The purpose of the "ThinkTov" organization is twofold: 1) to offer people an alternative to meditations involving idol worship and foreign philosophy; 2) to give them a chance to discover spiritual Judaism. This is one of the directives of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Those in the first category will benefit greatly from the disc and if they wish to continue on the path of discovering spiritual Judaism, I would recommend the Chasidic Heritage series. They are Chassidic discourses translated into English with the accompanying Hebrew text. I recommend finding a nice selection of them and then choosing one with a title that really speaks to you. Read through it lightly once then more in depth a second, a third and a forth time, one of those times should be in the original Hebrew. This helps the soul connect.
After this you will see a difference in your life in general. When you pray (daven) I recommend choosing a verse or two preferably from the beginning of the shema, the amida or the birkat hamazon and learn the meaning of the Hebrew words. Concentrate on them fully; take a number of deep calming breaths then say them while looking and absorbing within yourself each letter. You may also do this with your eyes closed if you wish. Say the words on the natural exhale. That is, instead of exhaling for the sake of speaking, speak with the rhythm of the natural exhale. At this point the context of the Chassidic discourse will rise up in your mind unifying the letters with the concept and bring great light into the world. This light is partially revealed within yourself by the spiritual experience that you will be having at the moment.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Disc
The disc involves basic meditation techniques as per the Rebbe's request "without Chassidic or kabalistic intentions so people will choose something Kosher and permissible as apposed to something involving avoda zora (idol worship) or a philosophy foreign to the Judaism".
If you have practiced mindfulness meditation, you are probably familiar with at least the first two of the seven steps. The seven steps were designed to aid a person in achieving a desire to actively use and focus the mind. This is in accordance with the concept "think good and it will be good" as taught in the Chassidic doctrine in depth.
If you have practiced mindfulness meditation, you are probably familiar with at least the first two of the seven steps. The seven steps were designed to aid a person in achieving a desire to actively use and focus the mind. This is in accordance with the concept "think good and it will be good" as taught in the Chassidic doctrine in depth.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Contemporary Meditation and Chabad Hitbonenut Meditation
Question:
I am interested in Hitbonenut (Jewish contemplation meditation).
I have a good background in meditation. I have studied Tanya and Chassidus but have had a hard time finding a practical way to learn Hitbonenut. Here in the US, it seems that most Chabad people do NOT practice Hitbonenut nor can they explain how to incorporate it into one’s life and Avodat Hashem (service of G-d).
I have over 20 years of mindfulness meditation background and I am comfortable w/ that practice. As far as Hitbonenut, the only way it was ever explained was to "memorize a maamor (mystical dissertation) of the Rebbe and think about it before davening (prayers)". If that is what Hitbonenut is nowadays, I will stick w/ mindfulness meditation because, clearly, that is NOT what Tanya is saying.
Answer:
Thank you for your question. It is a very good question. I understand why you would think "Chabad people do NOT practice Hitbonenut let alone explain how to incorporate it into one’s life and Avodat Hashem (service of G-d)".
You are asking for an explanation of Hitbonenut according to your understanding of meditation. In order to correctly explain Hitbonenut one would first have to be familiar with contemporary meditation techniques. Most Chabad rabbis are not familiar with these techniques. They have their own philosophy and live their lives based on that philosophy. You actually received the answer to your question when they told you to "memorize a maamor and think about it before davening". However, you did not understand the answer since you are not familiar with the Chabad approach to meditation. You are both communicating in different languages. I will try to clarify.
Actually Chabad IS Hitbonenut meditation.
There are many different styles of meditation but all meditation breaks down to two main categories: passive and active.
You can have passive meditation without active meditation and active meditation can be achieved without passive meditation. Both methods, however, will be more effective if each includes the other.
Each method has its pros and cons. The advantage of passive meditation is that it will allow you to reach a state of inner peace and awareness of your surroundings. The cons of passive meditation, however, are that if it becomes your main focus it will lead you to imagine that you "feel" enlightened but leave you static and mentally undeveloped.
When passive meditation is used correctly the euphoric state will be ignored and a person will try to attain the wisdom and recognition of self he experiences during those states. When used incorrectly a person may end up spending his life seeking more euphoric states and will ultimately "feel" like he is failing if he does not experience them. This may make him lose interest in practicing truly enlightening active meditation since he does not experience the "feeling". This concept is explained nicely at this link
Wisdom is the goal of Chabad as implied by the name "Chabad" which is an acronym for chochma, bina, da’at – referring to three different forms of intellect, upon which I cannot elaborate at this point. The only true wisdom is G-d Himself since there is nothing other than Him. This means that He is our very existence. He allows us to tap into this wisdom and existence itself through the learning and practice of Torah. The Torah is Him condensed and encapsulated into physical words and letters, laws and customs.
A maamor of chassidut is Torah and its purpose is to reveal His essence in the physical world and describe His manifestation in that world which is itself a physical aspect of G-d Himself.
If you learn one of these maamorim by heart, learning not just the words but the entire concept and you incorporate that concept into your life, simply by learning it at least four times and understanding it. You will see that you will begin to live it and breathe it. Meaning, once learned, the maamor will be embedded in your life and you will be encompassed by it. The maamor will bring a new awareness to the day-to-day occurrences of your life.
Our souls are placed into our physical bodies to allow us to perform physical acts. This activity is impossible while in a passive meditative state. At best we can hope to apply the meditative experience we have to real life. But when we learn Chassidut we actually live in a state of heightened awareness where we experience the divine on a regular basis, because Chassidut opens our awareness and attunes us to that divinity. This awareness is called "gadlut hamochin" or expansion of the mind.
During the times of the Second Temple, one of the reasons the people of Israel were drawn toward foreign worship (i.e. idolatry) was because they became so involved in the rapture of the idolatrous meditations that they forgot about the divine. They became blinded by the physical beauty, so to speak, and chose the ministers over the King Himself.
Chabad is the kabbalah for our generation. It is a part of G-d's wisdom and it can be quite euphoric in its own right. To attain that euphoric state you must learn it. Memorize it. Live it. Don't look for the easy way out, the way of momentary visions and illusions of spiritual enlightenment.
There are many stories told of the Rebbeim or their Chassidim entering into a meditative trance and leaving their bodies as well as many other mystical stories. All these stories were possible because these Chassidim were completely involved in the divine to the degree that their physical existence became a vehicle to achieve awareness of the divine.
In short the passive meditation of mindfulness is good for it allows you to become an observer and learn to steep yourself in the moment. It is also very good for your health, as science has proven over the past 30 years. Check out this link for a talk of the Rebbe concerning meditation and health.
The active meditation of Chabad, namely, Hitbonenut, allows you to become an observer while still remaining active in the moment. It allows you to live your life actively in a heightened state of awareness. And since souls were put in physical bodies to perform, this is the preferred state.
Someone with your background in passive meditation should be able to experience very intense moments by learning Chassidut as prescribed above. It may even give you a jump on the average Chassid who does not understand the passive state, as well as you do. But don't underestimate the average Chassid either. They know the state of heightened awareness of G-d and they live with it every moment.
I teach people basic, passive meditation techniques first, I then teach them active meditation techniques. Once someone learns and becomes efficient in these (which does not take long if taken seriously) then they may want to connect it with their active Jewish daily service as prescribed by the code of Jewish law. They may want to take it to the next level using Hitbonenut as prescribed by Chabad or Chassidic and Kabbalistic philosophies.
If requested, I will show him/her some meditations which incorporate the Torah and mitzvoth into the meditative, awareness, G-dly state of mind.
I also use meditation for therapy as a holistic treatment for health of body and mind.
May you have a good and sweet year, a year of gadlut hamochin.
I am interested in Hitbonenut (Jewish contemplation meditation).
I have a good background in meditation. I have studied Tanya and Chassidus but have had a hard time finding a practical way to learn Hitbonenut. Here in the US, it seems that most Chabad people do NOT practice Hitbonenut nor can they explain how to incorporate it into one’s life and Avodat Hashem (service of G-d).
I have over 20 years of mindfulness meditation background and I am comfortable w/ that practice. As far as Hitbonenut, the only way it was ever explained was to "memorize a maamor (mystical dissertation) of the Rebbe and think about it before davening (prayers)". If that is what Hitbonenut is nowadays, I will stick w/ mindfulness meditation because, clearly, that is NOT what Tanya is saying.
Answer:
Thank you for your question. It is a very good question. I understand why you would think "Chabad people do NOT practice Hitbonenut let alone explain how to incorporate it into one’s life and Avodat Hashem (service of G-d)".
You are asking for an explanation of Hitbonenut according to your understanding of meditation. In order to correctly explain Hitbonenut one would first have to be familiar with contemporary meditation techniques. Most Chabad rabbis are not familiar with these techniques. They have their own philosophy and live their lives based on that philosophy. You actually received the answer to your question when they told you to "memorize a maamor and think about it before davening". However, you did not understand the answer since you are not familiar with the Chabad approach to meditation. You are both communicating in different languages. I will try to clarify.
Actually Chabad IS Hitbonenut meditation.
There are many different styles of meditation but all meditation breaks down to two main categories: passive and active.
You can have passive meditation without active meditation and active meditation can be achieved without passive meditation. Both methods, however, will be more effective if each includes the other.
Each method has its pros and cons. The advantage of passive meditation is that it will allow you to reach a state of inner peace and awareness of your surroundings. The cons of passive meditation, however, are that if it becomes your main focus it will lead you to imagine that you "feel" enlightened but leave you static and mentally undeveloped.
When passive meditation is used correctly the euphoric state will be ignored and a person will try to attain the wisdom and recognition of self he experiences during those states. When used incorrectly a person may end up spending his life seeking more euphoric states and will ultimately "feel" like he is failing if he does not experience them. This may make him lose interest in practicing truly enlightening active meditation since he does not experience the "feeling". This concept is explained nicely at this link
Wisdom is the goal of Chabad as implied by the name "Chabad" which is an acronym for chochma, bina, da’at – referring to three different forms of intellect, upon which I cannot elaborate at this point. The only true wisdom is G-d Himself since there is nothing other than Him. This means that He is our very existence. He allows us to tap into this wisdom and existence itself through the learning and practice of Torah. The Torah is Him condensed and encapsulated into physical words and letters, laws and customs.
A maamor of chassidut is Torah and its purpose is to reveal His essence in the physical world and describe His manifestation in that world which is itself a physical aspect of G-d Himself.
If you learn one of these maamorim by heart, learning not just the words but the entire concept and you incorporate that concept into your life, simply by learning it at least four times and understanding it. You will see that you will begin to live it and breathe it. Meaning, once learned, the maamor will be embedded in your life and you will be encompassed by it. The maamor will bring a new awareness to the day-to-day occurrences of your life.
Our souls are placed into our physical bodies to allow us to perform physical acts. This activity is impossible while in a passive meditative state. At best we can hope to apply the meditative experience we have to real life. But when we learn Chassidut we actually live in a state of heightened awareness where we experience the divine on a regular basis, because Chassidut opens our awareness and attunes us to that divinity. This awareness is called "gadlut hamochin" or expansion of the mind.
During the times of the Second Temple, one of the reasons the people of Israel were drawn toward foreign worship (i.e. idolatry) was because they became so involved in the rapture of the idolatrous meditations that they forgot about the divine. They became blinded by the physical beauty, so to speak, and chose the ministers over the King Himself.
Chabad is the kabbalah for our generation. It is a part of G-d's wisdom and it can be quite euphoric in its own right. To attain that euphoric state you must learn it. Memorize it. Live it. Don't look for the easy way out, the way of momentary visions and illusions of spiritual enlightenment.
There are many stories told of the Rebbeim or their Chassidim entering into a meditative trance and leaving their bodies as well as many other mystical stories. All these stories were possible because these Chassidim were completely involved in the divine to the degree that their physical existence became a vehicle to achieve awareness of the divine.
In short the passive meditation of mindfulness is good for it allows you to become an observer and learn to steep yourself in the moment. It is also very good for your health, as science has proven over the past 30 years. Check out this link for a talk of the Rebbe concerning meditation and health.
The active meditation of Chabad, namely, Hitbonenut, allows you to become an observer while still remaining active in the moment. It allows you to live your life actively in a heightened state of awareness. And since souls were put in physical bodies to perform, this is the preferred state.
Someone with your background in passive meditation should be able to experience very intense moments by learning Chassidut as prescribed above. It may even give you a jump on the average Chassid who does not understand the passive state, as well as you do. But don't underestimate the average Chassid either. They know the state of heightened awareness of G-d and they live with it every moment.
I teach people basic, passive meditation techniques first, I then teach them active meditation techniques. Once someone learns and becomes efficient in these (which does not take long if taken seriously) then they may want to connect it with their active Jewish daily service as prescribed by the code of Jewish law. They may want to take it to the next level using Hitbonenut as prescribed by Chabad or Chassidic and Kabbalistic philosophies.
If requested, I will show him/her some meditations which incorporate the Torah and mitzvoth into the meditative, awareness, G-dly state of mind.
I also use meditation for therapy as a holistic treatment for health of body and mind.
May you have a good and sweet year, a year of gadlut hamochin.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Reactive and Proactive
When someone says the word "RELAX" do you find yourself relaxing or becoming more tense?
If you find yourself becoming tenser than you are being REACTIVE. You are reacting to a word in the opposite way that you should be for whatever reason. The reason does not matter. The only thing that matters is for you to change your "RE-ACTION" to "PRO-ACTION" meaning, YOU TAKE CHARGE!
Think about what the word relax means, not the fact that someone is telling you to do it. The word means to let the body re-lax (to return to being lax once again). To let the muscles become soft and supple. To let the muscles become extended, elongated without pressure or tension pulling them back together. To let the joints expand and release pressure on the ends of the bones where they meet at the joint or at the vertebrae. Do this part by part over the entire body starting with the head and working your way down. Try to visualize the muscles in your body actually releasing all tension. You do not need to know how the body works you need to know that "now I am working on my facial muscles", "now I am working on my neck muscles" and so on until all tension and stress are pushed out through the hands and feet into the air and earth where they dissipate and the only thing left is soft supple muscle and relieved joints. You may feel a light feeling in those parts of the body or a tingling or a pulsating sensation or just an overall balanced feeling in the whole body.
The main thing is, don't RE-ACT rather PRO-ACT. You are in charge of your body, your thoughts and your emotions. Take charge and be PRO-ACTIVE!
If you find yourself becoming tenser than you are being REACTIVE. You are reacting to a word in the opposite way that you should be for whatever reason. The reason does not matter. The only thing that matters is for you to change your "RE-ACTION" to "PRO-ACTION" meaning, YOU TAKE CHARGE!
Think about what the word relax means, not the fact that someone is telling you to do it. The word means to let the body re-lax (to return to being lax once again). To let the muscles become soft and supple. To let the muscles become extended, elongated without pressure or tension pulling them back together. To let the joints expand and release pressure on the ends of the bones where they meet at the joint or at the vertebrae. Do this part by part over the entire body starting with the head and working your way down. Try to visualize the muscles in your body actually releasing all tension. You do not need to know how the body works you need to know that "now I am working on my facial muscles", "now I am working on my neck muscles" and so on until all tension and stress are pushed out through the hands and feet into the air and earth where they dissipate and the only thing left is soft supple muscle and relieved joints. You may feel a light feeling in those parts of the body or a tingling or a pulsating sensation or just an overall balanced feeling in the whole body.
The main thing is, don't RE-ACT rather PRO-ACT. You are in charge of your body, your thoughts and your emotions. Take charge and be PRO-ACTIVE!
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