Lately scientists who research the material world are discovering that the picture of the world is completely subjective and is wholly determined by the qualities of the observer. As Niels Bohr famously asserted, the researcher does not study the surrounding world, but his reactions to it. If this is so, then the natural sciences can be characterized as knowledge one attains by means of the five senses he received from birth. In contrast, the field studied by the science of Kabbalah lies above the range of the regular five senses' perception. In this sense Kabbalah is a unique science. One attains it by developing an additional inner "sensor," or a new sense. This happens by changing the vector of one's egoism.
In order to understand this notion, let us first refer to the dictionary: Egoism (from the Latin ego-"I")-a point of view, a position, or a person's behavior that are entirely oriented at his "I," at his benefit (pleasure, profit, success, happiness).
In Kabbalah egoism has no negative connotation. It is understood as a desire that a person receives from nature. According to this, egoistic attainment of the surrounding reality is considered natural, and altruistic attainment-supernatural.
One should keep in mind that our senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) are not egoistic. They are only sensing devices that pick up an incoming stimulus, bearing no relation to any desire. After the stimulus or influence is received, it is passed into the desire, becomes summarized, processed, and after that the egoistic desire perceives something and is filled.
So why do we call these five sensors the five senses, rather than five mechanical sensing devices? It is because the organs of vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch are enacted only by a person's inner desire: the ear will hear and the eye will see only if the person desires this. They cannot function on their own. For example, when a person desires to sleep, his eyes may be open but he may be seeing nothing; if a sound bothers a person, his egoism will turn this sensation off and he will stop perceiving it. We call these five organs "the five senses" because they are enacted by one's inner desire. However, these five senses can also be enacted by an inner altruistic desire, rather than the egoistic one.
When a person acquires a sixth sense, this indicates a change of the program by which he receives external information or the program by which he fills his desire. The desire remains the same as before, but the person changes his inner program: from reception inside oneself to using one's desire for the sake of bestowal. Kabbalah calls this "the quality of bestowal" or replacement of egoism with altruism. This means a change of the method by which one uses his desire. In this case all of one's feelings work in a different way, and a person changes his attitude to the world.
Research and observation of the upper structure have been done for centuries and confirmed by thousands of researchers, Kabbalists. This became the basis for the science about the Upper World or the manifestation of the Upper Force relative us. The difference between Kabbalistic scientists and non-Kabbalistic scientists is that Kabbalists research the universe by means of an additional sense. This sense can be acquired by anyone who wishes it.
This method is the same for everyone, and its realization depends on one's desire. Every person can acquire this additional sense, that is, anyone can begin feeling the Upper Force and interacting with it. Moreover, Kabbalists ascertain that man was created only for this sake, that all our circumstances and history are pushing us only toward this. This is the only goal everyone must reach.
Let us examine the specifics of the scientific approach and method of Kabbalah.
The basics of the new approach
"Science" means researching the world around us, being able to record the results of the research, being able to repeat it, pass it on to others, and replicate the research by means of the natural five senses and devices that expand the range of these senses' receptivity. Kabbalists assert that the Kabbalistic method allows one to acquire a new, sixth sense, called a "screen" or "soul." This sense works analogously to the five natural senses: they are influenced by certain stimuli, they summarize and process these influences, and this gives one the picture of the world.
For example, when the ear drum is influenced by specific frequencies, they evoke oscillations in the ear drum, and this is what the ear perceives. In order to expand the range of the ear's perception one can use a device that will perceive frequencies that the ear does not naturally perceive. This device will create oscillations of a frequency analogous to the oscillations taking place outside, and then transform them to frequencies that the ear can react to. The ear will reproduce them, understand them and absorb them.
The additional, sixth sense works by the same principle. It receives specific influences and perceives them according to its qualities and sensitivity. This gives us the picture we call "the spiritual world." We record these sensations, analyze them, summarize them and bring them together into a single whole, called "the science of Kabbalah." Like research of the natural sciences, these spiritual observations have been conducted for centuries and confirmed by thousands of Kabbalistic researchers. Their research of the Upper World is comparable to research of our world by regular scientists. Kabbalists operate with thoughts and desires as the objects of research, just as physicists and chemists operate in our world with their objects of research.
Those who cannot yet imagine that it is possible to be in a world of forces, thoughts, and desires may raise doubts: is Kabbalah really a science? Should one relate it to the category of the natural sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology, which research the nature of the surrounding world; or to the humanities-philosophy, psychology, and so on? Kabbalah is a unique science because unlike other fields of classical science its registering devices are not outside, but inside a person. Additionally, Kabbalah does not demand knowledge from the researcher, but a special quality-the quality of congruence with the Upper Force of nature. This is its only requirement: the observer must begin changing himself to become like the object he observes. Other sciences are also reaching a similar conclusion: that the results of research depend on the researcher, his level, and his attitude to the world.
