Customer Reviews

THE DARK STREET

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I must say, this is a great book. Its a bit of serendipity as I read it with cynical curiosity.

Boorstein uses her own story and insights to illustrate her experience with how spiritual traditions can play off of one another and for some people become more meaningful together than either one could do for those individuals.

By recalling her memories for the reader she gives an honest and factual explication of the subject. She approaches topics with no hidden agenda. What's more her writing style - which is humorous and very readable - combines with some great tidbits from her past to make this books quite entertaining.

I hardly put this book down from the moment I began reading it. I believe, and hope, almost anyone will probably like it as much as I have.

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.

This is an engaging book of personal reflections by a practitioner and teacher of Vipassana Buddhism who is also an observant Jew. Boorstein says in the preface that this book was originally going to be "an overview of the 'Jewish-Buddhist phenomenon,'" but she discovered that people were less interested in the general question of why this was happening than in the personal question of how she could be both a Jew and a Buddhist and whether they could do it too. So she wrote this book instead. And I'm glad she did. I'm a Christian Zen practitioner and really enjoyed and related to Boorstein's experiences and musings.

I also recommend Boorstein's "It's Easier Than You Think," a quirky, anecdotal, practice-oriented introduction to Buddhism. Another good Jewish/Buddhist book is Rodger Kamenetz's "The Jew in the Lotus."

I am not a religiously observant person, but Sylvia Boorstein's negotiation of two religious paths is appreciated as a welcome example of interfaith practice. We need more of the same within and beyond the communities of faith as we make the messy, dangerous transition from tribal sectarianism and exclusivist ideology to a society based on insight, compassion, justice and dignity.

This is a well-written and inspiring book.

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!

Sylvia Boorstein was raised Jewish in a loving home, in a Jewish neighborhood, in a family that was mostly non-religious. From those roots, Dr. Boorstein tells us that she retained warm feelings for Judaism as an adult.

In this easy-reading book, she tells her story of becoming a Buddhist meditation teacher who also has a Jewish identification and practice, each religion's worldview informing the other. And while it may seem as if Dr. Boorstein has successfully integrated the two spiritual paths, in my opinion only those whose knowledge of Judaism is limited to its superficial look and feel will accept this conclusion. Someone who is familiar with its deeper content will recognize that she has failed in this, and sits primarily in the Buddhist world, tailoring her Judaism to a Buddhist worldview.

Although her personal Jewish practice has grown over the years, (at the time she wrote this book she and her husband were members of a Conservative Jewish congregation), what Dr. Boorstein teaches is Buddhist Vipassana meditation. It's not Jewish meditation nor is it meditation based in Jewish tradition or practice. It's Buddhist meditation that lives within the Buddhist world of Dharma rather than the Jewish world of Torah, with all the Buddhist cultural values and emotional connections inherent in it.

In some ways, Vipassana meditation can be consonant with Jewish practice. In some ways it can't. Much of Buddhism is not compatible with Judaism -- for example, Buddha as a supernatural god (the Vairocana "Cosmic" Buddha, as described in the Lotus Sutra) simply doesn't work within Judaism. There are many other examples.

If you want to learn to meditate as a Jew, this book will not teach you how -- you'll have to look elsewhere. If you are not Orthodox, a good start might be found at Rabbi Alan Lew and Norman Zoketsu Fischer's Makor Or center in San Francisco. (Have a look at Rabbi Lew's books here on Amazon.) If you're Orthodox, finding yourself a teacher will be a bit more challenging.

But if you (a Jew) need to meditate and have no other choice but to learn from our Buddhist brothers and sisters (including Sylvia Boorstein), first find yourself a Jewish teacher who will teach you the basics of Judaism. Without knowing about Judaism and developing well-formed Jewish convictions, it's all too easy to compromise or lose your Judaism in the process of learning Vipassana (and other) meditation practices.

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.