Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms

“In Norman Fischer’s translation, the words of the Psalms are clothed in renewed beauty – clear, uncompromising, shining with devotion.”–Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

A week with the Trappist monks of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky left Norman Fischer feeling inspired by the uplifting, soaring verses chanted each day, but also astonished by the violence, passion, and bitterness expressed. This experience started him on a journey through Eastern and Western spirituality and his own Jewish roots toward these moving and intimate translations of the Psalms.

In ninety-three poems of praise, celebration, suffering, and lamentation, Opening to You brings the Psalms alive, conveying their beauty and power in accessible English for today’s readers of every spiritual path or religious background and transforming the sacred songs into the timeless music of enlightenment.