Tricycle | Awake in the World

Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of Jewish Buddhists? You don’t say! Maybe it’s because opposites attract. You’ve got your Buddhists, with their cool detachment, quietude, and inner peace. And then you have your Jews, with their emotionality, verbal dexterity, and worldly chutzpah. Maybe the two sets of characteristics are complementary. Go figure.

What do you think of the idea of having retreats geared especially for the Chosen People? Sure. The retreat could be like a long Passover dinner. (Not that there is such a thing as a short Passover dinner.) We’d thank the great adepts of the past for telling us that we are already enlightened and can finally relax. Everybody would sit on a couch, and we would slouch and eat and gossip and recall that, while it was Moses who led us to the Promised Land, it is Buddha who leads us to the promised Pure Land.