Shifting From Illusion To True Perception

Laitman_523A question I received: What should one’s intention be while reading The Book of Zohar: to reveal the Light between the friends, to reveal the text within oneself, or both of these together? And which is more important?

My Answer: I don’t consider the two separate. We talk about how the whole world is inside a person, and the entire reality that I perceive exists within me. Even though I currently exist inside an illusion, thinking that I see friends in front of me, the surrounding world, enemies, houses, stars, and everything else, the fact is that all of this is my own desire. That’s how I perceive it.

My desire contains spheres. Some of them are my inner spheres, called root (Shoresh), soul (Neshama), and body (Guf). Then there is a more external sphere, called garments (Levush) as well as a more external one called house (Eichal).

This is why I perceive myself inside the inner spheres (the root, soul, and body), and in the external spheres (the garments and house) I perceive the world, which seems to be outside of me. This is so because during the Second Restriction (Tzimtzum Bet), the two external spheres separated from me and became outside in relation to me. That’s why they surround me. However, in reality they are mine. They exist inside of me and I only perceive them as external.

Since my inner desires are Keter, Hochma, and Bina, or root, soul, and body, inside them I perceive the Inner Light – NaRaN. In the desires surrounding me (garments and house) there is a weak surrounding glow and that’s why I don’t consider them very important. I depend on them to some extent; for example, the stars and the sun shine for me and the world surrounds me, but the most important thing is me.

I don’t even suspect that my most important desires are precisely the ones outside of me. And they are all mine. It’s just that I exist inside an illusion where they seem foreign to me.

So where is the group, the teacher, the Creator, The Book of Zohar, the entire world, my spouse and my children? They are all inside my desires. Who did I marry? My desire. Who did I yell at today? Who did I laugh at? It was all my own desires. All of it is me.

You might say, “So you’re saying that I am inside of you, but I say that you are inside of me, who’s right?” The answer is that both are correct.

As long as we don’t ascend above this world into spirituality, we won’t be able to free ourselves from this illusion. However, if I view the whole world as my desire, then it’s much easier for me to go from this illusory perception of reality to the true sensation of reality.

One Comment

  1. This is the true revelation of authentic wisdom of Kabbalah.

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