Rabbi Rami Shapiro

Nectar of Non-Dual Truth, A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings is an annual publication that contains articles on the philosophy and spirituality of Vedanta and other religious traditions by authentic practitioners. Issue #33 is dedicated to the methods, practice, and experience of meditation across a variety of religious and spiritual Traditions. We include teachings on meditation from Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Judaism, Sufism, and Buddhism. Teachers and practitioners include: Lex Hixon, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Llewelyn Vaughn-Lee, Swami Bhuteshananda, Swami Aseshananda, Swami Brahmeshananda, Babaji Bob Kindler, and Annapurna Sarada. Also included is a transcript from a 1970's interview on In The Spirit (WBAI) radio with Lex Hixon and Maezumi Roshi. The always popular feature, Nectar of Advaitic Instruction, along with Wisdom Facets from the Gem of Truth, and quotes from the Worlds Religious Traditions complete this special issue.

Nectar of Non-Dual Truth, A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings is an annual publication that contains articles on the philosophy and spirituality of Vedanta and other religious traditions by authentic practitioners and teachers. Issue #39 is dedicated to the methods, practice, and experience of divine life and practice across a variety of religious and spiritual Traditions, with a particular focus on the practices that transform one's mind and its perceptions, and a sub-focus on the nature and roots of suffering - leading to inner peace and the capacity for selfless service and ultimately, Enlightenment. In this issue we include teachings from Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta, Judaism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, and Christianity. Teachers and practitioners include: Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Swami Sunirmalananda, Swami Brahmeshananda, Lex Hixon, Anam Thubten, Rev. Kosho Finch, Babaji Bob Kindler, Anurag Neal Aronowitz, Deacon Peter Solan, O. P. Sharma, and Annapurna Sarada. The always popular feature, Nectar of Advaitic Instruction, along with Wisdom Facets from the Gem of Truth, and quotes from the Worlds Religious Traditions complete this special issue.

Nectar of Non-Dual Truth, A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings is an annual publication that contains articles on the philosophy and spirituality of Vedanta and other religious traditions by authentic practitioners and teachers. Issue #38 is dedicated to the methods, practice, and experience of divine life and practice across a variety of religious and spiritual Traditions, with a particular focus on the practices that transform one's mind and its perceptions, leading to inner peace and the capacity for selfless service and ultimately, Enlightenment. In this issue we include teachings from Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta, Judaism, Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, Western Philosophy. Teachers and practitioners include: Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Pir Vilayet Khan (in an interview with Lex Hixon), Swami Aseshananda, Swami Brahmeshananda, Anam Thubten, Dr. Larry Herzberg, Babaji Bob Kindler, and Annapurna Sarada. The always popular feature, Nectar of Advaitic Instruction, along with Wisdom Facets from the Gem of Truth, Vedanta 101, and quotes from the Worlds Religious Traditions complete this special issue.

God is real. Everything we say about God is made up. Holy Rascals is a rousing call to anyone ready to go beyond "isms" and ideologies, and live in the world as a liberating force of justice, compassion, and joy. "Holy rascals are spiritual culture jammers who use humor, play, creativity, and critical thinking to reveal the human origins of religions—and how religions mask their true origins behind the conceit of divine origins," writes Rabbi Rami. Here, he illuminates: • The making of a holy rascal and the great task of "freeing religion from the parochial and for the perennial" • The art of "hacking the holy," or pulling back the curtain on religion’s fear-based mechanisms of control • The provocative tools and one-of-a-kind practices of the holy rascal, with guidance for creating your very own "rascally" ways "Holy rascality is about rekindling spiritual creativity and critical thinking," explains Rabbi Rami. "It is about freeing the human capacity for religiosity—the capacity for making meaning—from the confines of brand-name religion. Holy rascals are playful and lighthearted. While our task is serious—the liberation of humanity from the madness of unhealthy and harmful religions and religious beliefs—our attitude is not." Holy Rascals brings you Rabbi Rami’s one-of-a-kind inspiration, humor, and practical insight to help you on your mission.

Does the Golden Rule matter? It depends on the game." We have to shift the game before we can promote the Rule. This is why teaching morality alone is insufficient. Educating our children in the Golden Rule without teaching about finite and infinite games and zero-sum and nonzero worldviews is a waste of time. Doing so would be like teaching them the rules of chess while insisting they play only checkers." from Chapter 10, Play Different This provocative and challenging exploration of the Golden Rule, widely accepted as humanity's moral true north, neither praises the Rule uncritically nor naively insists that it is applicable in every situation. Rather, it looks critically at the Rule in the context of game theory to see where it works and where it doesn t, when it is applicable and when it isn t. It shows you why knowing the difference can offer you a powerful way to transform your life from one driven by fear to one driven by love. This philosophical game changer is written for people of all faiths or none who praise the Rule and yet violate it over and over again. It invites you into the fascinating world of ethical decision making in a way that helps you use the Golden Rule as a fulcrum for shifting your life from often unethical competition to compassionate and even loving cooperation."

More than ancient erotic love poetry, this celebration of the human relationship with Wisdom can be a companion for your own spiritual journey. The Song of Songs is the Hebrew Bible's deeply erotic poem of love, sexual yearning and consummation. Holding it sacred yet troubled by its thinly veiled eroticism, Jews and Christians for millennia have read the Song of Songs as an allegory of God s love for Israel the classic Jewish understanding or Jesus s love for his Church the classic Christian understanding. This fresh translation restores the Song s eroticism and interprets it as a celebration of the love between the Divine Feminine and the contemporary spiritual seeker. Scholar and award-winning teacher Rami Shapiro renders this ancient love song as Lady Wisdom offering seekers physical and spiritual intimacy with her so that they might awaken to and participate wisely in the unity of God, woman, man and nature. His intriguing facing-page commentary provides historical, religious and spiritual insights from Christian and Jewish wisdom traditions as well as clear comparisons to other translations. Now you can understand the poetry, beauty, genius and mystery of the Song of Songs with no previous knowledge of the Hebrew Bible or wisdom literature. Compelling in its novelty and accessible in its presentation, this version of the Song of Songs will beckon you more deeply into Jewish-Christian sacred texts while offering you wisdom teachings and practices rooted in but not limited to religion."

The clear and compelling wisdom of the rabbinic sages can become a companion for your own spiritual journey. At the heart of Judaism is an ethical imperative to live life from your true self, as the image and likeness of God. To do this, you must see the greatness of God manifest in all things, and therefore engage each moment with grace, humility, and justice. This imperative flowers in the words of the early Rabbis (250 BCE - 250 CE), who captured God's call to be holy in Pirke Avot, a collection of pithy sayings on how best to live an ethical life. This engaging introduction to the wisdom sayings of the rabbinic sages puts you in direct conversation with them, allowing the sages to speak directly to you about what matters in life and how to live it with dignity. With fresh, contemporary translation and provocative commentary, Rabbi Rami Shapiro focuses on the central themes in this Jewish wisdom compendium - study, kindness, compassion. He clarifies the rabbinic proverbs and parables in order to expose the ethical principles at their root. By recalling the ancient voices of the rabbinic sages, he shows us the contemporary significance of their timeless wisdom and distills Pirke Avot not as a book about ethics but as a practical guide to living ethically today. Now you can experience the wisdom of the early Rabbis even if you have no previous knowledge of Judaism or rabbinic literature. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the ethical teachings of the rabbinic sages, with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys Pirke Avot's core challenge of God to the Jewish people, and through them all humanity: We are to be holy as God is holy. We are to be, in a human way, what God is in a divine way.

The spiritual teachings of many faith traditions can help you step beyond the limits of any one tradition to the reality that can't be named. The fastest growing spiritual movement in the United States today is that of the religiously unaffiliated. These spiritual seekers make up 20 percent of the adult American population; they are the spiritual equivalent of political independents. Refusing to limit themselves to one religion or another, these seekers without borders are open to wisdom wherever it can be found. This is a "bible" for this vast and growing social movement. It weaves sacred texts and teachings from the world's major religions--Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and more--into a coherent exploration of the five core questions at the heart of every religion's search: - Who am I? - Where did I come from? - Where am I going? - How shall I live? - Why? It couples these sacred teachings with modern commentary designed to help readers use these texts in their daily lives. It also provides the basics of spiritual mentor Eknath Easwaran's Passage Meditation to help you internalize the texts that articulate your deepest insights and values.

If it is true for you that "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me," then your words are soft, weak and ineffective. Words can hurt; words can shatter; words can strip you naked, forcing you to see the truth no matter how precious the lies. This is the kind of word craft that awardwinning author and renowned spirituality teacher Rami Shapiro promotes in this fresh and unapologetic guide to writing as a spiritual practice. It isn't about writing spiritual books or about the romance of writing. It doesn't cover the ins and outs of publishing and building a brand. Rather, it explores the bedrock of spiritual awakening and how writing can shatter you upon it. Along with award-winning writer and writing coach Aaron Shapiro, he approaches writing the way a spiritual seeker uses meditation and chant to shift from narrow mind to spacious mind and see through the distorting lens of the self-centered self to the larger reality that includes and transcends it. They guide you in how to use writing to discover the deeper reality of life and how best to live in harmony with it.