Three Gates to Meditation Practices: A Personal Journey into Sufism, Buddhism and Judaism - Softcover

Cooper, Rabbi David A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1893361225 ISBN 13: 9781893361225

Publisher: SkyLight Paths, 2000

Synopsis

A spiritual memoir by the author of God Is a Verb.

"This book is a treasure map, but not like any you have seen before. Most people believe that the object of a treasure hunt is to find a chest of gold. The mystical approach, however, is that the search itself is the treasure…. Here is an invitation to begin an exploration of the treasure fields of your own mind…the most exciting and rewarding adventure you will ever take."
―from the Introduction

Here is an insider's look at a spectrum of mystical traditions―by someone who is remarkably fluent in the language of each. Three Gates to Meditation Practice chronicles more than fifteen years in the spiritual journey of "post-denominational" Rabbi David A. Cooper and his wife Shoshana―years that led the Coopers everywhere from a secluded mountain hut in New Mexico to the Sinai desert, from chanting Sufi dhikr and meditation with Buddhist masters to studying Kabbalah and esoteric Judaism in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Coopers’ story is an intimate account of what intensive spiritual practice is like, with an ultimate message that is supremely inspiring: The spiritual path is completely within our reach, whoever we are, whatever we do, as long as we are willing to try.

About this title

About the Author

David A. Cooper has studied mysticism for more than thirty years. His main practice has been spiritual retreats and meditation in a number of traditions, including Sufi, Vipassana, Kabbalah, Dzogchen and Zen. Cooper is the award-winning author of many books, including The Handbook of Jewish Meditation Practices: A Guide for Enriching the Sabbath and Other Days of Your Life; Silence, Simplicity and Solitude: A Complete Guide to Spiritual Retreat at Home and Three Gates to Meditation Practice: A Personal Journey in Sufism, Buddhism, and Judaism.

Reviews

Cooper, the Jewish convert who wrote the bestselling book God Is a Verb, reflects upon more than 20 years of his spiritual journey in this engaging but flawed exploration of interfaith meditation practice. One might expect Cooper to exhibit a convert's zeal and exclusivism by highlighting the shortcomings of Sufism and Buddhism, the other two traditions studied here. Instead, he does a beautiful job of explaining how they dovetail together and complement each other in spiritual practice. Seeing himself as a postdenominational Jew, Cooper has been ordained a rabbi, developing and leading a cohesive Jewish meditation practice that draws upon teachings from other traditions. Cooper's book explores his eclectic spiritual journey in a plausible and respectfully ecumenical fashion, but it is overly self-absorbed. For instance, when on a 40-day retreat in a Sufi community, he is interrupted by a man who rages at him for having an affair with the man's wife. An unapologetic CooperDwho had in fact once conducted the affair as accusedDmoans only about his retreat being wrecked. Readers may tire of Cooper's endless wanderings from one retreat or teacher to another, often spending years in places such as Israel to fulfill his spiritual needs. Such freewheeling lack of responsibility concerning jobs or family makes this book a bit hard for the hoi polloi to relate to.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With his investigation of Sufism and Buddhism as well as Judaism, one can sense that Cooper, author of God Is a Verb and other spiritual texts, is not one's usual rabbi. The book is autobiographical in that Cooper takes the reader along with him as he investigates the meditative practices of the three traditions. The reader learns by observing the master at work, so to speak, in this case witnessing progress over a 20-year period. After all, in the mystical approach, the journey itself is the focus. Some might be confounded by the mixing of several traditions, but Cooper intends to find the common truth that has caused different spiritual teaching to endure. He also believes that we all have the potential for spiritual growth. His book should appeal to those looking for help or encouragement on their journey. For academic and public libraries.DJohn Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: SkyLight Paths
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1893361225
• ISBN 13: 9781893361225
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240