Many of you might have heard of this. But this is new to me.
The Kabbalah or Kaballah, predates Christ. After a quick dekho, I realised it had a lot common with our own Vedas.
We cannot read the Vedas. So, it is said it is enough if we read the Bhagavad Gita. And I think the Kabbalah is an excellent alternative. Instead of me explaining what the Kabbalah actually says, you can read from a couple of Web sites on the Kabbalah.
For starteres, I recommend Kabbalah.com. It is a well-produced and beautifully designed site. You need macromedia flash in your computer for the site. And another thing you need is lots of time.
Another excellent site is Kabbalah.info. This is more of a friendly neighbourhood site. Not much tech, and straight.
The text below has been lifted from the two sites.
From Kabbalah.com: Suppose there was a universal wisdom, one singular seed that was the origin of all teachings — a body of knowledge that could reveal the spiritual and physical laws that govern the entire cosmos. What if it could account for and explain every emotion and desire that stirs within you? Suppose it could clarify and resolve all the problems that burden you at this very moment?
What if it could explain all the eruptions that occur in our universe the birth of a new star exploding into existence... to the explosive arguments that erupt in your life? What if it could shed a profound light on the mysteries surrounding the unknown whereabouts of our Creator? In other words, what if it could answer the age-old question, "Where's God?" What if it could blow the lid off of centuries of corruption and superstition, the trademark of religion throughout time?
What if it could offer you practical knowledge in this dizzying, mind-numbing age of endless information? What if it could show you a more effective way to pursue happiness? What if it could help you reclaim all the control you've surrendered to psychiatrists, doctors, consultants, and other people in your life? Perhaps most importantly, what if it could explain all those feelings and thoughts growing inside of you at this very moment, the ones telling you that these compelling claims are just too darn good to be true?
The purpose of Kabblah is now clear: to teach us how to receive Spiritual Light in our lives. That Light can be in the form of inner peace, pleasure, contentment, power, financial prosperity, creativity, freedom from chaos, well-being, or all of the above.
From Kabbalah.info: Kabbalah can be translated from the Hebrew as "received tradition", and is a term applied to a vast and seemingly disparate body of esoteric knowledge and practice. It is used to describe Jewish mysticism in general, or more specifically the tradition which found its impetus in the Sefer ha-Zohar ("The Book of Splendor") of the thirteenth century. It is also applied to the Christian or Western Kabbalah which grew from German and Lurianic Kabbalism and found its expression and extension in western Mystery Orders, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
In its most complete form the Kabbalah can be considered as the "Yoga of the West", complementing the eastern chakra system and having counterparts to many of the forms of yogic practice. Indeed, the three main nadis (energy channels) in eastern philosophy, ida, sushumna and pingala; and the yin, Tao and yang of philosophy, find direct expression in the Kabbalistic pillars of severity, equilibrium and mercy on the Tree of Life.
The Kabbalah at its best is a system of esoteric philosophy, psychology and cosmology that allows any aspect of existence to be assimilated and related to any other on many levels, both rational and trans-rational. It may be used profitably by anyone, regardless of creed; and, for those who wish it, it is a key to the control of subtle forces and the attainment of true mystical union.
