About this episode
A Jewish practitioner of Perennial Wisdom, Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award–winning author of over thirty-six books on religion and spirituality. He received rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and holds a PH.D. in religion from Union Graduate School. A rabbinic chaplain with the USAF for 3 years, a congregational rabbi for 20, and a professor of religious studies for 10, Rabbi Rami currently co-directs the One River Foundation, is a Contributing Editor at Spirituality and Health magazine, and hosts the magazine’s bi-weekly podcast, Essential Conversations with Rabbi Rami. Website: rabbirami.com Books: Recovery―The Sacred Art: The Twelve Steps as Spiritual Practice (The Art of Spiritual Living) Holy Rascals: Advice for Spiritual Revolutionaries Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent: Sacred Teachings―Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations) The World Wisdom Bible: A New Testament for a Global Spirituality Surrendered―The Sacred Art: Shattering the Illusion of Control and Falling into Grace with Twelve-Step Spirituality (The Art of Spiritual Living) Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 14, 2021 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:06 - Introductions and Background 00:05:41 - Transitioning to Buddhism and Zen Rabbi 00:08:31 - The Resurrection of the Mother and the Collapse of Civilization 00:12:30 - Three Scenarios for the Future 00:16:06 - Shifting Consciousness and the Fourth Alternative 00:19:40 - The Hugging Saint, Amma 00:22:36 - Mistaken Identity 00:26:22 - The Life-Changing Power of Meditation 00:29:55 - The Delicate Balance of Humility and Spiritual Practice 00:36:09 - The Yearning for God 00:40:13 - The Four Points of Awakening in Judaism 00:44:12 - The Fallibility of Teachers and Their Teachings 00:47:28 - Spirituality and the Behavior of Spiritual Teachers 00:51:52 - The Tribal Jingoism of Judaism 00:56:16 - Facing the Fear of Death 01:01:42 - Perspectives on Reincarnation 01:05:59 - The Ego and Reincarnation 01:09:44 - The Limitations of Perception and Consciousness 01:13:28 - Out-of-Body Experiences and the Survival of Consciousness 01:16:26 - The Essence of Spiritual Development 01:20:10 - Developing Practices on all Dimensions 01:24:07 - Experiencing Divine Mother Manifestations 01:28:03 - Communing with Lady Wisdom (Chochma) 01:33:14 - The Essential Non-Duality 01:37:40 - Shifting modes of functioning and integration 01:42:59 - The Allure of Salt, Sugar, and Fat 01:47:49 - Holy Rascals and Mystics of History 01:53:47 - Embracing the Dark Side of Consciousness 01:58:51 - Embracing the Dark Side 02:02:26 - Farewell and Thanks