Three Gates to Meditation Practices: A Personal Journey into Sufism, Buddhism and Judaism

by Rabbi David A. Cooper

A spiritual memoir by the author of God Is a Verb. "This book is a treasure map, but not like any you have seen before. Most people believe that the object of a treasure hunt is to find a chest of gold. The mystical approach, however, is that the search itself is the treasure…. Here is an invitation to begin an exploration of the treasure fields of your own mind…the most exciting and rewarding adventure you will ever take."
―from the Introduction Here is an insider's look at a spectrum of mystical traditions―by someone who is remarkably fluent in the language of each. Three Gates to Meditation Practice chronicles more than fifteen years in the spiritual journey of "post-denominational" Rabbi David A. Cooper and his wife Shoshana―years that led the Coopers everywhere from a secluded mountain hut in New Mexico to the Sinai desert, from chanting Sufi dhikr and meditation with Buddhist masters to studying Kabbalah and esoteric Judaism in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Coopers’ story is an intimate account of what intensive spiritual practice is like, with an ultimate message that is supremely The spiritual path is completely within our reach, whoever we are, whatever we do, as long as we are willing to try.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Julian Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spiritual journey in sumptuous literary prose: "Three Gates to Meditation Practice" describes the landscape of one spiritual seeker's process. Using language that honors the three representative wisdom traditions, which Rabbi Cooper has studied, Cooper fills the canvas of his pages with broad painterly strokes of vibrant life and color. Both highly singular and perfectly universal, the reader will enjoy travelling with the author on his unique journey, as well as taking Cooper's hand and making his book a reliable companion to one's own deeply personal, contemplative practice.

[Matthew Eckermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very rarely stop reading a book before reaching the end, but even after making it halfway through, I couldn’t justify continuing. Other reviewers have questioned the purpose of the book, and I must agree. Ultimately, it seemed mostly memoir, which is admittedly among my least favorite genres. The writing came across as overly self-important and I got the sense the author was more intent on parading his way with words and his spiritual acumen than providing any real substance for readers. In the end - midway for me - there simply wasn’t enough hope that some value would emerge.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what Cooper's purpose of this book is - Is he trying to tell a story? Impart knowledge? Define a path? It seems to try to do a little of everything, while in the process failing to do anything well. The book tells the story of David Cooper's spiritual journey through Buddhism and Judiasm that takes him from Jerusalem to sitting retreats and finally to his place as a 'post-denominational' Rabbi. While Cooper may be talented as a spiritual leader, he's not great as a story teller. The story itself is uninteresting (how page-turning can you make a silent meditation retreat?), and his insights into spirituality, Jewish topics, & philosophy are hardly novel. (E.g., Cooper goes on for pages on how rigid Orthodoxy is too rigid / cerebral - We've all heard that line before. Same with the idea that Jews & Arabs share a rich spiritual history and need to learn to love another as spiritual brothers.)

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. A little self indulgent at times. Also very long, but i did get through it. More focus on Judaism followed by buddhism and than Islam. I did learn a lot.