The Dharma of Yontiff: Deepening the High Holidays
Sliding scale $89-169
at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Online
More Info / Registration
For Dharma practitioners who are Jewish or Jewish-adjacent, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — commonly called the “high holidays†— sometimes provoke ambivalence. On the one hand, themes of introspection and ethical reflection often resonate with Buddhist values and practice. On the other hand, themes of judgment and sin may not, and gathering with challenging family members can be its own intense practice. In this three-session workshop, we will explore texts and practices from both Jewish and Buddhist sources that can enrich the yontiff (holiday) season.
In this three-session online class, the themes we will explore include: different approaches to ethical reflection and refinement, the toxicity (or benefit?!) of self-judgment, the distinction between remorse and guilt, the role of historical consciousness (and its nemesis, Buddhist Modernism) in relating to Buddhist and Jewish traditions that may be patriarchal or sex-negative or particularistic, the practice of fasting, useful mindfulness practices for the Days of Awe, and the magical and mythic resonances of the Shofar as a possible site for alignment. Our texts will include Biblical and Talmudic texts, suttas and other texts on hiri and otappa and related ethical mindstates, and contemporary “JuBu” texts that address the convergences and divergences between Torah and Dharma.
More information and registration is on the BCBS website.
