The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes [Hardcover]

Rami Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060673001 | ISBN-13: 978-0060673000 | Publication Date: February 16, 2000 | Edition: 1

"Thus I understand the simple truth of life:
There is nothing better than for you to rejoice
in every deed done in harmony with the moment.
For doing is your purpose;
in doing is your meaning.
Leave the result to those who come after you,
and attend solely to doing well that which must be done at all."

In this thoughtful, fresh interpretation, Rami Shapiro presents King Solomon's philosophy as that of a Taoist sage and the book of Ecclesiastes not as a lamentation of life's vanities and meaninglessness but as a guide to reality and how to embrace it with joy and tranquility. Shapiro's Ecclesiastes shows modern spiritual seekers the way to truth, gratitude, contentment, and joy.

Traditional translations of Ecclesiastes dampen the hopeful spirit of Solomon's message, while Shapiro's rendition illuminates an ancient wisdom as timely and relevant today as ever. Shapiro boldly asserts that Solomon didn't in fact cry "vanity of vanities," as his words are so often translated, but rather, "Emptiness, emptiness, all is emptiness." Read this way, the message becomes a meditation on the promise of finding joy in even the most ordinary of daily acts and true peace of mind in our contemporary world of ego and artificial distractions.

Positioning Solomon as a realist with the instincts of a Zen master who seeks a path away from illusion and toward true enlightenment, Shapiro presents an innovative, engaging translation of the full text, and then lingers over the most moving and important passages, offering real-world examples of how this classic book of wisdom can be incorporated into our own lives. Solomon beseeches us to accept impermanence in order to embrace the present with freshness of body and mind. He calls on us to engage each moment, lest we miss today by agonizing about yesterday or daydreaming about tomorrow. And he urges us to recognize and celebrate the interdependence of all things, so that we may act justly and compassionately.

Shapiro's passion for the timeless message of Ecclesiastes is evident throughout The Way of Solomon. He encourages us to read with open minds and hearts, to savor the wisdom of this ever-popular book of the Bible, to consider its implications carefully for our own lives, and to commit ourselves to testing its truth against our own experiences.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes is Rami Shapiro's new interpretation of one of the Bible's oldest books. Shapiro's fascination with Ecclesiastes began when he discovered that the Hebrew word commonly translated as "vanity" could also mean "empty." For Shapiro, this discovery added a new and Eastern dimension to Solomon's famous line, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" and drove Shapiro to engage the book of Ecclesiastes in a holistic way. "Solomon looked and saw that all was empty of permanence; and that so much of our energies are invested in a pursuit of permanence that is doomed from the start. Ecclesiastes is his report of his journey to the heart of reality, and his insights into how we should live given the facts of life's impermanence. The only way to do justice to the text is to follow its author in looking at reality," he explains. The Way of Solomon includes Shapiro's translation of Ecclesiastes, notes from his wide-ranging research on the text, and reflections on his practice of meditation with Ecclesiastes. In Shapiro's hands, Ecclesiastes becomes something that many, many Christians are looking for these days--a kind of missing link between Buddhism and Christianity.

Review

"Most people identify Judaism with the Confucian book of Deuteronomy and are unaware of the Taoist voice in Ecclesiastes. Once again, Rami Shapiro discloses the Yin side of Torah in his rendition of the Way of Solomon. He brings balance for the contemporary person to stay in connection with our ever renewing ancient faith." -- Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Director of The Center for Engaged Spirituality, Naropa University

"Rami Shapiro has given us two gifts, an illuminating contemporary rendering of this timeless spiritual classic, along with commentary of everyday, personal stories that reveal the joy-filled wisdom of Ecclesiastes. I loved it!" -- Sylvia Boorstein, author of Thats Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist

"Reading Ecclesiastes with sensitivity and imagination, Rami Shapiro finds startling and valuable insights." -- Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People

"Shapiro's insight is as genuine and deep as it is startling. His long meditation on his chosen scripture and his direct experience as a rabbi shine through on every page." -- Deng Ming-Dao, author of 365 Tao

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (February 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060673001
• ISBN-13: 978-0060673000
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful and Uplifting Translation of Ecclesiastes, April 8, 2000

By 

David Enzel (Chevy Chase, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes (Hardcover)

For many years I have been guided by the wisdom of Ecclesiates but have been searching for a better translation. Rabbi Shapiro's translation makes Ecclesiastes come to life. It is beautiful and refreshing. A road map for life. It is a book I will read again and again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Interpretation That Brings Together the East and the West, August 26, 2001

By 

Writers Group Reviews (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes (Hardcover)

In an era where so many Jews are seeking spiritual guidance outside of Judaism and looking to Eastern mysticism, Rabbi Rami Shapiro provides a beautiful interpretation of King Solomon's book Ecclesiastes. After reading Shapiro's interpretation, there will be little doubt that King Solomon was indeed the richest and wisest person that has ever lived. You will come away feeling at awe and humbled in very much the same way the ancient Insraelites must have felt when given the Torah (AKA The Old Testament") and the disciples of Jesus felt at his Sermon on the Mount. Your life, your work and your joys and challenges will never feel the same way to you. Shapiro's rendition is pure poetry and nothing less than genius. This is a book that you will have to come back to time and time again. The key to Shapiro's insight into Ecclesiastes is the way he blends together Eastern and Judaic-Christian thought. Shapiro presents Solomon in the light of a Zen master lecturing his pupils in the futility of control and the illusion of permanence. Please note that this book is not just for Jews. King Solomon's wisdom represents truth regardless of race, ethnicity and religion. The wisdom of Solomon transcends religious doctrine and represents undeniable truth. Rami Shapiro is a true rabbi in every sense of the word. He is a teacher of life. Thank you Rabbi Shapiro for bringing King Solomon's wisdom to life.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly the "Way" of Solomon., August 26, 2003

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Way of Solomon: Finding Joy and Contentment in the Wisdom of Ecclesiastes (Hardcover)

As one who has repeatedly mulled over Solomon's Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I was drawn to this book with no small anticipation. I was disappointed; the exegesis here is pressed into a modern, ad hoc spirituality. Rami Shapiro's "contemporary Jewish spirituality" is often misspent neo-Taoism. The author's caricature of Solomon's wisdom seems, to this reader, to amount to 'just be contented.' Period. "Rejoicing without reason," he calls it. No reason? While Solomon does indeed instruct that it is "vanity... meaningless... empty..." to pursue the foolishness of the human will, he restrains this indictment to the doings of humanity. Solomon gives us the impermanence of the material, yes, but also the permanence of the Immaterial. Solomon gives us the Source, which is not empty: "Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don't fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?" (Eccl 7:13)

Lao-tzu was not as uncomfortable with a relevant God as is this "contemporary" rabbi:
"Returning to the source is serenity;
it is to realize one's destiny.
To realize one's destiny
is to know the Eternal Constant.
To know the Eternal Constant
is to be enlightened.
To be ignorant of this
is blindness that begets evil." (Tao Te Ching, verse 16)

"But, my child, be warned: there is no end of opinions ready to be expressed," (Eccl 12:12). The Hebrew king/scholar/sage told us of the Source of the contentment that it is important we find now, before "the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes." On the final page, Shapiro translates/interprets Solomon as "knowing that all is God." The way of Spinoza, yes. The Way of Solomon, no. For that matter, not exactly the way of Lao-tzu either.