Post on 03-Mar-2018
7/26/2019 Yesh and Ayin
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Overview
What is Kabbalah?
Kabbalah: A General
Introduction
The Meaning of "God"
Three Streams of Kabbalah
Kabbalah as a Spiritual
Practice
Theosophical Kabbalah
Introduction
ight and the Sefirot
Keter! ochmah! and #inah
esed! Ge$urah! and Tiferet
%et&ach! od! and 'esod
Malchut
($il: Traditional )ie*s
($il: Kabbalistic )ie*s
'esh and A+in
,our Worlds
Prophetic Kabbalah
Introduction
Sefer 'et&irah: anguage as
-reation
Abraham Abulafia
#asic Meditation Techni.ues
Practical Kabbalah
Introduction
Afterlife and /eincarnation
0emons! 0+bbu1s! 2
Golems
Key Figures
Moshe -ordo$ero
Shimon bar 'ochai
Abraham Abulafia
The #aal Shem To$
Isaac uria
3acob ,ran1
Sabbetai T&$i
Texts and Studies
The (pistle of the #aal
Shem To$
Resources/Learning More
Print this Page4 Glossar+4 in1s4 About This Site
esh and !yinor" #eing and $othingness
There is no more fundamental
binarism than +esh and a+in!
something and nothing5 'esh
means! simpl+! e$er+thing that
there is5 A+in is %othing5 God
is both5
To approach the 0i$ine in
+esh! *e +earn for God6s lo$e5
i1e the Sufis! *e pine for the
,riend7 li1e the indus! *e
en$ision God in manifold
m+thologies and forms5 To
approach the 0i$ine in a+in!
*e learn to allo* thought to
cease! and simpl+ open
oursel$es to the great
emptiness *hich is the true
nature of e$er+ thing5
ere is /abbi Arthur Green! in
one of his earlier *ritings! on
ayin:
In all change and gro*th! sa+ the masters! the m+sterious ayinis present5 There
is an ungraspable instant in the midst of all transformation *hen that *hich is
about to be transformed is no longer that *hich it had been until that moment!
but has not +et emerged as its transformed self7 that moment belongs to the a+in
*ithin God5 Since change and transformation are constant! ho*e$er! in fact all
moments are moments of contact *ith the a+in! a contact that man is usuall+
too blind to ac1no*ledge5 The height of contemplati$e pra+er is seen as such a
transforming moment! but one that is mar1ed b+ a*areness5 The *orshiper is
no longer himself! for he is full+ absorbed! in that moment! in the %othingnessof di$init+5 In that moment of absorption the *orshiper is transformed: as he
continues his $erbal pra+er! it is no longer he *ho spea1s! but rather the
Presence *ho spea1s through him5 In that pra+erful return to the source! the
human being has reached his highest state! becoming nought but the passi$e
instrument for the e$er self8proclaiming praise of God5 Through his lips the
di$ine *ord is spo1en5
Arthur Green! Your Word is Fire
,or those ne* to Kabbalah! the principle that e$er+thing is essentiall+ empt+ ma+ seem
remar1abl+ similar to #uddhism and other contemplati$e paths5 So be it5Ayinis the
ultimate /ealit+ of all things5 %othing has separate! real e9istence5
Ayin! nothingness! is more e9istent than all the being of the *orld5
0a$id ben Abraham ha8a$an! ;th centur+ gina de earn Kabbalah 4 'esh and A+in
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Recommended Books
Glossary
Links
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About Jay Michaelson
Why is Kabbalah Kept
Secret?
Modes of Learnin
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'n both Buddhist and Kabbalistic cosmoloies) a reat deal of time is spent e*plainin
ho$ the $orldseemsto e*ist as it does+ !or the Kabbalists) this e*planation in(ol(es the
emanation of the ten sefirot, the e(olution of God from -othin+ But the Kabbalah)
aain like Buddhism) emphasi.es that this e(olution is one of appearance only+ 't did not
happen at some point in time) and no$ it/s o(er and the $orld e*ists+ "ime itself is part
of the 0$orld1 $hich e*ists only as illusion+ 'n the -o$) in the present moment) $here
is time?
"he Kabbalah also shares $ith some schools of Buddhism a contemplati(e in2uiry into
yeshand ayin+ Because it is so beautiful) and similar to the Kabbalistic method) ' $ould
like to 2uote "hich -hat 3anh/s $ell4kno$n e*position of the interrelatedness of all
thins) 0'nterbein)1 in its entirety+ 5't $as meant to be $ritten on paper) not a computer
screen+++6
'f you are a poet) you $ill see clearly that there is a cloud floatin in this sheet
of paper+ Without a cloud) there $ill be no rain7 $ithout rain) the trees cannot
ro$7 and $ithout trees) $e cannot make paper+ "he cloud is essential for the
paper to e*ist+ 'f the cloud is not here) the sheet of paper cannot be here either+
So $e can say that the cloud and the paper inter4are+ 0'nterbein1 is a $ord that
is not in the dictionary yet) but if $e combine the prefi* 0inter41 $ith the (erb0to be)1 $e ha(e a ne$ (erb) 0inter4be+1 'f $e look into this sheet of paper e(en
more deeply) $e can see the sunshine in it+ Without sunshine) the forest cannot
ro$+ 'n fact) nothin can ro$ $ithout sunshine+ And so) $e kno$ that the
sunshine is also in this sheet of paper+ "he paper and the sunshine inter4are+
And if $e continue to look) $e can see the loer $ho cut the tree and brouht
it to the mill to be transformed into paper+ And $e see $heat+ We kno$ that the
loer cannot e*ist $ithout his daily bread) and therefore the $heat that became
his bread is also in this sheet of paper+ "he loer/s father and mother are in it
too+ When $e look in this $ay) $e see that $ithout all of these thins) this sheet
of paper cannot e*ist+ Lookin e(en more deeply) $e can see oursel(es in this
sheet of paper too+ "his is not difficult to see because $hen $e look at a sheet
of paper) it is part of our perception+ 8our mind is here and mine is also+ So $e
can say that e(erythin is in here $ith this sheet of paper+ We cannot point out
one thin that is not here9time) space) the earth) the rain) the minerals in the
soil) the sunshine) the cloud) the ri(er) the heat+ :(erythin co4e*ists $ithin this
sheet of paper+ "hat is $hy ' think the $ord 0inter4be1 should be in the
dictionary+ 0"o be1 is to inter4be+ We cannot ;ust be by oursel(es alone+ We
ha(e to inter4be $ith e(ery other thin+ "his sheet of paper is) because
e(erythin else is+
Suppose $e try to return one of the elements to its source+ Suppose $e return
the sunshine to the sun+
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-othinness+ But $hat isit? Where are the la$s of physics $ritten? A seed contains
molecules of