posted on Jul, 4 2011 @ 09:20 PM
This is my view on Buddhism and Judaism, and how they conflict, but at the same time, complement one another.
When i study Judaism, or kabbalistic philosophy, the emphasis is on this world, on the way it appears, and on a hidden fundamental pattern -
understood theologically (metaphysically) - inherent in every creation.
Studying Kabbalah requires you to think of the world as being made with purpose and meaning; that there are 10 ineffable sefiroth (archetypes)
animating every phenomena in creation. Everything is looked at and understood as being expressive of a higher reality - created and designed by the
Grand Architect of all.
On the other hand, when studying Buddhism, its as if you look back in time. You recede into a point outside of history, before the creation of Adam;
indeed, beyond this world and its meaning, into another, meaningless, or completely quiet realm of existence
I am not deriding Buddhism. The more i study it the more im attracted to its ideas. But unlike those 'new age' types, who completely and utterly
submit out of ignorance to this one way of looking at the world, i do not think Buddhism stands alone as truth.
I see Buddhism as expressing reality from mans perspective; without any divine revelation of guidance, Buddhism starts from the premise that life is
sufferring, and the only way to conquer sufferring is to acquire correct knowledge. This correct knowledge is knowledge of the mind; its true nature,
and living and acting in accord with this knowledge.
But despite Buddhisms lofty accomplishments; its incisive clarifications of mind and consciousness, i cannot sit content with this perception alone.
It lacks something. It lacks meaning. It is infact, nihilistic in nature. Meaning can only be projected onto it; but it is not an inherent
reality...atleast not objectively inherent.
In Kabbalah, this world is seen as a reflection, or microcosm, of a higher reality.
When the Torah says "In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the Earth", a very deep idea is alluded to here, but often overlooked (people
dont expect there to be intellectual depth in the bible..but it is infact a book of metaphysics). the first thing created and the first thing known,
and differentiated, is Time. "Bere#h", in the beginning, is the beginning of history. From Adam onwards, a metaphysical theosophy is being
discussed. The birth of individualized consciousness, and mans "fall" into physical reality, is ultimately intended to be for mans spiritual
perfection.
6 days the world were created, and on the 7th day, G-d rested. The Rabbis of the Talmud (mystics, it should be understood) said the history of the
world would be 6000 years, each corresponding to a day of creation. Day 1 created basic things, whereas day 6 culminated in the most advanced creation
of all - Adam (woman being the final creation makes her the most perfect creation). 7 is seen as a completion, and the INTEGRATION of the 6. There are
6 sefiroth, and they all coalesce in the sphere of Malkuth. There are 6000 years of creation, and all mans development in these 6000 years, in the
spiritual/intuiton (the first 2000 years), individuation (the next 2000 years) and the combination of both in the last 2000 years (this era we live in
has pretty much brought all the last 6000 years of human civilization into perspective), all will be revealed in its completeness in the 7000th year,
the millenium of Shabbath.
So, with this understanding. Reading Kabbalah, and then reading Buddhism, atleast for me, can be an intellectually disorrienting activity. Youre going
from one of looking at things, to an entirely different way of looking at things. And yet as i look deeper, i see how both these modes represent
authentic perspectives, and infact complement each other. In kabbalistic terms, Buddhism is 'hokmah', wisdom, and the analysis of preconscious
realities. Whereas Hebraism is Binah, the revealed world, in its manifold differentiations, with its explanations.