What does it mean to be a Buddhist and a Jew?

Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, starts tonight at sundown — have an easy fast! But wait, some might ask: what does being Jewish have to do with Buddhist? For some of us, plenty; after all, having a Buddhist practice doesn't have to come at the exclusion of the faith of our birth.

For example, take Michael Stroud, who reflects: "My karma has led me from Hebrew School and a Bar Mitzvah in Redwood City to Ch'an retreats in Taiwan to Vipassana retreats in Marin County to Sabbaths in Southern California and back to Hebrew School—this time for my two children. I'm a tiny piece of an interesting phenomenon. Western Buddhist is chock full of Jews: Roshi Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, Lama Surya Das, Natalie Goldberg, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Sylvia Boorstein, Mel Weitsman, and on and on. So many Jews have taken to Buddhist that a term has been invented to describe them—'Jubu,' or occasionally, 'Buju.'"

Whether you consider yourself a Jubu, a Buju, or just hope to have a better sense of how to reconcile (and enjoy!) different religious influences in your life, you'll find Stroud's Shambhala Sun piece, "Coming Home" a worthwhile read. Just click here to read it online. You'll also find lots of other great writing on the intersection of the two religions on our Buddhism and Judaism Spotlight Page.

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