The Vermonter Rebbe

“My father, of blessed memory, my first Zen master would say, ‘You know what you know.’ I say, ‘If you want to do something, get out of the way.’ Enlightenment lies beyond self. Personal identity, the childish strategy for survival adopted under psychological stress, is not adequate to embrace reality. What you think is going on obscures what is really happening. What you 'know' actually precludes knowledge. “Wisdom is the ability to suspend self. Enlightenment is a complete identity with experience, undistracted by personal considerations (karma.) To really be with another being or your environment (sunset, symphony, flat tire ) is the mystical Unity. Zen is bothered by duality. Kabbalah asks and answers the same question, How can G-d, One, simple and indivisible create two? Our spiritual task is to join the separate, to unify the diverse, to reveal, among the multiplicity, The One. “‘Unconditional friendliness towards one’s own experience’ is what the yogis call maitri. Buddhist compassion must extend to the karma of our difficult moods and negative emotions. ‘Be here, now,’ the masters exhort. ‘Nirvana is in samsara.’ Eat what’s in your bowl. Honor your incarnation. Love the unloved through the creative light of consciousness. You’ve got to get in to get out. You can’t forgive what you don’t remember. Sometimes the quickest way around is through. Read more on this (including practical techniques) in my Poetry of Disease. "As a doctor I teach and lead people to health. As a rebbe I guide people spiritually. When I first started practicing natural medicine I felt inadequate. But looking around I saw that there was no one else to help, that I needed to do my part. As a spiritual guide I am also humble. But I recognize that the fruits of my study and practice are the medicine of the soul, and that many souls call out for healing. I need to do my part." ***   Dr. Dovid Fialkoff, the Vermonter Rebbe, has been profoundly spiritual in and outside the synagogue since the earliest age. Raised in a secular environment, Dovid was yet tremendously moved by the Jewish liturgy of the suburban conservadox synagogue his family attended weekly, each Shabbos and on holidays. Practicing in isolation, he began putting on tephillin (phylacteries) at the time of his bar mitzvah (age 13) as is the religious custom. At the same age the Vermonter began practicing yoga at Swami Sachidananda's ashram. This was also his first exposure to formal meditation. His practice of yoga and meditation have continued to this day. At the age of 16 the Rebbe's highly analytical mind was introduced to Zen thought and practice. The Zen concepts of non-duality, no-mind, no-action... provided him with confirmation of a direct, unmediated experience of reality. Even at that young age he impressed his teachers with his understanding of subtle points of Buddhist philosophy. On entering college, moved by a compassion for all life and a growing health consciousness Dr Dovid adopted a vegetarian diet. In college he studied, in addition to his formal academic pursuits, a program of psychic development (Silva Mind Control), the psychoactive properties of plants (including Peyote), the work of Carl Jung and the art and mythology of India. After graduating college (in 3 years) the Vermonter continued to explore his interest in health by enrolling in naturopathic medical school.* There, under the redwoods of northern California he combined his spiritual practices with a study of the natural sciences. Using his powers of intellect, observation and intuition he particularly excelled in the study and practice of Homeopathy. Homeopathy discusses the essence of disease revealed through the pattern of symptoms. In naturopathic school he was initiated into Sant Mat (yoga of light and sound) by disciples of Master Kirpal Singh. Following the Dr. Dave's graduation from naturopathic school he opened in 1983 Natural Medical Service, a general, private practice in West Hartford, Connecticut helping to pioneer the spread of alternative medicine in the northeast. Extending the boon of natural medicine to the less economically fortunate he has worked extensively with HIV/AIDS patients as well as with elderly immigrant and inner city populations. Also following his graduation from naturopathic school, through a close association with the Chabad-Lubavitch hasidic movement, Rebbe began studying Kabbalah. He has in particular developed a remarkable affinity for the writings of the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, offering insightful interpretations of the Alte Rebbe's especially arcane work. The local Chabad rabbi acknowledging the Vermonter's gift for teaching remarked, "G-d has given you a bracha [blessing] for words, speech and writing." In addition to his poetry the Vermonter has authored (see Writings), The Mystical Affirmations of Israel Kabbalah Primer Kabbalah Healing; Descent for the Purpose of Ascent The Poetry of Disease Ways to Save (Your) Life and a fantasy poem, not just for children Sally Sue Simpson. *(Naturopathic medicine requires a four-year, post-graduate education very similar to standard medical school except that it teaches the use of alternative health care therapies which stimulate and strengthen the body's own detoxification and healing abilities. These natural health therapies include, nutrition, herbalism, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, hydrotherapy, live food therapy, manipulation, massage, weight loss program and more.)