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