Entries in the 'nature' Category

Love Is The Most Powerful Weapon

Dr. Michael LaitmanEvery person wants to live in a world built on love, yet no one believes this is possible. Love exists only in children’s fairytales because every person understands that this is good for a child, that it makes life safer than animosity.

But what if it were possible to make the world like that? We live in a world that’s hostile to us, where everyone is fighting and competing with one another, and where life is becoming worse and worse.

“A person is a small world”; man’s anger and cruelty toward the world are starting to turn against him when he actualizes his egoistic desires and hates himself! This split personality is becoming more and more prominent.

Now imagine that you could shift your view and all your relationships to the path of care and love. What if we could suddenly raise and correct the whole world so no one would steal, no one would harm another person, and no one would use others to their detriment? We would see a reverse world and no one would be afraid that tomorrow their life would be destroyed. People wouldn’t be afraid that tomorrow we will destroy the earth and bury ourselves under the waste from our own production.

Love would oblige us to act in the best and most correct way. We wouldn’t have to search for billions of occupations just to keep the population busy, producing things no one needs. Even if they wouldn’t work, every person would receive what he needs because then people also wouldn’t need any excesses since they would live in a kind, amiable world.

Then we wouldn’t pollute the earth with unnecessary products, which is 90% of all the things being produced. If we look at nature, there is nothing wasted. Look at how life is organized in the animal kingdom, from the beginning of creation to its end, in all the forms that are included in nature’s cycle where everything is repeatedly used to 100% capacity.

All the cycles are absolutely closed, with the exception of the things man does. When man produces anything, he does not return it to nature in the natural form, but only in the form of toxins which poison nature.

However, if we treated each other with love, we would make the world absolutely clean! Love would ensure that we did not demand any excess for ourselves and then everything would normalize. How different would things be from today where all the oceans are full of garbage and radioactive waste.

The only thing we lack in our world is attention toward one another and mutual participation in the integral system, and we will get there out of despair.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 10/24/10, “Matan Torah”

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Freedom Is The Gift Of The Primordial Snake

Dr. Michael LaitmanAt some point we come to realize that our entire life can be divided into two periods according to how the Upper Governance, the Creator, treats us. The first “half” is our childhood, when nature (everyone around us) protects us in every way, and the second “half” is when this protection ends. I become an adult and nature starts pressuring, demanding, and loading me with responsibilities.

It is difficult to understand why things are this way as well as why a human being is born absolutely helpless, falling into the arms of his mother and father and becoming a burden on society. And why in the second part of his life, as soon as he becomes self-sufficient, he has to work hard and worry about how to protect others and provide a happy childhood for them just like it was provided for him.

This is a reflection of a spiritual law where the lower part (AHP) of the Upper Partzuf descends to the upper part (Galgalta Eynaim) of the lower one in order to push him forward. This happens because our qualities and the Creator’s qualities must penetrate one another, and this occurs in the reverse form, by way of the breaking, known as “Adam HaRishon’s original sin.” With the help of the original Evil (the snake), we acquire a special hollow area within ourselves, the place for the future soul. It is the place where we will find ourselves merged with the Creator and attain His height, having known good and evil.

This is the path we will have to walk. For now we still don’t possess this point of independence and we are governed with the help of “angels” from Above (Upper Forces). In other words, everything we have comes from Him. The Light acts first in everything and we are just derivatives of it.

How, then, do we make the creature primary and the revelation of the Creator, the construction of the Creator within the creature, secondary? If I existed in this world without any support and there weren’t any Kabbalists before me, where would I gain an opportunity for free will, this profound point?

The Creator can give me everything else, but this freedom mustn’t come from my will to receive pleasure because even though this desire is completely opposite to Light, it is still fully governed by the Light, only in the reverse form. The Light acts, and my will to receive jumps to the opposite side, like on a swing. So where does my independence come from, without which all creation would have no purpose?

We receive it precisely from the primordial Evil. We have nowhere else to get it from.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/15/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot

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In Nature’s Clutches

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Fires are breaking out in Moscow; people are walking around with breathing masks and leaving the city. There are floods in India and landslides in China due to heavy rains. Is it possible to fix the situation?

Answer: Nature is closing in on us from all sides in order to show us a simple fact: We are inside of it, we are very small, and exist inside a tiny area where we all depend on one another and on the all-enveloping, wise nature (the Creator) that surrounds us.

We are obligated to find the only reason for all our troubles and to understand the only thing we have to do in order to prevent global catastrophes. It is already clear that the oil spill in America, the volcano eruption in Iceland, the fires in Russia, and the tsunamis and floods in Asia and Europe cannot be called “local troubles.” They are global influences of nature upon all of us. Moreover, they will continue without a doubt; no one will be able to remain untouched and feel safe.

When the financial crisis broke out in America, people in Russia were happy, thinking that this only affected America and it wouldn’t happen to them. But their short-sightedness was revealed to them a few weeks later in their own bank accounts! Someone might think, “What do I care if a volcano erupts in India? All the volcanoes can erupt for all I care!” However, this influenced everyone, as do the fires and floods. And winter is still ahead of us….

At the end of it all, we will have to understand that our planet is round and we must unite together and think about survival all together. The Creator or Nature (which is the same thing) has a mind, feelings, a direction, and a goal. It will force us to become “good children.” Let us hope that we will understand this quickly and will get smarter.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot

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Development Is Impossible Without Mistakes

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: It is difficult to tear ourselves away from our current state and bring ourselves into the hands of the environment in order to rise to the next degree. Is there some other way that this can this be done?

Answer: This is the only way to ascend the spiritual ladder! It seems to you that the spiritual world is something opposite to nature. However, this is not the case. We are part of nature, and by following the advice of Kabbalists, we act according to the laws that exist in it.

From a higher degree, which emanates Light and brings about darkness, the two opposites, the Light and desire, become revealed. They come and develop from there according to their nature: One is giving, while the other is receiving. In this manner, these two attributes of bestowal and reception spread out from Above downward, intertwined together, until they reach us. In turn, we study how we are arranged according to this two-fold nature (the double helix of spiritual DNA) and how we can ascend by these natural degrees.

So do not look for some other ways. Kabbalists describe indisputable facts that exist in nature. Whether we like it or not, we will be forced to accept them. After all, one who does not follow the laws of nature will be punished by suffering.

An animal, contrary to a human being, never makes mistakes since it is a part of nature and cannot act against it. Meanwhile, a human being is the only creature that has egoism. Yet, egoism raises us above nature. The inanimate, vegetative, and animate parts merge with nature. They cannot think, desire, or act otherwise. There is an additional level above them called “human.” This level is opposite to the Upper nature, meaning to the Creator.

And egoism is the source of all our mistakes and transgressions. It is created precisely for the purpose of showing us our opposition to the Creator. Our whole problem is: What do we do with the degree of “human” in us? The whole potential of our development above the natural level is instilled in it.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/2/10, Article, “The Matter of Truth and Faith”

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Your Protection From Above

Dr. Michael LaitmanNature is divided into several levels: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. Likewise, mankind consists of them as do each of us individually. These four levels represent the four stages of evolution of our will to receive for our own benefit.

We are led through these stages by envy, lust, and ambition: from desiring wealth to desiring power, and from desiring power to desiring knowledge. This is how we evolve from level to level. The greater a person’s ascent, the more opportunities nature provides for him to err and deviate from the truth. In fact, the more advanced a person is, the more diverse qualities he develops which makes him more vulnerable and open to various influences.

The poor are mostly pre-occupied with their welfare and the money of the wealthy. The “heroes” who strive for power are dependent on the opinions of others, while the “wise-men” who crave knowledge are filled with doubts and keep looking for something as they are never satisfied.

The more evolved a person is, the greater the chance that he faces the challenge of being pulled by some foreign idea and away from the straight, short route to the goal, which is adhesion with the Creator. In the “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot,” Baal HaSulam writes that the wholesome desire of the advanced people breaks and they start chasing wealth, power, and fame, thereby forgetting that it is the end of the “person.” At this point, only luck and “protection from Above” can help.

We know that there were people who possessed a true (spiritual) desire, but even they eventually expired under the weight of earthly pursuits. Therefore, you must scrupulously examine your desire: Are you absolutely certain that the goal is important to you, so important that the rest of the world doesn’t exist?

The Creator assists the person on his path, but only if the person lives in constant awe and is afraid to deviate from the right track. This spiritual fear brings him assistance from Above. In this state, a person understands that his soul is in the hands of the Creator.

From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 7/29/10, “Introduction to the Book, Panim Meirot uMasbirot

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Answers To Your Questions, Part 10

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe Attainment of the Purpose of Creation Rests Upon the Whole of Mankind
Questions about the post “Kabbalists On The Purpose Of Creation,” Part 7

Question: Kabbalah maintains that the spiritual laws are rigid and unchangeable as the laws of nature are in our world. Yet it also states that, contrary to these laws, a spark called “Ner Dakik” (fine and small illumination) descended under the Machsom (barrier separating us from spirituality) and begot the entire material reality. How could it be that the spiritual law was violated?

My Answer: There are two natures, two worlds; the upper one controls the lower one.

Question: Quote: “When it comes to the correction of the soul, no corporeal abilities or talents determine success.” Some of your students are very talented and participate in almost every dissemination project. Also, there are those who have a hard time working even an hour per day. Often  this makes me depressed and even fearful because it’s impossible to attain the goal even with such efforts. How can I use this state and not fall into despair?

My Answer: The spiritual success depends on the effort put forth to create the desire for the property of love and bestowal. It has nothing to do with one’s corporeal faculties given by nature at birth.

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Apocalypse 2010

Dr. Michael LaitmanAn old friend of mine, a famous physicist whom I’ve known since my studies in St. Petersburg, Yuri Magarshak (USA), and another physicist, Eugene Levitch (Israel), published an article entitled “Apocalypse” in the Russian online magazine “Vremya.” In the article, they argue that the tragedy in the Mexican Gulf may result in a blazing tornado and bring about an apocalyptic turn of events. In response, I would like to make a few comments:

1. A recent catastrophe of previously unseen magnitude can change life on our planet, and by all means, will cause changes in global economics and politics. All we can do is to watch what’s going on because humankind has no remedy to quell this disaster.

2. Things happen not in accordance with apocalyptic forecasts, but according to a Kabbalistic scenario. It predicts that our generation will go through such tremendous affliction that it will be forced to seek an answer to the question, “What is the purpose of our existence?” After we discover the answer to this question, we will have to build our future accordingly.

3. According to Kabbalah, Nature executes its own plan of human development and forces us to transition from unconscious existence triggered by suffering to conscious development. The ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is only one link in the chain. As a result of our development, people will reveal the hidden part of Nature and will attain perfection and eternity.

4. Kabbalah shows us how to pass this stage of our development without suffering. Instead, it shows us how to be driven by a benevolent goal. We have a chance. Let’s pray to God that the authors’ call will be heard.

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A Game: Stepping Into The Unknown

Dr. Michael LaitmanMoving into a new unexplored state that we have yet to discover, create, and select the correct actions, is called a game. Playing, nonetheless, is a serious activity, which carries the element of the unknown. While playing, we study our capacities, inclinations, and goals, along with their outcomes. With each iteration, a person moves forward to an unknown state.

How does one advance into the unknown? If we know the beginning and the final states, it means that the program is already within us and we are merely implementing it as we move from state to state. However, in this way we are not growing. Moving toward a known state doesn’t translate into acquiring a new one, but is only an accumulation of experience. If a person knows what the next state should be, then it is within him, he is already in it.

“Growth” on the other hand, means that one acquires a totally new state and becomes the person they are not yet today. How can we accomplish this in the most rational, mature, and correct way if not with the help of a game, a simulation? Nature itself pushes us relentlessly to learn by playing.

The same process can be observed at the still, vegetative, and animate levels. In order to continuously advance, a plant employs similar processes within itself, just like a game. If we study the plant during its growth, it appears identical to ours on the animate and human levels.

A person has to imagine correctly the next state within oneself, so much so as to receive the force of growth from within it. Therefore, the Creator’s presence in each creature is mandatory. One can make a step forward only if it already exists in him. A person must consciously and purposefully draw the Creator’s Light, which comes from his hidden higher “half.”

Therefore, a person constructs a model of a more advanced state using the group, which is a simulator of the World of Infinity, spiritual states, and mutual bestowal. When a person performs various actions, one expects the Light to act upon him and to let him know that the most correct possible state has been found. When does it occur? When the Light clothes in it.

The Light remains in absolute rest. We only need to find our similarity to it. Out of all possible forms, as soon as we pick the form similar to the Creator, He immediately fills us and we become united with one another. This is called the next state. In this way, we advance.

From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/18/10, The Zohar

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Boundless Love

Laitman_104A question I received: How can we maintain within ourselves the need to bestow?

My Answer: The need to bestow that stems from love never dies out. You’ll never be able to say “Enough!” On the contrary, the more you give, the greater your need to bestow will be. Otherwise it’s not love. If love is limited to a certain level beyond which you won’t go, if you feel that your love has boundaries, then it is not love.

Your wife can explain it very well to you. Women can feel these things naturally. A man tends to limit his love because his spiritual root is the force of the anti-egoistic screen that dictates to him: “Here is the limit and I am not ready to go any further.” In contrast, a woman who wants to experience a man’s love can’t understand how love can have boundaries. This is instilled in our nature.

Pleasure can never extinguish the desire to love; it only awakens an even bigger desire. When you give to your children, you don’t tell them: “Enough, I won’t give to you anymore.” Perhaps you can’t give more because of external circumstances, but you cannot voluntarily restrict giving to your own children.

Love revokes all boundaries. We don’t understand what true love is. We think that it is about filling up our own stomach, but love is fulfillment of somebody else’s desire. It’s an aspiration to satisfy another person. I sense that this is about another person (not me); I feel the distance between us. Yet, I want to fulfill this person.

We are talking here about a spiritual Kli and the science of Kabbalah rather than about hugs and kisses. All of nature acts in accordance with this principle of lack and its fulfillment; love rules over everything. Everything in nature unites, draws closer, or, on the contrary, moves further away from each other according to this principle. This single force acts in nature since the Creator is the power of love. That’s why there is nothing else besides love and hatred (that is, love with a negative sign.)

“Love your neighbor” is not just a beautiful slogan, but rather a law of nature. To fulfill another person’s desire means to sense ourselves beyond time, motion, or space, beyond all limitations of this world. It is to enter spirituality. By doing so, we attain eternal life. If not, we live like animals and are restricted by our material body in this world.

From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/3/10, Article “Matan Torah”

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We Cannot Deceive The Law Of Nature

Laitman_712_02A question I received: There are people who do not study Kabbalah and yet they understand the importance of giving; they try to take actions to help others. Will they reveal spirituality by doing so?

My Answer: Why would a person want to help someone else? His egoistic nature tells him, “Take care of yourself first. If you can profit from the other, treat him well, if not don’t.” It corresponds with the law of nature.

The problem is that people think they are “outside” the laws of nature because they don’t know them. They invent their own laws that allegedly can be applied to our society and people. Communists exterminated millions of people realizing this abstract principle.

We have to study nature and understand how we are supposed to act rather than invent new laws of our own. Otherwise, we’ll arrive at the same result as Russia. It strived to be an example for the world and actually did so, but only as an example of how not to act.

A person will never simply do “good” to others since it goes against his nature. Our nature is to receive the maximum while giving the minimum. That’s the law. Ask any psychologist, sociologist, or biologist. Our history and nature teach us that we are unable to unite on our own, although nature forces us to do so. All attempts to unite usually trigger wars.

Kabbalah reveals itself to the world at the time of its tragic deadlock and desperation, and offers the Upper Force as an instrument for correcting our nature. At first glance, this solution seems unrealistic. However, the very idea of changing human nature is equally unrealistic. Yet it is simply inevitable for our survival. For this reason, humanity will eventually accept Kabbalah. The only question is how much more suffering will it take.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/26/10, Article “Matan Torah”

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