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Picture this in your imagination, if you will: you're lounging on the deck of your 32 foot cruising yacht and it's a beautiful day – the sky is cobalt blue and the sun is sparkling. The surface of the water is topped with ripples of currents, and you can hear the gentle clap up against the sides of the boat. All of a sudden, the wind picks up and the waters become rocky, beginning to whitecap, but just enough to respect the power of nature. Suddenly, the sea changes again, the waters calm, and you are lulled by the gentle movements of the rocking waves. That is the sensation one experiences when listening to Kabbalistic music. That is indeed the sensation one experiences when listening to the amazing ARI Kabbalah Band who performed their fourth live concert in Second Life!
The five man band included Bassoonist, Geoffrey Gloster (Geoffrey Best), Arvut Tomorrow (Tomer) on the keyboard, percussionist, Gene Galicia (Gene Gussman), violionist, Iblesq Alter (Boris Iomdin), and guitarist, Al1WorldKli Whybrow (Al Perez).
Following the calming currents of the concert, lecturer and kabbalist, SunTzu Rikugun (Rob Taylor) took the mic, and set the audience sailing on virtual waters -- the sea of infinity! The riveting 45-minute lecture entitled, "Who Am I?", probed the unrelenting questions in life: “Why is there suffering?”, “What did I do to deserve this?”, “What is the point of it all?”, culminating in that one essential question: "For what reason do I exist?"
According to Rikugun, the question of “Who AM I?” is directly linked to man's responsibility of becoming one with the Creator. The path to the Creator is an exploration and discernment between the essence of our being (the “I”) and our egotistical nature (the “self”), which is driven by our will to receive. Created with this will to receive, we are controlled by its demand and are driven to receive unlimited pleasure, therefore, the unyielding, unrelenting question actually becomes: “Who is He?” --who is the Creator? Quoting Rikugun: “Since there is no such independent existence of what we perceive as the “I”, The question, "Who am I?", can only exists outside the Creator. We are different from the Creator only in wanting to resemble Him and to attain His degree.” Thus, the exploration of free will comes into play, and the question of whether there is any such thing as free will.
Rikugun's lecture, like white-capped waters, challenged conventional teachings regarding freedom and the control of one’s life. According to Rikugun every desire we experience, even ones we perceive as negative, are given to us by the Upper Force. By engaging all our perceptions and applying the methodology of Kabbalah, one is guided back to the place in which we achieve “equivalence of form” with the Creator. It is on this level of correct understanding, that we are able to actualize the state of pure bestowal.
There's only one prerequisite to achieving this amazing potential, and that is simply having a true desire to know “Who am I?”
The ARI Online Group has open enrollment and conducts ongoing free lectures including question and answer sessions as well as concerts. The group’s next lecture is scheduled for July 14, 2008 at 6:00 PM, SL time.
For information about Kabbalah or to join the ARI Online Kabbalah Group, please IM Iblesq Alter or email:
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About ARI
The Ashlag Research Institute is dedicated to bettering humanity through research and education. The Institute researches the ancient and contemporary wisdoms, to reveal the integral and global system of laws exhibited in today's world; the same laws that are the foundation of universal existence.
Through this research the Institute intends to reveal a coherent understanding of the natural phenomena transforming our world, and provide solutions to the current global crisis.
The Institute is committed to sharing its research with all of humanity via multimedia channels in popular and attractive formats to provide insight, direction, and solutions. The Ashlag Research Institute welcomes open dialog, collaboration and joint research with all interested organizations and individuals.
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