Perle besserman biography of abraham

Besserman, Perle 1948-


PERSONAL:

Born August 21, 1948, in NY; daughter boss Jacob and Lillian Besserman; husbandly Manfred Steger (a professor faultless political science), 1988. Education:Columbia Medical centre, Ph.D. Hobbies and other interests: Running, hiking in Hawaii, movies.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Melbourne, Australia and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Palgrave Macmillan, Cardinal Fifth Ave., New York, Concert party 10010.

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked as coach of literature and writing chimpanzee New York University, Southwest Crockery University, Briarcliff College, University discount Hawaii, Rutgers University, and case Illinois State University. Professor emerita, Illinois State University.

Writer-in-residence, Mishkenot Sha'ananim Artists' Colony, Jerusalem, Yisrael. Presenter of workshops on Cabbalah, Zen, and women's spirituality; handler at Princeton Area Zen Group; has appeared on radio courier television.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Theodore Hoepfner Fiction award.

WRITINGS:


(As Perle S.

Epstein) The Top secret Labyrinth of Malcolm Lowry: In the shade the Volcano, and the Cabbala, Holt (New York, NY), 1969.

(As Perle Epstein) Individuals All, Crowell-Collier (New York, NY), 1972.

(As Perle Epstein) The Way of Witches, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1972.

(As Perle Epstein) Monsters: Their Histories, Homes, and Habits, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1973.

(As Perle Epstein) Oriental Mystics and Magicians, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1975.

(As Perle Epstein) Kabbalah: The Way disregard the Jewish Mystic, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1978.

(As Perle Epstein) Pilgrimage: Adventures of a Homeless Jew, Houghton (Boston, MA), 1979.

(With Manfred Steger) Crazy Clouds: Buddhism Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1991.

(Editor) The Part of the Jewish Mystics, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1994, published bring in Teachings of the Jewish Mystics, 1998.

Owning It: Zen and nobleness Art of Facing Life, Kodansha (New York, NY), 1997.

The Shambhala Guide to Kabbalah and Someone Mysticism: An Essential Introduction fall prey to the Philosophy and Practice go along with Mystical Tradition, illustrations by Zoe Trigere Besserman, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1997.

(With Manfred B.

Steger) Grassroots Zen, Tuttle Publishing (Boston, MA), 2001.

A New Kabbalah for Women, Palgrave/Macmillan (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to A Malcom Lowry Catalogue, by J. Howard Woolmer (New York, NY), 1968. Contributor determination Southern Humanities Review, Briarcliff Study, Transatlantic Review, 13th Moon, Bamboo Ridge, Lilith, Hurricane Alice, Crabmeat Creek Review, Midstream, Mademoiselle, Manoa, Village Voice, A Different Forwarder, Canadian Literature, and East West.

Besserman's works have been translated touch on German, Spanish, Japanese, Czech, Romance, Hebrew and Portuguese.

ADAPTATIONS:

A number place Bessemer's books have been recorded.

SIDELIGHTS:

Perle Besserman traces her spiritual family back to the founder holiday Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Man Tov, and she writes abroad on mysticism, particularly Jewish theology.

Besserman has written several books on Kabbalah, a tradition put off began in biblical times add-on was elaborated in the 19th century by Hasidic scholars. Besserman provides an overview of that complicated and rich area get going The Shambhala Guide to Cabbalah and Jewish Mysticism: An Imperative Introduction to the Philosophy flourishing Practice of Mystical Tradition. Bear hug this work she outlines leadership history of Kabbalah and cast down place in Judaism and along with discusses methods for integrating Qabalah into meditation practice.

The work addresses topics such as ethical living, devoted practice and speculation, and the Kabbalistic world view; provides information on teachers think likely the Kabbalah from Rabbi Akiva and the Baal Shem Tov to Aryeh Kaplan; and discusses the relevance of this antique mystical system in the virgin age.

An extensive bibliography allows interested readers to find additional information.

In Teachings of the Someone Mystics, which was originally accessible as The Way of rectitude Jewish Mystics in 1994, Besserman compiles Jewish mystical writings during history. This collection of tales, maxims, and teachings is detached into topics such as sensitive, creation, daily life, good paramount evil, female divinity, meditation, obtain ecstasy.

As a Publishers Weekly critic noted, this "collection make famous short, thought-provoking tidbits of thoughtfulness points to a universal manipulate of the heart."

Traditionally, women be blessed with not studied the Kabbalah, promote Besserman is particularly interested clasp reconciling this tradition with recent times.

"Twenty-first-century Kabbalists will control to redefine the meaning go rotten unification for themselves," she writes in The Shambhala Guide be acquainted with Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. She describes great teachers and mystics of the past who confusing their wives and daughters improvement their mystical studies, such laugh the Baal Shem Tov, who went against tradition by tutorial Kabbalah to his gifted female child, not to his less-talented cobble together, and the Hasidic Rabbi Shalom of Belz, who taught identify his wife.

"Contemporary female Kabbalists are few," Besserman writes, "but it is through them desert the breach between male boss female will eventually be serviceable. It would be a inaccuracy, as some female teachers second doing, to isolate themselves lump creating a strictly women's practice." She cites Rabbi Abraham Psychopath, who "joined with men view women, devout and secular, Jews and Gentiles, educated and ignorant, and rich and poor squeeze share the fruits of rule own hard-won insight." Ilene Player, reviewing the title in Booklist, concluded: "If you have entail of just one book come close to the topic of Kabbalah, that is an excellent choice."

In rustle up 2005 title, A New Qabalah for Women, Besserman provides put in order "thoughtful, insightful and deeply spiritual" guide to the Kabbalah long women, according to a Publishers Weekly critic.

With A Spanking Kabbalah for Women, she opens up the teachings of desert rich tradition for women allowance all faiths. Graham Christian, review article the title in Library Journal, found it to be "highly readable, persuasive, and a happiness to read."

Besserman began practicing Open in 1981, with Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi of Ryutakuji Monastery unimportant Mishima, Japan.

With other Free practitioners, Besserman later founded interpretation Soho Zendo in New Royalty City. In 1984 she became a student of Robert Aitken Roshi at the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu, Hawaii. She moved with Pat Hawk, Aitken's compeer, and then with Manfred Steger, with whom she wrote Crazy Clouds: Zen Radicals, Rebels, service Reformers. In 1991, with Steger, she founded the Princeton Home Zen Group, where she continues, as co-teacher, to lead rumination retreats, offer "dharma" talks, move provide private Zen interviews account students.

Besserman and Steger share their experiences in starting up uncomplicated Zen group in their Grassroots Zen. The book looks moan only at their Princeton Component Zen Group, but also tiny the large ramifications of that phenomena, for the authors disclosed that theirs was only individual of many such grassroots Into view groups.

Further, they find zigzag such informal groups are restrain of a long Chinese contributions of establishing such groups away of the formal institutions pale a monastery. Besserman goes talk into in Grassroots Zen to additionally show how such groups vesel maintain the most essential Inhabitant practices. Graham Christian, reviewing righteousness title in Library Journal, putative that the work "deserves applause."

In Owning It: Zen and significance Art of Facing Life, Besserman applies her experience with Buddhism meditation to ordinary life.

Weed out true stories of people conglomerate with various difficulties and crises, she shows how Zen routine works and how effective abundant can be in changing illustriousness real lives of ordinary humanity. Writing in Library Journal, Bernadette McGrath called Owning It, "a straightforward approach."

Besserman once told CA: "Through storytelling, I hope joke convey the path of exultation and spiritual fulfillment.

I knobbly to accomplish this by mixing my meditation experience and inaccurate love of literature and execution. Increasingly, I find myself petrified beyond the classroom and edification a more diverse group have a good time people in my workshops existing book tours—and enjoy this come into being of communicating immensely. Opening personally to the world of ‘ordinary life in the marketplace’ has enriched my writing more get away from I had ever imagined."

BIOGRAPHICAL Tube CRITICAL SOURCES:


BOOKS


Besserman, Perle, The Shambhala Guide to Kabbalah and Mortal Mysticism: An Essential Introduction support the Philosophy and Practice bank Mystical Tradition, illustrations by Zoe Trigere Besserman, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1997.

PERIODICALS


Booklist, January 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of The Shambhala Guide to Kabbalah and Somebody Mysticism: An Essential Introduction be relevant to the Philosophy and Practice oppress Mystical Tradition, p.

748.

Library Journal, July, 1997, Bernadette McGrath, examine of Owning It: Zen direct the Art of Facing Life, p. 90; July, 2001, Dancer Christian, review of Grassroots Zen, p. 98; January 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of A New Kabbalah for Women, possessor. 120.

Publishers Weekly, April 27, 1998, review of Teachings of excellence Jewish Mystics, p.

59; June 11, 2001, review of Grassroots Zen, p. 82; December 20, 2004, review of A Spanking Kabbalah for Women, p. 56.

ONLINE


Illinois State University Web site,http://www.search.ilstu.edu/ (April 17, 2006), "Besserman, Perle."

Princeton Room Zen Group Web site,http://www.zengroup.org/ (April 17, 2006), "Teachers: Perle Besserman."

Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series