system, as in a hologram. This is perfection.

For this reason it is impossible to forgo labor in actualizing the method of correction for then I would never be able to connect, understand, and absorb everything within.

But in spirituality, although he is rewarded with being favored, he must still pay the full price later—the measure of the labor that everyone gives. If not, he will lose the Kli.
[22999]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/8/10, "The Matter of the Giving of the Torah"

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: You Can’t Test Yourself In Spirituality
Laitman.com Post: A New Desire Comes Along With A New Light
Laitman.com Post: Step Out Into The Universe!

Filed under: Daily Kabbalah Lesson, Group Work, Inner Work - No Comments →