Re: [BardonPraxis] Re: Soul mirrors/desires

["Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>]

Dear Martin,

>> Here are two passages from some material I have been reading lately
concerning the Kabbalah and which prompted me to consider the
selfishness of man and the nature of desires. Have I misinterpreted
these thoughts or are they simply not compatible with the Western
Hermetic tradition and Bardonism? Forgive me posting these fairly
lengthy quotations, but I do not want to distort the intended meaning
behind them any further by paraphrasing <<

Don't worry about their length. :) Compared to the *really* long posts
I've had to reject for being too long, your quotes are next to
microscopic in length! ;-)

These quotes actually agree with the intent of Bardon's character
transformation and Hermetic initiation in general. However, their
Kabbalistic, and therefore Jewish, phrasing makes this connection a bit
hard to see unless you're already familiar with such texts and their
translation into Hermetese. :) Plus, they are focused exclusively upon
our desires and not the broader subject of *character* transformation
which concerns more than just our manifest desires specifically.
Although, an examination of our desires is a quintessential part of the
character transformation and Soul Mirror process.

To elucidate, I'll walk through these quotes [and generate a post even
longer than your original quotes. ;-)]:

>> "Selfishness, which separates our perception from true knowledge, can
only be found in man. <<

Here, R. Laitman has defined at least two forms of "selfishness" -- the
kind that "separates our perception from true knowledge" and those kinds
of selfishness which do not separate us. Note that he attributes only
the form of selfishness that separates us, to "man". The other forms of
selfishness which bring our perceptions *to* true knowledge, instead of
separating us from it, are also attributed to "man", the Creator and to
all else.

It is only the 'selfishness-which-separates' that must be transformed.
This type of selfishness separates us because it shifts our focus of
awareness away from the immanence of the Creator that is expressed
through each one of us. Our thoughts, words and deeds then express only
our most mundane, superficial and self-centered desires instead of the
Divine Immanence.

>> This is not the case with the Creator because perfection and openness
define his relation to man. The absence of the Creator is only felt by a
man who dissimulates the worlds from himself, as if he were hiding
behind the veils of his own selfishness. <<

This is such a well put and wonderful statement! :) It is very subtle
and really contains volumes of Kabbalistic philosophy!

What he's just said is that the Creator and "man" are not separate. The
*absence* of the Creator is only *felt* -- in other words, this feeling
of absence and separation is something created wholly by the individual
who turns away from the Divine Immanence and focuses upon their
self-centered desires. It is a self-delusion or blindness caused simply
by not putting the focus in the right place.

>> The removal of selfishness does not occur all at once. <<

The "selfishness" he refers to here as needing to be "removed" is *only*
the 'selfishness-which-separates'.

>> In the beginning, the Creator grants man periods of time
corresponding to lives in this world as an opportunity to elevate
himself spiritually. Man is master of the whole process. During each of
his consecutive lives, man must remove a certain part of his selfish
nature and draw himself closer to the Creator. Man will repeat a new
life as long as he does not correct himself. <<

Here, R. Laitman defines what he really means by "remove". What he
describes is a process of *transformation* through reincarnation. This
process naturally transforms the self-centered
'selfishness-which-separates' and the Individual's attention is turned
toward receiving and expressing the Divine Immanence.

>> Correction means that his desires termed "body" in Kabbalah will no
longer form a barrier between him and the Creator. <<

Okay now, here we're shifting into some deeply complex Kabbalistic
ground. By "desires", R. Laitman is no longer referring to the
'selfishness-which-separates'. That category of base desire is not
included in the "body" he refers to and which he speaks of further below
in his discussion of the "613 desires of the soul". Instead, the "body"
of desires he's speaking of here are of the category of selfishness
shared by the Creator and which actually open us to receiving and
expressing the Divine Immanence.

>> When this occurs man's attributes will bond him with the Creator
regardless of the world in which man finds himself." <<

This refers directly to what he says below regarding the difference
between the 248 positive desires and the 365 negative desires which, in
"man", constitute (Kabbalistically speaking) the "body" of desires
that fall into the category of selfishness which is shared by the
Creator and which opens us to receiving and expressing the Divine
Immanence. In other words, in what follows below, he splits some very
fine hairs in true Kabbalistic fashion and speaks of those desires which
are more potent in opening us to receiving and expressing the Divine
Immanence. The other 365 are also good for this but not to the same,
overwhelmingly positive degree to which the 248 are. The "correction"
he spoke of earlier is the state in which the Individual, while
incarnate, manifests *only* the 248 positive desires. This binds the
Individual forevermore (i.e., "regardless of the worlds in which man
finds himself") to the Creator.

In Bardonian terms, this would be equivalent to the attainment of the
astral *and* mental Equilibrium of the Elements.

>> "The 613 desires of the soul are divided into 248 positive desires,
through which man can acquire a "li chema" intention, and 365 negative
desires man cannot use in order to gain a "li chema" intent. <<

Okay, this sequence has to be examined very closely. The only
difference between these desires is whether or not their expression is
capable eliciting the "li chema" intention. 248 you can use to attain
it and 365 are unsuitable. This however does not mean they have no
value, it's just their relative degree of value that's under discussion
here.

>> The difference between the two desires has nothing to do with
intention. In both cases the intention is naturally and exclusively
"turned toward the Creator". <<

As I said earlier, these "desires" are *not* what he was speaking of at
the very beginning as the 'selfishness-which-separates'. These
"desires" that we're speaking of here, fall into the category of those
shared by the Creator and which open us to the receiving and expressing
of the Divine Immanence.

>> The difference lies in the power of the desire itself: if the desire
is weak it will not awaken intense pleasure. <<

In other words, the 365 "negative" desires are *weak* and do not elicit
the intense pleasure of the "li Chema".

>> However, this desire enables one to feel the bond with the Creator.
<<

Which means that expression of the 365 "negative" desires does have its
value; namely that it opens one to "feel the bond with the Creator".
This could easily be equated with the *astral* Equilibrium of the
Elements. One has left behind the selfishness-which-separates and has
focused upon the metaphorical 365 desires which are "turned toward the
Creator".

But this is a much lesser value than that attained through pursuit of
the 248 "positive" desires and, in Bardonian equivalences, attainment of
the *mental* Equilibrium of the Elements.

>> The pleasure sensed is called the pleasure to give without
restraint. That is to say the desire to please the Creator as it is only
possible to please Him by receiving from him. But since this desire
cannot be felt with sufficient intensity, it cannot truly give to the
Creator. This desire exists only at the level of equivalence of form
with the Creator. <<

This is the meat of the mystical Beauty of Kabbalistic philosophy that I
find so enchanting. :) Although this is couched in reference to the
lesser power of the 365 desires, it's really a commentary upon what
makes the 248 "positive" desires so powerful.

At their root, all 613 desires are expressions of the desire to *give
without restraint*. Expression of the 365 "negative" or weak desires
allow one to only *feel from afar*, as it were, the *intense pleasure*
of *giving* to the Creator in sufficient degree that the *giving* match
one's capacity to *receive without restraint* in equal measure. In
other words, our gift to the Creator in our reciprocal relationship, is
our capacity to receive and express the Divine Immanence. The 365
"negative" desires are too weak in their degree of acceptance to fully
express the fullness of the Creator within the temporal moment.
Nonetheless they do express the Divine Immanence to a pleasing degree.

But only expression of the 248 can bring the Individual up to the level
of *equality* with the Divine Immanence in which there is infinite
receiving without restraint and infinite giving without restraint.

>> All desires born in man are selfish desires. This is the desire to
receive for one's own pleasure. Only the intention "turned toward the
Creator" will transform it into an altruistic desire. Hence the
difference solely lies in the intent. <<

Here he concludes with a bit of instruction on how to *transform* the
self-centered desires that typify the 'selfishness-which-separates'
mentioned at the beginning (i.e., "desires born IN man"), into the 613
*altruistic* desires mentioned just above which open us to the receiving
and expressing of the Divine Immanence. Namely, by "turning them toward
the Creator" or, in Bardonian terms, through the Soul Mirror process of
character transformation.

>> That's what makes Kabbalah so important. It helps us transform our
intent. The intention "turned toward the Creator" is called "screen"
because it prevents one from "receiving for oneself" and generates the
intention "turned towards the Creator"." <<

And here's a wonderful little Kabbalistic explanation of why character
transformation is such a powerful discipline. :) When we're creating
our Soul Mirror we are, by necessity, examining our intention behind
every part of who we are. And then with the transformative work we are
reshaping the intention and thus its ultimate expression. Once this new
habit of examining, shaping and directing one's intention takes hold,
then an internal resistance (or "screen") arises against fulfilling the
old habit of "receiving for oneself". So one's attention is always
directed "toward the Creator" and the desire to "receive for oneself" is
diminished and disempowered -- it's former energy is transmuted into and
diverted toward the new habit.

PS: If you read up on the 613 desires which compose the "body", please
understand that they are, from a Kabbalistic perspective, VERY deep
statements that cannot be taken at their *surface* value. It's nearly
impossible to really penetrate the layers of their meaning when they're
read in translation.

My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
04 Jan 2004
rawnclark@...
rawn@...
http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
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