Judaism and Buddhism

[Jessie Fong]

Came across this article : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-frankel/5-reasons-jews-gravitate-toward-buddhism_b_2520948.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

Do take a look at the reasons why Jews are attracted to the Buddhist path:


A JuBu refers to someone with a Jewish background who practices some form of Buddhism. It has been estimated that 30 percent of all Western Buddhists are of Jewish heritage, and many of the prominent Western Buddhist teachers were born Jews. Here are five reasons why Jews are attracted to a Buddhist path:

Spirituality

Many Jewish seekers find that the Judaism they grew up in lacked a spiritual component with which they could connect. While many Jews today can identify with the cultural, social and historical aspects of Judaism, the spiritual dimension for many is significantly lacking. Today, increasing numbers of rabbis are acknowledging this problem. They maintain that there is a deep spiritual Jewish practice (through mystical Judaism and study of the Kabbalah) but that it has been inaccessible to the majority of Jews based on the way that Judaism is practiced in most synagogues across the country. Jews seeking a spiritual connection often find it in Buddhist philosophy where practices such as meditation and mindfulness are both central and accessible.

God

Because Buddhism in non-theistic in nature, Jewish believers in God, as well as Jewish atheists and agnostics, can find a home in Buddhist practice without having to compromise or struggle against opposing belief systems.

History

Jews and Buddhists have no baggage with one another, making exploration of this spiritual path much easier and more acceptable that joining a religious tradition where there is a history of conflict.

Open Invitation

In contrast to other religions, it is unnecessary to formally convert to Buddhism in order to follow this spiritual path. There is room for the decision to practice and identify as a Jew while embracing a Buddhist belief system and Buddhist practices.

Suffering

Both Jews and Buddhists share a deep understanding about the nature of suffering. Buddha's Four Noble Truths explores this concept in depth, offering a way to understand both the causes of suffering and a path to end suffering. These ideas resonate with Jews who have struggled with a history of persecution that culminated in the horrors of the Holocaust. Applying a Buddhist perspective to such atrocities can offer many a path of healing.

As Jews continue to explore Buddhism and its practices, more JuBus will be able to discover the "OM in ShalOM," creating a rich and fruitful spiritual path. Both traditions have much to offer and boast a rich legacy of dialogue and thought provoking debate to cultivate both wisdom and compassion and a whole lot of JuBulation!

[buddhalovely]

A large number of Jews currently practice Buddhism. Rodger Kamenetz, the author of The Jew in the Lotus, says, “A third of all Western Buddhist leaders come from Jewish roots.” Half of the participants in the Vipassana meditation retreat near Dharamsala, India, are Israelis. According to one estimate, three out of four Western visitors to the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism and the seat of the Dalai Lama are Jewish. Most of the street signs in Dharamsala sport Hebrew letters.

A recent cover story of the Jerusalem Report profiles three Jews who have been living in Dharamsala for years:

Venerable Tenzin Josh, formerly Steven Gluck of London;
Ruth Sonam, formerly Ruth Berliner of Northern Ireland; and
Itamar Sofer, an Israeli who fled the pressure of army service in Gaza to find peace in the Himalayas.

[Aurore]

One more similarity would be the belief in reincarnation by both religion. Here's one of the many sources which wrote about how reincarnation is an integral part of Jewish belief. However, the understanding differs from the Buddhist's understanding.

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Consequently, many Jews are surprised to learn, or may even wish to deny, that reincarnation - the "revolving" of souls through a succession of lives, or "gilgulim" - is an integral part of Jewish belief. But this teaching has always been around. And it is firmly rooted in source-verses.

Examples abound. Ramban, one of the greatest commentators on the Torah (and on the Talmud), and a seminal figure in Jewish history, hints several times that reincarnation is the key to penetrating the deep mysteries involved in the mitzvah of yibum (the obligation of the brother of a childless, deceased man to marry the widow). In his explanation of Gen 38:8, he insists that Yehudah and his sons were aware of the secret of reincarnation, and that this was a major factor in their respective attitudes towards Tamar.

The Jewish understanding of reincarnation is different from Buddhist doctrines. It in no way leads to fatalism. At every point of moral decision in his life, a Jew has complete free choice. If not for freedom of choice, how unfair it would be of G-d to make demands of us - especially when reward and punishment is involved! Reincarnation does not imply pre-determination. It is, rather, an opportunity for rectification and soul-perfection.

The holy Ari explained it most simply: every Jew must fulfill all 613 mitzvot, and if he doesn't succeed in one lifetime, he comes back again and again until he finishes. For this reason, events in a person's life may lead him towards certain places, encounters, etc., in ways that may or may not make sense. Divine providence provides each person with the opportunities he needs to fulfill those particular mitzvot necessary for the perfection of his soul. But the responsibility lies with us. At the actual moment of decision in any given situation, the choice is ours.

One of the ways in which heaven maintains our ability to exercise complete freedom of choice is by not allowing us conscious knowledge of previous incarnations. Consequently, it might seem to some people that there is little practical benefit in being aware of this doctrine. Furthermore, many scholars contend that these mystical concepts can easily be misunderstood, or carried to erroneous and misleading conclusions. We can therefore understand why this and similar subjects are only hinted at in scripture, and why some knowledge and a great deal of determination are often required in order to gain access to this information.

[hope rainbow]

Yes, I have discussed the reincarnation topic with Jewish friends, but I find it is not a topic very central to Judaism, well at least not to the Jewish people that I talked to.

From their understanding, reincarnation is a possibility given to come back and finish a path that was not completed, yet it is not clear whether the realms other than humans (such as the animal realm) are realm of possible reincarnation for a human, and indeed, how would one continue his path once reincarnated as a shrimp...

Another point about reincarnation that I could not clarify with my Jewish friends is: when does it start, or as what do we start, if there is such a point of time that we can conceptualize as "start"...
We know that Budddhism has there a point of view of beginninglessness that creative religions do differ from.

And finally, the key point that is very often, I find, blur is: where does it lead?
We know it leads to Heaven, but the "Heaven" is unclear to me. Unless we can simply stick to the description of Heaven as a place or a state from whcih even the seed for suffering is absent - well, that is very clear actually...

[RedLantern]

One of the major reasons Jews are attracted to Buddhism,is their intelligence.It is also possible that certain
cultures are better at fostering an environment of education and learning.
In certain areas of practice,there are surface similiarities between the faiths;the focus in personal meditation/prayer,understanding the inner life of the mind and it's relationship with the outer life of the body and how the interaction between the two can be cause cor divinity or desecration,certain mystical approaches
A deep respect for family and tradition.Buddhism is non-hierarchical in the same way as Judaism.

[rossoneri]

Here are some origin of JewBu which i find it interesting to know:

The first recorded instance of an American being converted to Buddhism on American soil occurred at the 1893 exposition on world religions and the convert had been a Jew named Charles Strauss. He declared himself a Buddhist at a public lecture that followed the World Conference on Religions in 1893. Strauss later became an author and leading expositor of Buddhism in the West.[1] After World War II, there was increasing interest in Buddhism, associated with the Beat generation. Zen was the most important influence at that time. A new wave of Jews involved with Buddhism came in the late 1960s. Prominent teachers included Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, who founded the Insight Meditation Society and learned vipassana meditation primarily through Thai teachers.

Some Jewish Buddhists claim that the two religions are compatible, while other Jews believe this represents a serious adulteration of both traditions. Buddhist-influenced rabbis have also existed, such as the late Alan Lew, a Conservative rabbi (and not a Jewish Buddhist) in San Francisco.[3] A number of Jewish Buddhists have found a religious home in the inter-spiritual community of Unitarian Universalism, where they lead Sanghas (Buddhist fellowships).

According to the Ten Commandments and classical Jewish law, known as Halacha, it is forbidden for any Jew to worship any deity other than the way God is worshipped in Judaism – specifically by bowing, offering incense, sacrifices and/or poured libations. It is likewise forbidden to join or serve in another religion because doing so would render such an individual an apostate or an idol worshipper. Since most Buddhists do not consider the Buddha to have been a "god", Jewish Buddhists do not consider Buddhist practice to be "worship". In addition, many Buddhists (particularly Theravada Buddhists) do not "worship" the Buddha but instead "revere" and "express gratitude" for the Buddha's (and all buddhas') accomplishment and compassionate teaching (that is, discovering and teaching the Dharma so others might be released from suffering and achieve Nirvana). In Mahayana Buddhism (the dominant form of Buddhism in the world today), the Trikaya (three bodies) Doctrine, and praying to Buddha as savior in Pure Land Buddhism significantly blurs the issue for Jews of whether Buddhism is a religion and whether Buddha is considered a God.[citation needed]

A number of Buddhist books, drawing only on surveys of East and West Coast Buddhist communities, concluded that roughly 30% of all Western-born Buddhists were born Jewish.[citation needed] More accurate statistics from the latest (2009) Pew Forum demographic survey shows that the number is no more than 6% – around one-hundred and ten thousand people – and probably significantly less.[citation needed] By another account, more than one fifth of American Jews are Buddhist.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Buddhist

[Q]

It's nothing new. The Jews are actually cultured and spiritual people even back in their ancestors days. It is no wonder that the future generation are hungry for spirituality also.

The thing about the Jewish faith is, some of it's content, unfortunately due to their attempt to preserve their culture and religion back in the Spanish Inquisition... some of the essential and important belief within Judaism was eliminated to look 'similar' to the Spaniards' vision of God. So, what was removed? The believe of Reincarnation was eliminated in Judaism.

Of course, there are certain sects within Judaism like the orthodox that still believe in reincarnation, but they are very quiet about it and apparently, it is secret.

So, when I read this news, there really is nothing new when a Jewish person becomes interested in Buddhism because the fundamental belief if the same (at least originally it was...). The only difference is that the Jewish believe in a creator God while Buddhists don't. It may be something really huge for some people... but lets just put it this way, there's larger things to worry about than whether a god exist or not... for example, karma.

[Positive Change]

If we truly studied the scriptures of Judaism we would learn of the similarities it has to Buddhism is that of Polytheism AND Reincarnation. Why, if we ask some Jews today they would flat out deny and cast it out as blasphemy. If Judaism was indeed a religion based on Polytheism and Reincarnation, what would the impact be on the 3 popular and largely practiced religions of today; Judaism, Christianity and Islam?

If this was true, why then are we taught to believe otherwise? Sounds to me like worldly manipulations of men who seek not the spiritual but the material! On that note, it sounds to me very much like the ban on Dorje Shugden... an attempt to rewrite or distort history... to change what is to what we want it to be. Let's not give such manipulations anymore light... fight it with the sword of wisdom now... knowledge is power, power to release the truth!