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Few spiritual practices are more intriguing or elusive than those of Zen Judaism,” says David M. Bader in the foreword to Zen Judaism. “This growing movement offers a unique way to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, ideally without gaining quite so much weight.” These nearly 100 sacred teachings are capable “of bringing about an enlightenment experience so pure, so elevating, and so intense, you could plotz.” For you, some samples: To know the Buddha is the highest attainment. Second highest is to go to the same doctor as the Buddha. Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? There is no escaping Karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that? If there is no self, whose arthritis is this? Be patient and achieve all things. Be impatient and achieve all things faster.
Zen Judaism is a frank reflection on the tensions between reason and faith in today’s context of knowledge, and on the need to inject Zen-like meditation into Judaism. This work also treats some issues in ethics and theodicy.
Few spiritual practices are more intriguing or elusive than those of Zen Judaism,” says David M. Bader in the foreword to Zen Judaism. “This growing movement offers a unique way to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, ideally without gaining quite so much weight.” These nearly 100 sacred teachings are capable “of bringing about an enlightenment experience so pure, so elevating, and so intense, you could plotz.” For you, some samples: To know the Buddha is the highest attainment. Second highest is to go to the same doctor as the Buddha. Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated? There is no escaping Karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that? If there is no self, whose arthritis is this? Be patient and achieve all things. Be impatient and achieve all things faster.
Contemporary Judaism is transforming, especially in America, from a community experience to more of a do-it-yourself religion focused on the individual self. In this book Christopher L. Schilling offers a critique of this transformation. Schilling discusses problematic aspects of Jewish mindfulness meditation, and the relationship between Judaism and psychedelics, proceeding to explore the science behind these developments and the implications they have for Judaism.
Jewish Dharma: A Guide to the Practice of Judaism and Zen by Brenda Shoshanna Pdf
For Jews, Zen students, "JuBus," and other open-minded seekers--a guide to authentic Jewish and Zen practice and how they illuminate, challenge, and enrich each other. Books like the Jew in the Lotus have helped to define the intersection of Jewish and Zen experience and custom. Now, in the first guide to the practice of both Judaism and Zen, Dr. Brenda Shoshanna, a long-time practitioner and student of both, shares her insights with over one million people who identify as "JuBus," as well as Jews, Zen students, non-Jews, and everyone in the interfaith community who seeks understanding, meaning, and a life grounded in these authentic faiths. Each chapter of Jewish Dharma focuses on common issues that introduce disorder to our lives, using personal narrative, parables, quotations from both Jewish and Zen scriptures, anecdotes, and exercises. Specific guidelines and exercises help readers integrate both practices into their everyday lives--and thereby gain deeper understanding and happiness. A long term Zen student and practicing Jew (who cannot let go of either), Dr. Shoshanna explores the ways in which Zen and Judaism practice illuminate and enrich one another. Zen deepens Jewish experience and Jewish practice provides the warmth and relationships that can get lost in the Zen. Zen is based on radical freedom, individuality, being in the present and nonattachment. Judaism comes rooted in relationships, family, love, prayer to a Higher power and the instruction to always remember. A Jewish heart is warm, giving, human, and devoted to family and friends. A Zen eye is fresh, direct, spontaneous and planted in the present moment. Together they are like two wings of a bird, both are needed to be able to fly. The book includes stories, discussion, information and wonderful exercises. It has been highly endorsed by Rabbis, Zen teachers, and others. "I couldn't put it dwn. ...Dr Brenda Shoshanna guides us into the heart of Jewish and Zen practice which enrich one another in ways that enhance....A must read for anyone who wishes to explore Zen meditatin and Jewish life." --Rabbi Marcia Prager, author The Path of Blessng "Brenda Shoshanna's book tells a story of a woman's coming to terms with the deepest part of each tradition - she is creating a unique path. I highly recommend this book to anyone." --Rodger Kamenetz, author The Jew in The Lotus "Dr Shoshanna's vision embrances both traditions with fidelity and beauty." --Robert Kennedy, S.J. Roshi, author Zen Gifts for Christians "Her good heart and wisdom mind shine through in this delightful, interesting, psychologically astute and practical book. Anyone intersted in finding deeper understanding and meaningful puprose in life will be rewarded by reading any one of the pages." --Lama Surya Das, author Awakening the Buddha Within
Zen Judaism is a frank reflection on the tensions between reason and faith in today's context of knowledge, and on the need to inject Zen-like meditation into Judaism. This work also treats some issues in ethics and theodicy.
"Zen and Hasidism presents a comparative study of Zen and Hasidism, and suggests ways in which Jewish spiritual life can be enriched by a knowledge of Zen meditation practices - while remaining Jewish." "In this quest, the author, a well-known author and playwright, has collected sources on Zen and Judaism, both Hasidic and non-Hasidic, dividing them into four sections: "The Monastery and the Yeshivot", "The Virtue of Sitting" on Meditation, "Can a Jew Practice Zen and/or Buddhism and Still Remain a Jew?", with an overview. Among the contributors are such noted Jewish scholars as Louis Ginzberg, Jiri Langer, Hyman G. Enelow, Rivka Schatz-Uffenheimer, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and others." "Jiri Langer's account of his life in a Belzer yeshiva, coupled with John Blofeld's Life in a Zen Monastery, Rivka Schatz's study of The State of Nothingness and Contemplative Prayer, coupled with Self-Extinction in Zen and Hasidism, by Jacob Yuroh Teshima, along with two dozen other selections, provide a wide-ranging and balanced account of the similarities and differences between the two mystical traditions."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
From Zen Buddhist practitioner to rabbi, East meets West in this firsthand account of a spiritual journey. Rabbi Alan Lew is known as the Zen Rabbi, a leader in the Jewish meditation movement who works to bring two ancient religious traditions into our everyday lives. One God Clapping is the story of his roundabout yet continuously provoking spiritual odyssey. It is also the story of the meeting between East and West in America, and the ways in which the encounter has transformed how all of us understand God and ourselves. Winner of the PEN / Joseph E. Miles Award Like a Zen parable or a Jewish folk tale, One God Clapping unfolds as a series of stories, each containing a moment of revelation or instruction that, while often unexpected, is never simple or contrived. One God Clapping, like the life of the remarkable Alan Lew himself, is a bold experiment in the integration of Eastern and Western ways of looking at and living in the world.
Why is this haiku book different from all other haiku books? For centuries, the Japanese haiku has been one of the world's most dazzling poetic forms. In just three short lines, it captures the sublime beauty of nature--the croak of the bullfrog, the buzzing of the dragonfly, the shriek of the cicada, the scream of the cormorant. Now, with Haikus for Jews, there is finally a collection that celebrates the many advantages of staying indoors. Inspired by ancient Zen teachings and timeless Jewish noodging, this masterful work is filled with insights that will make you exclaim, "Ah!" or at least "Oy!" Whether you are Jewish or you simply enjoy a good kosher haiku, these chai-kus (so called because of their high chutzpah content) are certain to amuse. What's more, with each poem limited to seventeen syllables, Haikus for Jews is perfect for people in a hurry. Find out why God has made these The Chosen Haikus.
A revealing look at the Jewish American encounter with Buddhism Today, many Jewish Americans are embracing a dual religious identity, practicing Buddhism while also staying connected to their Jewish roots. This book tells the story of Judaism's encounter with Buddhism in the United States, showing how it has given rise to new contemplative forms within American Judaism—and shaped the way Americans understand and practice Buddhism. Taking readers from the nineteenth century to today, Emily Sigalow traces the history of these two traditions in America and explains how they came together. She argues that the distinctive social position of American Jews led them to their unique engagement with Buddhism, and describes how they incorporate aspects of both Judaism and Buddhism into their everyday lives. Drawing on a wealth of original in-depth interviews conducted across the nation, Sigalow explores how Jewish American Buddhists experience their dual religious identities. She reveals how Jewish Buddhists confound prevailing expectations of minority religions in America. Rather than simply adapting to the majority religion, Jews and Buddhists have borrowed and integrated elements from each other, and in doing so they have left an enduring mark on the American consciousness. American JewBu highlights the leading role that American Jews have played in the popularization of meditation and mindfulness in the United States, and the profound impact that these two venerable traditions have had on one another.
In this work Jacob Yuroh Teshima juxtaposes two religions whose origins are completely different: Zen Buddhism and Hasidic Judaism. The purpose of this comparative study is not to determine which religion is superior, but rather to compare their functional equivalents. After presenting backgrounds of the two religions, Dr. Teshima examines the Zen Buddhist practice of zazen and Hasidism's devequth, or meditation on God. He then discusses how each religion comes to terms with the major obstacle in the practice of comtemplation: distracting thoughts. Teshima compares conceptions of man offered by the two religions, making clear their fundamental differences concerning the nature of selfhood and source of fulfillment. The study concludes with an examination of how the two religions come to terms with the insecurity of life and what it is that gives life meaning and significance. Contents: Introduction to Zen Buddhism and Hasidism; Zazen and Devequth; The Problem of "Strange Thoughts"; Annihilating Selfhood and Attaining Ecstasy; The Concept of Man; Insecurity of Life: The Hasidic Approach to Exile and the Zen Approach to Birth and Death.
Meditation from the Heart of Judaism by Avram Davis Pdf
Techniques explained by the masters—for today’s spiritual seeker Meditation is designed to give you direct access to the spiritual. Whether it’s through deep breathing during a busy day, listening to the quiet after turning off the car radio, chanting in prayer, or ten minutes of visualization exercises each morning, meditation takes many forms. But it is always a personal method of centering our spiritual self. Meditation has long been practiced in the Jewish community as a powerful tool to transcend words, personality, and ego and to directly experience the divine. Inspiring yet practical, this introduction to meditation from a Jewish perspective approaches it in a new and illuminating way: As it is personally practiced by today’s most experienced Jewish meditators from around the world. A “how to” guide for both beginning and experienced meditators, Meditation from the Heart of Judaism will help you start meditating or help you enhance your practice. Meditation is a Jewish spiritual resource for today that can benefit people of all faiths and backgrounds—and help us add spiritual energy to our lives. Contributors include:
How to Be an Extremely Reform Jew by David M. Bader Pdf
Extremely Reform Judaism is one of the world's fastest growing denominations and also its most misunderstood-ever since the ancient forefathers first lifted their eyes to God to ask, "Why can't we have a Christmas Tree?" How to Be an Extremely Reform Jew pokes irreverent yet good-natured fun its subject, with chapters on the mandatory and optional Extremely Reform Jewish holidays; maintaining the Extremely Reform Jewish home; diaspora travel tips; Extremely Reform rites of passage (circumcision, bar mitzvah, intermarriage); and how to deprogram your Extremely Reform child after he has joined a religious cult. Highlights include "The Ten Suggestions"; a "Feast and Fast Yo-Yo Diet Guide to Jewish Holidays"; and "Glengarry Glen Purim, a David Mamet Purim Play." This humorous illustrated guide contains numerous quotations from ancient Extremely Reform Jewish texts, such as, "He who gives a coin to the poor is rewarded with six blessings, but he who makes a pledge to charity receives a free tote bag," and, "Thou shalt not stand outside the synagogue on the High Holy Days scalping thy tickets to the services." First published by Avon Books in 1994, the new edition preserves the content of the original in fresh paperback and ebook formats. It's an ideal gift for Hanukkah or any occasion.
This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Alan Lew Pdf
There are times in life when we are caught utterly unprepared: a death in the family, the end of a relationship, a health crisis. These are the times when the solid ground we thought we stood on disappears beneath our feet, leaving us reeling and heartbroken, as we stumble back to our faith. The Days of Awe encompass the weeks preceding Rosh Hashanah up to Yom Kippur, a period in which Jews take part in a series of rituals and prayers that reenact the journey of the soul through the world from birth to death. This is a period of contemplation and repentance, comparable to Lent and Ramadan. Yet, for Rabbi Alan Lew, the real purpose of this annual passage is for us to experience brokenheartedness and open our heart to God. In This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared, Lew has marked out a journey of seven distinct stages, one that draws on these rituals to awaken our soul and wholly transform us. Weaving together Torah readings, Buddhist parables, Jewish fables and stories from his own life, Lew lays bare the meanings of this ancient Jewish passage. He reveals the path from terror to acceptance, confusion to clarity, doubt to belief, and from complacency to awe. In the tradition of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, This Is Real And You Are Completely Unprepared enables believers of all faiths to reconnect to their faith with a passion and intimacy that will resonate throughout the year.
This is the book that American Jews and particularly American Reform Jews have been waiting for: a clear and informed call for further reform in the Reform movement. In light of profound demographic, social, and technological developments, it has become increasingly clear that the Reform movement will need to make major changes to meet the needs of a quickly evolving American Jewish population. Younger Americans in particular differ from previous generations in how they relate to organized religion, often preferring to network through virtual groups or gather in informal settings of their own choosing. Dana Evan Kaplan, an American Reform Jew and pulpit rabbi, argues that rather than focusing on the importance of loyalty to community, Reform Judaism must determine how to engage the individual in a search for existential meaning. It should move us toward a critical scholarly understanding of the Hebrew Bible, that we may emerge with the perspectives required by a postmodern world. Such a Reform Judaism can at once help us understand how the ancient world molded our most cherished religious traditions and guide us in addressing the increasingly complex social problems of our day.