Zen Mind Jewish Mind

Koan, Midrash, & The Living Word

Rabbi Rami Shapiro

Paperback
978-1-958972-65-6
US $18.99 Edelweiss Bookshop Barnes & Noble Amazon
eBook available
February 2025

“A great way to deepen your spiritual life is to take a deep dive into a tradition other than your own—especially if you have a competent guide, and Rabbi Rami is an extraordinary guide. Not into Zen? Not a Jew? Not a problem. Anyone on any path will benefit enormously from this profoundly illuminating book.” —Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West

With reference to Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Rami Shapiro begins with beginner’s mind as “empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities. It is the kind of mind which can see things as they are, which step by step and in a flash can realize the original nature of everything.” Then, Rami ponders beginner’s mind in the child of the Passover Haggadah “who knows not how to ask.” The parents of this child are told to open (patach) the child to the art of questioning. Asking questions is key to Jewish mind.

The questioning perennial beginner is central to both Zen and Jewish, Rami demonstrates: a daring, iconoclastic, often humorous mind devoted to shattering the words, texts, isms, and ideologies on which expert mind—closed to inquiry—depends.

Zen Mind / Jewish Mind is not a scholarly study of anything, let alone Zen or Judaism, and despite all the footnotes, the book rests solely on Shapiro’s fifty-plus years of playing in the garden of Judaism, Zen, and advaita/nonduality. Chapters include “Dharma Eye, God’s I” (1), “Koan and Midrash” (4), and “The Yoga of Conversation” (7).

Rabbi Rami Shapiro, PhD is an award-winning author of over thirty-six books on religion, spirituality, and recovery. He codirects the One River Foundation, is a contributing editor with Spirituality and Health Magazine, hosts two podcasts—Essential Conversations with Rabbi Rami, and Conversations on the Edge—and a weekly Zoom “talk show” called Roadside Assistance at the Corner of Tohu va-Vohu (Wild and Chaos). He is the author of dozens of books including Judaism without Tribalism (Monkfish, 2022), and the 2020 recipient of the Huston Smith Award for Excellence in Inter-Spiritual Education.

“Interspiritual conversation at its best, with Rabbi Rami’s Torah and Zen insight bringing the freshest light to spiritual practice. Delivered with his signature comic genius, again and again, I found myself clapping with joy, belly-laughing, and exclaiming with delight, Oh God! Rami the Holy Rascal strikes again!” —Gordon Peerman, Episcopal priest and mindfulness meditation teacher, author of Blessed Relief: What Christians Can Learn from Buddhist about Suffering

“I say every time Rabbi Rami writes a new book that he is a master teacher full of love, wisdom and a reverent irreverence that illuminates both mind and heart.” —Dr. Joan Borysenko, New York Times best-selling author of Pocketful of Miracles

“I have been a fan of Rami Shapiro’s for over three decades and his gifts to the world are considerable. Judaism Without Tribalism is quite possibly the jewel in his crown, a brilliant culmination of his work to repair and return us to the profound mystical depths of the ancient Jewish tradition. Crisp, cogent, utterly lucid, this book is, as its title suggests, a blessed relief for all true seekers.” —Rabbi Tirzah Firestone, PhD, author of Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma

“This book introduces Moses, Dogen, and Leonard Cohen to one another. It will make you laugh, and think, and not-think. It will deepen your life and reduce your tsuris and dukkha. Whether you’re a spiritual traveler wearing a kippah, a robe, or nothing at all, this one-of-a-kind book will help you keep your eyes on the road.” —Scott Edelstein, author of Sex and the Spiritual Teacher and The User’s Guide to Spiritual Teachers

“A great way to deepen your spiritual life is to take a deep dive into a tradition other than your own—especially if you have a competent guide, and Rabbi Rami is an extraordinary guide. Not into Zen? Not a Jew? Not a problem. Anyone on any path will benefit enormously from this profoundly illuminating book.” —Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West

“Zen Mind, Jewish Mind explores the intersection of Zen Buddhism and Jewish spiritual traditions, focusing on shared values like mindfulness, compassion, and contemplation. Through personal stories and teachings, it highlights the unique insights each offers. It brings readers into a deepening of their connection to self, others, and the universe—ideal for those seeking inner peace, wisdom, and interfaith understanding.” —Lama Palden Drolma, author of Love on Every Breath: Tonglen Meditation for Transforming Pain into Joy

“As always, Rami shows us how utterly simple yet exquisitely complex it is to walk a Zenful Jewish path.” —Douglas Rushkoff, filmmaker, host of the Team Human podcast, author of Present Shock and Survival of the Richest