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Awaken your heart and mind to see your own capacity for wisdom, compassion and kindness.
"When we awaken to our own light, it becomes possible to develop real wisdom about our life. As wisdom allows us to see clearly, our hearts break open with compassion for the struggles of our own lives and the lives of all beings. Awakened with wisdom and compassion, we are impelled to live our lives with kindness, and we are led to do whatever we can to repair the brokenness of our world."
—from the Introduction
At last, a fresh take on meditation that draws on life experience and living life with greater clarity rather than the traditional method of rigorous study.
Based on twenty-five years of bringing meaningful spiritual practice to the Jewish community, well-known meditation teacher and practitioner Rabbi Jeff Roth presents Jewish contemplative techniques that foster the development of a heart of wisdom and compassion. This contemporary approach to meditation—accessible to both beginners and experts alike—focuses on using the distilled wisdom of Buddhism and Judaism as a way to learn from life experience. By combining these two traditions, he presents a model that allows westerners—both Jews and non-Jews—to embrace timeless Eastern teachings without sacrificing their birth traditions.
"One of the most accessible, knowledgeable, and useful books on Jewish contemplative life."
—Jack Kornfield, author, The Wise Heart
"A thorough-going handbook … full of concrete teachings offered in personal terms. This is a practice book all aspiring Jewish meditators should own—and use."
—Norman Fischer, founder and teacher, Everyday Zen Foundation; author, Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer's Odyssey to Navigate Life's Perils and Pitfalls
“Truly unique … presents time-tested universal techniques for cultivating wisdom and compassion. This will be the guidebook many people have been waiting for.”
—Sylvia Boorstein, author, Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life
“Remarkable…. Rabbi Roth takes the reader by the hand in clear language, making it possible to follow the instructions and to observe the results.”
—Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author, First Steps to a New Jewish Spirit: Reb Zalman’s Guide to Recapturing the Intimacy & Ecstasy in Your Relationship with God
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Wake Up
Are You a Mystic?
1. Waking Up in the Midst of Your Life
2. Beginning a Practice
3. The Nature of Mind
4. Making the Darkness Conscious
5. Embracing the Divine
6. Prayer and Meditation
7. A Blessing Practice
8. L'chayyim—Into Life
Appendix A: Psalm 145
Appendix B: Resources for Further Learning
Notes