Buddhism is philosophy and a way of life. The emphasis of Buddhism is compassion for others, and for all to be happy and free of suffering. To walk the Buddhist path is to explore our minds, our intentions, our viewpoints, our selfishness, and our delusions. To practice Buddhism is to work at being mindful, to be present while having respect and compassion for all other beings.
I have studied and practiced Buddhism for about seven years now. Through my meditative, observation practices, I have come to agree with about 75% of the Buddhist teachings. The meditation methods are wonderful for learning to examine your mind, to see how you think, and to retrain your brain towards more wholesome thought patterns and habits. The teachings on compassion and kindness help unite people, instead of splitting them apart through differences in beliefs. While Atheism taught me to be outwardly skeptical, practicing Buddhism taught me to be inwardly skeptical.
I practice Secular Buddhism, which is free of religious entrapment and rituals, and sticks to the core teachings.
Recently, I helped create the Secular Buddhist Association site. There you can also find some of my articles and interviews.
You can listen to a podcast about the creation of that site here in Episode 90.
The Secular Buddhist interviewed myself and two of the people from the Skeptical Buddhist Sangha in Second Life:
For More Information on Secular Buddhism:
The Secular Buddhist Association
