In Kabbalah the furthest reaches of our concept of the Divine is represented by the EIN SOF.
EIN SOF means "Without End" or "Endlessness." It is that which is beyond all things, it is the no-thing-ness out of which all things continually arise and dissolve back into; it is the quantum void or zero point field at the heart of every particle of matter, out of which all matter continually arises and dissolves back into; it is the giant black holes in the furthest reaches of the universe, continually giving birth to planets and stars and then swallowing them up again.
EIN SOF is also that which precedes thought (machshavah) and even the nothingness (ayin) out of which thought arises. (Cooper, p.67)
EIN SOF is the totality of all that is and all that is not; it is all being and all non-being; it is nothing and it is everything. It is the Divine void out of which all creation continuously arises and into which all creation ultimately returns.
Meditation on the EIN SOF is the practice of transcending our mental, emotional and perceptual boundaries and returning to the Source of Creation, the endlessness that is at the heart of our essential nature. (Fisdel, p.96)
Meditation on Nothingness
- Sit in a comfortable upright position and relax;
- Focus on the breath for a few moments;
- Then bring your awareness to your pulse, listening for its beat in your body;
- Then bring your awareness to any sensations in your body and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;
- Then bring your awareness to any feelings you are holding and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;
- Then bring your awareness to your thoughts and be present to them without trying to judge or change them;
- Then bring your awareness to the space between your thoughts and imagine the space expanding into silence;
- Enter into the silence, the emptiness, the nothingness;
- Sense your being-ness beyond thought, feeling and perception. Sense your nearness to the Divine. Sense the nothingness deep within you;
- Be with the nothingness for as long as you can;
- When you are ready to return, bring your awareness back to your thoughts, then to your feelings, then to any physical sensations, then to your pulse, then to your breath;
- Take four slow deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
EIN SOF Mantra and Mandala Meditation
- Sit in a comfortable upright position;
- Take four slow deep breaths;
- Focus your eyes on the center point of the EIN SOF Mandala above;
- Take slow gentle breaths while silently repeating EIN (eye'n) on the exhalations and SOF (so'f) on the inhalations;
- After ten breaths and silent EIN SOF repetitions, close your eyes and focus on the after image of the mandala, continuing the silent repetitions until the after image fades into nothingness;
- Be with the nothingness for as long as you can;
- When you are ready to return, bring your awareness back to your breath and take four slow deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
REFERENCES
Rabbi David A. Cooper. God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism. New York: Riverhead Books, 1997.
Rabbi Steven A. Fisdel. The Practice of Kabbalah: Meditation in Judaism. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1996.
Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi (Warren Kenton). Kabbalah: Tradition of Hidden Knowledge. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1979.
* EIN EIN SOF Creation Mandala
*Originally published on KabbalahBlog hosted by Enlightenment.com
