Entries in the 'Prayer and Intention' Category

Ordering My Own Development

Dr. Michael LaitmanAll our work can be summed up as clarifications and thought by which we come to the Creator and try to demand from Him new desires that are totally unsuitable for our ego, our nature.

So I check how I am managed from Above, and I can feel to some extent this operating force. From the side, I analyze the actions of the Creator in me that motivate me. Thus, I begin to see the source, His actions—that is, me, and the power that controls me—and understanding how it works.

These three components: an appeal to the Creator, the source, His action inside me, and its result—are all called the Creator’s work, because it is the Creator who does it. My participation is only in asking Him to perform this work. In this way, we become partners.

As a result, from a small beast that performs actions blindly, who doesn’t even understand that it is being managed and thinks that it lives freely, whichever way it feels like—I become an active assistant manager, and so I reach adhesion with Him. I understand my desirable development and its final form and try to promote this plan even before it is fulfilled by the Creator.

I order my development, and this is called “hastening time,” instead of the natural flow (in its time). This is how I attain it, by the power of thought, and I begin to walk hand in hand with the Creator in every step, and try to learn and to accelerate my development.

As Baal Hasulam says in his article “Thou Hast Hemmed Me In Behind and Before“: the movement of the horse becomes one with the movement of the rider and this is their adhesion. The Creator waits for me to ask Him and helps me by evoking me and shows me by sufferings or by other clues the places where I have to pay attention to His leadership. And so we advance until full adhesion.
[64816]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/30/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
Shame Of Inequality
A Connection Through The Common Path
Bring The Dead Time To Life

Double The Suffering Of Love

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe should not be concerned with the right way to express our request—if it arises inside the heart, it will be heard. No extra actions are needed to transfer it and send it somewhere. The correct request in the heart already turns into a common prayer, and is an action on its own.

The correct desire, the vessel, is the main thing. It is the actual prayer. To pray means to “judge yourself, evaluate whether your desire is correct. And the correct desire includes all the components: the depth of the vessel, its covering for the sake of bestowal, and the prayer. Man on his own begins to feel what he is lacking for it to become a common prayer—otherwise, it will not be a desire to bestow.

A desire must contain the feeling of the greatness of the goal, the greatness of the Creator, one’s own nothingness, and the greatness of the group. When all the necessary elements connect together, it is called the full measure (Seah)—the cup, where we receive fulfillment.

The deeper man goes into his desire—the better he sees the elements he is lacking. And all this he finds in the group.

There is no other fulfillment but desire, and the fulfillment always corresponds to the desire, and it depends on whether this desire is organized the right way. This is because the desire is the form of fulfillment, and fulfillment does not have a form when outside the vessel.

As soon as our aspiration to bestow reaches the minimal measure—we immediately ascend to the first spiritual degree. Thus we advance until we reach an absolute desire in this discrete, digital form, a portion at a time. This is our entire correction—correction our desires. [Read more →]

Do Everything That’s In Your Power And You Will Hear!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What actions should a person make in order to move from a standstill in regards to connection with friends or dissemination?

Answer: It is said: “Do everything in your power!” The opportunity is always give to you. It’s impossible that you were given a state where you can’t do anything at all.

If you have no desire or no thoughts, then this is what you were given from Above. Even if you feel confused, weak, or like you can’t do anything, there are still actions which you are capable of doing.

For example, my rule is that I don’t stray from my routine. There’s a book that I have to write, work that I must do. Today we have the opportunity to work with groups, to disseminate, to work on the Internet, and to prepare materials.

We have the opportunity to widely disseminate and teach this knowledge. This has to be everyone’s great concern. After all, the whole world is on our shoulders, only we don’t feel it.

We must take this very seriously. Here, action really does precede the desire and thought, as it is said: “We shall do and we shall hear!” This also works in the physical form.

Even action without the desired intention corrects a person.
[64668]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/29/11, Shamati

Related Material:
Words That Come From The Heart
A Very Sophisticated Animal Or A Human?
Pay Heed To The Creator

Without Intention There Is No Result

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe difference between spirituality and corporeality is that in spirituality the intention is first and foremost and the action is only meant to implement the intention. Without an intention there is no action. Even an intention by itself is an action.

So every word we read in The Book of Zohar should be with an intention throughout the text. We should only think about the intention and be in it, while the text “flows” downwards, as if we are swimming in a river and need to constantly control and manage ourselves: How and in what direction are we swimming?

Without an intention we immediately lose the action. So, the intention should be above and the action below both in the way we see it and in priority.

We must constantly think about the intention: What do I want from it, how do I aim the forces that are evoked while reading The Zohar together with the friends, and what do I want as a result of their influence?

If we don’t focus their influence on us, there is no result.
[64515]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/28/11, The Zohar

Related Material:
You Cannot Build The Intention Alone
The Intention Cannot Be Expressed In Words
All The Difference is In Intention

A Connection Though The Common Path

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere is a real wall between us: the creature on one side, the Creator on another. So how do you figure to go through this wall? How can this be done when there is absolute bestowal on the other side, and absolute reception on our side, and there is no connection at all between them?! There simply cannot be a connection, as if there were a “plus” on one side, and a “minus” on the other, and these two vertexes can never meet.

This is why the breaking took place, which is followed by pieces of the creature entering the Creator and the pieces of the Creator entering the creature. These actions serve as a preparation. Now there are qualities of the creature inside the Creator (AHP), and qualities of the Creator inside the creature (a spark, Reshimo), and they can have a certain connection between them.

The surrounding Light exists in the AHP, which has risen from within all desires because of the breaking. And the creature has information about the broken desires, the Reshimo. So there is a so-called “surrounding” connection. This still pertains to the preparation.

And now the creature raises a prayer (MAN) and receives an answer (MAD) from the Creator. We have a mutual need in one another! After the breaking, the upper suffers because the lower suffers. And the lower has a spark, which once belonged to the upper. And with these corrupt memories, referred to as egoistic, Lo Lishma, we can establish a connection with the Creator as if from afar, from the past.

The breaking, which happened some time ago, creates a connection today—even though it happened in the past, this past connects us! This connection through the breaking is referred to as the surrounding Light or MAD from the perspective of the upper, and a prayer or MAN from the perspective of the lower.
[64504]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/27/11, “Study of the Ten Sefirot”

Related Material:
Getting Closer To The Center of Bestowal
You Will Get More Than You Asked For!
Awaken The Frozen Earth

You Will Get More Than You Asked For!

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do we exert ourselves in one place and find the result in another place?

Answer: I exert myself everyway I can, I work with what I have: myself, the group, the teacher, and the books. I do all that egotistically.

I exert myself for myself, for Lo Lishma, (not for its sake) because of my desire to profit: to discover the upper world, the Creator, so that everything will be in my favor! Of course, there is no other way. I only think about myself, whether I realize that or not, that’s the way it is.

Although I demand: “Give me!” and want to fill myself, still because I deal with something that is so special, it does the opposite, it inverts and I receive something that I didn’t ask for!

After all I didn’t ask for true bestowal. I can’t ask for it, but I receive it. That’s the whole trick: It is as if we are cheated! But we don’t know that, and follow this lie.

This is how the Creator has created us, but you have to follow the conditions accurately, like in a recipe: Take 10 grams from here, 10 gram from there, mix it up and drink it—and this will be your medicine.

This is what Kabbalists say: You have a group, a teacher, and books. You have to organize all that in your work, with a special intention. Deal with it and eventually you will receive something!

But what will you receive? Even if you cannot ask for bestowal (after all, we know who you are and what you are), if you fill all these conditions accurately, it will work and you will receive it.

This is how it works, and this is why it is called Segula (a miraculous remedy)! Even the angels complained to the Creator that he gave people something that they didn’t ask for. But this is the way this system works.
[64413]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/27/11, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
A Special Means
A Miracle That Is About To Occur
Bestowal Without Reward

A Free Plane For The Intention

Dr. Michael LaitmanWe don’t change reality, but only our relation to it, its perception. We need to worry about our inner feelings so that each time we transform each situation to joy.

And this isn’t because it causes me to feel good—I can also feel bad. Rather, I feel good because this situation comes from the Creator and thus I cause Him happiness. In my every correction makes me feel good, I feel good from the fact that I bring contentment to Him.

And the first correction is to rise above good and evil so that it is not important how I feel. This means that I rise above my desire to receive. Try to eat something with the intention to bestow and see that the tastiest food loses its taste. Thus, I now rise above my good or bad sensation, and it becomes tasteless to me, like grass.

Afterwards I begin to feel the taste of importance of the Giver, and as a result of this, I cause Him delight. And having felt the importance of the Giver, I return to myself and enjoy in all of my desires. However, it is already a different pleasure: I enjoy because I delight the Creator.

This means that I do not change reality, but I change my relation to it. The main factor in all of these actions is the greatness of the Creator, which for me changes everything. I work on a higher level than the one where I felt good or bad in my beastly body. I need this beast, but I work above it.

Thus this is considered my free choice. Indeed, I receive a free plane in which I can do whatever I want. I don’t go into this low area where the Creator directs me through different situations. And my free choice is consequently expressed when above all these states, I build a relation called the intention to bestow.
[63716]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/20/2011, “Introduction to TES”

Related Material:
A Ray Of Light Through The Clouds
The World Of Our Intentions
An Intermediate Form Between A Person And The Creator

The Point Of Spiritual Elevation Above Myself

Dr. Michael LaitmanIf we need to rise above this life to the intention for the sake of bestowal, then regardless of how bad life on this plane is, we can create the most favorable relations with the Creator above it. This condition already shows the initial point of the ascent from the physical, beastly, level of sensations to the level of spiritual intentions.

There are two levels: the level of sensation and the level of intention, which is also a sensory level but is connected with the Giver. In sensation, in desire, I can feel good or bad. Whereas, with the intention, it can be for my own sake or for the sake of the Creator.

If I want to reach free choice, I need to work on the level of intention. It doesn’t matter what will happen on the level of my desire—I need only to worry about the intention. Below can be a very bad life, and above, on the level of intention, I attain goodness and give thanks to the Creator. If I can do this, it is a sign that I attained the intention to bestow, “Lishma.”

I rose above my desire, detached myself from it, restricted it, and stopped relating to me all that is good and bad. I look at myself from the side and see how this machine feels itself, its parameters and conditions. And then I understand how it needs to work for the sake of something else. This means that I am disconnected from myself.
[63713]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/20/2011, “Introduction to TES”

Related Material:
A Free Plane For The Intention
A Ray Of Light Through The Clouds
An Intermediate Form Between A Person And The Creator

Love Of The Creator: A Development Marathon Finale

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What does the law of loving the other give us?

Answer: By means of loving the other we can reach love of the Creator, which is the purpose for which we begin our development. The purpose of creation is to reach love of the Creator.

The Creator initially had a perfect love of the creature according to His nature of good that does good. Bringing the creature to this goodness means bringing it to the point of adhesion with the Creator.

It turns out that love of the Creator is the purpose of our development, its final point. It is reached through keeping the 612 commandments (various preparations in our 612 egoistic desires in order to turn them toward bestowal), which are necessary to reach the last, 613th commandment of love and bestowal toward each other.

Each rule consists of a connection in a variety of details. Following the example of the “holy group,” that is, the society built on the laws of bestowal and consisting of a few people united by one goal, our aim is to reach a higher purpose through giving to each other.

Giving in itself is not a purpose. If we gather together only to give to each other, we build an egoistic formation by enjoying each other. Such a union is advantageous to me because ten of us can reach more fulfillment than one. Everyone will receive pleasure from the other nine.

However, such bestowal doesn’t take us out of the egoistic law of receiving for oneself. Only if we bestow upon each other in order to bestow upon the Creator can we be called a holy group that wants to reach bestowal. Otherwise, we would build an egoistic society in order to mutually profit from each other.

A perfect spiritual structure should consist of not less than ten people, according to the ten Sefirot of a spiritual body. Then bestowal of one toward the other will bring us to bestowal toward the Creator since together, we want to become the full ten Sefirot.

Malchut is included in the first nine Sefirot (Tet Rishonot). Thus, ten Sefirot of bestowal (ten Sefirot of the Direct Light) are formed. And the first nine Sefirot get included into Malchut and form ten receiving Sefirot (ten Sefirot of the Reflected Light). Thus, we come to mutual bestowal. The need for such an action gives us the right to receive the power, the fulfillment from Above, and is called a prayer.
[63207]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/15/2011, Writings of Rabash

Related Material:
612 Components Of The Upper Love
Your Desires Within Me Are Like Pomegranate Seeds
The Main Commandment

The Right Adducts And The Left Rejects

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt is written, “There is none else beside Him.” This means that there is no other force in the world (there is no other power, beside the one Upper Force, neither in the smallest of deeds, nor in the entire universe in general), that has the ability to do anything against Him. And what man sees, that there are things in the world that deny the Higher Household, (the Creator’s power over me), the reason is that this is His will.

We become confused when we supposedly think that there are friends, a group, people, a big world with its supposed “rulers,” and even I, who makes decisions. The Upper Force wishes for me to think this way, to think that I control things, and that there are other people and another power beside Him.

And it is deemed a correction, called “the left rejects and the right adducts,” meaning that which the left rejects is considered correction. In other words, also the things which appear bad to us—rejection from the spiritual, the path, and the group, when I forget about the goal and do not want it, when I think that the group does not want me—all of these problems come only from one force, which rules over everything, regardless of whether I can see it. The Creator controls the external world and inside of me, all my thoughts and desires.

I want to advance, join a group and to attain the Upper Force through it, I want to reveal Him, cling to my friends and reveal the Upper Light within them, the quality of bestowal. But even when I strive towards this in the most direct and sincere form, with my whole heart, I still experience descents and confusion in the most sincere point, which I rarely manage to attain through hard work. I suddenly fall from my very direct path.

I could understand it if I were to go in some wrong direction and I were being returned to the direct path. But no, it is when I am already standing on the very direct path that I deviate and fall.

A person is pushed away from the goal and the group, suddenly becomes confused and loses the desire. He thinks that his friends are no good, the path is wrong, and the entire system does not work, and it is unclear who has ever reached and attained the spiritual world. But it is this kind of rejection that helps him acquire an absolute desire. Next….

And this is exactly what we need. Right now I have a small desire for spirituality, but I do not feel that it is not enough. Everyone thinks that his heart is about to explode and that he is ready for anything! But in reality, in order to achieve spiritual power, we need a much stronger inner pressure, inner desire, and thirst.

And we become rejected in order to increase our aspiration to the sufficient level—to acquire a complete desire and understand that there is nothing we can do without the Creator’s help.

We need to reach a state when our scream passes through our unity, our connection, and is directed towards the Creator—with the request for the upper force, the Light which returns to the source, the common force of bestowal, which encompasses all of nature, to help us! Let it correct my only egoistic part in nature and pull it forward.

Otherwise I see that I am doomed. In other words I must reach a state where I see that I have done the most I could for the sake of my connection inside the group, that I have put all my effort into attaining unity, a connection with friends, those with who I wanted to reach the connection with the Creator, to reveal the power of bestowal, so it would reign in us and fill us with this unique quality.

And here we lack a common cry to the Creator, the upper force. We must feel lost so that a single scream of ours would be enough. But it must really come from a state of despair, when we see that we will never achieve success without His aid.
[63568]
From Lesson 4, The World Arvut Convention 12/7/11

Related Material:
The End Of An Illusion Or The Change Of A Paradigm
Just Wish For It And It Will Come True
Endeavoring The Impossible