By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Bernie Glassman is widely known within Zen Buddhist communities as one of its masters. However, he takes facets of his Jewish upbringing into his Zen practice, and among his inspirations are many Jewish teachers, including Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi, a leader in the Jewish Renewal movement.
Glassman is also author, with actor Jeff Bridges, who played “The Dude” in the 1998 Coen Brothers film “The Big Lebowski,” of “The Dude and the Zen Master,” a conversation — in character — about coping with the complexities of life.
On Sat., March 8, Glassman will visit Seattle to conduct a daylong workshop called “Living A Life That Matters,” in a joint collaboration between Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue and the Kadima Reconstructionist Community. Funded in part by a J-Kick campaign from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Glassman will speak about his Jewish upbringing and work with participants on using spiritual practice to provide social action and service to others.