God and the Self as Nothing

The Source is nothing. Nothing does not mean a vacuum, but no thing (no/thing). No/thing is pure energy.

A favorite quote of mine in this regard is from Dov Baer of Mezrich as translated in Lawrence Kushner,The Book of Words, p. 96 (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights, 1993): “You need to think of yourself as nothing. Forget yourself entirely. Pray only for the sake of God’s presence. Only then will you come to transcend time and attain the ‘World of Thought.’ No contradictions. No distinctions between life and death or sea and dry land. All the same . . . This can only happen if you forget yourself entirely. But it cannot be the case while you are attached to the tangible reality of this world. Fixated on the distinctions between good and evil and mundane creation. How otherwise could one possibly transcend time and attain ultimate unification. Thus, as long as you remain convinced that you are ‘something,’ preoccupied with your daily needs, then the Holy One cannot be present, for God is without end, that is, ‘nothing,’ no vessel can contain the One. But this is not so when you think of yourself as nothing.”

Here, “nothing” really means without boundaries and limits.

Dov Baer expresses his ideas more dualistically than I would (e.g. “attached to tangible reality,” “mundane creation,” and “World of Thought”), but his message is beautiful: To feel the presence of the Source, one must drop all categories, especially the self.

God

I don’t see God as an entity at all, as a thing. God is not a being, but an energy that pervades the universe and transcends the universe. For that reason, I don’t even use the word, “God,” but instead use “Source,” or sometimes “Source of Being.” To relate to the Source, one must transcend all categories (which are, by definition, finite and limited). The Source is neither personal nor impersonal, but the sacred energy/breath that underlies all existence.

This is not an easy place for me to reside. I only get there at moments. Often I am deluded by my own self and its desires, which get in the way. But I do get there at times–certainly more now than when I was younger. And that makes all the effort worthwhile.

The SOURCE

The SOURCE is nothing. Nothing does not mean a vacuum, but no thing (no/thing). No/thing is pure energy.

Love

Love is the transcendence of self.

Our Bodies Are Poems II

Our bodies are poems, Every cell, tissue, nerve, muscle, bone, and organ are the words.

Our Body Are Poems I

Our body are poems with beauty and meaning found in every cell, tissue, nerve, muscle, bone, and organ.

Our Bodes Are Texts

Our bodies are texts in which we write the stories of our lives.

My Heart Beats

My heart beats, a tiny pulsating cell in the heart of humanity, in the heart of all life, in the heart of the earth, in the heart of the universe, in the heart of the multiverse, in the heart of the Source.

A Tree Rooted

A tree rooted in the earth feeling the sun’s rays. The ground’s juices. Heaven’s breath. Two realms linked in an ancient creature.

Resurrection

A discussion of resurrection in a modern context:

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/03/24/far-from-heaven.html

A Great Photograph

A great photograph is not a reproduction, but a distillation.

Habits and Feeling

Unconscious habits impede feeling. Conscious habits clarify and intensify feeling.

Conscious Habits

Conscious awareness of habits makes you more flexible.

Flexibility and Habits

Flexibility is the capacity to constantly monitor and alter your habits and routines.

Adaptation and Habit

We need habits and routines to get through day-to-day life, yet the ability to adapt and change is the key to long-term well-bing.

Where am I?

Where am I? Here? Or there?

When We Change

When we change, others change. When we heal, others heal. When we love, others love.

The Road Less Traveled II

I did not realize I had take the road less traveled until I was far along it.

The Road Less Traveled I

The road less traveled has no sign posts.

Freedom

Freedom is the choice to take the keys out of our pockets to unlock the chains we have placed on ourselves.

Time

Time is not for filling, but for feeling.

Memory

Everything will be forgotten.  Nothing will be forgotten.

When the Ground Shakes

When the ground shakes beneath us, look inward.  There is our foundation.

When the Ground Shakes

When the ground shakes beneath us, look inward. There is our foundation.

Surrender

The greater the stress, the more you need to let go and surrender.

Surrender

The greater the stress, the more you need to let go and surrender.

Meeting People

Meet people where they are rather than where you would like them to be.

Dianne and I

Dianne and I sitting across from each other at adjoining tables.  What could be better?

Body Sensations

One of my practices is to focus my awareness on different parts of my body. Today I settled on my foot : particularly the heel, the ball, and each toe. Feeling my toes against a wall not only connects me to my to toes, but it also has the effect of rebalancing the muscles, tendons, and skeletal structure of my feet. It alters my torso as well and also helps to align my head, neck, and spine.

Breaking Habits

Today I realized that breaking habits sometimes gives me more energy. I went on my daily walk, and it rained in a sun shower. That was new and energizing. Then I visited a friend recovering from a heart attack, and just hanging out with him allowed me to relax and feel a sense of calm that was not present earlier in the day.

Name of God (not G-d)

The name of God in Hebrew is yod-heh-waw-heh, with no vowel points, i.e. the Tetragrammaton (“four letters”).  Originally, that word would have had vowel points, but we don’t know what they are for sure.  In order to avoid saying the name of God, the Jews of antiquity changed the vowel points and said “adonai” (“Lord”) instead.  Now we have others who simply say “ha-Shem” (“the name”) which makes sense because yod-heh-waw-heh is in fact the name of God.  But the name of “God” for Jews is “yod-heh-waw-heh,” not “God.”  The word for “God” in Hebrew is “Elohim.”   Thus:  “Elohim” = the concept of God; “yod-heh-waw-heh” = the name of God.  Some have started to spell the word, “God” in the form of “G-d,” equating this with the Hebrew.  This is English, however, and “God” is not a Hebrew word.  There is no need to use the spelling, “G-d,” which in fact communicates the misimpression that “God” is also a Jewish name–it’s not.  The name of God is and has always been “yod-heh-waw-heh.”  The word, “God” is not the equivalent of “yod-heh-waw-heh,” but rather “Elohim.”  In my opinion, “G-d” is a misnomer.

Self-Interest and World Repair

The Source implanted self-interest in humans in order that they might be able to repair the world.

Next Entries »