Rami Shapiro, a renowned teacher of spirituality across faith traditions, is an award-winning storyteller, poet and essayist. He is author of The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness: Preparing to Practice, Recovery-The Sacred Art: The Twelve Steps as Spiritual Practice and The Divine Feminine in Biblical Wisdom Literature: Selections Annotated & Explained (all SkyLight Paths), among other books.

Rami Shapiro is available to speak on the following topics:

• Writing-The Sacred Art: Beyond the Page to Spiritual Practice
• Stop Playing God: 12 Steps as Spiritual Practice
• Biblical Wisdom for Post-biblical Times: An Exploration of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job
• The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness: Cultivating Compassion in Daily Life
• Hasidic Wisdom: An Exploration of Hasidic Storytelling, Theology and Contemplative Practice
• Saints and Sages: Biblical Prophets, Ancient Rabbis and the Building of a Just World

Foreword ix
Preface xvii
Introduction xix
Key Philosophical Ideas xxxiii
Core Spiritual Practices xliii

1. The Five Kinds of Humans 3
2. God, Wisdom, and Your Essential Nature 7
3. The Three Mothers: Wisdom, Reason, and Knowing 11
4. The Three Garments: Thought, Word, and Deed 13
5. Unity Beyond Thought 17
6. The Necessity of Opposites 21
7. Using the Body for Good 23
8. Using the Body for Evil 27
9. The Secret Yearning for the Good 31
10. The Purpose of Transformation 35
11. Redemption from Evil 39
12. Bringing Light into the Darkness 43
13. Internal Conflict 47
14. Becoming an Inbetweener 49
15. Serving God 51
16. The Essential Task 55
17. The Practice of Comprehension 57
18. The Nature of Wisdom 61
19. The Candle of God 65
20. The Unchanging One 69
21. God's Speech 71
22. Other Gods 73
23. Torah and God Are One 75
24. The Interplay of Opposites 77
25. Folly 79
26. The Profit of Sadness 81
27. Passive Restraint 85
28. Distracting Thoughts 89
29. A Dull Heart 93
30. Cultivating Humility 97
31. Working with Sadness 99
32. Love Your Neighbor 103
33. Attaining True Joy 105
34 Generosity 109
35. The Task of Self 111
36. No High or Low in God 113
37. Illuminating the World 117
38. The Necessity of Intent 119
39. Acting without Ulterior Motive 121
40. Revealing the Hidden God 125
41. Love and Awe 129
42. Your Inner "Moses" 133
43. Two Types of Awe 137
44. Higher Grades of Love 139
45. Compassion for God 143
46. Way of Friendship 147
47. Release from Bondage 149
48. The Finite and the Infinite 153
49. The Purpose of Creation 155
50. Run and Return 157
51. The Dwelling of God 161
52. Perceiving the One 163
53. The One Is within You 165

Notes 167
Glossary of Hebrew Terms 168
Books Cited in Tanya 173
Suggestions for Further Reading 177