Abraham Abulafia & Ecstatic Kabbalah
Added 2021-02-24 21:01:09 +0000 UTCMy latest video about the Jewish mystic and Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia (d. 1291). It is another long overview of one of the most significant mystics in history. He really deserves the long run-time, since his life is such an interesting tale in itself.
Hope you guys enjoy it, and don't forget to check out ESOTERICA's companion video!
Comments
I think you are definitely right in one sense. Intellect is the highest "point" for Abulafia, as he seems to identify it with God Himself. Whereas in many of the Sufi thinkers, and in Neoplatonism, Intellect is seen as a step blelow God and therefore only a step on the way, like you say. But it's also healthy to keep in mind that they operated from slightly different theoretical perspectives. I don't know if we should think that Abulafia didn't "go far enough", he could just be using different terms to denote aspects of that experience. Any such mystical experience is after all beyond any description, and Abulafia simply chose to use Aristotelian language to explain it, while someone like Ibn Arabi falls much closer to Neoplatonism (when using philosophical language).
Filip Holm
2021-02-25 20:57:17 +0000 UTCHi Philip: it seems that Abulafia in Jewish mystic tradition considers "INTELLECT" as the END for unification with God, where as the Sufi's would consider Intellect just to be the "Path" but not the destination ! Extreme Love ( Ishq) perhaps would be the Destination for the Sufis ! Is my thinking correct!
Wasif Khan
2021-02-25 12:02:24 +0000 UTC
