By Bryan
“The Kabbalah” is a school of thought from the earliest Hebrew traditions that expresses a unique and fascinating perspective on spirituality, creation, and the relationship between God the Creator and his creations in the physical world - particularly, humans. The core teachings of the Kabbalah are over 4,000 years old, making it one of the most ancient spiritual paths in the world. However, the way of the Kabbalah
was largely unknown outside of Hebrew culture until it surfaced for a while in Spain in the 11th Century, and sporadically throughout Europe for several centuries after that.
Many spiritual and mystical traditions have borrowed from Kabbalistic traditions, often replicating the beautiful and intriguing symbols and diagrams from Kabbalistic manuscripts without fully understanding their significance. For instance, the 22 “Major Arcana” cards of the Tarot are based upon an interpretation of the Kabbalistic “Tree of Life” diagram. Mystical traditions related to Christianity, Hermetic Magic, Numerology, Astrology, Wicca, and countless other practices and belief systems have been influenced by Kabbalah to varying degrees. However, Kabbalistic teachings in what we might call its “pure form” have not been available to the mainstream public until fairly recently.
The Kabbalah draws from a few different texts, The Book of Formation, The Zohar and the Torah being chief among them, and much of the tradition was also passed on personally by word of mouth for generations. The Book of Formation was the first text of the Kabbalistic tradition, dating to 4,000 years ago. The Zohar, or “The Book of Splendor,” was written 2,000 years ago, and contains the main body of teachings of the Kabbalah. The Kabbalah was made more accessible to the public in 1922 when Rav Yehuda Ashlag translated The Zohar from ancient Aramaic into modern Hebrew, allowing the entire Hebrew speaking world to study the ancient wisdom of The Zohar for the first time. In Kabbalistic teachings, the stories represented in The Torah, known as The Old Testament to Christians, are metaphorical codes to help scholars of The Kabbalah understand certain key principles also represented in the Book of Formation and The Zohar.
The word “Kabbalah” literally translates to “receiving,” which is a simple but powerful word in the context of the Kabbalah. The focus is on receiving, not in a selfish or materialistic way, but in a spiritual way: receiving wisdom, enlightenment, and blessings from the Creator. The process of receiving directly from the creator can be seen as both an art and a science. Kabbalistic teachings like those found in The Zohar tend to focus on the process of understanding the mechanisms of the universe in an effort to regain unity with the Creator. The Kabbalah has been compared by some scholars to the Grand Unified Theory sought by physicists - a clarifying perspective that decodes the ways and mysteries of the universe through study and personal application of all-important principles and relationships. By studying The Kabbalah, everyone may eventually gain the insights necessary to bring about the “Final Redemption,” a reunification with God.
One of the most important beliefs communicated in The Kabbalah is the belief in reincarnation. Like Hinduism and Buddhism, Kabbalistic tradition states that all humans live multiple lives upon the Earth. The primary difference is that The Kabbalah teaches that the ultimate purpose of these lives is that everyone must gain spiritual enlightenment in order for all of humanity to join again with the Creator. By this train of thought, all human souls are products of Adam and Eve, and therefore affected by the Biblical Fall from unity with God. The remedy for this comes through an ongoing process of atonement and redemption, each soul coming to the world to accomplish its own spiritual work on a path to enlightenment. To this extent, the Kabbalistic perspective is much like the Buddhist or Hindu perspective. Perhaps the most crucial difference is that the Kabbalah teaches that all souls must be enlightened in order for humankind to achieve the “Final Redemption” and once again become one with the Creator. In short, no one is redeemed until everyone is redeemed. This approach to reincarnation emphasizes, among other things, responsibility to the rest of humanity, indicating that our personal lives and spiritual progress have a direct impact on those around us.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this intriguing spiritual path is that followers of The Kabbalah tend to accept the religious paths of others. Unlike the common exclusionary stance of so many spiritual teachings, it is common for the teachers of The Kabbalah to encourage followers of all religions to study The Kabbalah, and to attempt to apply its teachings to their own spiritual journeys. They view The Kabbalah as a wisdom beyond the designation of religious sects and “isms.” It is a collection of insights that grant us a view of the universe through the eyes of the Creator, so that we may all live in wisdom, peace, and enlightenment.
About the Author
Article written by Bryan.
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Comments:
Eddie Lewis says:
08-21-2012
I want to learn more!
