Abstract
"Touching Infinity with your feet planted in ordinary reality; this is the goal of Jewish mysticism. In this transformational work, Matthew Ponak brings forward essential teachings from Kabbalah and places them side-by-side with profound inspirations from our era and the world's great wisdom traditions. In an age polarized between materialism and spiritual bypassing, Embodied Kabbalah offers a vision that is balanced, nuanced, and hopeful: never before translated texts with lucid commentaries shed light on obscure traditions of mystical enlightenment; fascinating descriptions of the paradoxical nature of reality are placed next to cautionary guidance against travelling too quickly on the road to expanded consciousness; spiritual practices for grappling with depression and sadness come in tandem with illuminated poetry of what our world could look like if we all strove to be truly loving. Using the stunning visual layouts of traditional Torah commentary, Ponak opens the gateway for Judaism to add its much needed voice to the universal quest for meaning, inner knowing, and rooted transcendence." -- back cover.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 79-81) and index.