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Summary: Sought-After Buddhism Teacher is also a Faithful Jew
Review: A remarkable percentage of Westerners practicing Buddhism are Jews. How can that be? Is it possible for two traditions whose history, beliefs, and practices seem so different to work together? Sylvia Boorstein--an observant Jew who has practiced Buddhism for two decades--shares how her experience of twenty years of meditation practice has deepened and enriched her Judaism. She describes her meditation life and her prayer life with clarity that will make the meaning of spiritual intimacy accessible to Jews and non-Jews alike
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Summary: Jewish/Buddhist teachers
Review: A significant number of Westerners practicing Buddhism are Jews. What is the attraction of Buddhism? In this book, Boorstein shares how her experience of twenty years of meditation practice deepened and enriched her Judaism. Using her own story she shows how mindfulness meditation can lead to the appreciation of every moment, which imbues any religion with renewed meaning. I also recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold - another great Jewish/Buddhist teacher.
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Summary: Interesting, deeply felt, but not very useful to me.
Review: I both enjoyed, and was frustrated by this book. Clearly, the author has experienced a new phase in her practice by incorporating Jewish prayer elements, and by returning to synagogue after an absence. But, the book lacks structure for those uninitiated in Buddhism, and wondering if it is compatible with Judaism. The author talks a lot about the liturgy generally, but does not go into detail. Similarly, she writes about Buddhism as if you've been taking classes with her all along...which most of us have not. This approach is underscored by a device the author uses to introduce topics. She starts out by relating conversations she has had, and then decides, on the page, to flesh out the issue in greater detail. This makes the book seem haphazard. Nevertheless, I finished the book, and adopted some of her ideas into my daily life, to good effect. Thus, it is not a waste of time to read. But beware: if you are looking for a structured text, this is not it.
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Summary: Irony
Review: I just find it deeply ironic that there seems to be such an effort to accomodate a Jew who has become Buddhist and insists that this is not a violation of her "Yiddishkeit", and the opposition to Jews who choose to believe in Jesus and yet remain Jewish.
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Summary: Good read but problematic
Review: It's a good book in many ways but does require a certain familiarity with both religions, which can understandably put off some readers. I appreciated the author's examination of the issue because it echoes my own in many ways.
However, the teachings of Buddhism never, in any way, ask a Jew to negate any of the basic teachings of Judaisim, if I read correctly. One other reader cited the so-called irony entailed in working to make Buddhism and Judaism mesh while rejected "Jews for Jesus." Acceptance of Jesus as a messiah is a fundamental rejection of the Jewish belief that the messiah is yet to come.
I appreciated reading how Boorstein works to see the commonalities in her deeply held understandings.
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Summary: STRADDLING THE FENCE?
Review: Sylvia Boorstein has presented us with a charming, thoughtful and engaging work on how one can reconcile one's Jewish faith with being a Buddhist. The two appear to be mutually exclusive but through Boorstein's eyes it is easier than you think. Quite frankly the great weakness of this book is that the reconciliation that she proposes is a mere straddling of the fence. Buddhism and Judism are two distinct separate faiths each with their weaknesses and strengths. Each one of us will have a much stronger regard for one than the other. This is not to say that one faith group is superior/inferior to the other but instead you will have a preference over one than the other. Why not be honest and say that instead of dancing around the issue? I find quite a bit of dancing and straddling going on in the book. Let's face it, there are a variety of religions and faith groups in our world. Most of us don't seriously study or consider the depths of spirituality in our own group so we become disillusioned and explore others. Such an exploration can lead us back to our own group with a deeper appreciation of it or we can stay in our newly adopted group for it provides answers that the other group couldn't provide. A serious spiritual journey will involve various detours and pathways but remember you cannot travel two pathways similtaneously to get to the same place. Don't you find it funny that traditional Buddhist teachers such as the Dalai Lama have a deep appreciation for Moses, Jesus and other faith groups but don't try to co-opt them as their own? They also encourage those to remain in their faith group where they can gain sustenance if they dig deep enough. If only we could take their advice. Enjoy Boorstein's book as the journey of a soul attempting to reconcile two faith groups but don't straddle the fence in your quest.
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Summary: A beautifully written map of a great spiritual mind
Review: Sylvia Boorstein skillfully and thoughtfully showed me how being an observant Jew and an ardent Buddhist are not mutually exclusive, but rather can be mutually enhancing. Her balance, sometimes precarious, between her cultural "home" and her search for spiritual enlightenment proves that we are all, indeed, greater than the sum of our parts. My favorite aspect of this book is that it did not seek to answer questions - no chapter made pronouncements, or left me feeling that one choice was made over another. Ms. Boorstein has great warmth and tenderness toward her reader, and I rated this book a 9 only because it ended too soon! I heartily recommend this book as a companion on any spiritual quest.
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Summary: I learned nothing
Review: The author does a good job expressing her difficulty in being a Jew and a Buddhist, and then tries to squeeze in a few ideas that try to bring the two together. I have studied Judaism for many years and I can say that she doesn't really know much about Authentic Judaism all she knows is what a Jew is in the modern western world, but that is not true Judaism.
True authentic Judaism doesn't have to be forced into symmetry with Buddhism, it is readily apparent how both traditions come from the same source and flow beautifully together. What is needed is for someone to explain what Judaism is.
There is a wonderful book that just came out and I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to find out about this subject. I promise you wont be disappointed.
It is a conversation between a Torah Scholar (Akiva Tatz) and a Buddhist Jew (David Gottlieb) called "Letters to a Buddhist Jew."
Enjoy!
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Summary: Somewhat disappointing and muddled
Review: The book was an enjoying, light read, but at the end of the day, I came away with the impression that the author was trying very hard to "make" Buddhist precepts fit into her Jewish spiritual practice. I found her discussion of how the "Godhead" concept gibes with Buddhist precepts somewhat confusing; there are some surface similarities between things like "Buddha-mind" and "Ayn Sof" but also doctrinal differences; truth be told Judaism in its mystical form may have more parallels with certain Hindu concepts, especially with respect to the idea of the universal and eternal soul. I think for folks with just a passing background in Budddhist or Jewish academics or philosophy the book may present a picture of how to harmonize two belief systems in a complimentary way. But for those who scratch the surface a bit deeper, her book seems to lead to more questions than answers, and seems a bit schizophrenic at times. But as far as personal memoir goes, not bad. For more in depth discussions of this topic, I recommend Rodger Kamenetz's books "Jew In the Lotus" or "Stalking Elijah". "Zen Rabbi" Alan Lew's book "One God Clapping" is also interesting and a bit clearer in its conclusions In addition, although he is a Catholic by birth, Dinty W. Moore's book "The Accidental Buddhist" is a very decent, funny read and probes the issues concerning religious syncretism/harmonization more thoroughly, while at the same time providing helpful info regarding his own experiences.
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Summary: A must for Jews interested in Buddhist thought
Review: This book affected me more than any other I have read since Thich Nhat Hanh's "Peace is Every Step". Much more than The Jew In the Lotus, this book gives a great Jewish perspective on Buddhist thought, and visa versa. I highly recommend it!
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