Bill!,<br/><br/>Like any ~ism, Buddhism has its dogmas and beliefs. It has its
structure and philosophies. In other words it is a system of thought (and
practice).<br/><br/>Following the Buddhas teachings is somewhat different
because you don't have to be a Buddhist to do so. A person of any religion, or
none, can take the teaching and apply them without taking on any of the dogma.
In Vipassana, the Biddha's method of meditation from the sutras is used. But if
you study these sutras there is nothing religious in them whatsoever. It's
simply following the breath and noting what comes up. A breath is a breath.
It's not a Buddhist breath or a Christian breath or an atheist's breath.
<br/><br/>It's a scientific and logical approach to meditation and can be
experienced by anyone. The junction between our body-mind is our greatest and
most immediate contact with reality and that is where we focus. You might be
surprised to hear this, but outside of the sutras
that give the instructions on how to sit and meditate, no other teaching is
really employed in Vipassana.<br/><br/>Mike<br/><br/><br/>Sent from Yahoo! Mail
for iPhone
