There is an ancient Hebrew text that speaks of a Torah Kedumah, a "Primordial Teaching," that existed before the creation of the world. This is not the Torah as it is known in conventional terms; it something far more mysterious-something pre-existent and pre-creation. The Primordial Torah does not come from some ancient time, and is not based on any historical texts; it is a teaching more primordial than the creation of the world, and thus not bound to the dimensions of time and space. This book is based on the first public presentation of the Kedumah Teaching-the mystical path of the Primordial Torah. With clarity, humor, and erudition, Zvi Ish-Shalom guides us on an experiential journey back to our deepest nature, the non-conceptual ground of reality and primordial source of all wisdom teachings.

In the sixteenth century, the famous kabbalist Isaac Luria transmitted a secret trove of highly complex mystical practices to a select groups of students. These meditations were designed to capitalize on sleep and death states in order to effectively split one’s soul into multiple parts, and which, when properly performed, permitted the adept to free oneself from the cycle of rebirth. Through an in-depth analysis of these contemplative practices within the broader context of Lurianic literature, Zvi Ish-Shalom guides us on a penetrating scholarly journey into a realm of mystical teachings and practices never before available in English, illuminating a radically monistic vision of reality at the heart of Kabbalistic metaphysics and practice.

After the Holocaust how do we not lose faith in humanity? In 2006 the author began a series of life-changing journeys to Poland to reconcile her family's traumatic legacy with the question of basic goodness. Interwoven with her uncle's Auschwitz survivor account, the memoir intimately explores family loyalties, inherited trauma, and spirituality.

A world-renowned expert in lucid dreaming and Tibetan dream yoga guides us into the tradition’s daytime practices, a complement to the nighttime practices taught in his previous book Dream Yoga. Most of us are absolutely certain that we’re awake here and now—it’s a given, right? Yet, according to Tibet’s dream yoga tradition, ordinary waking life is no more real than the illusions of our nightly dreams. In his previous book Dream Yoga, Andrew Holecek guided us into Tibetan Buddhism’s nocturnal path of lucid dreaming and other dimensions of sleeping consciousness. Now, with Dreams of Light, he offers us an in-depth, step-by-step guide to its daytime practices. Known as the “illusory form” practices, these teachings include insights, meditations, and actions to help us realize the dreamlike nature of our lives. Through an immersive exploration of the tradition, beginners and seasoned practitioners alike will learn everything they need to deeply transform both their sleeping and waking hours. “If you’ve struggled to awaken in your dreams,” teaches Holecek, “these techniques will often spark spontaneous lucidity during sleep. And if you’re already a successful lucid dreamer, they will open you to new depths of experience throughout your day.” For those wishing to explore Tibetan Buddhism’s profound path for awakening to the true nature of reality—day or night—Dreams of Light shows us the way.

Articulates a new, post-ethnic American Jewishness

18 essays on the subject. With contributions by Mallerme, Stephen Lansing, David Guss, Karl Young, Dennis Tedlock, Becky Cohen, Jed Rasula, Alison Knowles, George Quasha, Tina Oldknow, Dick Higgins, Edmond Jabes, Paul Eluard, Gershom Scholem, and Herbert Blau.

Disruptive practices to revolutionize your relationship with meditation and fully engage with the full breadth of your experience. Why do we meditate? The main reason most modern people start meditating is because it helps us feel better—reducing anxiety, improving sleep, decluttering the mind, and so forth. “But where does your meditation go when things go bad?” asks Andrew Holecek. “Where is your spirituality when ‘rock meets bone,’ as they say in Tibet—when the crap hits the fan?” Reverse Meditation is for anyone who wants to bring the challenges of life onto the path of awakening. When things get hard, it’s time to turn your practice on its head—and throw out any assumption that meditation exists to insulate you from the confusion, difficulties, and uncertainty of life. “By putting your meditation into reverse,” Holecek teaches, “you’ll actually find yourself going forward. Step into your pain and you can step up your evolution.” With his signature blend of depth and accessibility, Holecek invites you to explore: • Three core forms of meditation—mindfulness, open awareness, and the boundary-smashing reverse meditations • How to know when you’re ready to engage with reverse meditation • On-the-spot practices for snapping into a meditative mindset in difficult situations • Contraction and expansion—how to dismantle habits of avoidance to become more open, resilient, and fully alive • How reverse meditation opens you to a direct experience of the fundamental perfection of reality—just as it is “These unique meditations are designed to reverse our relationship to unwanted experiences, which means going directly into them instead of avoiding them,” says Andrew Holecek. “It’s not an easy journey—yet this path leads to the discovery of unconditional happiness, basic goodness, and true freedom in the most turbulent situations.”

Circling the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashanah to Tisha B'Av, this lively, accessible guide includes rituals, recipes, songs, prayers, and suggestions for new approaches to holiday observance."A wonderful blend of information and innovation that will help readers find both traditional a

Buddhist teacher Dzogchen Ponlop offers advice on training one's mind and understanding one's nature in order to overcome fear and unhappiness.