A 'JuBu' is a colloquial term for a Jewish person who also practices Buddhism or incorporates Buddhist practices (especially meditation) into their life. The phenomenon is surprisingly widespread — some studies suggest that up to 30% of Western Buddhist practitioners come from Jewish backgrounds. Notable JuBus include poet Allen Ginsberg and author Sylvia Boorstein. Most JuBus see the two traditions as complementary rather than contradictory.

Does Judaism have meditation?

Yes, though it looks different from Buddhist meditation. Jewish meditative traditions include hitbodedut (personal contemplative prayer, especially in Breslov Hasidism), kavvanah (focused intention during prayer), and various Kabbalistic visualization practices. The Talmud describes prophets entering meditative states. In recent decades, Jewish meditation has experienced a significant revival, with teachers like Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Sylvia Boorstein, and Rabbi Jeff Roth drawing on both Jewish and Buddhist contemplative traditions.

Can you be Jewish and Buddhist at the same time?

This is debated. From a Buddhist perspective, there is generally no conflict — Buddhism does not require exclusive allegiance. From a Jewish perspective, it depends on the denomination and what aspects of Buddhism you adopt. Meditation and ethical practices are generally unproblematic. But if Buddhist practice involves bowing to statues of the Buddha as a deity or embracing beliefs that contradict Jewish monotheism, most rabbis would see a conflict. Many Jews navigate this by adopting Buddhist practices while maintaining Jewish theological commitments.

Judaism vs Buddhism Compared | This Is Bar Mitzvah

Judaism and Buddhism seem worlds apart — one is monotheistic and law-based, the other is non-theistic and meditation-based. But dig deeper and you find surprising parallels in ethics, debate culture, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.

Two Paths, One Search

At first glance, Judaism and Buddhism could not seem more different. Judaism centers on one God, a covenant with a specific people, 613 commandments, and a deep engagement with history, community, and law. Buddhism begins with the Four Noble Truths, emphasizes individual enlightenment through meditation, and in many forms does not require belief in God at all.

And yet something keeps drawing these two traditions together. An estimated 30% of non-Asian Buddhists in America come from Jewish backgrounds. Jewish retreat centers teach mindfulness meditation. Buddhist teachers quote the Talmud. Bookstore shelves hold titles like The Jew in the Lotus and Letters to a Buddhist Jew.

What is going on? Why do these two seemingly incompatible traditions keep finding each other?

The Core Differences

A Torah scroll and a Buddhist dharma wheel representing two different paths — Judaism and Buddhism offer radically different frameworks for understanding reality — one centered on God and covenant, the other on awakening and the end of suffering.

God

The most fundamental difference. Judaism is built on monotheism — the belief in one God who created the world, entered into a covenant with the Jewish people, and actively cares about human behavior. The Shema — “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” — is the central declaration of Jewish faith.

Buddhism, in most of its forms, is non-theistic. The Buddha did not deny God’s existence; he simply considered the question irrelevant to the practical task of ending suffering. Some Buddhist traditions include deities, but they are not central to the path. Buddhism is fundamentally about practice, not belief.

Scripture

Judaism has the Torah — a specific text believed to be divinely revealed, studied word by word, debated endlessly, and considered binding. The Torah is not just a guide; it is a legal constitution.

Buddhism has the Dharma — the teachings of the Buddha, preserved in various collections (the Pali Canon, Mahayana sutras, Tibetan texts). These are treated more as practical instructions than as divine law. The Buddha famously said: test my teachings against your own experience.

Practice

Judaism is primarily action-based. The 613 commandments (mitzvot) cover every aspect of daily life — what you eat, how you dress, when you work, how you treat others. Jewish practice is communal, ritualistic, and calendar-driven.

Buddhism is primarily contemplative. Meditation — the disciplined training of attention and awareness — is the central practice. While Buddhism has rituals, community, and ethical precepts, the emphasis is on the inner transformation that comes from sitting quietly and observing the mind.

Suffering

Both traditions take suffering seriously, but they approach it differently.

Buddhism’s First Noble Truth is: life is suffering (dukkha). The goal is to understand the causes of suffering (craving, attachment) and to follow the Eightfold Path to its cessation (nirvana/nibbana). Suffering is a problem to be solved through wisdom and practice.

Judaism acknowledges suffering but does not make its elimination the central project. The Book of Job wrestles with suffering without resolving it. The Talmud debates why the righteous suffer. Judaism’s response is less about escaping suffering than about finding meaning within it — through community, commandments, and the belief that human actions matter to God.

Afterlife

Judaism is famously vague about the afterlife. The Torah says almost nothing about it. Later traditions developed concepts of Olam HaBa (the World to Come), resurrection, and Gan Eden (paradise), but these remain secondary to the focus on this-worldly behavior.

Buddhism teaches reincarnation (samsara) — the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma. The ultimate goal is to escape this cycle entirely through enlightenment. Some Buddhist traditions describe heavenly and hellish realms, but these are temporary way-stations, not eternal destinations.

Community

Judaism is intensely communal. You need a minyan (ten people) to pray certain prayers. The covenant is with a people, not an individual. Jewish identity is ethnic and cultural as well as religious.

Buddhism can be practiced alone. While sangha (community) is one of the Three Jewels, the path to enlightenment is ultimately individual. You can be Buddhist anywhere, with or without a community.

The Surprising Parallels

Scholars in debate, representing the shared intellectual traditions of both faiths — Both traditions prize intellectual rigor and the art of questioning — the Talmudic debate and the Zen koan are more alike than you might think.

The Debate Tradition

Both traditions value argument, questioning, and intellectual rigor. The Talmud is structured as a series of debates — multiple opinions preserved, disagreements honored, minority views recorded. The Zen tradition uses koans (paradoxical questions) to provoke insight. Tibetan Buddhist monks engage in formal philosophical debates that look remarkably like chavruta (paired study) in a yeshiva.

Ethics Over Belief

Both traditions emphasize ethical behavior over correct belief. Judaism cares far more about what you do than what you think. Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path begins with “Right View” and “Right Intention.” Both would rather you be a good person who doubts than a believer who acts badly.

Mindfulness

Judaism has its own contemplative traditions, even if they are less well-known than Buddhism’s. The concept of kavvanah — focused, intentional awareness during prayer and mitzvot — is essentially mindfulness in a Jewish framework. Hasidic teachings about finding God in every moment parallel Buddhist teachings about present-moment awareness.

Compassion

Both traditions place compassion at the center of ethical life. Judaism’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) and the concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) parallel Buddhism’s emphasis on karuna (compassion) and the bodhisattva ideal of working for the liberation of all beings.

Impermanence and Humility

Buddhism teaches that all things are impermanent (anicca). Judaism, while not using the same framework, echoes the idea: “Dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Ecclesiastes reads like a Buddhist text: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity… There is nothing new under the sun.”

The Teacher-Student Relationship

Both traditions prize the relationship between teacher and student. The rabbi-student dynamic in Judaism and the guru-student relationship in Buddhism serve similar functions: transmitting wisdom through personal connection, not just texts.

Why So Many Jews Practice Buddhism

The “JuBu” phenomenon is real and worth understanding:

Meditation fills a gap. Many Jews feel that mainstream Judaism lacks a strong contemplative practice. Buddhist meditation offers what they feel is missing — a technology for inner transformation.
Intellectual compatibility. Both traditions value questioning, studying, and wrestling with ideas. A Jew raised on Talmudic debate feels at home in Buddhist philosophical discussion.
No belief requirement. Buddhism’s emphasis on practice over belief appeals to Jews who are culturally Jewish but theologically uncertain.
Historical timing. The 1960s-70s counter-culture brought Buddhism to America just as many young Jews were seeking alternatives to the suburban Judaism of their parents. The timing created a lasting connection.

Can They Be Combined?

Many people combine them in practice. Jewish meditation retreats incorporate Buddhist techniques. Buddhist teachers with Jewish backgrounds bring Talmudic sensibility to dharma talks. Organizations like the Institute for Jewish Spirituality explicitly bridge the two traditions.

The tension is real, though. Judaism insists on community; Buddhism allows solitude. Judaism is about this world; Buddhism aims beyond it. Judaism says God matters; Buddhism says the question is beside the point. These are not minor differences.

But perhaps the traditions do not need to be fully reconciled. Perhaps what they share — the commitment to reducing suffering, the insistence on ethical action, the belief that human beings can grow and transform — is enough common ground for a meaningful conversation.

Summing Up

Judaism and Buddhism are not the same, and pretending they are does a disservice to both. But they are not simply opposites either. They are two ancient, sophisticated traditions that ask the deepest human questions — how to live, how to suffer, how to be good — and arrive at answers that sometimes diverge and sometimes, remarkably, converge. Understanding both makes you richer in either.

Judaism vs Buddhism: Surprising Parallels and Key Differences