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