The Rabbi Who Understands Zen

I was rummaging around the web researching for this Sunday’s sermon when I learned that Alan Lew died early this year. What a loss for us all. A long time Zen practitioner, one who really seemed to get it, but who on his own spiritual journey ended up as the rabbi of a Conservative congregation in San Francisco.

Died while jogging. I’ll pass on thoughts about jogging for now.

Rather, I’d like to draw your attention to this good man, this wise man, who had so much to offer, and actually brought it to us all through his teachings and writings. Here’s an interesting interview.

In his book This is Real & You are Completely Unprepared (worth the price for the title alone…) the rabbi tells us:

Every moment, we take in a breath and the world comes into being, and then we let out a breath and the world falls away. The great journey of transformation begins with the acknowledgment that we need to make it. Our need to be more conscious is always there too, not just when the shofar blows on the first day of Elul. The soul wants to awaken. Every day we are called to the present moment of our lives. The world is always cracking through the shell to be born. We die to the world every time we breathe out, and every time we breathe in, every time our breath returns to us, we are reborn, and the world rises up into being again.

I hope we all are willing to take that breath.

Breathe it in. Hi, Alan.

Breathe it out. Goodbye, Alan.

Thanks for the pointers.

Catch you on the next round…