Thursday, September 3, 2009

The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India


The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet's Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India
While accompanying eight high–spirited Jewish delegates to Dharamsala, India, for a historic Buddhist–Jewish dialogue with the Dalai Lama, poet Rodger Kamenetz comes to understand the convergence of Buddhist and Jewish thought. Along the way he encounters Ram Dass and Richard Gere, and dialogues with leading rabbis and Jewish thinkers, including Zalman Schacter, Yitz and Blue Greenberg, and a host of religious and disaffected Jews and Jewish Buddhist.

Kamenetz, a poet and a Jew, was invited to attend and write about a historical meeting between a delegation of American Jews and a group of Tibetan Buddhists that included the Dalai Lama. This interfaith get-together was inspired, in part, by the increasing number of Jews who have become Buddhists as well as the Dalai Lama's perception of Jews as "survival experts." The Dalai Lama felt that the Jews, experts in exile and the preservation of faith and practice, would offer advice and comfort; participating rabbis were intrigued by the surprising similarities between the two religions, including esoteric traditions and a profound awareness of suffering. Kamenetz not only chronicles the resultant discussions, which proved to be enlightening and emotional, but also profiles a number of Jewish Buddhists, including Allen Ginsberg and Ram Dass. As his investigation throws his own beliefs and assumptions into high relief, Kamenetz is amazed and humbled by the intensity and altruism of Buddhism. Kamenetz defines and comments upon these complex matters with skill, personableness, and a welcome dash of levity.


Links deleted in respect to the author

9 comments:

  1. Yes, i too get the same error message yuttadhammo got...!

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  2. I registered an account, and was able to find it.

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  3. Wow what kind of buddhists steal from authors without any conscience whatsoever. Have you heard of the precepts? As the author I have to wonder.

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  4. What kind of Buddhists write books for profit? Wow. Have you heard sharing and compassion? As a human I have to wonder.

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  5. Leaf, I'm looking for the +1 button for your comment... I didn't read the book, and hearing this from the author, I don't intend to.

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  6. Buddhist precepts are quite clear: stealing is wrong. "Sharing" is not the same as your stealing from me. Sharing is when I give to you and you receive.

    Writing a book takes time and effort. STealing from authors ultimately means books that you want to read wont' get written.

    You guys are basically not Buddhist in any way, and this website is disgusting

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  7. @Conscious Entity,

    Fortunately, you are wrong... sharing media, especially ebooks, seems to increase publicity, fame, and even sales of the original material. It may not help the top five percent of creators become filthy rich, but it certainly helps to get the average author's name out and make a living. Here are some things you should check out:

    http://craphound.com/content/download/

    http://www.thepublicdomain.org/download/

    http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_stewart_how_youtube_thinks_about_copyright.html

    The truth is, strict adherence to copyright is hurting the spread of ideas and the advancement of civilization.

    And stealing is when you take something away from someone else. Ebooks, like fire, cannot be stolen, they can only be copied.

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  8. There's no reason to even download this book now , the author of this book has totally lost face.

    I just want to thank Buddhshare and Buddhatorrents , you if anyone are true buddhists by spreading the buddhist word to people across the globe.

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