Kabbalah

I've been writing about how our unhappiness is caused by the ego.  More accurately that there is no ego.  It is a false notion that there exists something permanent that is the the real you.  In Buddhism if we can disintegrate the ego by realizing this then the source of suffering will be removed.  Today I want to write about Kabbalah which I see as similar in some respects.  It also talks about ego and desire and how hard it seems to be happy.  Rather than trying to eliminate the ego though it attempts to fix it.  I does this by following a process of 125 steps.  I have only begun my study of Kabbalah and so I don't know what the steps are yet.  

Creation they believe begins with the light of God.  There was only the thought of creation.  This light formed a vessel that held the light.  The vessel was filled and rather than being a receiver of the light desired to be a giver of the light.  It had no light to give and besides it was not its nature to give but only to receive and was unable but stopped receiving the light it its attempt.  At this point the light of God could not be given and was not received.  This was unsustainable and the vessel decided to receive a potion of the light just so that it would have something left over to give.  Then the vessel decided it wanted to not just receive the light and not to just give the light left over but to attain the status of God.  As it received the light it was aware of not being the creator and it became aware that it actually was the opposite of the creator.  So it separated itself and closed itself off from the light of God.  At that point the soul is created.  At a later point this soul is broken into pieces so an individual only has a small piece of soul or ego.  The source of suffering is egoism just like in Buddhism but the solution is not to get rid of the ego but to fix it and reintegrate it.  I am not one that likes metaphysical mumbo jumbo.  But this interests me enough to want to pursue learning more.  I was introduced to Kabbalah many years ago but at the time was just not interested and found it very hard to understand.  I was just channel surfing and ran across and introduction to it on Jewish Life Television.  I recorded them and watched them and then visited their website where they had some on line classes and started taking an introductory class.  

I need a break from all the reflection I have been doing.  Lately it is just too hard to not get negative.  Maybe I am not doing it right maybe I need to do a lot more Santayana and lot less Vippasana.  There is a 10 day retreat I am tempted to go on to learn how to do it but the timing is not right.  There is also a Zen monastery not too far away that has training available.  Perhaps someday.  There are warnings too that at the beginning Kabbalah study it is emotionally hard for some reason.  Supposedly magickal forces are unleashed from the light to help you along by creating a dissatisfaction with this world and a great desire to find access to the upper world.  We will see.