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

by Rodger Kamenetz

Book Overview

From Sikh temples to Punjabi violence to the peace of the Tibetan Himalayan community, this book by a poet takes readers on his odyssey as he rediscovers his Jewish identity while in Buddhist India. Along the way he encounters Allen Ginsberg, Blu and Yitz Greenburg.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060645768
• ISBN13: 9780060645762
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

a chance to learn along with Kamenetz

It's clear that Kamenetz himself learned a lot during the events he writes of, and the book makes it possible to ride on his shoulders through that both the meeting between the Dalai Lama and a delegation from across the spectrum of Judaism and his digestion of those events afterwards. The book is centered more on Judaism than about Buddhism, and covers issues such as the principles of Kabbalah in an authentic, nontrendy form and how it fits into mainstream Judaism; the commonalities and differences between Jewish and Buddhist views of the world; the failures of current Jewish religious education, and the effects of the Holocaust on modern Judaism (not just the people killed, but ho it has changed the focus of the religion). It addresses some of the same concerns about assimilation as Anne Roiphe's Generation Without Memory, but by contrasting Judaism to Buddhism and examining some of the people who are in a spectrum between the two ("JuBus") comes closer to finding some answers.

Great Book on Judaism and Buddhism

Roger Kamenetz, a poet and professor of English Literature at Louisiana State University appeared at the Borders Bookstore in my neighborhood. To prepare for his visit, I re-read perhaps his best book, The Jew in the Lotus. The book is a journal about his travels with six prominent American and Israeli Jews to Dharmsala, India to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama. As I perused the eloquently written text, a key question kept entering my mind.Why are so many individuals from North American Jewish backgrounds interested and involved in Tibetan Buddhism?The persons whom Kamenetz meets and observes in Dharmsala are impressive people. They are not "flakes" looking to join a cult. They are educated and intelligent individuals searching to live a more authentic spiritual life. They speak respectfully, often affectionately about Judaism and their Jewish upbringing. They did not find answers, however, to their spiritual quest within their own ancestral faith. They found answers, or at least a direction to search for answers, within Tibetan Buddhism.In interviews with JUBU's (the vernacular term used for Buddhists from Jewish backgrounds,) Kamenetz hears repeatedly that "Judaism is not an accessible faith tradition."The JUBU's acknowledge the profundity of wisdom found in Judaism. Many even talk on a sophisticated level about how compelling certain teachings found in Jewish texts and observances can be. They find Buddhist teachings, meditations, and practices, however, easier to learn and integrate into their lives.Buddhism and Judaism are each religions that posses a sacred literature that is written in a language foreign to English speaking people. Both ancient literatures speak of events that occur in a historical context that also is foreign. Why do JUBU's find Buddhism more accessible?Perhaps accessibility derives from the fact that the Dalai Lama and his cadre of fellow monks live monastic lives. Without the conventional demands of family, Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders offer guidance and attention to the individual at a level of intensity that most American Jews do not experience interacting with rabbis, teachers, and other communal leaders.Perhaps economics is another factor. The American Jewish community in so many ways has priced the middle class out of active participation in American Jewish life. When one adds up the cumulative costs involved for a family to affiliate, to be a "good Jewish family" it becomes clear that many Jewish organizations and institutions are un-open and non-accessible to many American Jews.Perhaps many JUBUs come from families where parents simply could not financially afford to educate their minds or nurture their souls in the positive experiences that Jewish involvement offers.Regardless of the reasons, and I am sure that there are many more American Jews could add to the list, the existence of a large and increasing number of JUBUs should be a sign of concern. American Jews pride themselves on run

Buddhism and Judaism make history!

In 1990 Kamenetz, Marc Lieberman (a Jewish Buddhist - JUBU) and a group of distinguished personalities from the spectrum of Jewish religion (Reconstructionist and Orthodox rabbis, rabbis active in Jewish renewal, and professors of religious studies) went to Dharamsala for a four day meeting with the Dalai Lama. The latter had made the invitation in order to better understand the Jewish faith and learn the techniques of survival in Diaspora.This book must be viewed from three different perspectives. First there is the dialogue among the Jews, which clearly points out the discrepancies between the different denominations. Second, the dialogue between the Jews and Tibetan Lamas and monk with the objective in mind of exchanging information, getting to know each other, pinpointing differences and similarities. And last, but not least, the interaction between the author and the two sets of dialogues, which will open a new perspective in his life: rediscovering his Jewishness through mysticism.The participants were able to find areas of common interest such as practice of meditation, visualization, the intensive use of debate and study of ancient texts, the Kabalah as a parallel of Buddhist mysticism, the mandala and the sephirot. There are also significant differences: Buddhism does not accept the concept of a Creator, and God is viewed as Trugh, Reality or Emptiness; for Buddhism there is reincarnation, in Judaism it is a one-life-time-experience; Judaism is family-oriented, Buddhism is monastic.The author comes to the realization that modern Judaism has been drained of its ancient spirituality by means of increasing secularism. Like in any major religion the tension between the "exoteric" (accessible to every practitioner) and the esoteric (restricted to a few members) is taking its toll by depleting the mystical elements embedded in spiritual traditions. Because of this vacuum present in Judaism a signifant number of Jews have gone in search of further "fulfillment," finding in Buddhism the roots of Jewish mysticism.The Dalai Lama offers his piece of advice: "Open the doors and open them wide!" There is the need to reinforce the importance of revival of Kabalistic mystical teachings and practice of meditation. The lesson of survival in exile applies both to the troubled individual and the troubled nation.This book is fantastic reading; it makes you wish you had been present at this historical, enlightening meeting.

Dialogue between Jewish scholars and the Dalai Lama in 1990.

Kamenetz, Rodger. The Jew in the Lotus. HarperSanFracisco, 1994. This wittily titled book resulted from a dialogue between the HH Dalai Lama in Dharmasala and a group of American Jews, mostly rabbis, in the fall of 1990. They had been invited to offer insights on how the Jews have preserved their culture through repeated adversities from the destruction of the Babylonian captivity through the destruction of the second Temple by the Roman and the horror of the Holocaust. By 1945, 2/3 of Jews had been eradicated from the face of the earth and among them, as Kamenetz points out, 3/4ths of the teachers and mystical masters. This fact has left a great hole in the fabric of Judaism so that the person who is in search of Jewish profound teachings has had to go to other traditions in order to satisfy this need.The first of the members of the group, Nathan Katz, gave a presentation on contacts between the Hindu/ Buddhist and Jewish traditions. On p. 69 we learn of the Sanskrit words found in the (Hebrew) text of the Torah. We hear of the Hebrew manuscripts in Tibetan monasteries in Kucha, Mongolia. He points out that the concept of shunyata appeared in the West in the zero of mathematics. Al-Buruni, the Muslim philosopher of the 9th century had drawn the parallel between shunyata, the unpronounceable Name and also, Aum. He also reminded HH that the Jews were the first refugees (in 70 CE) to find a refuge in India.It was probably news, when this book came out in 1994, for a great many Jewish Buddhists (aka JUBUs) who in many Dharma centres make up 30% or more of members, to learn that there is a Jewish tradition of visualization, meditation and other such practices. Most had heard of the kabbalah but they also knew that its study was supposed to be limited to adult married men. Rabbi Zalman Schachter's presentation reveals what he perceives to be similarities between its teachings and vipassana meditation. He points to the Name AinSof (without end) as also known as Ayin or Void (p.86). From the mandala of the ten Sephirot through the idea of four worlds; from the angelology inherited by Jews from the Arabs through the symbolism of the two sexes, we see that tantrayana and mystical Judaism have a language and many techniques in common.A fascinating section of The Jew in the Lotus is derived from talks the author had with such people as Ven.Thubten Chodron, Alex Wayman, Charles Rome who was secretary to Chogyam Trungpa R., Allen Ginsberg, Ram Dass and many other prominent Jewish practitioners. Among non-Jewish Westerners who appear are Robert Thurman and Richard Gere.The author, a poet, writes of his own voyage of discovery, too; of his relationship to his Jewishness, of his discovery of India and the inclusiveness of its culture despite its current infection by fundamentalism. ( The Ayodhya incident was just about to happen as the group departed). Though the author was introduced ma

Delightfully more of depth Judaism & Buddism than expected

At first I couldn't get into this book. I'm Jewish by culture and ethnicity, but never saw much of spiritual value in the Jewish religion I had been raised in. And while I like much of what the Dali Lama does and says I couldn't see spending hours reading about his meeting with a bunch of Rabbis. Dull. It seemed like the author was just a middle aged Jewish intellectual with an identity crises -- and I have better things to do than hang around with people worrying about "who they really are."To make a short story shorter, I'm delighted I hung in there to see what happened.It's about the interchange that took place (about 7 years ago) when a group of Rabbis were invited to visit the Dali Lama. He wanted to hear from them how Jews had managed to preserve their religion and culture during thousands of years of exile from their homeland and despite persecution. The paralells to his people's current situation are obvious, and why he'd be interested is therefore obvious. What wasn't obvious was how the interchange effected the Jews who participated -- nor the conflicts between the flavors of Judaism (which I never expected could be interesting or enlightening.I have more appreciation for Judaism, Buddism, and the author than I ever expected. It turned out to be a can't put down read.Alex Censor