Jewish Meditation (Aryeh Kaplan)
Good Introductory Spiritual Meditation Book
[My 4-star Amazon review of Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide” by Aryeh Kaplan.]
This is a very good general introductory book on the practice of spiritual meditation. And because I have not found a comparable one in the Jewish mystical tradition, I rate this book as the most important one for individuals looking to practice of Jewish mysticism. There can be no real mysticism without contact with and reception of God’s Power, the Holy Spirit. And in order to get to the point where one can commune with the Divine and receive its Spirit-power, or Light-energy, most aspirants first need to practice some type of basic meditation, like the meditation exercises described in this book. The word Kabbalah means “to receive [God’s radiant power] and the only way to do this is through Divine Communion, which naturally follows basic meditation.
My only problem with this book is that it is very basic, and unfortunately, there are no good advanced ones in the Jewish tradition. I suggest the following texts for more advanced instruction and information on Spirit contemplation: “Electrical Christianity: A Revolutionary Guide to Jesus’ Teachings and Spiritual Enlightenment”; “The Cycle of Day and Night: An Essential Tibetan Text on the Practice of Contemplation”; “The Hridaya Rosary: Four Thorns of Heart Instruction”; and “Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali.”
[My 4-star Amazon review of Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide” by Aryeh Kaplan.]
This is a very good general introductory book on the practice of spiritual meditation. And because I have not found a comparable one in the Jewish mystical tradition, I rate this book as the most important one for individuals looking to practice of Jewish mysticism. There can be no real mysticism without contact with and reception of God’s Power, the Holy Spirit. And in order to get to the point where one can commune with the Divine and receive its Spirit-power, or Light-energy, most aspirants first need to practice some type of basic meditation, like the meditation exercises described in this book. The word Kabbalah means “to receive [God’s radiant power] and the only way to do this is through Divine Communion, which naturally follows basic meditation.
My only problem with this book is that it is very basic, and unfortunately, there are no good advanced ones in the Jewish tradition. I suggest the following texts for more advanced instruction and information on Spirit contemplation: “Electrical Christianity: A Revolutionary Guide to Jesus’ Teachings and Spiritual Enlightenment”; “The Cycle of Day and Night: An Essential Tibetan Text on the Practice of Contemplation”; “The Hridaya Rosary: Four Thorns of Heart Instruction”; and “Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali.”
