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The Dhamma of Kabbalah—Keter and Nibbana revisited.
Jason
God EmperorArrakis Moderator
Reading certain Kabbalistic teachings, I found some interesting parallels to the teachings of the Buddha. Keeping in mind that these two spiritual practices were divided by culture, geography, and language, it was surprising to me how many of the mystical experiences and terms described by each were strikingly similar. While Kabbalah has what could be described as a connection with the Divine as its ultimate goal, the “knowing” of YHWH through the inner journey of the ten Sefirot, it is interesting how some of the key concepts closely resemble those of Buddhism.
To begin with, the Hebrew word for knowledge, da’ath, has a technical meaning. When the Bible was translated into Greek, the word da’ath was translated as gnosis. Gnosis essential means knowledge, but particularly inuitive or spiritual knowldege in the form of self-realization. As such, it is a deeply personal experience. This is identical to the Buddhist concept of spiritual knowledge or panna (insight). Furthermore, da’ath has a very peculiar status in Kabbalah being a kind of non-existent, a nothingness that can perform a function—not unlike the mathamatical concept of zero. In modern Hermetic Kabbalah, it is sometimes represented as a hole or gate into the abyss of consciousness. It is interesting to me that the word for knowledge is associated with emptiness, which is not unlike the relationship between sunnata, the Pali word for emptiness, and panna in Buddhism.
Da'ath, itself, is dualistic. On one hand, it corresponds to our knowledge of the world of appearance, or in othe words, the body of facts which constitute our beliefs, and in essence, prop up the illusion of identity in the shape of an independent ego, of separateness. On the other hand, it corresponds to a revelation, to objective knowledge or what is often referred to as gnosis. The transition between the knowledge of the world of appearance and revelation entails the experience of the abyss—the abolition of the sense of ego, the negation of identity. From within the abyss, any identity is possible—it is chaos, unformed and primordial. It contains, as it were, the seeds of identity. It is from this point that an infinity of gates open, each one a gateway to a mode of being. In relation to the Buddha’s teachings, this sounds like the realization of anatta (not-self). In Buddhism, the true nature of existence is more or less seen as a conditional process of arising and ceasing. In this process, there is no permanent, unchanging substance, no reality, that can be grasped as ‘me’ or ‘mine’. Our ego, or in Buddhist terms, our sakkaya-ditthi (personality-view) is empty of inherent existence. The conditions for existence in the Buddha’s formula of paticca-samupada (dependent co-arising) are analogous to the seeds of identity that form to construct an individual being, and insight into this emptiness results in a type of gnosis.
Another interesting concept that is found in Kabbalah is the klippoth. In general, the klippoth are evil spirits or demons, but in Kabbalah, the klippoth can also refer to the shell that contains the spirit. It is, in essence, our personality or ego that arises from the conventional mind and body in this earthly realm. In Buddhism, this is comparable to the Buddha’s teachings on the khandhas, which is often translated as the five aggregates. These five aggregates of mind (feelings, perceptions, consciousness, and thought-formations) and body are what we, as conventional beings cling to as ‘me’ or ‘mine’, in effect giving rise to the ego. Additionally, according the Buddha’s teachings on anatta, these five aggregates are said to be empty of “spirit” in and of themselves. In both traditions, spiritual ignorance is the root problem.
In the Kabbalistic tradition, the more we sin, or break the laws of the Torah, the more we strengthen the hold the klippoth has on our true nature. For example, on one site discussing the teachings of the Zohar, it states that, "… the sinner excellerates the power of the "Klippoth" by virtue of the sinner selling out his "Neshamah" (his own Soul) to the "Klippoth", and, in additon, ths sinner is also drawing, by means of his sins, the Holy Name, that is, the "Shechinah" (Divinity) into the "Klippoth", where She becomes enmeshed within the body of the "Klippoth”” (source). To me, this reflects the Buddha's teachings about Mara, the personification of temptation and death, and more importantly, sila, otherwise known as virtue or morality. The Buddha teaches that we cannot practice effectively until we conduct ourselves in a moral and virtuous way. We need virtue, or the absence of evil, to be the foundation of our practice. This is like the two paths of the Kabbalah—emet (truth) and sheker (falsehood). To follow emet, we must practice morality to release the hold of the klippoth. The path of sheker, on the other hand, just strengthens the klippoth's grip, essentially keeping one entangled in the material world. In Kabbalah, sin is the net that traps the spirit in the material world just as in Buddhism kamma, actions born from ignorance, keeps beings trapped in samasara—the continual round of birth and death.
To be honest, I am not entirely confident in my knowledge of Kabbalah; nevertheless, I wonder if the Jewish people incorporated into their evolving religion personal insights and discoveries—insights and discoveries that mirrored what the Buddha found, and holding deeply to their G_d, using Him as the archtype for the things they found within the mind. Perhaps the attainment of keter, symbolized by the crown and representing G_d or the supreme consciousness, could be the same as the Buddha’s attainment of insight into nibbana— the unborn, unmade, and unconditional. Moreover, just as in the Jewish tradition it is said that keter is above human comprehension yet can be experienced in the form of reunification with G_d, the same is true of nibbana in the sense that it too is beyond comprehension yet can be experienced in what the Buddha called “touching the deathless”.
While they are certainly worlds apart, these two paths appear to be profoundly similar, even though one is monotheistic while the other is nontheistic: Through the practice of virtue and deep meditative reflection, one begins to untangle oneself from the klippoth/Mara; which in turn places one on the path of emet/Dhamma—a path eventually culminating, through the light of da’ath/panna, in the profound experience of keter/nibbana. The essence of which has at its very core the nature of emptiness—formless, infinite, pure, timeless, and unconditional emptiness.
To begin with, the Hebrew word for knowledge, da’ath, has a technical meaning. When the Bible was translated into Greek, the word da’ath was translated as gnosis. Gnosis essential means knowledge, but particularly inuitive or spiritual knowldege in the form of self-realization. As such, it is a deeply personal experience. This is identical to the Buddhist concept of spiritual knowledge or panna (insight). Furthermore, da’ath has a very peculiar status in Kabbalah being a kind of non-existent, a nothingness that can perform a function—not unlike the mathamatical concept of zero. In modern Hermetic Kabbalah, it is sometimes represented as a hole or gate into the abyss of consciousness. It is interesting to me that the word for knowledge is associated with emptiness, which is not unlike the relationship between sunnata, the Pali word for emptiness, and panna in Buddhism.
Da'ath, itself, is dualistic. On one hand, it corresponds to our knowledge of the world of appearance, or in othe words, the body of facts which constitute our beliefs, and in essence, prop up the illusion of identity in the shape of an independent ego, of separateness. On the other hand, it corresponds to a revelation, to objective knowledge or what is often referred to as gnosis. The transition between the knowledge of the world of appearance and revelation entails the experience of the abyss—the abolition of the sense of ego, the negation of identity. From within the abyss, any identity is possible—it is chaos, unformed and primordial. It contains, as it were, the seeds of identity. It is from this point that an infinity of gates open, each one a gateway to a mode of being. In relation to the Buddha’s teachings, this sounds like the realization of anatta (not-self). In Buddhism, the true nature of existence is more or less seen as a conditional process of arising and ceasing. In this process, there is no permanent, unchanging substance, no reality, that can be grasped as ‘me’ or ‘mine’. Our ego, or in Buddhist terms, our sakkaya-ditthi (personality-view) is empty of inherent existence. The conditions for existence in the Buddha’s formula of paticca-samupada (dependent co-arising) are analogous to the seeds of identity that form to construct an individual being, and insight into this emptiness results in a type of gnosis.
Another interesting concept that is found in Kabbalah is the klippoth. In general, the klippoth are evil spirits or demons, but in Kabbalah, the klippoth can also refer to the shell that contains the spirit. It is, in essence, our personality or ego that arises from the conventional mind and body in this earthly realm. In Buddhism, this is comparable to the Buddha’s teachings on the khandhas, which is often translated as the five aggregates. These five aggregates of mind (feelings, perceptions, consciousness, and thought-formations) and body are what we, as conventional beings cling to as ‘me’ or ‘mine’, in effect giving rise to the ego. Additionally, according the Buddha’s teachings on anatta, these five aggregates are said to be empty of “spirit” in and of themselves. In both traditions, spiritual ignorance is the root problem.
In the Kabbalistic tradition, the more we sin, or break the laws of the Torah, the more we strengthen the hold the klippoth has on our true nature. For example, on one site discussing the teachings of the Zohar, it states that, "… the sinner excellerates the power of the "Klippoth" by virtue of the sinner selling out his "Neshamah" (his own Soul) to the "Klippoth", and, in additon, ths sinner is also drawing, by means of his sins, the Holy Name, that is, the "Shechinah" (Divinity) into the "Klippoth", where She becomes enmeshed within the body of the "Klippoth”” (source). To me, this reflects the Buddha's teachings about Mara, the personification of temptation and death, and more importantly, sila, otherwise known as virtue or morality. The Buddha teaches that we cannot practice effectively until we conduct ourselves in a moral and virtuous way. We need virtue, or the absence of evil, to be the foundation of our practice. This is like the two paths of the Kabbalah—emet (truth) and sheker (falsehood). To follow emet, we must practice morality to release the hold of the klippoth. The path of sheker, on the other hand, just strengthens the klippoth's grip, essentially keeping one entangled in the material world. In Kabbalah, sin is the net that traps the spirit in the material world just as in Buddhism kamma, actions born from ignorance, keeps beings trapped in samasara—the continual round of birth and death.
To be honest, I am not entirely confident in my knowledge of Kabbalah; nevertheless, I wonder if the Jewish people incorporated into their evolving religion personal insights and discoveries—insights and discoveries that mirrored what the Buddha found, and holding deeply to their G_d, using Him as the archtype for the things they found within the mind. Perhaps the attainment of keter, symbolized by the crown and representing G_d or the supreme consciousness, could be the same as the Buddha’s attainment of insight into nibbana— the unborn, unmade, and unconditional. Moreover, just as in the Jewish tradition it is said that keter is above human comprehension yet can be experienced in the form of reunification with G_d, the same is true of nibbana in the sense that it too is beyond comprehension yet can be experienced in what the Buddha called “touching the deathless”.
While they are certainly worlds apart, these two paths appear to be profoundly similar, even though one is monotheistic while the other is nontheistic: Through the practice of virtue and deep meditative reflection, one begins to untangle oneself from the klippoth/Mara; which in turn places one on the path of emet/Dhamma—a path eventually culminating, through the light of da’ath/panna, in the profound experience of keter/nibbana. The essence of which has at its very core the nature of emptiness—formless, infinite, pure, timeless, and unconditional emptiness.
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Comments
Paladin
KoB,
Do you know the work of Ken Wilber?
Do "enlighten" me....;)
Ken Wilber
His "Theory of Everything" is well worth looking at and the article has useful links.
I am a pisces.
It says this...
http://www.kabbalahcircle.com/pisces.php
Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. It closes the karmic Tikune cycle, which is the final correction. It is said that anyone born as under this sign has the opportunity, with the right consciousness, to finish his Tikun completely, not to die and reincarnate, but to achieve immortal life.
That gives me hope.
So does this...
http://psychicvisions.org/numerology_expression7.htm
But they actually take away hope because I feel as though I have lost something when I find knowledge from deep within myself and then I read it somewhere.
And I am not talking too much on the above subjects. I am honestly amazed daily at what I already knew but couldn't accept but is then proven to be true.
It rapes me of all hopes.
Which it shouldn't but it should at the the time.
It is just best I feel like I wasn't raped.
But what are your thoughts on any of these words, escpecially the ones about kabbalah?