Studying with the Right Intention

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

Studying with the Right Intention

Only two things are necessary to study Kabbalah correctly: a
desire to improve your life and to find its meaning, and the right
instruction. The right instruction is achieved by three means:
The right books
The right group
The right teacher
A person who studies Kabbalah the right way, progresses
without forcing him or herself. There can be no coercion in
spirituality.
The aim of the study is to discover the connection between that
student and what is written in the books. This is why Kabbalists
wrote what they experienced and achieved. It is not to impart
knowledge of how reality is built and functions, as in science.
The purpose of Kabbalah texts is to create an understanding,
assimilation, and sensation of the spiritual truth.
If a person approaches the texts in order to gain spirituality,
the text becomes a source of Light, a correcting force. But if
he or she approaches the texts in order to gain knowledge, the
text will provide information, but nothing more. The measure
of inner demand determines the measure of strength one gleans
and the pace of one’s correction.
If a person studies in the right manner, he or she crosses
the barrier between this world and the spiritual world,
entering a place of inner revelation. If the student does not 

achieve this, it is a sign of insufficient effort in either quality
or quantity. It is not a question of the amount of study, but of
the focus of the student’s intentions. Of course, crossing the
barrier doesn’t happen overnight, but it should be the end
result of the study.
Advancement in Kabbalah does not mean avoiding pleasures
so that one’s desire will not be kindled. Also, it is a mistake
to believe that by being courteous and well-mannered you
will achieve spirituality. Correction does not come from false
pretence of correction.