Learning Jewish Kabbalah to relate it to Hindu Vedanta - Hindu-Noahide Book Club 2.2 - Two Ways of Light: Kabbalah and Vedanta by James N. Judd

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Part 2 of Book Review of (Two ways of light: Kabbalah and Vedanta by James N. Judd)

First the author describes to us the inner workings of Jewish Kabbalah so that later it can be related to  Hindu vedanta. 

• Kabbalah bridges the spiritual and physical worlds.
• Suggests a unified state of consciousness. 
• Links spirit and flesh. 
• The unknown, the inexpressible, can be expressed and known subject only to the limitations of the physical universe. 
• Teaches unity. 
• There is no place empty of god.
• Can only be understood through symbolic form and ritual. 
• Spiritual and physical are not independent of one another.  
• Physical and spiritual must be balanced. 
• Received from inner state of spiritual awareness, but also from student to teacher. 
• All things come from the endless light (Ein Sof). This is the ground of everything, and as any definition would impose a limitation on that which is limitless it can only be described by what it is not. 
• All creation emanates or flows from the Ein Sof through a framework of ten archetypes (the tree symbol) called the Sephiroth.  The first of these is the grown (Kether) which is the creator of the universe. 
• There is feminine polarity to the creator  (Kether) which is called the presence of god (Shekinah).  This is considered to be in exile in the world until redeemed. 
  
• There is a law of opposites which governs the operation of all the universe. 
• The purpose or goal of the Divine is to bring everything back into its original unity.  This cannot be done without redemption of all souls, and they cannot be redeemed until the union of all opposites has been achieved. 
• The Divine works through man to achieve this unity, or balance, and the redemption of souls.  Man, therefore, has to understand all opposites in order to bring them into balance.
• He himself is all; He is the Most Holy Ancient of all Ancients, the Concealed within all Concealments. He hath been formed, and yet as it were He hath not been formed. He hath been conformed, so that He, may sustain all things; yet is He not formed, seeing that He is not discovered.
• The Book of Concealed Mystery is the book of the equilibrium of the balances.
• For before there was equilibrium, countenance beheld not countenance.
• Until that head (which is incomprehensible) desired by all desires, appeared proceeding from Ein Sof and communicated the vestments of honor.
• This equilibrium hangeth in the region, which is negatively existent in the Ancient One.
• Thus were these powers equiponderated (made the same weight) which were not yet in perceptible existence.
• In the form of the Ancient One existeth the equilibrium: it is incomprehensible, it is unseen.
• Creation could not come from nothing, so there must be a negative existence (unmanifest), the Ein Sof, to balance the manifest, or positive existence. 
• Until the two balances (positive and negative polarities) came into a state of equal weight in an unmanifest state there could be no manifest creation ("before there was equilibrium countenance beheld not countenance"). In time Kether, the first manifestation and Creator of the universe, would appear, ("that head... desired by all desires"), and all creation would emanate from that source (and communicated the vestments of honor).
• The skull of the White Head hath not beginning, but its end is the convexity of its joining together, which is extended and shining. 
• Therefore He carved out and instituted proportioning Himself, and carved out before Him a certain veil. 
• The Kabbalah teaches that the Ein Sof is reduced in its intensity of brightness in four stages of planes, with the Sephiroth distributed among those planes. These four different levels are called Atziluth (Spiritual), Briah (Causal), Yetzirah  (Astral or Formative),  and Assiah (Physical). 
• This is how some of the verses of Zohar refer  to the emanation  of the Sephiroth from Ein Sof:
• He is separated from all things, neither yet doth He altogether separate Himself, seeing that unto Himself all things adhere, and that He Himself adhereth unto all; He, Himself is all; He is the most Holy,  Ancient of All Ancients, the Concealed, with all  Concealments.  
• When he is conformed  He produceth nine lights which shine forth from Him, from His conformation. 
• And from Himself those lights shine forth and emit flames, and they rush forth and extend on every side like as from an elevated lantern the rays of light stream down on every side.  Those rays of light, which are extended, when anyone draweth near unto them, so that they may be examined,  are not found, and there is only the latern alone. 
• Kether emanated the remaining nine Sephirith.  That  is, God Himself flows forth all the qualities.
• The rest of  Kabbalah deals with the law of opposites, yes the opposites are complementary, polarities that govern operation of the universe. The equilibrium of these opposites in the Ein Sof is the divine purpose of bringing everything  together in harmony and balance.