Quotes of the Week 174 - Meditation, Mysticism and Prophecy

All of the following are quotes from Meditation and Kaballah by Aryeh Kaplan:

When an individual looks into these permutations in a proper manner, he can see all of creation. He is like a person looking into a glass mirror, who sees both his own face, and the faces of all who pass by. Abulafia writes that, “when the power of the influx begins to manifest and reveal itself to the one gazing into the ‘mirror,’ the letters and Sefirot begin to appear before him, like lightning flashes. This is like the vision of the Chayot, [Chariot] regarding which it is written, ‘The Chayot ran and returned, like a vision of lightning’ (Ezekial 1:14).

Another type of meditation that Abulafia hints at is contemplation. He particularly speaks about this with respect to the blue thread in the Tzitzit, the ritual tassel worn on the Prayer Shawl (Tallit). Speaking of the Tzitzit, the Torah says, “You shall gaze at it, and remember all of God’s commandments” (Numbers 15:39). The Talmud expounds on this, saying, “the blue thread resembles the sea, the sea resembles the firmament, and the firmament resembles the Throne of Glory.” What the Talmud is actually doing is alluding to the fact that this thread is to be used as an object of meditative contemplation, outlining the steps of spiritual ascent.

This thread was colored with a blue dye taken from the chilazon, a mollusk related to the murex. Abulafia notes that the word chilazon (חלזון) has the same letters as la-chazon (לחזון), meaning, “for a vision.” Through this dye, one could attain a vision approaching that of prophecy.

The true mystical experience is beyond description, and cannot be explained to one who has not experienced it himself. Just as a person who has been blind from birth cannot comprehend the concept of color, so one who has been spiritually blind cannot grasp the brilliant spectrum of the spiritual world.

Highly controversial was Abulafia’s claim to have attained true prophecy, even though he did not live in the Holy Land. According to the Midrash, prophecy can only be attained in the Holy Land, and not any place else, except under sharply restricted conditions. Abulafia refused to accept this literally, and said that the Holy Land discussed in this teaching referred to a specific spiritual level. If an individual reached this level, he could attain prophecy, no matter what his geographical location.

Quote of the Week 173 - The Human Endeavor and Purpose: Know Thyself

The first real step of development in life is to know yourself, not to talk about knowing God. This is a journey within; you are trying to explore who you are, so that you can function well in your life, understand your habit patterns, and learn to live happily in the world. To learn that, you need to study your own self on three levels: action, speech, and mind.

Studying the sayings of the great sages does inspire and support a student. But studying one’s own thoughts, emotions, deeds, and actions is the real study. We intellectually know many things, yet our ignorance is not dispelled. By self-study we experience directly that which dispels the darkness of ignorance. Only when one has carefully learned the study of his own internal states will the true knowledge of the Self begin to dawn.

The human endeavor and purpose is not actually to attain God. You already have God; God is omnipresent. What you don’t have, what you have not attained, is yourself. So your endeavor should really be to attain yourself. When you truly know yourself, when you realize yourself, then you will understand that you have also realized God. That which you call God today, you will understand fully when you know yourself on the deepest level. Do not disturb your practice of religion, but also learn to know yourself on all levels.

You do not become or attain God, and even if you could become God, you’d be sorry, because if that happened, you would no longer be understood by anybody. Strive instead for one goal, and that is to understand your Self; know how to know the Self. If you do not know yourself and your are trying to know God, it is not possible to do so. Don’t hanker after God; know about yourself first. You are fully equipped to know yourself; know you have all the means and tools to do so. You are not searching for something outside yourself that is difficult to find. You are searching for someone who is already within you, so it is actually easy to find. The day that you see the Source face to face, you have accomplished your work as a human being – that is your human endeavor.

--from Essential Swami Rama, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, Editor

Quote of the Week 172 - Nonjudgmental Awareness

Someone sent me a bumper sticker that reads, “Nonjudgment day is near.” It can’t come soon enough. For even though I’ve learned the importance of nonjudgmental awareness, I still turn nonjudgmental awareness into a goal, then judge myself for not being more nonjudmentally aware.

--Sy Safransky in The Sun magazine, August 2010