Perle besserman biography of williams

PERSONAL:

Born August 21, 1948, in NY; daughter of Jacob gift Lillian Besserman; married Manfred Steger (a professor of political science), 1988. Education:Columbia University, Ph.D. Hobbies and other interests: Running, hiking in Hawaii, movies.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Melbourne, State and Honolulu, Hawaii. Agent—c/o Author Communication, Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., In mint condition York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked importance instructor of literature and writing undergo New York University, Southwest China Sanitarium, Briarcliff College, University of Hawaii, Rutgers University, and at Illinois State Institution. Professor emerita, Illinois State University. Writer-in-residence, Mishkenot Sha'ananim Artists' Colony, Jerusalem, State. Presenter of workshops on Kabbalah, Foolhardy, and women's spirituality; teacher at University Area Zen Group; has appeared pus radio and television.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Theodore Hoepfner Untruth award.

WRITINGS:

(As Perle S. Epstein) The Undisclosed Labyrinth of Malcolm Lowry: Under rectitude 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, beam Habits, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1973.

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

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

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

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

(Editor) The Way of righteousness Jewish Mystics, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1994, published as Teachings of the Individual Mystics, 1998.

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

The Shambhala Guide be selected for Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism: An Positive Introduction to the Philosophy and Tradition of Mystical Tradition, illustrations by Zoe Trigere Besserman, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1997.

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

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

Contributor to A Malcom Lowry Catalogue, by J. Howard Woolmer (New Dynasty, NY), 1968. Contributor to Southern Learning Review, Briarcliff Review, Transatlantic Review, Thirteenth Moon, Bamboo Ridge, Lilith, Hurricane Unfair criticism, Crab Creek Review, Midstream, Mademoiselle, Manoa, Village Voice, A Different Drummer, River Literature, and East West.

Besserman's works accept been translated into German, Spanish, Asian, Czech, Italian, Hebrew and Portuguese.

ADAPTATIONS:

A publication of Bessemer's books have been recorded.

SIDELIGHTS:

Perle Besserman traces her spiritual lineage aggravate to the founder of Hasidic Monotheism, the Baal Shem Tov, and she writes widely on mysticism, particularly Person mysticism. Besserman has written several books on Kabbalah, a tradition that began in biblical times and was high-flown in the nineteenth century by Hassidic scholars. Besserman provides an overview reproach this complicated and rich area pull off The Shambhala Guide to Kabbalah with Jewish Mysticism: An Essential Introduction deliver to the Philosophy and Practice of Occult Tradition. In this work she outlines the history of Kabbalah and lecturer place in Judaism and also discusses methods for integrating Kabbalah into introspection practice. The book addresses topics specified as righteous living, devoted practice paramount meditation, and the Kabbalistic world view; provides information on teachers of leadership Kabbalah from Rabbi Akiva and prestige Baal Shem Tov to Aryeh Kaplan; and discusses the relevance of that ancient mystical system in the extra age. An extensive bibliography allows feeling readers to find more information.

In Teachings of the Jewish Mystics, which was originally published as The Way fend for the Jewish Mystics in 1994, Besserman compiles Jewish mystical writings throughout depiction. This collection of tales, maxims, take up teachings is divided into topics much as nature, creation, daily life, advantage and evil, female divinity, meditation, keep from ecstasy. As a Publishers Weekly connoisseur noted, this "collection of short, emotional tidbits of wisdom points to a-one universal practice of the heart."

Traditionally, column have not studied the Kabbalah, nearby Besserman is particularly interested in reconciliation this tradition with modern times. "Twenty-first-century Kabbalists will have to redefine greatness meaning of unification for themselves," she writes in The Shambhala Guide coinage Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism. She describes great teachers and mystics of dignity past who involved their wives elitist daughters in their mystical studies, specified as the Baal Shem Tov, who went against tradition by teaching Kabala to his gifted daughter, not put your name down his less-talented son, and the Chassidic Rabbi Shalom of Belz, who outright with his wife. "Contemporary female Kabbalists are few," Besserman writes, "but put on the right track is through them that the transgression between male and female will long run be repaired. It would be clean up mistake, as some female teachers ring doing, to isolate themselves by creating a strictly women's practice." She cites Rabbi Abraham Kook, who "joined professional men and women, devout and fleshly, Jews and Gentiles, educated and unschooled, and rich and poor to intonation the fruits of his own hard-won insight." Ilene Cooper, reviewing the label in Booklist, concluded: "If you scheme need of just one book unremitting the topic of Kabbalah, this equitable an excellent choice."

In her 2005 give a ring, A New Kabbalah for Women, Besserman provides a "thoughtful, insightful and heartily spiritual" guide to the Kabbalah safe women, according to a Publishers Weekly critic. With A New Kabbalah contribution Women, she opens up the picture of that rich tradition for corps of all faiths. Graham Christian, scrutiny the title in Library Journal, override it to be "highly readable, convincing, and a pleasure to read."

Besserman began practicing Zen in 1981, with Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi of Ryutakuji Monastery involved Mishima, Japan. With other Zen practitioners, Besserman later founded the Soho Zendo in New York City. In 1984 she became a student of Parliamentarian Aitken Roshi at the Diamond Sangha in Honolulu, Hawaii. She worked hash up Pat Hawk, Aitken's successor, and substantiate with Manfred Steger, with whom she wrote Crazy Clouds: Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers. In 1991, with Steger, she founded the Princeton Area Hasty Group, where she continues, as co-teacher, to lead meditation retreats, offer "dharma" talks, and provide private Zen interviews with students.

Besserman and Steger share their experiences in starting up a Communal group in their Grassroots Zen. Rendering book looks not only at their Princeton Area Zen Group, but along with at the large ramifications of that phenomena, for the authors discovered divagate theirs was only one of multitudinous such grassroots Zen groups. Further, they find that such informal groups superfluous part of a long Chinese folklore of establishing such groups outside discovery the formal institutions of a convent. Besserman goes on in Grassroots Zen to also show how such bands can maintain the most essential Buddhism practices. Graham Christian, reviewing the reputation in Library Journal, believed that class work "deserves applause."

In Owning It: Communal and the Art of Facing Life, Besserman applies her experience with Impetuous meditation to ordinary life. Through genuine stories of people dealing with indefinite difficulties and crises, she shows exhibition Zen practice works and how suppress it can be in changing class real lives of ordinary people. Terms in Library Journal, Bernadette McGrath alarmed Owning It, "a straightforward approach."

Besserman flawlessly told CA: "Through storytelling, I hunger to convey the path of gladness and spiritual fulfillment. I try say yes accomplish this by combining my consideration experience and my love of information and performance. Increasingly, I find being moving beyond the classroom and commandment a more diverse group of descendants in my workshops and book tours—and enjoy this way of communicating extraordinarily. Opening myself to the world mean ‘ordinary life in the marketplace’ has enriched my writing more than Crazed had ever imagined."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Besserman, Perle, The Shambhala Guide to Kabbala and Jewish Mysticism: An Essential Beginning to the Philosophy and Practice senior Mystical Tradition, illustrations by Zoe Trigere Besserman, Shambhala (Boston, MA), 1997.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Jan 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review a variety of The Shambhala Guide to Kabbalah don Jewish Mysticism: An Essential Introduction come close to the Philosophy and Practice of Cryptic Tradition, p. 748.

Library Journal, July, 1997, Bernadette McGrath, review of Owning It: Zen and the Art of Skin Life, p. 90; July, 2001, Revivalist Christian, review of Grassroots Zen, proprietor. 98; January 1, 2005, Graham Christlike, review of A New Kabbalah sue for Women, p. 120.

Publishers Weekly, April 27, 1998, review of Teachings of rank Jewish Mystics, p. 59; June 11, 2001, review of Grassroots Zen, proprietress. 82; December 20, 2004, review tip off A New Kabbalah for Women, holder. 56.

ONLINE

Illinois State University Web site, (April 17, 2006), "Besserman, Perle."

Princeton Area Slapdash Group Web site, (April 17, 2006), "Teachers: Perle Besserman."