Mind, body, and spirit matter to well-being. Yoga and meditation are extremely effective approaches to well-being, which, if done correctly, incorporate a spiritual aspect. That spiritual aspect transcends traditional western religion and traditional western beliefs in God. In the tradition of mindfulness, maximizing the benefits of yoga and meditation is well served by understanding and appreciating the relevant spiritual context. It is interesting to note that scholars and practitioners of Buddhism agree that the Buddha implicitly believed in gods but didn’t consider them particularly useful for human liberation.

To fully appreciate this, it is useful to understand that the term "god" doesn't mean exactly the same thing to everyone who uses it. There are different nuances with which the term is used in different cultures, and there are differing notions of the nature and identity or identities of God, just as there are different nuances with which the term "atheist" is applied.

A mindful student of religion, philosophy, culture, and science understands and appreciates the inadequacy of language to convey all that we attempt to convey with it, and so, is forgiving and open minded to ranges of interpretation and will accept the tentative application of certain terms as place holders while we remain open minded to better terms. Hubris, the crossroad between arrogance, ignorance, and false certainty is another matter.

Many arguments in religion, philosophy, and science, have more to do with disagreements over the appropriate application of terminology, than about the underlying realities at issue. If one's larger value is understanding what someone else is referring to, he will find his way to understanding and, perhaps, appreciating it, even if he might call it by a different name. If one's higher value is being seen as the greater authority in the room, that's a different goal and it has a different outcome.

While some of the Hindu Vedas may have influenced the quest of the Buddha, He did not completely embrace them. Still, Buddhism does advocate devotion to spiritual practices including meditation as part of a quest for ultimate communion with universal consciousness, which, from the Hindu perspective, is a manifestation of God.

This communion is the object of both the Buddhist and Hindu liberation from delusion and suffering.

Of course, both Buddhism and Hinduism are diverse philosophical traditions with wide ranges of interpretation.

For purposes of this discussion...

Let us think of "mind" as that with which we think about (process) our perceptions.

Let us think of "body" as the current biological interface between our unique cosmic essence and our current surroundings.

Let us think of "spirit" as our cosmic essence and the consciousness that manifests itself uniquely with our mind and body in this realm, but that is not limited to this current manifestation, or this current realm, or the awarenesses and perceptions of this current mind and body.

Let us consider that a synoptically integrated understanding of these perspectives of the three and their relationships with each other, is useful for their appropriate maintenance and harmony and to maximize their usefulness toward the goal of well-being. Their harmony is relevant to abiding peace. Abiding peace is essential to well-being.

This guided discussion encourages and facilitates a deeper understanding of certain perspectives of the three, their inter-realtionships, and important nuances that aren't obvious to many, without guidance.

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