The methodology of “faith above reason” — consciously developing ourselves to become Human (similar to Nature)

A question from the Internet:

“In yogic terms, the methodology of “faith above reason” Kabbalah describes might be likened to the yamas and niyamas of Patanjali’s Ashtangha Yoga system. Can you give some concrete examples of the method of practice of this faith above reason?”

First of all, I had the privilege to travel to India a few times, and an Indian friend of mine, who knows I study Kabbalah, arranged for me to meet a few people very knowledgeable in ancient Vedic Indian traditions, philosophy both from scientific and also from a spiritual point of view. After the discussions, we were all astonished at how similar the basic concepts are, about the oneness, the total interconnection of the whole reality, about the single, positive force-system, force-field that encompasses, enlivens the whole system.

The methodology of Kabbalah has a single goal: to practically bring all Human beings to the sensation of that wholeness, total interconnectedness, so people would be able to sense and use that single, positive, benevolent force.

Kabbalah teaches that this is possible only when we ourselves become similar to that single, positive, benevolent force in our qualities when we become “like” that force. Like a radio receiver that needs to be tuned to the right frequency — as even physical perception is based on the similarity, matching frequencies between the decoder, sensor, and what is perceived — we also need to tune, refine ourselves until we become like Nature’s single, operating force.

And since the basic qualities of that force are described — according to our Human language — as unconditional, infinite love, unconditional, selfless/altruistic service towards everything outside of the self, these are the qualities, traits Human beings would need to acquire to reach the necessary similarity.

The difficulty arises from the fact that we are all born with inherently self-serving, self-justifying, individualistic, and egotistic qualities, intentions as we cannot make any calculations outside of self-interest. This is something most people would not know about themselves, most honestly think they are inherently good, loving, caring people and everybody can bring multiple examples to prove this.

Our ego is extremely shrewd and thus who we are, what desires, intentions truly drive us will come to light only in dramatic, “life or death” conditions or when we set out to get to know ourselves purposefully, in “laboratory conditions” in the right environment, with the right method.

We live in unique times, when the Human ego reached such an intensity, that it is now on open display, we can see how it destroys what we build, what we ever achieved. But still, most people see this ego in others but not in themselves.

Now when it comes to practice Kabbalah we need to build a safe environment to provoke and reveal the ego that rules us and at the same time, we start practicing the selfless, altruistic, unconditional love and service of others we need to become similar to Nature’s singular force.

After all, if I want to reveal the ego that governs me, if I want to learn how to become selfless, altruistic, loving, I cannot do that in my head, I cannot simply meditate on this, I cannot practice it towards Nature or towards some deity. That would not be practical.

I have to reveal my true, egotistic nature that serves the self and exploits others, I have to practice how to truly love and serve others against, towards other, live, real Human beings. And if we do this in a closed, purposeful group, where everybody tries to achieve the same, we can reach results and develop much faster and in a predictable, scientific way.

This is what the method of “faith above reason” means: in this closed, purposeful group we start making mutual activities, exercises towards reaching true, selfless, unconditional love of others above and against our inherent, total self-love.

The more efforts we make the more the selfish ego wakes up and starts interfering, rejecting, negatively judging, criticizing others to the point when we want to run away.

Still, through mutual support, by constantly raising the importance of the common goal of reaching similarity with Nature’s single operating force, with the help of the very practical method we keep going forward, developing.

We are playing, acting out selfless, unconditional love and service of each other externally (which is “faith”, unrealistic for us right now), while inside we feel the ego growing, resisting all the time (which is our present, very realistic, tangible reason). This growing gap between “faith and reason” becomes a “prayer” (not in religious terms, not something we say or write, but the very distinct difference between our actual state and the state we want to reach), an increasingly irrepressible, insatiable need for the ability of selfless, altruistic love towards others against the inherent ego.

And then this “visceral”, irrepressible need to make what is “faith” right now into our actual “reason/reality” draws help from Nature’s evolutionary force which “wants” us to reach similarity with it according to Nature’s developmental plan. So we suddenly feel as if being “lifted” above the ego, with a newly born ability to act above, against the ego and truly, realistically act for the sake of others against self-interest.

And then on each new level, a new layer of ego reveals and we cover it with a new altruistic, unconditionally serving ability with the help of nature’s force as we reach the intolerable, irrepressible need through the game. And this process goes on from level to level — constantly rising from ”reason” to “faith” as the previous “faith” becomes our new “reason” — until we reach complete similarity with nature’s force and thus complete attainment of it.