Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, and one who sat as the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University... was born in Poland in 1924. His family fled to Vienna, them Belgium, then various other countries before arriving in New York in 1943. Schachter-Shalomi joined the Lubavitch branch of Orthodox Judaism, and in his early twenties was ordained as a rabbi. In the late 1960s, he began embracing more liberal elements of Judaism and moving away from the Lubavitch movement, ultimately leaving it entirely. While still in the movement, though, he famously took LSD with Timothy Leary at an ashram in Massachusetts (“better than schnapps”), seeking the Rebbe’s blessing beforehand. He would go on to become one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement, which encourages a more spiritual, meditative practice and personal connection with God. Innovator in Ecumenical Dialogue From the earliest days of Schachter-Shalomis career, he was continually involved in ecumenical dialogue with leaders and practitioners of other spiritual paths, from Trappist monks to Sufi sheikhs. These frequent forays into what was then forbidden territory led Schachter-Shalomi to describe himself as a spiritual peeping-Tom. But far from being a mere browser, Schachter-Shalomi became deeply learned in the most minute aspects of the theory and experiential practice of these traditions, praying matins with the monks and performing dhikr with the Sufis. This deeply personal approach to dialogue led to significant friendships with many of the worlds great philosophers and spiritual teachers, including: Father Thomas Merton, Pir Vilayat Khan, Ken Wilber, and the 14th Dalai Lama. The twin peaks of this ecumenical work had to do with the increasingly significant dialogue between Jews and Buddhists. Always sensitive and sympathetic to Jewish involvement in Eastern traditions, in 1990, Schachter-Shalomi was invited to a meeting in Dharamsala, India, between the Dalai Lama and Jewish leaders, to discuss how Tibetan Buddhism might survive in exile. This dialogue, and Schachter-Shalomis remarkable influence upon it, became the focus of a best-selling book by Rodger Kamenetz called The Jew in the Lotus. Immediately, the book became a catalyst for Jewish-Buddhist dialogue and the sensitive issue of why so many American Jews were involved in so-called Eastern spiritual paths. Within a few years, Schachter-Shalomi was invited to take up the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University, the only accredited Buddhist-inspired university in the Western hemisphere. Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado became home to Schachter-Shalomi and a new phase of his teaching career. By the time of his retirement from Naropa in 2004, he had influenced thousands of students and spiritual seekers of all backgrounds. - See more at: legacy/obituaries/dailycamera/obituary.aspx?n=zalman-schachter-shalomi&pid=171597594#sthash.HDUKLOOH.dpuf
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 10:44:00 +0000
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