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That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist: On Being A Faithful Jew and a Passionate

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In this landmark book, esteemed Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein addresses this incisive question in a warm, delightful and personal way. With the same down-to-earth charm and wit that have endeared her to her many students and readers, Boorstein shows how one can be both an observant Jew and a passionately committed Buddhist.

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

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About the author

Sylvia Boorstein

49 books165 followers
Sylvia Boorstein (born 1936) is an American writer and Buddhist spiritualist.

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5 stars
120 (28%)
4 stars
148 (35%)
3 stars
113 (27%)
2 stars
32 (7%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
Profile Image for Arlene.
19 reviews
January 8, 2013
I found this book an insightful resource because it is based on Boorstein's own personal experience being a practitioner of both Conservative Judaism and also Buddhism. I appreciated her insights into how Buddha is not a deity demanding worship to his image; and that during his teachings he asked that each person discover Buddhism for his or herself. This, Boorstein, explains leaves room for each person to experience Buddhist practice (i.e. meditation, mindfulness, etc.) by virtue of who they are and how they arrived to be the person they are. For example, if someone happens to suddenly experience the icons or symbols of the religion they grew up with (such as Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, etc.) as they meditate, nothing in Buddhist teachings says 'that is "wrong"' or "unacceptable"' but rather it is actually possible, valid, and acceptable. Alternate religious practice, of course, is not necessary or required alongside Buddhist practice, but if one does also adhere to belief in another religion as they practice Buddhism, there's room for each individual's complete personal experience without feeling 'wrong', or feeling fear of being admonished, etc.

Much of this book describes Boorstein's self consciousness about being a practitioner of Buddhism while being a devout and practicing Jew, too. This is perhaps a generational or cultural trait of someone who is maybe more religious in her Judaism than others or of someone who grew up in a devout practice. Those who are feeling challenged by practicing Buddhism alongside another religion may appreciate this aspect of the book.

It was an insightful book and a good introduction to the openness possible in the Buddhist practice.



Profile Image for Jeanne.
1,265 reviews101 followers
July 15, 2024
Sylvia Boorstine's discussion of her life as a Jew and Buddhist. Rather than seeing these as opposing perspectives ("Choose no more than one…"), she sees both Judaism and Buddhism as enriching her life and enriching her understanding of the other. "My Buddhism has made me more passionately alive as a Jew …My renewed Judaism has made me a better Buddhist teacher" (p. 2).

Relative to other Buddhists, Boorstine talks more about her personal process as a Buddhist practitioner. She does not say, "Just do this." She described her journey, her process, the things she has struggled with, and where she is with them now. She does this with deep compassion and kindness, considerable wisdom and thoughtfulness, and a warm sense of humor.

My experience is that I still make mistakes. I think I am aware of my errors sooner, and I make amends more quickly. I feel less guilt, perhaps more remorse, and as soon as I can make amends, I feel better. To avoid feeling demoralized, I remind myself, "Practice is called ‘the Purification of the Heart,’ and this is a sign that it’s working" (p. 70).

This humility makes her writing accessible and the journey achievable (with considerable work), as she shares her steps; they are not of someone who is already an enlightened one – although reading someone who is currently enlightened is also fun.

This book of mostly short dharma talks has a central thesis – she says, "What I am teaching most these days is the possibility of living an alert, engaged, unembittered life" (p. 130) – but her book is not linear and constrained. That didn't bother me, although it might bother some.

She does not proselytize, which is delightful in this time where we all know the right answers (and no one else does).

Judaism is a wonderful form for me. It’s also convenient. It’s a form whose vocabulary is familiar to me, one that fits the cultural style and community in which I choose to live. It’s a form that I am delighted to share with my children and grandchildren. It’s a form that has been able to grow and shift and accommodate and absorb enough to have survived for four thousand years. Within it I find imagery and poetry and ancestry and continuity that nourish me. (p. 148)

This is Boorstine's path. My path, your path, will look different.
Profile Image for Valeri Drach.
420 reviews4 followers
September 1, 2017
Can you be an observant Jew and a practicing Buddhist/ Why not says Sylvia Boorstein. For many the practice of prayer and meditation go hand in hand. I personally think they each strengthen the other. Religion is. Ricky subject, always has been. Boorstein tries to go above the fray and join the two religions. I think it can be done if your main interest is to be compassionate, a person who strives to be a better person while practicing their religion, rather Han excluding people from your special club. It is not what religion you call yourself, it is not as if any religion is better than another, it is the respect a truly religious and spiritual person has for all religions. Meditation is the relationship that you have with yourself, it is the goal of being unattached. Boorstein tries to take the reader step by sep through her mediation evolution, from a woman of the 1970s to her recommitment to Judaism and her new found commitment to her practice of meditation. It worked so well she became a dharma teacher, traveling the world. Makes sense to me.
Profile Image for Larry.
90 reviews4 followers
January 30, 2022
This book just really didn’t resonate with me. I was hoping to find a pathway back into Judaism, but her experience was so different from mine that it’s not applicable. Also, there was some re-interpretation of the Bible that was so different from the actual meeting as to render the Bible meaningless. I’m all for reinterpretation, don’t get me wrong. And it’s great that the author can grasp the personal insight that she does from the Bible. But if the meaning is so divorced from the original text, then you get the sense that anything can mean anything.
Profile Image for Kristine.
26 reviews
May 22, 2017
Some friends of mine, aware of my great respect for Buddhist understanding and of my dedication to practice, have been surprised at my renewed interest in Judaism. "Why," they wondered, "would you want to complicate yourself with Judaism?" It's not a question, for me, of *deciding* to complicate myself with Judaism. I *am* complicated with Judaism. I have too much background in it not to be. More important, though, is that the complication nourishes me. I love it. - p 41

* * * * * * * * *

"The natural mind," I replied, "is free of tensions and doesn't allow attachments to become entrenched. Preferences arise, but they dissipate without causing problems when the mind is relaxed. Annoyance also arises, but it doesn't take up residence. Fears and hurt feelings, doubts and desires, all come up in response to challenges and disappointments, but they don't linger. They don't upset basic clarity. The elegant expression for this," I said, "is 'All defilements are self-liberating in the great space of awareness.' "
"What does that mean?" Joelle asked.
"It means, 'all the nonsense falls out of your head when it's screwed on straight.' "
"You can't say that in a *book*," Joelle laughed.
"Maybe not," I replied, "but it's true." - p 33

* * * * * * * * *

I first discovered Sylvia Boorstein when she was interviewed on a favourite podcast, then found and listened to some of her talks online, before I ever read her words in print. This book reminds me very much, though, of listening to her speak; her gentle humour and warmth and humility and genuineness fill every page. If you're hoping for either a rigorously structured chronological memoir or a step-by-step how-to book on combining the practices of Judaism and Buddhism, this offering might disappoint you -- it's not that sort of book. It didn't disappoint me at all, because I was already accustomed to her relaxed conversational style and the way she uses personal stories to illustrate little gems of wisdom and kindness and moments of clarity.
Reading the book, much like listening to her speak, left me feeling with each brief chapter as though I'd arrived home on a cold day to enter a warm kitchen where my smart, funny grandmother had hot soup waiting for me, which I'd eat while she related an amusing anecdote. Sylvia's stories somehow always leave me feeling calmer and and cosier and kinder -- and as if my complications have been nourishing, and a fair amount of the nonsense has fallen out of my head.
(Not ALL of the nonsense, but I plan to keep reading.)
Profile Image for Jay.
58 reviews10 followers
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January 17, 2014
I was so ready for this book to be perfect and glorious. I'd heard Sylvia boorstein on a radio program and felt sweet, Jewish grandmother heartful energy from her that just called to me. As a Jew and Buddhist, I am excited to see how others have negotiated these identities. This book did not hold together well. The voice that called me from the radio did not take on the same richness in this book. I'm still very much glad I read it and glad that this author has contributed so much to building a better and more metta-filled world.
Profile Image for Laila.
1,482 reviews47 followers
April 29, 2010
Sylvia Boorstein is just a gem. I find such comfort in her honesty and search for peace. There are a lot of Jewish references in here that I'm unfamiliar with, but that's okay, it's still interesting. What a quirky life path she's had!
Profile Image for K.S.C..
Author 1 book18 followers
January 12, 2017
This is delightful and also incredibly clear. Her explanations of lovingkindness, the way she shares her understanding of compassion, all of it. Not to mention humorous.

Makes me want to sit down with her and natter for a good long while.

Profile Image for Jim Thompson.
469 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2025
This didn't blow me away.

I really wanted it to be good.

This has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. I recently read "The Jew in the Lotus," a book that examined the prevalence of Jewish Americans in American Buddhism, thought it was interesting, figured I'd finally get around to this one now.

Some of the same "characters" pop up here.

The book is interesting enough, but it comes across much more as a book about Judaism than Buddhism. As in, there's an awful lot of explanation of Jewish traditions and an effort to sorta kinda make them fit within Buddhism, but there's very little interesting Buddhist teaching. Mostly it feels like a "defense" of continuing to practice as a Jew while also Buddhist, a justification of holding on to Jewish traditions as a Buddhist teacher.

Not bad, but not terribly moving, not terribly exciting.

It did occasionally get me thinking about my own relationship with Christianity, and how my own Buddhist ideas clearly come through a formerly-Christian perspective, how I use Christian ideas and imagery in my own understanding of Buddhism and the world and all that. So that was interesting.

More of a 2.5 stars book, really.

And definitely dated. Hard to read lots of idealistic stuff about how Israeli Judaism is going to change the world for the better and embody love and be a shining light and all that these days, but this was written in the mid-90s when there was a possibility that that was going to be a thing, so sure, I get it.
Profile Image for Quinn.
Author 4 books30 followers
October 25, 2018
Syvia Boorstein is a practicing Jew. She encounters Buddhism as interesting, then intriguing, then congruous to Judaism. She teaches that you don't need to give up Judaism (or Catholicism, as shown by friends she includes) to be a Buddhist. Religions roots go deep, and eventually, given time and space, come back to a simple teaching: be kind. Or, as Rabbi Hillel said, "That which you despise, do not do to others. That is the Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go study."

An interesting book, for sure. I thought (and it was my mistake) that it would be less about Boorstein and more about religion, but it is an enjoyable book with many interesting ideas.
Profile Image for Kate.
2,334 reviews1 follower
April 5, 2025
"In this landmark book, esteemed Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein addresses this incisive question in a warm, delightful and personal way. With the same down-to-earth charm and wit that have endeared her to her many students and readers, Boorstein shows how one can be both an observant Jew and a passionately committed Buddhist."
~~back cover

An absolutely beautiful, thoughtful, joyous adventure into discovering and understanding the elements of spirituality, no matter what name is given to the creed. Sylvia Boorstein boldly goes where few have gone before her -- to a unique and fascinating amalgam of Buddhism and Judaism. Definitely a keeper!
Profile Image for Cecelia Beyer.
62 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2017
Eh. The stories were nice, but I didn't really learn anything about how she moves in the world as both a Buddhist and an observant Jew. The book just felt like one big justification to her Buddhist friends of how she could also be Jewish, and one big justification to her Jewish friends of how she could also be Buddhist - while also one big attempt to convince herself it was okay to be both.

As an observant Jew who has become increasingly interested in Buddhist thought, I was excited to read this, but also thoroughly disappointed. I couldn't even read the last couple of chapters.
Profile Image for Dave.
270 reviews11 followers
May 13, 2017
2.5 stars. She shares some great insight and interesting intersections/parallels, but interspersed with lots of details on people and events that add nothing to her points. Yes, I get it, the diversity of Jews interested in Eastern philosophy is great, but I don't need a chapter giving biographical details of the attendees of a dinner party. Perhaps the author is trying to impress us with the company she keeps. Meh.
Profile Image for Aisling Scott.
43 reviews
December 25, 2018
I thought this book has some gems of wisdom. I appreciated Sylvia’s honesty and her commitment to understanding and dissolving the tensions of two different religions. I didn’t love the style, I wasn’t sure of the point in some of the tangents. I also felt like there was some conflict that still hadn’t really resolved, but then again maybe it just is and that’s the point. I don’t know that much about Judaism, so some of that went over my head.
2 reviews2 followers
February 19, 2020
This was such an example of reading a book at exactly the right time. I was teaching a class in Jewish Meditation as I read it and found a few times where I found the perfect quote for my class through my daily reading. The idea of V’ahavta as Compassion/Metta practice is inspired. This provides a whole new layer of meaning and significance to standard Jewish prayers.
46 reviews
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November 1, 2019
Very mixed about this book. Parts were lovely, but the goody two-shoes got to me. I couldn't jibe Boorstein's loving kindness with either the Holocaust or with her love of Jerusalem without a mention of the Palestinians.
Profile Image for Beth Marhanka.
83 reviews2 followers
January 14, 2018
Although I'm not Jewish or Buddhist, I enjoyed this book very much. I'm planning to read her other writings too. Very inspirational.
Profile Image for phoenix preiss.
3 reviews1 follower
March 22, 2023
The copy I got from the library is covered in what looks to be blood and fecal matter so I can't be bothered to finish this book in its entirety
Profile Image for Twolf.
89 reviews7 followers
February 25, 2025
Enjoyed this book as I start to embark my Buddhist learnings. Author wrote clearly and personal accounts assisted in my further understanding
Profile Image for Sheila.
132 reviews4 followers
May 29, 2025
A meaningful combining of two important guiding life paths
Profile Image for Lisa.
411 reviews24 followers
November 18, 2017
This book was a lot more advanced than the first book I read by Sylvia (and my favorite!) It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness. It made for a difficult reading experience because it was a combination of Buddhist religion and Jewish religion.

But here are the quotes I like:

***

I try to pray as if my prayers make a difference, but I don't believe that prayer saves us from terrible things happening. Terrible things do happen. I do believe that fully mindful prayer, undistracted presence, establishes the capacity of the mind to see clearly, and, when necessary, to surrender gracefully [...] My father said grace at dinnertime, and sometimes, probably in an attempt to be modern and funny, he would say, "Well, here we are again, God." That was it. The whole grace. Maybe that is the whole grace. Here we are.

***

I think the memory stayed with me twenty years as a riddle waiting to be fully understood because I shared the priest's reluctance to give up his attachment to God as conceivable and nameable. God language, however poetically nuanced, is a subtle place to hide attachment. Letting go of even that attachment - not by decision or intention, but by seeing clearly through it to the absolute emptiness of everything - is the birthplace of all possibility.

***

Most often I don't have the sense of praying to anything. I'm just praying. "This is what I'm happy about." "This what I'm unhappy about." "This is what I'm hoping for." "This is the consciousness I'd like to have with me now - alert, focused, accepting, noncombative - and these prayers help me stay in touch with my experience and my intention."
Profile Image for Greg.
1,610 reviews25 followers
February 6, 2014
This has been sitting on my shelf for a long time and I've always really wanted to read it. I finally decided that immediately following my attendance at the Interfaith Youth Core Interfaith Leadership Institute was the perfect time. The book wasn't entirely what I expected though I'm not certain what I expected - perhaps I let it build up too long and so the expectations were so high. Mainly, I just didn't really like her writing and I didn't think her overall approach to the book worked for me. There are things I liked, however. I very much appreciate her perspective on faith. When she talks about Buddhism working in concert with Judaism, she is careful to explain that the only reason this fits for her is because she's Jewish. She explains that it makes sense that she would see Judaism in Buddhism because it is her frame of reference and that someone with a different frame will see the parallels there. Boorstein provides for multiple interpretations of the same text and I value that. The other thing I valued, especially coming straight from ILI, was the emphasis on stories and storytelling. For me, though, I didn't find all of her stories that compelling and it really bothered me when she would talk about the book as if it had already been written. so, for example, there were a number of chapters where she would say, "when I was writing this chapter" and it just feels odd.
Profile Image for Grady.
720 reviews54 followers
November 21, 2013
In a series of very short essays - almost more like magazine columns, although these appear to have been written specifically for this book -- Sylvia Boorstein recounts stations on her spiritual journey to being an observant Jewish Buddhist. The key to this mix in her case is that her worldview is essentially Buddhist, while her main linguistic, scriptural, prayer, and ritual traditions are Jewish. As an explanation of what the world looks like from that perspective, the book is beautiful and accessible, and offers a great deal of practical wisdom. Boorstein explains how she can build her faith on the premises that everything is emptiness, that all suffering stems from attachment, and that liberation for all beings is the best ultimate goal, and still consider herself to be wholly Jewish. To do this requires a fairly abstracted understanding of God and her relationship to the divine; for some liberal Jews (as, in a parallel way, for some liberal Christians), that may not be an impossible stretch, but for some more concrete adherents, it certainly is. I suspect Boorstein would be the first to say she isn't universalizing her experience, that everyone's path is necessarily their own. At the same time, she does emphasize, both in her own and in some close friends' lives, that pursuit of Buddhist meditation and ethics has only deepened her commitment to Jewish culture and ritual, and she believes that this path is open to at least some others.
Profile Image for Beth.
367 reviews7 followers
December 20, 2021
Boorstein is an engaging, humorous writer - the focus of this book is more on her Judaism than her Buddhism.
Profile Image for Jim Lavis.
274 reviews9 followers
February 19, 2016
Losing this was like losing a friend!

On my trip to the Hampton's, a couple of weeks ago, I accidentally left this book on the plane. I always carry two or three books with me when I travel, so I had something to read, but I found myself really missing this particular book. I felt like I really lost something important, and I didn't know what to do. I was about two thirds through the book, and I even thought to myself, while getting off the plane, "now don't forget you place that book in the pouch of the seat in front of you."

This memoir was a story of a Jewish woman who re-inspired her faith of Judaism through Buddhism. I love these stories.
These type of stories inspire my own practice and deepen my understanding of others who practice mediation. There is so much good in these books, and reading them broadens and expands my perceptiveness, so after a couple days, I went back online a purchased this book again.

It was a good investment.
Profile Image for Max.
539 reviews72 followers
January 1, 2014
This is an oddly disjointed set of essays by Sylvia Boorstein. I started off being very confused - as if large parts of this book were alluded to in her other books, which I haven't read. I think this book would have been better as a true memoir of her life and spiritual path up to this point - that would have created a better narrative and story to follow.

I'm also not sure if this lives up to the title of the book - this is more of a set of essays on how Sylvia integrates her Buddhism and her Judaism, as opposed to a how-to kind of book with steps on how others can do the same.

She is also a very spiritual person - much more so than me - and so I didn't feel connected to her or her stories at all. I think this book has a different audience.
6 reviews
August 10, 2016
The best parts of this book are when the author tells about herself and her own experiences of practicing her modes of spirituality with and around others. The parts where she describes various aspects of Buddhism or Judaism and how they relate are less successful in comparison, but they are clear and insightful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews

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