Happy New Year: Buddhist becomes Jewish

Marc Bennett; Shalom Auslander; Rob Fashler; Sheldon S., Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How the president of a Tibetan Buddhist temple became an Orthodox Jew

(Jewish Learning Institute) Sept. 13, 2022. Rob Fashler was raised in an atheist home where Judaism was anything but trendy. On the contrary, Judaism was ridiculed, particularly the Hasidic (extremely sexist orthodox) kind.

The Jew in the Lotus (Kamenetz)

The quest for spirituality and truth permeated his adolescent years, turning him to experiment with mind-expanding hippie drugs (e.g., LSD), sex-drugs-n-rock 'n roll, transcendental meditation (The Beatles' Hindu practice called TM), and eventually Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana).

From the president of a Buddhist temple to an Orthodox Jew, here is the journey of a man to whom the meaning and relevance of Judaism is nothing short of a miracle.

• "Refuge" in Buddhism really means "Going for Guidance" to the Three Gems or Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha)
• Foreskin's Lament: A Memoir by Shalom Auslander (barnesandnoble.com)

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I was Jewish and became Buddhist.

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Another Jew supporting Boycott, Divestment, Sanctioning of Israel (Jewish Voice for Peace)

• Our favorite Jew: Shalom Auslander (NY Times)
• Was Jesus Christ a JuBu, a Jew who became a Buddhist?
• Sunday Meditation: Shambhala Meditation Center of LA