The entire title for this book is: Seven Gates Of Righteous Knowledge Spiritual Knowlesge and Faith For All Righteous Gentiles.
Inside the first page says: "A Compendium of Spiritual Knowledge and Faith for the Noahide Movenent and All Righteous Gentiles. If you have never heard of the Noahide Movement I wouldn't be surprised. The movement was once used to convert non-Jews. Jewish blood from the mother's side is required to be a full Jew and those who are converted are called Gentiles. Naturally I picked up this book when exploring the 7 fold path. Anything with 7 peaks my interest and I'm never disappointed. I highly recommend reading this book. However, it does require an open mind. My husband snorted in disgust when he read the title. He sees the word righteous as suggesting there is only one way to do something. I consider righteousness right action. In other words to quote Frozen II, "Do the next right thing." I took far too long to read this book because I was distracted by taking care of my infant daughter. I really didn't absorb half the information as I normally would because I was so distracted. That said, as with many spiritual books this is one that each paragraph contains knowledge worthy of meditation. When you read this take your time and really enjoy it and take it all in. The book appears short but it's really packed with a lot of really important knowledge. The fact that the Jewish system is one of the oldest religions with most of it being preserved really shows here. I think all Christians absolutely should read this to comprehend the mother religion of Jesus. The Seven Gates Are: The Gate Of The Knowledge Of God The Second Gate: The Gate Of Prophecy From God The Third Gate: The Gate Of Serving God The Fourth Gate: The Gate Of Prayer To God The Fifth Gate: The Gate Of Personal Traits Desired By God The Sixth Gate: The Gate Of Being Tested By God The Seventh Gate: The Gate Of Repentance I will undoubtedly return back to this book and write a blog on each gate. While this book is only 185 pages. Here a few quotes that I marked while reading this over the past year and a half: "What was the original error of Enosh and his generation? In his days, mankind made a great mistake, and wise men of that generation gave thoughtless and erroneous advice. They said God created the stars and planets as His means to control the world, and he put them in the expanse of the universe, magnified their greatness, and treated them with honor, making them His servants who minister before him and administer the world. They reasoned that it is therefore logically proper for people to praise the celestial bodies, glorify them and treat them with honor." Pg24 "God watches over a person, sustaining his life and thr direction he chooses, for His desire is that the person will come to choose to live according to His will. Therefore, if a person merits, refining himself to the point that his will follows God's will, he has unified himself with the Godly purpose and life-force imbued in him - he and these higher dimensions of his existence become one. For such a person, the clarity being revealed to him in his mind and heart is the initial intimation of prophecy. Since he has become the proper vessel to reveal the God image within himself, therefore God will open for him true thought and correct knowledge." Pg 42 "It is obligatory for a person to ensure that his sons and daughters are each taught a useful trade, commensurate with their individual abilities, so they will be able to live honorably and not have to depend on public assistance. The sages said, 'One who does not reach his son a trade, is as if he taught him to be a thief." Pg123 "...God is always in full control and everything is from Him, and no evil happens. Rather, our perception of an event as bad is only based on our shortsightedness and limited understanding. The truth is that what we perceive as a bad event is in essence a kindness from God, and it is such a powerful good that it cannot be openly revealed, for it cannot yet be grasped by the severely limited ability and frame of reference of our human minds." Pg130 "...Conversely, depression is a harsh and bad trait, which hinders a persons ability to serve God and have success in life, to the point that one can generally consider a fall into depression as a scheme of the evil inclination." Pg143 "It is forbidden for a person who was wronged to be cruel and refuse to be appeased. Rather, he should be easily pacified, and hard to anger. When the person who wronged him asks forgiveness, he should forgive him with a complete heart and willing spirit."pg151 "Free will is granted to all people. If one desires to turn to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. This is the intent of the Torah's statement: 'Behold, man has become like the Unique One among us, knowing good and bad.'" Pg 165 "There are two era's that are available in the afterlife for people's souls . The first era occurs after one's life in the physical world...Beyond this, the ultimate good that is stored away for the righteous is the life of the future World to Come, which will be revealed in the second stage of Messianic Era." Pg 173 "The Oral Torah teaches that Hod created seven things before he created the world: Torah, Repentance, Gan Eden (the spiritual Garden of Eden), Gehinom (the spiritual Purgatory), His Throne of Glory, the Holy Temple, and the name of the Messiah. This means that it arose in God's thought that these things were neccessary for the existence of the world He would create." Pg178
0 Comments
Wow.
This was a tough read. I don't recommend reading this unless you are really dedicated to the Path of The Seeker. The metaphysical information had nothing to do with it being tough. I'm sure for some men the relationship described might be a little uncomfortable and it did sound extreme at times but it was understandable. She implies an almost sexual relationship with God. Teresa Was Afraid Of Persecution The tough part was when Teresa had to go over how dumb she is and how if she is writing anything in error it's because she's flawed. The other thing she does is fail to own her personal experiences...she starts off saying it's someone she knows who experienced certain things not her...and then not too long afterward she starts talking about it from a personal perspective. She doesn't do this to try and be humble. She does this because the church could execute her if a male higher up in the church hierarchy accused her of having a relationship with the devil. I can't imagine being a mystic during the Dark Ages! That even as a Nun in the Catholic Church felt she had to be very careful of how she said thinks so she didn't die! That's scary! She even states several time that she's been persecuted. The fear she must have felt when charged to write the book must have been overwhelming. That's what makes reading the Interior Castle so tedious. At least half of the book is dedicated to her saying that she's unworthy, flawed because she's a woman, uneducated and asking for forgiveness if she is in error. That said I'll probably read this book at least two more times. I may even get another translation. Detachment The other thing that stood out to me is that she was very focused on detachment from material things. I never realized how much detachment played a role in church doctrine. They certainly don't practice it at the highest level with all their gold, priceless art and locked away books. Nor do they encourage the common person to practice detachment. Detachment seems to be practiced only by Nun and Priests. Yet, this book sounds a lot like the Buddhist books that emphasize detachment from earthly things. The most precise and well written sections of the book are on detachment. She seemed confident in her knowledge about detachment and it's something she probably wouldn't be persecuted over. So, that's a really interesting faucet of her mystical understanding that really resonates with my own experiences. Suffering Teresa believes that a person has to suffer on the Path of the Seeker. She was afflicted with physical issues. Today the Spiritual Community would probably call them Ascension Syndrome. The amount of suffering she describes is pretty extreme. Part of it is because she feels she is separated from her essence, the Holy Spirit, and that it's painful to be incomplete. I understand what she is saying but it's such a harsh description I think it would scare most people off the path. Again, when she's describing communing with Spirit it sounds very sexual at times so it is an odd depiction. Conclusion I will be digging deeper into the 7 Gates of the Interior Castle. Eventually, there will be a YouTube series on the subject. While it definitely matches up with all the other Mystics descriptions it is probably the most tortured account. That is, mainly, due to the fact that she lived in such Dark oppressive times. She really couldn't come out and speak plainly. She uses a lot of metaphor and that's probably to keep from pissing off Rome because she did respect them and she would probably have been condemned to death. That's one of the reasons I believe this is such a great example. So many during that time had to hide their truths so deeply it takes someone who's been there to understand what they are saying. On the one hand it's a gruesome book to read and on the other hand it's a beautiful testament to someone dedicated to sharing their experience on the Path of the Seeker. This is the type of Astrology Book I was looking for!
I picked up this book for two reasons: Francesca Simon on Charing Your Course (a Facebook live show she does every Sunday) was talking about Qigong and Daniela Abravanel's book The Secrets Of The Hebrew Alphabet. In Secrets Daniela talks about traditional Chinese Medicene and how traditional Hebrew medicene probably parallelled that practice.
I bought this book in particularly because of the image on the fribt reminded me of a piexe of artwork I created that was inspired by the Tree of Life concept, I would not recommend this book to someone that has not studied Alchemy or Paul Foster Case's work on the 22 Major Arcanum Tarot Cards. Without that knoweldge this book may be of interest...but confusing. Even the author doesn't seem to comprehend the esoteric teachings. However I am so thankful for this book. Unlike the other books on Qingong this is a complete and exhaustive referencial examination of Qigong and not a how-to book aimed at beginners. That makes this textbook unique! To my surprise and amazement it appears that those who practice Qigong in China were Alchemists. If I hadn't studied Alchemy I would not have understood this book and I don't think the author fully understood what he was writing. The author did research on the various chinese manuscripts that outline Qingong. The book is very good at covering all of the historical basis of Qigong and going over the different faucets of the traditions several times. This is a textbook so the fact that information is repeated alot is not surprising to me at all. What was surprising were the alchemical references...most notably the union betwen the subconscious and the conscious mind and the description of the Shen baby (read quotes below)...which we know from Alchemy and the 7 cards of the Tarot that depict the Path of the Seeker refers to a new state of consciousness. The author doesn't seem to understand this reference but it's important. Now, instead of focusing entirely on the esoteric references in this book let's look at some basic concepts in Qigong that this book does an awesome job conveying. Two Types Of Students 1, Those seeking enlightenment 2. Those seeking physical health and longevity The Three Treasures- Jing, Qi, and Shen "This is caled Lian Jing Hua Qi which means "to refine the Jing and convert it into Qi...then he learns how to lead the Qi to the head and convert it into Shen...Finally, the practitioner learns to use his energized Shen to govern the emotional part of his personality...This is called Liean Shen Liao Xing or to refine the Shen to end human (emotional) nature." Jing- Essence Jing is in everything. This is the essence from which all of creation is formed. In human beings there is Original Essence that we inherit from our parents. This Jing can be cultivated but if we abuse it the supply can be exhausted making us ill more often and age faster. As we grow we start to absorb Jing from food and air. This is why the quality of the food we eat and the air we breathe is so important. They are the source of the essence that we use to help power our bodies. Qi- Internal Energy There are rivers of energy that travel through the body helping the organs thrive. These rivers of energy can be blocked due to emotional disturbances. This is the primary system of channels that the acupuncture system works with. The Qi is closely related to blood...the author explains wherever Qi flows blood follows. Shen- Spirit This is a little more esoteric. The Shen doesn't seem to have an effect on the body...instead it's something that is developed..."When Ling Shen is built up to a high level...these people are referred to as 'god', 'immortal' and fairy." The author also explains that this is how enlightenment is reached. Yi and Xin There are two types of mind in Qigong: Yi- "The mind which is related to wisdom and judgement. When Yi has an idea, it strives to bring it to actualization in the physical world as either an event you will seek in bringing about or as an object you will create. The Yi is focuse and firmed by the will." pg 31 Xin- "...Literally means heart...Xin also denotes the presence of an idea , this idea is much weaker than that expressed by the Yi . Xin is generated by and affected by the emotions." Now, the author does instruct the student to try and repress his emotions. Which, if you have read this blog you know doesn't work. This book isn't perfect and the author isn't the best teacher. He's passing along the knowledge he gained from his research but he doesn't really seem to comprehend what he's writing...he's transmitting the information without the comprhenshion- BUT at the very least he's being true to the Source Material. The second thing I noticed was the emphasis on the Kidney...again. In Daniela Abravanel's book she connects the kidney with several passages in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament). In Chinese Qigong the Kindney is the source of the original essence...and I will have to investigate this subject more and write a blog on this topic. (There are five important organs in Qigong- Heart, Lungs, Kidney, Liver and Spleen.) I am out of post it markers...which means I can't tell you how many things I thought were significant in this book. I'm sure I would have marked a lot. I did mark some passages because they stood out to me so much I couldn't help it so here are some quotes: "Sometimes Qi is felt on the upper lip. This is because there is a channel (Hand Yangming Large Intestine) which runs over the top of the shoulder to the upper lip. However, the feeling is usually stronger in the palms and fingers because there are six Qi channels which pass through the shoulder to end in the hand, but there is only one channel connecting the lip and shoulder." pg.98 (This quote is signficant to me because I have sensed this energy in all three- center of the palms, fingers and the upper lip but had no idea what it was before!) "Normal Abdominal breathing is the next step after chest breathing for the Qigong beginner...This kind of breathing is is called "Fan Tong" breath or "Back to Childhood" breathing because it is deep, soft,and natural like a childs.It is the first step in Nai Dan Qigong training." pg 128 (The fascinating thing is that in another part of this book the author refers to this as Embryonic Breathing which D.W. Hauck talks about in his Alchemy Workshop Book). "From table 11-1 you can also see that your emotions are closely related to the condition of your organs. In order to protect your kidneys, you should avoid fear. Fear originates in your mind. You should understand that fear will not solve any problems. You must face your problems and find the solutions. Once your mind is clear, you will know how to avoid situations which cause you to fear. This is the process of regulating your mind, and is the way to maintain your kidneys in good condition." pg 166 "What are the differences between the Spirit and the Soul? Since there is no exact translation from Chinese to English, I need the exact defintion and description of these words." pg 268 (This fascinating because Edgar Cacye describes both a soul and a spirit...both are distinct but he never really gives what is different between them). "How do we generate a "spiritual baby Shen" in Qigong training? In Qigong in order to reach the final goal of enlightenment you must train yourself until you have given birth to a baby Shen. Only when the baby has grown independent will your spirit not die, but live forever...is this true? If we believe that a highly cultivated mind is able to speed up the process of evolution, then the mind may be able to reach many other things which are beyond human understanding." pg 269 First, and foremost, I highly recommend all Christians read this book.
This book is great for helping Christians start to branch out into the systems of 7. This would be a fantastic book to introduce Chrstians to ideas that are not normally in their paradigm. I was so exicted about this book hoping it would help illluminate the mystery of the Chrsitian concept of the Heart that Yeshua talked about and another system of 7. That said, as I said in my February 13th post this book as almost painful to read because of the poisonous Chrstian Dogma it contains. Second, I suggest if your more of an open minded inclusive person like myself that is open to studying all of the systems...don't read this book. This book will only confuse you. The dialect and terms are strictly Christian. While I can see correlations, and I will go over those when I write the YouTube series on Teresa of Avila's 7 mansions sometime next year (hopefully), they are buried deep in this book behind a lot of fundamentalist Christian ideas that I think are poisonous and don't have a biblical foundation (it was just dogma created and taught but Rome that all of the branches that rejected Rome kept for some reason or based on Paul the Roman's nonsense...check out the blog I published on February 13th). That said there was as lot of good in this book too. I have 33 markers in the book and I stopped there because I ran out of markers. This book continued the trend about Spiritual Maturity. I was shocked to see a Christian admit that most Christians and most Churchs are not spiritually mature...that they only focus on people doing missionary work and church work without the emphasis on a personal relationship with Yeshua. We could go very deeply into that debate but this book doesn't go into that at all so it would be inapproriate in this blog. I'm not going to quote a lot of this book but there is a section in chapter 12 named "Your Unique Journey" that I just want to touch upon. Here are some quote from that chapter including the list of 'the process of discvoery' that Ashbrook provides: "Although most, if not all, of us grow in self-knowledge over the years, few are really intentional about it. We have all known people who go to their grave, tragically still living with major delusions about themselves and the people around them...It is vital for us to understand what drives us, where our needs come from, and the helpful and unhelpful ways in which we attempt to navigate life...The unfortunate process of hitting the walls of our misperceptions can bring significant insight to thos who are willing to lear, but it is possible fo rus to be intentional in our disvoery process..." pg 226 "Biblical Perspective: The world around us attempts to define as normal a life that is broken and dying, estranged from God. Only in Scripture can we gain the real perspective to honestly see ourselves as sinners, in the light of God's love, forgiveness and reconcilliation." (Isn't it strange that they say scripture is the way but they never study Jewish tradition?) Authentic Spiritual Friendships: Most of what we know about ourselves, truth or falsehood, has been reflected back to us from others. Christian Community: Individual relationships are important, but we truly come to understand ourselves in teh context of a safe, loving, and honest Christian communty. (Group work is important but not neccesarily limited to just Christian churchs). Spiritual direction, coacthinig and counseling: The rare many times when it is helpfu to have the assistance of a person trainted to listen to our experience with God, and help ut it into context and give guidance where needed. Journaling: Often iit is easier to understand that what we are feeling when we put words to it. Solitude: The busyness of daily life often obscures self-knoweldge because we don't take time to be reflective" So, that's just some of the concepts covered in the book. Although, I don't neccesairly agree with all of the ideas exactly they do capture the spirit of the type of work that the Seeker on any Path follows. I found this book funny in some ways. There is an entire section lamenting that meditation has been 'given up' to just the Eastern philosophies and New Age. Yet, the author couldn't bring himself to call it meditation throughout the book..instead it's "Abiding prayer." Much of what this author has to say does, as I said before, correlate well with the other systems of 7. However, the issue is that it is so bogged down he(Group work is important but not neccesarily limited to just Christian churchs)and so distorted by really poinsonous beliefs that it's almost lost. That's why I'll probably pick up Teresa Avila's actual book and another book on the subject. I'm curious to see just how lost Teresa's message was in the religious rhetoric of her time or if she was actualy a Kabbalist who hid it from the church with flowerly dogmatic language. As I said in my blog on February 13th...this book was very hard for me to read after reading so many straightforward books. Even the text book on Qigong that I'm currently reading is easier for me to understand because it is more straightforward and has far less paranoid concepts. Chrstianity is probaby one of the most psycholgoically unhealthy religions on the planet. I 100% believe in Yeshua but if he read a good deal of the New Testament and heard the dogma being preached in his name I'm sure he'd grit his teeth and demand accountability of those who spread these negative lies. As long as Christianity still holds onto the psychologically poinsonous ideas- such as Outside Forces putting thoughts in their heads and possessing them, fear of pornography and that they are required to suffer in this life in order to go to heaven- our society in the Untied States will continue to be sick. SInce this dogma saturates every form of entertainment there is no doubt in my mind why there is so much Anxiety, Depressioni and people with Panic Attacks in our society. This religion breeds people like that by teaching them they are unworthy, that they must be terrified and that they must suffer. That's a guranteed recipe to ensure that our society never experiences joy. I've watched a few YouTube videos of Eben Alexander talking about his Near Death Experience. Strangely, my husband said that if it could be proven that Eben had experienced something close to brain death that he would believe in the afterlife.
I picked up the book mostly for that reason. The book doesn't cost much but watching one of Eben Alexander's videos will give you enough information that you don't have to read the book. That said, the book was well written and riveting. I finished it in two days. I don't normally pick up books on NDE's because they are pretty boring and usually repeat the same stuff. The experience that a person has when they cross into Spirit temporarily is usually subjective. When they come back they filter it through their religious beliefs which make them even less interesting. What set's Eben Alexanders Near Deat Experience apart is: 1.) The doctors were over 90% certain that he was going to die. 2.) He shuld have become a human vegetable after having menegitis but he fully recovered (he does have some odd neurlogical twitches and speech patterns based on the video's I've seen...but that's far from being a human vegetable). 3.) His description of what he experienced is unique in that he didn't remember who he was and he described three levels that agree with the Kabbalah Tree of Life. 4.) He accurately describes the type of telepathic communication I've experienced in OBE's. That is the only reason why I picked up this book. I've read other NDE books at my in-laws (my father-in-law is currently obsessed with the description of the afterlife)...and been very disappointed. Too often the people describing their NDE's have to relay their entire life story. Usually, just like with Eben Alexander...there is an element of unworthiness. In order to explain the story of their NDE and why it was so personally meaningful these people have to tell their entire life story...which is fascinating to them, I'm sure, but when you read enough of them they become so predictable that it's almost a routine. As I said, skeptics who experiences these things usually end up being the best witnesses and correlate more directly with the systems that make sense. That's because they aren't projecting or interperting the experiene based on biased beliefs afterwards...they are taken by surprise and so describe exactly what they said without projection. The last chapter, in particular, where a doctor that was at the hospital and a colleague of Eben Alexander that witnessed everything wrote a testimonial that Eben's story was true. That can be very powerful stuff. I will give that to my husband and see if he thinks it's valid enough to beleive in an afterlife. Maybe it will make him think twice or maybe he will just dismiss it because he needs to see an actual medical report. I doubt he'll read the entire book (I haven't seen him pick up and read an entire book in the 9 years I've been with him...he's just too busy with work, playing music, yard and house work). Maybe, when we get older he'll pick up the book...either way, I'll have it and I think it belongs in most people's libraries. The Earth-Worm point of view that Eben describes as being our level of existence and being like 'the roots of a tree' correlates directly with Malkuth. The level that was moved by a melody (an accurate description of the breath of life or the music of the spheres that Bashar describes that I have heard as well and also used to visit the upper reallms in OBE's) and the level of light spheres above it correlate well with Netzach and Hod. The inky black level with the circular light at the center perfectly correlates with the Binah (the inky black womb) and Chockmah (the light sphere). For someone who wasn't a mystic or (from what I understand) never will and never has studied the Kabbalah...that's a startling bit of evidence that the Kabbalah Tree of Life is an accurate description of the structure of the cosmos. **On an entertaining note I have a tatoo from 1997 that is the same blue butterfly as the one depicted on the front cover. My mom and dad went with me to get it and paid for it on my 16th birthday. As far as I know I was the only student in my high school with a tatoo! I have read many books on the Kabbalah.
This by far one of the best. While the word Kabbalah is spelled differently for this book it is the same as the others that I have read. Back in the 1930's the Jewish Kabbalists really didn't share their secrets. After thousands of years of persecution I cannot blame them. I loved this book. If you are interested in the Kabbalah this is the book you need to read. There was some information I felt that Dion Fortune was a little bit mislead about and confused on. I have learned very distinctly through dream instruction that the 7 planets of the Zodiac along with the Greek/Roman gods should not be associated with the Sephiroth on the Kabbalah Tree of Life. For the most part, I have ignored that information when imparting it to you in my Lower Sephiroth Path of the Seeker YouTube Series. Those 7 energies only belong to the Sephiroth associated with the 7 Rays of Life- the Sephiroth Chesed. When you try to tap into those energies via the Kabbalah Tree of Life you end up unbalanced and it can be dangerous because instead of dealing with the Sephiroth you end up with the their opposite...the Qliphoth. I highly recommend you ignore or avoid systems that attempt to tie the energies of those Gods to the Sephiroth on the Kabbalah Tree of Life. That said everything else she spoke about was spot on in a down to Earth way. Where as Rav Michael Latiman tends to be oblique in his discussion, John Van Auken tends to stick to the same story that he always does based on the Edgar Cacye Material, and Paul Foster Case always refers to the Tarot...Dion Fortune deals with each Sephiroth individually in a very detailed meditative style based on her experience working with the energy. I have 77 markers in this book. I know that I will read this book multiple times because there is so much information. I have, essentially studied it twice already...once as a straight read through and the second time as I created the YouTube videos chapter by chapter on the individual Sephiroth. Part of the intrigue is that it's a bit of a time capsule. Written in 1937 in midst of World War II the perspective is fascinating. In many ways Dion Fortune was writing to her contemporaries and there is one section I'm going to share in a separate blog meditation. While many like to focus on the fact that Hitler had a mystical bent I think it's clear- by reading books by Paul Foster Case, Dion Fortune, Edgar Cacye and Alice A. Bailey...that the time period was of a potential Great Awakening...but that Awakening lead to near disaster for the entire population that was not ready for it and much like the time of Atlantis...with great Knowledge sometimes comes great Danger and it nearly destroyed the world. That said, you will find that the entire 7 Lower Sephiroth of the Kabbalah Tree of Life Series is influenced by Dion Fortune. So there is no need to go into too many quotes...but I will share a small sampling. I agree with Dion Fortune about many things. However, I will note that terms such as savages are annoying and the constant references to 'he' instead of a gender neutral term. However, that was the nature of writing in that day and age. "For my part I believe that this selfishness and exclusiveness is the bane of the occult movement rather then its safeguard. It is the old sin of retaining the knowledge of God in the hands of a priesthood and denying it to all outside the sacred clan; justifiable enough when the people were savages, but unjustifiable in the case of the modern student. For when all is said and done, the desired information can be worked out from existing literature by those who can afford high prices for books now rare. Surely the possession of ample time and ample cash should not be the test of the fitness to obtain the Sacred Wisdom?" pg 26 paragraph 21 "The Qabalist, then, starts where he can- at the first point that is within the reach of finite consciousness. Kether is equated with the most transcendent form of God that we can conceive, whose name is Ehieh, translated in the Authorized Version of the Bible as, "I am," or, more explicitly, the Self-Existing One, Pure Being...But these are words and nothing more unless they convey an impression to the mind, and in themselves they have any significance. We only begin to understand Kether when we study Chockmah, the second Sephirah, its emanation; it is only when we see the full unfoldment of the Ten Sephiroth that we are ready to approach it with the data that gives us the key to it's nature. In working with the Tree it is wisest to keep on going over it, rather than to concentrate upon a single point until it is mastered, for one thing explains another, and it is our perception of the relationships between the different symbols that enlightenment arises. Again, we say, the Tree is a method of using the mind, not a system of knowledge." pg 31 paragraph 6 "The Way of Initiation follows the coiling of the Serpent of Wisdom upon the Tree; but the Way of Illumination follows the Path of the Arrow which is shot from the Bow of Promise, Qeseth, the rainbow of astral colors that spreads like a halo behind Yesod. This is the way of the mystic as distinguished from the danger of temptation of unbalanced force that is met with in either pillar,but it confers no magical powers save those of sacrifice in Tephareth and psychisim in Yesod." Pg 59 Page 15 "The first and most obvious division of the Tree is into the three Pillars, and this immediately reminds us of the three channels of Prana described by the Yogis, Ida, Pingla, and Shushumna; and the two principals, the Yin and the Yang of Chinese Philosophy,and the Tao, or Way, which is the truth established, and when we find three of the great metaphysical systems of the world in complete agreement we may conclude that we are dealing with established principals and should accept them as such." pg 80 paragraph 7 "Viewed as a means of invoking the spirit of God, ceremonial is pure superstition; but viewed as a means of evoking the spirit of man, it is pure psychology, and that is how I view it. It is a lost art in the West, but an art that is well worth reviving. In these pages I have given the philosophical basis on which this art rests. Its practical application depends not only upon the technical knowledge, but upon the development of certain powers in the mind by careful and prolonged training of which the first is the power of concentration, and the second the power of visual imagination. It is concerning the power of the visual imagination that we are so lamentably ignorant in the West. Coue just missed the turning when he sought in prolonged attention a substitute for spontaneous emotion." pg 306 paragraph 7 The primary reason that I wanted to buy this book was to explore the eight fold path.
This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Buddhisim. This book covers every aspect of Budhism in detail and it gives you practical ways to relate to the material. This is not someone who hides in a monastary as a recluse...he goes out into the world but he's also experienced the retreats. For any Western Mind (aside from Pema Chodron) I highly recommend this book. I've read a lot of books on Buddhism but most of them focus on a particular theme. They my briefly mention parts of the eight fold path or they might list them very quickly...almost like a side note. In this book, however, Lama Surya Das goes into detail about each of the Eight Intentions with a chapter dedicated to each. The book starts off with a biography of Lama Surya Das. He was born in Long Island United States with the name Jeffry Miller. He was born Jewish. During the 1960's his friends at Berkley were killed during an anti-war protest. Strangely, one of the other students that was killed also had the same name. The tragedy of losing his friends and having all of his family think he died sparked a Spiritual Awakening. He found his way to Europe and eventually from there he wound up in India with a Tibetan Buddhist Monk who was willing to teach him Buddhisim. He was instrumental in bringing Buddhisim to the United States. He helped Buddhist monks gain citizenship and set up temples throughout the United States. The Biography was interesting but that wasn't the purpose of buying the book. At first I thought that I had made a mistake buying this book. However, after the first 100 pages or so he started talking about Buddhist topics and the book was meaningful. I have 59 markers in this book that's 395 pages long. I did find a lot of meaningful concepts in Awakening The Buddha Within. There were some things I don't agree with as far as current political and cultural persepectives. There is the usual emphasis on the need to recycle as though somehow people who recycle is spiritually superior...when in fact most of the stuff in our recycle bins end up going to landfills anyways because there isn't a market for recycling...but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he wrote the book int he late '90's. Not only does he cover the 8 fold path but he also covers other conecpts. One of those concepts is the Three Poisons. The first is Ignorance of Truth. The seocnd is Attachment. Third is Aversion. He also covers the Four Noble Truths: First is Life is difficult. Second is Life is difficult because of attachment, because we crave satifaction in ways that are inherently dissatisfying. The Third is the possibility of liberation from difficulties exists for everyone. The Fourth is the way to realise this liberation and enligthenment is by leading a compassionate life of virtues, wisdom and meditation. WIth that in mind here are a few quotes I enjoyed: "Enlightenment- whether you call it spiritual awakening, liberation, illumination, or satori- means profound inner transformation and self-realization. In fact, there are different degrees and depths of enlightenment experience, stretching from an initial momementary glimpse of reality all the way to the fullest actualization of Buddhahood, the furthest form of entlightenment. Having said that, I think it's important to understand that spiritual rebirth in Buddhisim is not a mystical encounter with God. Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human. In examining the archetypal experience of the Buddha, we that his enlightenment represents direct realization of nature of reality- how things are and how things work. Enlightenment is the end of ignorance. When we talk about walkingi the path of enlightened living. The Zen master Dogen said, "To be enlightened is to be one with all things." pg 14 "Waking up your inner Buddha and staying awake requires extraordinary self-knowledge and presence of mind. It means paying close attention to how you think and how you act,and it means making an ongoing commitment to searching inward for answers- Inward. Deeper. Beneath the surface of things, not just inside yourself. As Westerners, this isn't how we have been conditioned to think. We keep looking outside fo ranswers. We look for lovers, friends, parents, authorities, and even children to answer needs that they can't possibly fulfill." pg 19 "We're ofsten told, "Don't just stand there, do something!" And we do...we believe we can resolve our unhappiness by changing locales. Then when our problems refuse to go away, we complain that we're stuck and look for ways to get moving." pg 20 "Self-transformation implies self-transcendence. Therefore inner transformation is a spiritual affair of cosmic signifance, including all, animate and inanimate, everywhere. Authentic self-transformation is defeintely not for oneself alone. It is for all beings- for waren't we all insepreably interconnected? Whatever befalls us, befalls one and all; harm a single strand of the web of life, and the entire web is harmed. In Africa, the Xhosa tribe has a saying which is worth remembering; "I am because we are." pg 48 "The Buddha never said he would save you; in Buddhisim, you save yourself. Taking refuge in the Buddha is making a firm commitment to know the truth, to know how things really are. ...Total awareness, pure wakefullness, is the Buddha within, the innate purity of your own hear-mind. That natural authenticity is the ultiamte refuge." pg 58 Conclusion Already this book review is very long. I learned a lot from this book...not what I expected but I did learn a lot. Aside some of the naieve things he says because it was the nineties...there is a lot of good. I bought this book because I wanted to read something by someone who was taught traditionally about Kundalini. There are a lot of misguiding and just plain odd interpretations on Kundalini out there.
I wanted to hear what the actual Hindu tradition had to say about Kundalini...not the western interpretation. I cannot recommend this book enough! At first, I was a little discouraged because it started off with the Mythical story of Shiva and Sati...the origin of Kundalini. Each myth, as always, is a symbolic telling of a concept. Om Swami could not have started this book any other way. He then relates his story of being a successful business man that gave all of that up to become a monk. He relates his experience with waking his Kundalini and touches upon a variety of subjects. In the third part of the book he goes through each of the 7 chakras. He describes them based on depictions of the Devi's associated with the chakras. This was a fascinating alternative description to what I'd read previously but completely in alignment with what I've already read and shared. The most interesting thing, however, is that he prescribed food for working on each of the chakras. I have 21 markers in a 172 page book...which is a lot considering the last third of the book was information I already knew and didn't feel a need to mark as exceptional. I won't share all 21 passages with you but here is a small sample of the wisdom this book contains.... "When it awakens, you realize how immensely powerful you already are. You experience how there is a whole universe within you. It is your feminine energy if you are a man and your masculine energy if you are a woman. It is your passage, your path to eternal fulfillment within you." pg 39 "All said and done, Kundalini is not a physical reality. Any association of the kundalini with the physical body is ignorant at best and absurd at the wort. At the rise of the kundalini, there is no snake crawling up your spinal cord. The chakras are not physically there on your body. At the most, they are psychoneurotic plexuses. They are strategically placed wherever there is a concentration of nerves. This does not make the kundalini a mythical concept though. It is your reality, it may not be physical but it is perceptible. The soul cannot be proved, even consciousness for that matter has no physical existence, yet without consciousness we cannot even do the most basic of chores. Similarly, the awakening of the kundalini or piercing of the chakras is as real as the sun, moon and stars." pg 42 "The real transformation upon the awakening of kundalini is that you shed your old tendencies and negativity like a snake sheds its old skin. You no longer feel angry or flustered over trivial matters unlike the earlier times. Your emotions and thoughts don't overpower and trample all over you anymore. You beginto gain control of yourself. 'Supernormal' streams of creativity and energy gush forth at the awakening, surprising even you with talents you never thought you had." pg 43 "Our negative views about ourselves, our emotions and attachments have twisted our passage of kundalini. It stands wrung. Just like if you scold a small child, he might just curl up in fear and lie in his bed, kundalini too is culred up and lying down in your root chakra...It is so because we are almost conditioned to be afraid of ourselves.We are afraid of making mistakes or making decisions. We are even afraid of doing things right and we want someone else to validate what we have done. In fear, you never sleep with your legs stretched out, you always curl up a bit." pg 44 "On the path of awakening all knots must be untied. The umbilical cord must be cut if you want to discover an identity of your own. We wouldn't know how deeply we are attached to something until we distance ourselves from it." pg 50 "As a sadhak progresses and rises above his sexual thoughts and thoughts of creation, a kind of stillness starts to brew in his mind, undercurrents of restlessness subside and a sense of gratitude arises naturally, "Truly, I have everything," like a fully bloomed flower attracts bees naturally, a mind that has gone beyond creation and procreation attracts thoughts of a different nature. Tangled in the second knot now, different desires sprout in the mind." pg 59 "No matter how hard or how badly entangled is a knot, you cannot lose it by pulling on it. Frustration or intolerance has no role or room in Kundalini meditation...Some examination, a bit of observation, a lot of patience and a great deal of effort to untie is required. No knot is hard enough then. If you walk the path and not give up, you will get the results exactly as expected." pg 63 "Mind becomes eternal when it becomes still," the rishi continued, "No change is possible without movement. Truth is still, and that's why it's eternal." pg 74 "The latent energy of kundalini is present in all of us like fire in wood. Our fears and conditioning hold us back. They plunge our creative energy to the bottom most chakra and we end up using it for petty things for the most part of our lives. And through the years we spend living, majority of the the time is spent in either battling with ourselves or with others." pg 76 "Each one of us has two minds, you know. Our positive mind is like the beautiful musk deer. It runs through the jungle of emotions and thoughts spreading fragrance. It is swift, agile, and confident and it doesn't collide. It carves its own path. So is our negative mind, unfortunately, which is like an ugly cockroach with two irritating antennas of self-doubt and negativity. It walks through our delicious food of hope, our clean home of dreams. It breeds rapidly. It reminds you constantly that you don't have it in you or that you don't deserve it." pg 86 "In fact, good concentration leads to good meditation. Concentration is the act of building focus and meditation is the art of retaining it without losing awareness. Success in piercing of chakras depends on the quality of your meditation. The better the quality of your one pointed concentration, the quicker and longer-lasting are the results." pg 96 "With each step you make on the path of the kundalini sadhana, you unlock a new level of your consciousness. The clarity of your thoughts begins to improve noticeably. Your memory improves and an inexplicable stillness arises in the body. You feel more grounded, you find it had to react to others criticism, and you begin to maintain an awareness without being affected about what is going on around you. You start to see that your thoughts have started manifesting in real life, they begin to materialize." pg 102 I love this book!
Recommended by my dear friend Francesca Simon I was amazed when she shared with us some of the information in her Sunday program Simply put, go out and buy this book now. If you want a beautifully illustrated book covering the Hebrew letters this is the one to buy. While each entry for the letters is two pages long they are very deep. The images that I provide for my YouTube sound meditations on the Hebrew letters of the Path of the Seeker are from this book. This book is a fantastic meditation aid. Right now you can only buy it used because it is out of print but there are many copies available on Amazon. I highly recommend that you buy The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystic Journey by Edward Hoffman as a meditation aid. Sitting and focusing on these letters is very calming and insightful! You will find a ton of quotes from this book on my YouTube channel videos on the 7 Hebrew Letters on the Path of the Seeker and my Meditations on the Hebrew Letters of the different Sephiroth on the Trees of Life. Hebrew is a fascinating language because, since each letter has a purpose and a deeper meaning, it has a deeper aspect. I've already pointed out that it is the Hebrew of the Torah that allows for Michael Drosden's Bible Code. While many see this as proof of the Christian God being omniscient I see it as more of how the basic pattern of the cosmos that we inhabit is based on a consistent pattern. That pattern of course, is based on the Kabbalah tree of Life which is reflected by the Hebrew Alphabet. Here is a quote from the Introduction of this Book: "The Hebrew alphabet's origins lie shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Today scholars believe that a version known as North Semitic arose among northwest Palestine and Syria's inhabitants more then 3,500 years ago, and established permanently the phonetic sound, numerical value, and order of what initially became Early Hebrew. Already used in the time of King Solomon, this was the original script of the Bible." |
Author:
Thank You For Visiting
Brave Soul! May Your Journey On The Path Of The Seeker Bring You Joy and Peace! I'm currently posting every Saturday. With a new addition the family I have pre-scheduled most posts through December 2022. Full Moon Posts will contain up-to-date content when I can get to them. Thank you so much for your support and understanding! This is a place where you can encounter new spiritual ideas that have helped me develop as an Individual On The Path of the Seeker. Take or Leave this information as you see fit. Archives
April 2024
|