Originally Posted by fmichael

In my post first post on another thread, regarding Shinzen Young, I may have inadvertantly offended persons of faith when I said, in pertinent part:

I have learned to experience pain, sadness, sight, sound, joy, you name it, as just sensation, without (when I’m lucky) attachment or aversion. And so have avoided (per my psychologist) any real depression even as my body starts to fall apart, as we all do in the end. And all without any aspect of what might be called “faith.” Just taking the pieces of any particular situation apart, until they are down to manageable bite sized pieces. [Emphasis added.]

What I meant to say was that meditation could be quite meaningful (for me) without "faith" on my part. I was reminded of my error when I listened to Shinzen’s YouTube based Welcome to New Viewers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvk99BRxlPw a little while ago. Indeed, almost all of the great religions of the world have deep meditative traditions, practiced by men and women often of great faith. My words were ill-chosen at best, for which any and all who were offended have my apology.

I simply wish that I had started my post with this clip, insted of jumping right into Google TechTalks.

I have since amended the post to indicate that - for me personally - there is no requirement of faith in the practice of meditation. But as Shinzen notes in the clip I have just linked to, he was speaking from one of his retreats at a Carmelite Monastary where he and his students were made entirely welcome. As are persons of all faiths within the meditative community.

Mike