The only thing that separates all objects from each other is the different amount of the desire to delight, which determines all properties of each object.
This desire to delight is the only creation. Besides it there is only the Creator. Thus everything besides the Creator is nothing but various measures of the desire to delight.
Initially creation, sensing the Creator (filled with the light) is not independent. It is completely suppressed by the light and the light dictates to creation its own rules and transfers it its qualities. In order to make creation independent from the Creator, He must distance Himself completely. In other words, creation, freeing itself from the light, gains freedom of action.
To place these conditions at creationâs disposal, the Creator has to do the following:
Completely distance creation from Himself
Provide it with an opportunity to evolve and attain this Existence,
Provide it with an opportunity of free choice
Hence, the Creator (existing at the utmost level), created creation from the property opposite to Him. He filled it with the light, and later by emptying it of the light, lowered it down to the condition of âour worldâ.
The Creator is perfect and the only one. Being perfect, He wishes to bestow perfection, His own condition to His creatures. This is why the goal of creation is to reach the Creatorâs perfection, and to be able to receive that which the Creator wants to give.
In its initial state, creation (the soul or Adam) is not corrected. It must correct itself and to reach the state of âFinal Correctionâ.
By ascending the rungs of the spiritual ladder, creation becomes worthy of receiving the delight that is many times bigger than it had before descending to this world. Moreover, creation must have the strength and opportunity to act freely between two opposite forces, its own egoism and the Creator, and then to independently choose and its path.
I sorted these thoughts, choosing the order in which to arrange them. But the original text was not changed.
This is interesting to me because it highlights our original selfish nature, it highlights suffering/difficulty. And also interesting is the idea that free will is achieved by fully extracting the light, thereby gaining the original selfishness, which is the building block of any spiritual journey.
Light without Dark is irrelevant. In order to know one thing, you must know its antithesis. It is the contrast which defines a thing. This is this, this is not that. Which is preferable?
I would ask about the passage where it states that the desire to delight is the only creation. Would that be self delight (STS) or the delight of others (STO)? Or would it be considered to be both?
Is it perhaps better defining to state that Desire itself is the only creation? Desire being a function of Free Will?
Possibly I am being pedantic but it seems to me that Desire (Free Will) is at the core of all action. Without this drive to want something other there would be no progress, no development.
For example, I would posit a rewriting of the first passage to read:
âThe only thing that separates all objects from each other is Free Will, which determines all properties of each object and their perception of that which is other.â
I think about the time before the Veil was dropped between the conscious and unconscious.
When all you know is all that there is to be known, where is the impetus for change? To desire to be something more, or other, than what you currently are.
Thusly, the Creator knew that in order to appreciate the Light, the opposite of the Light would need to be appreciated as well. The Dark would need to be understood and accepted as a meaningful and integral part of Creation in order to validate the presence of the Light.
I would agree with you on that point with one caveat. Some small portion of the Light would have to be able to be perceived from within. That is what would create the desire to achieve more of that Light. If there is a total lack of perception of the Light, then the Light would be an unknown goal.
The important point is that, apart from our constant desire to reach for pleasure and avoid pain, life itself lacks a way to instantly return to nothingness. Many different teachings say that we have to work hard to earn the right to higher worlds. And what do you think a world full of suffering and devoid of an instant painless reliable way to leave life/existence is inherently like? It is a world of pure selfishness, but still designed so that the creation will return to God sooner or later. This is easy to realise, because if God didnât care whether you came back or not, he would let you keep your hand on the hot cooker forever and thus there would be literally nothing stopping you. But this is uncontrollable chaos, and a potential loss for God. So creation is made so that they themselves will sooner or later realise, through pain, that they need God, because where God is, there is âgoodâ.
You can choose how you will realise that nothingness is the only place where you will truly feel good, and where you are inevitably drawn to. You may try to dull your pain by enslaving others and making them work for you to reduce your pain (self-service). You may realise that you are not the only one suffering and feel that people need your help and you will serve others.
But to deny the very fact of a constant desire for pleasure will only bring a lot of new pain.
You wonât be able to feel all that pain consciously unless you train yourself to see the world more deeply, but itâs still there.
These examples that you have given demonstrate ways in which people may choose to endure pain in order to gain that which they desire. Yes, I will stay up to watch that series. Yes, I will continue walking up that hill despite discomfort. I will deal with the consequences that come from making that decision willingly and with an open heart. Thus, we gain understanding.
That is the essence of Free Will. The choice to endure, even though it causes discomfort. We endure because we have a goal in sight and we know that we will reap a reward, for ourselves or for others, if we just continue to push on through the pain.
You must ask yourself, âWhy do I feel discomfort?â
Is it just a physical response to sensory input? Or is it a response to influences which do not want you to succeed, that do not want you to gain that achievement that you set out to achieve?
There are plenty of people, myself included, who do not fear pain and understand its necessity as a catalyst for further growth and understanding.
In this example there is the obvious need to remove your hand from a hot cooker because it can damage your physical body. Enduring physical pain for the sake of enduring physical pain can have its rewards, but itâs a bit silly, imo. There are better ways to prove to yourself that you can endure.
I have to vehemently disagree with that idealogoy. I, and many others, have a wish for understanding, or insight, which supersedes all other wishes.
Why are we here? Were we created by some other intelligence? If so, why? For what purpose have we been created? Is there some loftier goal that we should be seeking as our duty and in appreciation for the life that we have been given?
I will eagerly endure pain and struggle if I can gain just a tiny part of Universal Understanding as a result of that pain and struggle.
Let me give an example: The Mother, as she is giving birth, experiences great physical pain. If the Mother decided that the pain was too much to bear and refused to birth the Child, all of this physical creation would disappear. The Mother knows that pain is temporary and worthwhile and that, if she persists, the Child will grant her rewards that cause that pain to be like the blinking of an eye. She knows that it is her duty to endure the pain and she does so knowingly and willingly in order to achieve growth. Growth for her, for her Child and for the species to which she belongs.
Another example: A marathon runner experiences pain as a result of pushing their body to the extreme limits that it can handle. The runner does this because they know that there is a state of being that exists beyond pain that brings immeasurable pleasure. They know that the only way to reach that place is through pain. To reach their goal, they must suffer and then move beyond that suffering,
Let us discuss pain itself. There are many types of pain. Some, like physical pain, are fully manifested in our lives and are overwhelmingly real. Others, like emotional pain, can seem that they are not real and are just figments of our imagination. Even more nebulous is the spiritual pain. Spiritual pain is experienced by the soul and is the most ephemeral and hardest to understand.
Physical pain is easily dealt with, for the most part. Emotional pain is slightly more difficult to dissipate. Spiritual pain is almost always chronic and will not be alleviated easily, if at all.
All of these types of pain have their purpose. Physical pain warns us that we are experiencing something that can cause us physical harm. Emotional pain warns us that we may be partaking in activities that can harm us, or those around us, as a result of our actions or words. Spiritual pain warns us that our soul is in Darkness, that our understanding is lacking due to the absence of Truth (Light).
Pain, in my humble opinion, is a gift. It is a warning and a tribulation to be endured. It emphasizes achievement. It creates the contrast between growth and stagnation.
Success without some measure of pain can be meaningless and hollow because of the ease with which it was achieved.
There are many things that we do in this life that can cause pain, pain to ourselves and/or pain to others. Yet, we continue to do those things.
This is the essence of Free Will.
Is it always wise to endure that pain? Is it always wise to cause others to endure that pain?
Maybe, maybe not.
The point is that we always have a choice. We have a choice to endure or not to endure. We have a choice to seek or not to seek. We have a choice to suffer or not to suffer. We have a choice to experience pleasure or to not experience pleasure.
It is the choice that is real, nothing else.
To constantly run from discomfort is a dangerous path to take. It leads to seeking comfort above all other desires, at any cost. The cost that this behavior can extol can be very high.
The addict follows this path. Ironically creating more pain and discomfort in their lives as a result of their unwillingness to experience pain and discomfort and deal with it in a healthy manner.
Pain is the antithesis to pleasure. Without the contrast of discomfort, or pain, pleasure would have no real value.
To quote the Dread Pirate Roberts, âLife is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.â
In essence, to run from pain is to run from life. I enjoy living and I know that pain is an integral part of life, just as is pleasure. They are both to be understood and appreciated as an equal half of a very beautiful whole.
