QUESTION:
Does the Rav ever make use of any external methods in order to attain calmness and be in a more meditative state? Does the Rav ever listen to music or songs in order to become calm, and if yes, what type of music or songs does the Rav listen to? Does the Rav eat certain kinds of food or drink hot coffee in order to get calm?
ANSWER:
This is a difficult question to answer. You are asking about methods to serve Hashem “from below to above”, by calming down and awakening the soul. However, I mainly do not make use of these methods, because I prefer to go “from above to below.”
I use music in order to calm my mind and body, such as by listening to the old, classical songs of Chabad. I also take hot coffee and the like in order to calm down the basic emotional needs of the soul, and to relax the body in general. Any of the other external methods which I also make use of are mentioned at length in Da Es Nishmatecha (Torah Way To Enlightenment) and also in the Hisbodedus (Inner Silence) series. These methods are not my actual way of serving Hashem, they are just external advice that I use every so often when I feel the need for it – mainly to attain calmness.
I use music in order to calm my mind and body, such as by listening to the old, classical songs of Chabad. I also take hot coffee and the like in order to calm down the basic emotional needs of the soul, and to relax the body in general. Any of the other external methods which I also make use of are mentioned at length in Da Es Nishmatecha (Torah Way To Enlightenment) and also in the Hisbodedus (Inner Silence) series. These methods are not my actual way of serving Hashem, they are just external advice that I use every so often when I feel the need for it – mainly to attain calmness.
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