I just read Becoming Like God by Michael Berg

[Tobin S.]

If you plan on reading the book some spoilers may follow.

The book is subtitled "Kabbalah and Our Ultimate Destiny." I'll just go ahead and copy the first paragraph of Berg's bio on the book jacket to give you an idea of who he is:

"Michael Berg has breathed the principles of Kabbalah since birth. Son of eminent Kabbalist Rav P.S. Berg, director of the Kabbalah Centre, Michael achieved a feat of momentous proportions at age 28- the first complete English translation of the holy Zohar, a 23-volume compendium of virtually all knowledge pertaining to the universe, written in the ancient language of Aramaic."

That sounds kind of complex and maybe a little intimidating, but the book was an easy read with a simple message. I read the 169 pages in two sittings the past couple of days. It may have taken me 4 hours all together and I read slowly.

I was browsing a local used book store when the book caught my eye. I've read about Kabbalah in the past when I was interested in mysticism of all sorts, and I thought I might revisit some of that old curiosity. For those not in the know, from what I can gather, Kabbalah is the mystical arm of Judaism. I'm a skeptic when it comes to such matters now days, but I'm open to hearing an alternative point of view and I'm happy that I happened across Berg's book.

Berg thinks that we all have the ability to be like God. In fact, he says that we are actually a part of him. He asks us to imagine God as a mountain and the individual rocks that make up the mountain as humans. If we are separated from the mountain we have the illusion of being separated from God when in fact we are still like him- we just don't know it. Berg gives a simple equation to keep in mind as we travel through life. He calls it the God formula:

You - Ego + Transformative Sharing = God

He basically refers to transformative sharing as "giving when it hurts," not just to be good. Berg also refers to the ego as, "the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone." That sounds familiar, doesn't it? The Buddhists have been talking about that one for a while. It also sounds like the basic version of the story of Christ.

So if we follow the formula we will at some point reconnect with God which is our true essence. We will know joy and happiness and everlasting life. Berg thinks that we are all headed that way, it is our destiny. At no point in the book does he mention Satan or hell. Interestingly to me, though, is that Satanists believe the opposite of what Berg is saying. That is, true happiness can only be obtained through gratification of selfish desire.

I'm not a religious or a mystical person. But I think that if we all followed the God formula we could make Earth a paradise for all people. We could put an end to a lot of the suffering out there that is a result of greed and other selfish desires. Just set the ego aside and lend a helping hand. That's what we're all about here anyway, isn't it? :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear Tobin...

What a lovely thoughtful post you wrote...

I had not considered the things you've said here, but they do make sense.

Of course you know that not everyone is here to set the ego aside. They only want to help themselves...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

:-)