Dr. Anatoly Ulianov: For some reason I just recalled a chance game that used to be popular. Where does the hope that people hang on games of chance come from?

Dr. Michael Laitman: When we cannot know exactly what the right decision is, we put ourselves in the hands of fate, hoping that there is a destiny, an unpredictable upper force that controls us, and we give ourselves over to it. Of course, in games we don’t take it seriously.

In life, however, we see that even when we plan ahead and want everything to go according to our plan, things unfold by different laws. That’s where a discrepancy between common sense, my established dogmas, and what really happens in life emerges.

How can I leave my dogmas and merge with the actions that are actually happening outside of me, under the influence of some external, higher force of Nature?

Humanity is entering a state of integral, global governance by Nature. Previously we did not notice it, but developed through the generations according to our egoism, changing ourselves, society, and the social orders.

But today we – individualists, egoists – are starting to find ourselves in a completely different format. We are included in a mechanism that operates integrally, like an analog system where all the parts are completely interconnected, mutually determining each other’s state, and no one has any free movement. A person influences the whole world with his thoughts and desires, not to mention the physical actions. This is called “the butterfly effect.”

There is a contradiction between how we were created, how we map out the world based on our nature, and how Nature actually works in reality. A discrepancy arises between the two systems. And that is when the desire to play emerges.

To play means to give yourself over to the will of the integral nature that controls us, which we cannot understand, and with which we cannot act in unison. Therefore, a person seems to give himself over to a force, a governance that comes from Nature. In a sense, he throws a dice, thinking, “The result does not depend on me. I am simply giving myself over to the whim of chance.” So what should we do?

If we tried to “team up” with Nature, we would win. Of course, we wouldn’t be thoughtlessly “throwing dice,” but we would try to penetrate the integral governance. And even though it contradicts our common sense, if we would try to come closer to this integral governance, we would see that sometimes it’s worthwhile to act in that integral manner, that the advantage of doing that is obvious.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

1. Voluntary and Free
“Voluntary and free” refers to the choice of one’s actions and deeds until the person (whether a child or an adult) becomes certain that he is acting according to his conviction, the analysis he has made, and the decision he has reached. As long as he is not certain about the next move, he doesn’t do it.

And when he acts in life, or “makes a move,” just as in a game, he clearly knows that he is doing it himself. He has reached this conclusion on his own and is acting this way on his own.

2. Make Believe
A game is always “make-believe.” A child has to know that it’s a game.

3. Spatial Zone and Time
A game has a spatial zone and a time, meaning there is a beginning and an end to the game, and certain spatial boundaries.

4. Rules
A game always comes with rules.

5. Process is primary. Result is secondary
What’s important is the process of the game, while the result of the game is secondary. … As soon as a result appears in a game, it stops being a game.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Dr. Anatoly Ulianov: A few decades ago Johan Huizinga, a cultural historian and philosopher, published a book titled, Homo Ludens (Man the Player), which became a kind of a cult-book. After its publication, people started talking a lot about the role of games in the development of man and life in general. So what is a “game”?

Dr. Michael Laitman: The extensive influence of games on human development has been known since ancient times. We like to play. And practically speaking, we spend most of our lives playing. Even my pre-dissertation examination in philosophy included a question on games.

Games are everywhere, including in math and in Nature. Games have a very important role in the development of animals and even plants. The element of playing is present in any transformation, in any forward movement from one state to another.

We observe the elements of a game even on the level of cellular development, the development of organism, and within living organisms.

No growth or development is possible without the presence of several possibilities. there always has to be a specific choice that is played out and made, and this choice is always made through playing. This can be explained using probability theory, mathematical theory, and others. Meaning, we see that Nature is playing.

Dr. Ulianov: Nevertheless, there is a notion that games are related only to childhood, and when a person grows up it’s inappropriate for him to play because he has to be more serious.

Dr. Laitman: Unfortunately, there is indeed such a notion. But of course, this is a dull perception of the world. When a person stops playing, he stops developing.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

“If we create an environment that has the qualities of bestowal and love, it will be just like a mother.” – Dr. Michael Laitman

Dr. Laitman: In principle, this is what the great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” talks about. You were instinctively made to feel what a mother is – the safest, kindest place in the world. You might already be a grownup, but you still instinctively aspire to this feeling just like a child.

So make the world be like that!

Dr. Ulianov: People really do long for it. What you are describing sounds wonderful, but it seems unrealistic.

Dr. Laitman: That means we have to think about how to make it happen. Besides, our nature obligates us to achieve this anyhow. The world is now starting to be revealed as an integral, global system. What does that mean? It means that the world is forcing us to treat each other the same as our mothers treated us. Then, together we will acquire precisely this state of being “in the mother’s womb.”

Dr. Ulianov: Are you saying that the globalization that scares people is actually a “large, loving mom” coming our way?

Dr. Laitman: This is a revolution, and how we go through it depends entirely on us. We can either go through it by th good path and joint efforts, understanding where we are going, or we will go through it completely disorientated, like a child who has lost its mother. Nature will force us to create a society that corresponds exactly to the image of our mother, Nature, “Mother Nature.”

Dr. Ulianov: Usually, mothers take it very hard when a child acquires independence, when his need to be next to her diminishes.

Dr. Laitman: In the ideal upbringing, when a child starts wishing to separate from the mother, to the extent that he desires it, he should build a surrounding environment, which replaces his mother, and gradually transfer her function to the society around him.

Nature has arranged things so a child will separate from the mother. This is inevitable. We just have to make the surrounding world replace the mother for every child, but precisely to the degree that the child has the right attitude toward the surrounding world.

A mother accepts her child however he is. He is hers. And to the world, he is “the world’s” or “not the world’s” depending on how correctly he treats the world. We have to create an environment that teaches the child the right attitude toward the world. Then the world will replace his mother for him.

The mother is the mother for the child’s body, while the world is the mother of the human being in a person, when he forms the right image out of himself. To the degree that he is “not yet a person,” meaning to the extent that he does not live in bestowal and love for others, the world will relate toward him differently, not as a mother.

Dr. Ulianov: One of the definitions of a psychological disorder is hypersensitivity to oneself and a lack of sensitivity to the outside world. If we create this structure, will we raise healthy children in that sense?

Dr. Laitman: Most importantly, they will be healthy in the spiritual sense. And naturally, it will be expressed in their physical well-being.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Instructor In Regular Education:

• One who instructs. Meaning, there are clear instructions and the instructor is in charge of making sure that they are observed to the letter.
• An instructor is a rigid, military notion.

Educator In Integral Education:

• The opposite of an instructor in regular education.
• Gives a person a chance to find everything out on his/her own, to attain, touch, smell, and taste everything, and then to reach his/her own conclusion independently.
• Helps the person take on a different image.
• An educator is a more flexible notion than an instructor.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Instructors cannot tend to like some children more than others. If they do, then they are not instructors. Also, we must instill an absolutely integral perception of the group and the world in the children. Someone can’t be better than someone else! We were all created the same by nature, we just have to learn to use our inclinations and qualities correctly. this is a necessary condition for integral intercaction. This is what nature demands of us.

Precisely because we are so different, the connection between us produces such a multifaceted, beautiful world. So we should never cut out anything from a person just because we think it is improper. Under any circumstances, we mustn’t tie anyone to a “procrustean bed” of some standard.

The only standard that exists is to give every person the right upbringing. Then he will find his right place in society, an we will have the proper mosaic: a harmonious society.

Q: So my like or dislike toward someone is just an expression of my own problems?

A: No, it shouldn’t be there at all. If it is present, that person cannot be an instructor. He has to constantly control himself and work on this.

Q: How should he work on it?

A: He must work on himself individually, as well as with other instructors, to learn to treat the world integrally. Integrally means that in my attitude toward the world, I don’t divide people by any external attributes. I initially see them – and myself – as created correctly, and we just have to connect the right way. Then everything will turn out right.

You will see that there is nothing harmful in any person, whatever inclinations he may have, provided they are used correctly. These are the fundamental principles of an integral society, and I think humanity will understand them.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Goal of Excursions for Children According to the Integral Method:

The children should associate themselves with the person or the phenomenon we show them, both positively and negatively. They should feel involved. Then we will have achieved a positive effect, even by visiting a prison, for example. A person wanted to steal something or to break some law, and this is what happened to him as a result.

Excursion Format:

1. Before the excursion – briefing: Before the trip we hold a briefing, where we show and tell the children what they will be experiencing.
2. At the excursion – videotaped explanation & experience: Let’s say that children went to a hospital and saw some negative phenomenon. How is this information processed and how are the conclusions drawn? At the hospital, a doctor or a special tour guide explains to us where we are, and what happened to whom. He takes us to see the hospitalized children and tells us how they are being treated and what is happening to them. The children themselves also talk about what happened to them. We record all of this on video and every child takes his own small notes. We even prepare white robes for them, and generally, all of this is done in an attractive, intriguing way.
3. After the excursion – discussion: When we come back, we start discussing this entire process, but from a broader perspective: Why does the hospital exist, how does it work, what do the different doctors specialize in, how do the children get there, and so on.

But most importantly, they also see the benefit of the entire hospital staff, the doctors, nurses, and attendants, as well as the medical drugs, and so on. We show them how humanity depends on various professions and forms of activity, and how all of this comes down to helping people. But on the other hand, they see that a person has to take care of himself so he won’t end up in a hospital and become a burden for other people who now have to take care of him.

We have to think about what we can do so we don’t become a burden on other people. This is already a correct conclusion: When you want to climb somewhere dangerous, first think about the fact that not only will you break a leg, but other people will have to take care of you. And this is a serious “weight” to carry. This is a good conclusion to make.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Children should not learn only from positive phenomena. They should be shown places like prisons and rehabilitation centers, and often. Children have to retain impressions from all facets of life, thus forming a distinct attitude.

After all, the whole problem is that the child doesn’t feel the implications of his or her negative actions. If s/he felt it in advance, then we could treat the child like an adult.

Why do we have such a merciful attitude toward children?

It’s because they cannot see or predict the future. This is why we say that they cannot be held responsible for their actions.

But when a child observes the consequences of someone else’s negative actions, such as a person being put in prison, a person being sick, a person who cannot overcome his drug or alcohol addiction, and look what happened to that person: he has lung cancer from smoking, or another person died because he fell off a roof, then we can teach them through the examples of others to “Consider the consequences.” In this way we guard them from repeating these actions or mistakes.

We won’t start treating them like adults after they see these things. But they will already become adults.

From what age can we start to involve a child in this process of observing negative things, such as taking them to a children’s trauma center where their peers are hospitalized?

The same age as their hospitalized peers. At age 5 or 6 they will already understand this. “Look at that boy. Let him tell you what he did. Oh, he jumped over a gate, and that one climbed on a rooftop, and that one was run over by a car, and now he’s laying there with an injured arm or leg.” Do you know what a lesson for life that is!? Of course, we should beware of serious injuries, such as ones where a person loses an eye or an arm. This has to be done very gradually, but they should eventually be shown all of the negative consequences.

And when they get a little bit older, they can visit maternity wards and so on. That is, we have to show them all of life in its proper form. What will this accomplish? This will help them interact correctly and properly place themselves in relation to all of these consequences.

I think this is where many parents would ask, “Won’t we scare or even paralyze a child with this truth about life?”

But we aren’t just saying to a child out of the blue, “Today let’s go on a trip to a hospital and look at broken arms and legs.” Our children are in a constant process of upbringing, in a constant process of attainment of themselves and the world, and in a constant discussion of everytyhing around them. That is why we can see the order in which we can show this to them so it would be perceived the right way.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Midwest Book Review published a review on one of Dr. Michael Laitman’s latest books, Self Interest vs. Altruism in the Global Era: How Society Can Turn Self Interests into Mutual Benefit. The following is an excerpt from the review:

Stating that society’s future relies on cooperation of people to work together for society, stating that much of society’s degradation in recent decades has been the result of narcissism and greed, “Self Interest vs. Altruism” is a curious and recommended read for those who believe that optimism in human nature is not entirely lost.

Source: MidwestBookReview.com

The 3rd lesson in the Free Kabbalah Course is an investigation into our perception of reality, examining the questions: Who am I? What is reality? And why is it even important to know the answers to these questions? What would that give us access to?

Let’s just think about this word “I” or “me.” Think about how many times each day you say or think these words: “I want …” “I think …” “I’m doing …” “I’m having …” “I’m giving …” We always think in terms of “me in relation to my surroundings.”

So defining this “me” that you’re constantly referring to is a fundamental question about life. Is it my body? If I’m hungry, is it my stomach? Is it this brain that thinks or this heart that pumps? Or is it something deeper?

And not only “I” or “me” but also the other part of the question: All these things I seemingly perceive as being outside of this “me,” for instance this computer, this text, this table, other people … I’m always identifying objects and people that I observe.

The 3rd lesson in the Free Kabbalah Course starts defining what is behind all these objects and people, getting into a deeper investigation of this “I” and the reality that this “I” perceives. It will overview science’s evolution on this topic through Newton, Einstein, and quantum physics, and reach what Kabbalah says about it, and what that means for us today.

Now is the last chance to sign up for the Winter 2012 semester of the Free Kabbalah Course. Registration closes on Wednesday, January 18 – the same day as the “Who Am I? What Is Reality?” lesson.

Sign Up For The Free Course Here »

There is neither the yielding of resources nor the fighting over resources. Rather, there is the affirmation of what is shared. There is no “yours” or “mine,” but you and I must both own the resource together, and that doesn’t mean each of us has his own half, but that the resource is shared.

Today, we are at the highest peak of egoistic development. Our egoism is enormous, demanding constant satisfaction, regardless of everyone, and even in order to spite them. I enjoy being superior to others. The worse someone else feels, the better I feel.

At our current stage, we have to create a society in which I will feel everything belongs to everyone, including myself, meaning that I belong to everyone and not to myself. There should be nothing in me that I could call my personal “self,” but only “we” and “ours.”

The understanding that needs to become instilled in people: If another person benefits, then I benefit too.

What should an integral system of upbringing show people?

It should show people the state of the world and of nature, the challenge nature is presenting us with, and nature’s globality and integrality. It obligates us to be similar to it, while now we are the opposite of it. We have no other choice but to explain that everything that is happening in the world is the result of our similarity or dissimilarity to the surrounding environment.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).

Dr Laitman with Doris Epstein on MENSCHlife from David Grossman on Vimeo.

“From the perspective of Kabbalah, we teach how to be connected among us above our egos. So everyone remains in his own religion, belief system and culture, and at the same time, we all have to be in this mutual connection. Just like everyone may have a different character, but we still can find a common language.”

Dr. Michael Laitman, taken from the video.

1) A group of children who have just begun assimilating this method need to be influenced through songs, dance, games, communication, forums, debates and so on.

2) For children, the process of learning about life is active and multifaceted. They have to learn how banks, hospitals, and depots work. They have to visit the zoo, fields where crops are grown, a planetarium, and so on. Then, they should discuss how all of these are interconnected. The concrete and fragmentary impressions of the world should eventually connect into a single, integral picture that will give them the impression of the world as one whole. This is aimed at giving the child the ability to see any phenomenon in the world and perceive it as part of the common whole, which will let the child make correct decisions.

3) There are no grades or evaluations. Children/people are developed the way they are. With today’s children, the most important thing is not to suppress the new capabilities that are developing in them. That is why we should approach them without any grades or other measuring scales. The only criterion should be a person’s integration with his integral environment.

4) Every person has his or her own rate of development, and thus, people cannot be compared. Some learn very fast and advance quickly, but at some point they stop progressing. Others start out having a very hard time agreeing, and understanding what the study is all about. We were created this way, so we cannot give people grades. Each of us is utterly unique.

5) When a child or any person at all participates in this process to the best of his/her ability, this alone is praiseworthy and should be the person’s only grade. Any participation has to be valued because what’s important is not one’s success, but his participation.

6) Fixed times for group meetings, activities, etc.

7) Acting. Self-analysis is the most important thing. Therefore, it is very important to teach children the skill of acting. They have to be able to step out of themselves, put their “selves” aside, and play a different role. It enables the child to impersonate and thereby understand others.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov.

1. The instructor is necessary because otherwise there won’t be any upbringing taking place
2. Upbringing is when an older person who knows the youths’ future states is present and helps them form that state
3. The instructor must do it gradually, unnoticeably, by giving them hints
4. The instructor is on their level, but descended from a higher level to be on their level; the students don’t feel that the instructor is special, but as someone there to help them
5. The instructor’s mastery lies in his ability to influence them gradually, from the inside, in a way that’s imperceptible to the children
6. In this way, the instructor gathers them together and leads them to the decision to rise higher
7. The instructor evokes this interest in them so their inner desires, questions, and various pressures gradually transform into a desire to unite, and thus rise to the next level
8. The instructor has to give them hints of how to get together
9. This is according to the principle: “Raise a child according to his own way”

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov.

Tonight, the second lesson of the Free Kabbalah Course took place, which provided an introduction and context to learning The Zohar, the seminal book of Kabbalah.

One of the main points in the first two lessons has been understanding individual and collective human evolution through 4 stages of desire – inanimate, vegetative, animate and speaking – where we developed through food, sex, family (inanimate level of desire), money (vegetative level of desire), honor, control, knowledge (animate level of desire), and how today we have reached a desire for an unknown, unfelt connection that we cannot pinpoint, called “the desire for spirituality” (speaking level of desire). It is precisely this new desire for connection appearing today that on the one hand is causing us to make all kinds of global connections between us, while on the other, feel more and more distant and alone. It’s the era of more crisis on every level of life:

• Personal – increasing depression, suicide, drug abuse and loneliness
• Social – increasing social unrest, gaps between the rich and the poor, poverty and unemployment
• Global – increasing security threats and future outlooks of much more limited energy and resources
• Ecological – increasing ecological disasters: hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, and increasing extinctions of species

In the lesson, the instructors elaborate on this development and what characterizes our era, setting the scene for the revelation of The Zohar and the wisdom of Kabbalah in our era, which come specifically to fulfill this new desire for spirituality awakening in humanity.

This desire is characterized by all the above crises, but more internally, the desire is expressed as fundamental questions about life, about the person, society and existence: “What is the meaning of life?” “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What is the reason for all the suffering in the world?” “Where did we come from?” “Where are we headed?” and so on.

All of the above crises are in order to awaken these questions in us, and the wisdom of Kabbalah was made for one purpose only: to provide the path that answers these questions in the form of a clear perception and sensation, one that doesn’t exist in our present outlook on reality.

Registration to the Free Kabbalah Course is still open until January 18, so it’s not too late to sign up, download the first lessons, and continue with the course. Sign Up Here »

1. Parents have to understand that they have to be friends with their children and discuss everything with them, but not where the child does not want to see them.
2. A common mistake that parents make today: Even when the child turns 20, parents are still willing to run after and give the child orders, trying to protect the child from everything. Parents must understand a very simple rule: They cannot intervene in the process of upbringing.
3. Parents need to apply the method of integral upbringing in the home. They need to be simple, sincere and friendly with the child, and show the child that they agree with the child’s upbringing. This is how the parents will earn the child’s approval, so the child won’t consider them dinosaurs or worse, enemies.
4. Parents have to show the child that they trust the child, and in various ways they need to let the child understand that they respect the child for taking the path to a new world.
5. The self-respect that you awaken in a child with your attitude toward the child is of utmost importance!
6. It would be profoundly beneficial for parents to watch positively influenced television or Internet programs together with their children, meaning programs that show the correct kind of communication models and relationships, including programs that depict all kinds of problems along with their solutions, like a movie for the whole family highlighting the topic of “fathers and sons,” meaning gap between the generations.
7. Ideally, both parents and children should end up having a common interest, which is to transform themselves to suit the new matrix that nature is presenting before them – to exist in and sense the integral, global humanity.
8. Parents should understand that finding common ground in the transition to the integral, global humanity is easier for children and more difficult for the parents. Transitional periods are never easy: There are all sorts of impulses, fluctuations, and deviations from the balanced state.
9. Who are you [the parent]? You are the guide to the world in which the child found him- or herself. This means that you have to show the child this world and demonstrate how it works. Show the child how you treat others, how others treat you, how you share with others and do something for them. The child has to see all of this. And gradually, based on these extremely subtle interconnections, show the child that if s/he doesn’t participate in everything together with everyone and does not take others into consideration, if s/he does not desire to be integrally connected with them, then others won’t treat him the way s/he wants either. And that this is the reason for the child’s pains.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov.

While mass media should be engaged in creating integral education and upbringing for children, everything currently falls on the shoulders of the teachers and the department of education, which is not yet even focusing on “upbringing” (i.e. raising a human being who is in touch with the global, integral reality) but instead on “educating” (i.e. giving a person tools in order to acquire a profession according to the world’s current socio-economic state). This is why the entire education system itself is falling apart.

The transformation from an egoistic, proprietary, individual level – where human relationships are self-serving – to an altruistic, integral, and global level, where everyone must be interconnected can be achieved with the help of mass media. This transformation will be possible if public representatives and the world’s influential people understand the need for change, and take it on themselves to care for the future generation.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov.

Children today seem strange and eccentric because they are born with preexisting rudiments of the next social state of the world, one that is global and integral.

While this new global integral reality might seem strange to adults today, to children it is completely natural and even desirable.

It is not children who have a problem, it is the parents and teachers who are trying to implement a new method of connection among people, a method offered to them by nature. The adults are still in a transition phase, while the children are already ripe for it.

We are in the midst of a transition from an egoistic, proprietary, individual level – where the relationships between us are self-serving – to an altruistic, integral, and global level, where everyone must be interconnected.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov.

It’s no coincidence and it’s not by chance that the world is going through a transitional era of global connectivity. While on one hand, worldwide interconnectedness is causing a lot of confusion and problems, on the other hand, it embodies a change that had been foreseen and written about in the seminal book of Kabbalah, The Zohar.

The Zohar was written to be opened and used specifically in our era, when humanity transitions into an integral, global entity. It speaks of the deep connection that binds all people as one grand organism. By reading The Zohar with a specific intention and under certain conditions, people are provided with the ability to discover deeper levels of connection among themselves and with nature.

This Sunday’s [January 8, 2012] lesson of the Free Kabbalah Course is all about The Zohar, discussing:

• What is the context to which The Zohar fits into our lives today?
• What does The Zohar give us access to?
• And why is The Zohar being studied so widely today?

If you haven’t yet signed up for the Free Kabbalah Course, then you may still do so. Enrollment for this Winter 2012 course will be open for a little bit longer, so you can sign up, download the first lessons, and continue with this Sunday’s Zohar lesson and the rest of the course, as well as enjoy all the free materials and the connection to 1,000s of students worldwide in the virtual classroom and the student forum. Sign Up For The Free Course Here »

See you on Sunday!

Image: The virtual classroom at the Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education Center, where the first lesson took place

Tonight, people from all around the world gathered in the global classroom at edu.kabbalah.info to participate in the first lesson of the Winter 2012 Free Kabbalah Course.

As BBEC instructors explained what Kabbalah is, who it’s for, what its goal is, and why so many people are discovering it today, through relating to dozens of questions sent by participants, the classes evolved into discussing:

• Why people should attain a higher level of reality? What does it give them?
• How people are engaged in an involuntary, perpetual chase for pleasure, which is never completely attained
• How this perpetual chase for pleasure is the root cause of every problem in the world
• What is the source of this perpetual pleasure hunt?
• How a desire to receive pleasure is at the source of everything we do, and the whole of our evolution
• The connection between humanity’s evolution and an individual’s development

…and much more.

Image: Diagram of humanity’s & an individual’s evolution of desires, taken from the lesson

Below is just a small sample of the questions asked, many of which were answered, many of which couldn’t be answered due to lack of time, but which everyone in the course can ask and get answered in the student forum if it’s missed in the classes.

We look forward to seeing you in the second lesson this coming Sunday, January 8, on The Wisdom of The Zohar, Kabbalah’s principle text.

If you haven’t signed up yet for the course, or if you know anyone who you think would also enjoy this course, enrollment will remain open for a few more days, so it’s not too late to sign up, download the first lessons from the lesson archive, and continue with the course! Sign Up Here »

Here are the questions

Marisha from Denmark:

How can you say that giving a person begging for money is not really giving? Please explain.

Scott from England:

What do I do with egoistic desires?

Tiago from Brazil:

What does Kabbalah say about human evolution? Are we products of nature’s evolution or are we really divine beings that have forgotten their divine state and have to relearn that state again while being in contact with this material world?

Nicholas from England:

Who or what is ‘the Creator’?

Dorothy from Wirral, UK:

Is the goal of Kabbalah to become one with the Creator?

Wagner from Brazil:

I know this is not just charity. What is this “bestowal” according to Kabbalah?

Claudia from Long Beach, California:

Does “pleasure” in Kabbalah mean all of our life pursuits, except for divine love?

Scott from England:

So if I give food to a homeless person, without looking for a thank you in exchange, would that be bestowal?

Alexis from Argentina:

Is Kabbalah mainly about true love?

Eline from The Netherlands:

Is there any way to get rid of egoism? Let’s say, if I bestow, isn’t my primary goal to feel good myself?

Mafalda from Lisbon, Portugal:

Should we consider an accident as having been predetermined?

Game Seam from Montreal, Canada:

Can Maslow’s hierarchy of needs help us attain the upper reality?

Medina from Sweden:

How did the writers of the Kabbalah books you use come to “find” these laws, and furthermore, how do they work?

Simas from Lithuania:

Why is this law good to some people, and bad to others, if everyone wants to be happy?

Game Seam from Montreal, Canada:

But what reality do we need to know exactly? There are so many things to know in life and I’m afraid to not be able to know the whole reality before I die.

Dev from Jamaica:

You speak about suffering. Most suffering is caused by fear. How do I get rid of fear?

Steve from Detroit:

So would it be feasible to say that the Creator even fulfills our negative desires & sufferings, that we may come to have a strong desire for Him?

Dan W. from California:

Can an individual reach the end on his/her own or is the end something we reach together?

Leighton from Missouri, U.S.A:

So is Kabbalah mainly about acquiring consciousness?

Nadine from Colorado Springs:

Does the root, the cause affect us individually or the world as a whole?

Ron from Canada:

Has anyone reached the end?

Michael from NY:

Are we saying that pain suffered by an individual or society is predetermined to bring them closer to the path of understanding and thus “true” happiness?

Larry from Thessaloniki, Greece:

I haven’t understood yet what’s the difference between the Kabbalah we study here and the Kabbalah that’s known as a religious belief with red strings protecting you etc. …?

AlphaHelix from New York City:

What of the situation where the premise with respect to the will to procure something is not based on personal desire but on the will to accomplish or procure a thing in order that it might function as a tool to further a societal/communal goal?

Medina from Sweden:

But if I feel negatively about this and Kabbalah says everything’s predetermined, does that mean that I am not supposed to be enlightened?

Ivan from Moscow:

Can Kabbalah be combined with other studies?

Maria from Mexico living in France:

What does Kabbalah or you feel about using drugs to get nearer to the Creator?

Scott from England:

Do I need to reject anything given to me from the Creator? Are they not gifts?

Leighton from Missouri, USA:

If we start the study of Kabbalah late will there be another life to continue with it?

Alexander from Sweden:

Why do some people get more things from the Creator than others?

Vicki from Australia:

So what hope do we have? Are we just playing out a role?

John from Yardley, Pa. USA:

Is dissatisfaction is the first step toward spirituality and relationship with the Creator?

Elyahu from US:

If your desire is to give to others so that they succeed then the pleasure is not cancelled. Do you agree?

Kara from Australia:

How do I know if I study Kabbalah and attain its knowledge, that I won’t still feel empty?

Siavash from Iran:

What kind of causes makes roots too effect in reality?

Simas from Lithuania:

Why do I need to know about the upper roots? What does it give me? And how can Kabbalah change my life?

Ephraim Sean from Toronto, Canada:

Why does the Creator create some people with mental disability? Is that also predetermined?

Maria from Mexico living in France:

What situation or feeling led you to study Kabbalah and really can you understand the “meaning of life” when you are so young? Have you suffered a lot? I am here because I can not stand this negative world any more. I have searched for years.

Alka from USA:

How old is Kabbalah? Has it been updated to be current today?

CM from Canada:

Is pollution and genocide in this world caused by roots in the upper worlds?

Eline from The Netherlands:

Could you elaborate on the root; is the energy outside our limited reality the same energy as we have here, or is it a different energy?

Filip from Amsterdam:

What does ‘above reason’ mean?

Aura from Washington State:

What has Kabbalah got to do with our purpose?

Guido from The Netherlands:

Can we influence the upper root as well? Or is it “only there” to be studied?

Michael from Naples:

Does “the root” pertain to God?

Lorne from Canada:

This implies that we do not have free will, as everything is predetermined. Is this correct?

Dave from Portland, Oregon:

I feel increasingly alienated by American society today. Iis this a normal evolution? Will I become more tolerant as my spiritual understanding grows?