continued.

RELIGIONS OF HEAVEN, A RELIGION OF EARTH

Judaism, by contrast, is a path of total engagement with this world.

The 613 commandments of the Torah are pre*****ions for how to engage every part of one's body and every component of the physical world in consecrated action. Even a "mental" or "emotional" commandment, such as "Love your neighbor as yourself," has specific, physical stipulations, namely: Concern yourself with your neighbor's physical welfare, show him honor, speak well of her.

The Talmud, that vast, 63-tractate compendium of the Oral Law, delves into picayune details as a way of including every imaginable physical object in its scope. Thus, in discussing which vessel is kosher to use for washing hands upon arising, the Talmud considers clay vessels, wooden vessels, animal skins, cracked vessels, broken vessels, etc., and in so doing holds each and every object up to the light of Torah. Nothing is too mundane to be dealt with, scrutinized, and either used or dismissed for holy action.

According to Kabbalah, every physical object possesses sparks of holiness.

According to Kabbalah, every physical object possesses sparks of holiness. By using an object in the way ordained by the Torah, the sparks are released and can ascend. Jews are here in this world to elevate the entire creation.

And the lower the object or activity, the higher the sparks can rise. Thus, after using the bathroom, a Jew is obligated to recite a blessing which includes the words, "It is revealed and known before Your Throne of Glory..." The sages point out that the sanctification of this lowliest of activities gives one the potential to actually rise to the level of the Divine Throne. In this light, we can understand a puzzling statement by the Gaon of Vilna, the great 18th century sage. The Gaon said that the other religions are like the heavens; Judaism is like the earth.

The purpose of the other religions is to transcend this world. The purpose of Judaism is to elevate this world, and in so doing, perfect oneself.

Nowhere is the dichotomy between Judaism and the Eastern religions so pronounced as in their approach to sexuality.
Bddhism, Hnduism, and Jainism all mandate celibacy as the highest path, because indulging in sex means giving in to the lower self. All the serious Bhu-Jews living in Dharamsala have renounced sex.

Torah, by contrast, takes sexuality and examines it, regulates it, prohibits it in certain relationships, and ultimately sanctifies it in marriage as the most potent way to unite with G-d in this world. Discipline is an essential component of sanctified sexuality. Incestuous relations, among others, are forbidden and married couples adhere to the laws of family purity, where abstention is required during the menstruation cycle.
It is a positive commandment of the Torah for a husband to sexually satisfy his wife (above and beyond the commandment of procreation).

According to the Oral Tradition, the union of husband and wife is the closest that human beings can come to union with G-d in this world. It is the "holy of holies."

I should note here that Indian (both Hndu and Buddhist) Tantric tradition utilizes the energy of sexual union as a spiritual tool, but Tantric sexuality is not supposed to be practiced with one's wife. Preferably, it should be practiced with a stranger. This would be anathema in Judaism, where the highest union includes every aspect of the couple:

emotional, mental, spiritual, as well as physical. That is why Judaism prohibits marital relations if either spouse is fantasizing about another person. The Shechina, the presence of G-d, comes to rest only when the husband and wife are acting out total oneness, on all levels.


PURPOSE AND MEANING

Another salient difference between Bddhism and Judaism is that Bddhism is a non-theistic religion. Although later Mahayana Bddhism virtually made the Buddha himself into a G-d, the historical Gautama Buddha (who lived in the fifth century BCE) never mentioned G-d. Thus, the existence of G-d and even the existence of an immortal soul are either denied or irrelevant in Bddhism.

Judaism, on the contrary, centers totally on G-d. G-d is not only the source of all existence, but also the source of the Torah, the intricate system of ideal behavior for humankind. All wisdom flows from G-d's Torah, the instruction manual for living.

Further, G-d is not only the Creator of the universe, but continues to sustain it moment-by-moment, while supervising our participation in it. Living with the awareness of G-d's Oneness, love of G-d, and awe of G-d are three commandments which should be practiced on a constant basis.

According to Bddhism and Hnduism, this world is ultimately purposeless.

According to Bddhism and Hnduism, this world is ultimately purposeless. Hnduism, which does posit a Divine creator, describes the Divine direction of this world as lila, "playful sport," with no more purpose and meaning than a game of ball.

According to Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, "The foundation of Judaism and the basis of all true religion is the realization that existence is purposeful, and that man has a purpose in life. Both man and nature have meaning because they were created by a purposeful Being." [Handbook of Jewish Thought, 1:1 and 1:2]

It is the deep intuition of this truth which makes Jews such "meaning freaks" -- those always searching for meaning in life and events -- unable to tolerate life as a couch potato. Ironically, it is this search for meaning in life which takes many Jews to the East. There they fasten on a purpose for their lives: to attain enlightenment.

Judaism maintains, however, that the purpose of life is not just spiritual consciousness, but primarily refined action. Therefore, that purpose cannot be attained by meditation alone, but through mitzvot: minutely prescribed, consecrated actions.

Of course, spiritual consciousness, or what Judaism calls kavannah, must provide the backdrop to one's actions. A mitzvah which is done without the consciousness that one is doing the will of G-d -- in order to connect with G-d -- does not actualize its full potential. On the other hand, exalted consciousness which does not express itself in concrete actions is worthless.

The purpose of meditation -- in which Bhu-Jews spend many long hours -- is to clearly perceive ultimate Truth, in the universe and in one's own life. Unfortunately, one can be an adept in meditation, and still commit adultery, lose one's temper, and be bloated with pride. I have known great masters of meditation who succumbed to all three. Spiritual consciousness, in and of itself, does not lead to proper action.


continued in the next post.
And everything that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice. Genesis, 21:12