I find in Buddhism, as in almost any other mystical philosophy or religious practice to be very healthy to the mind and body. For example, we know even scientifically that meditative prayer, repetitious prayer, meditation, controlled breathing, even yoga all have positive effects on the human body and psyche. It's a quantifiable reality. However, I find the underlying tenets of most all of them as pretty hokey. Some in fact, ridiculous. Clearly I'm hopelessly agnostic. Taoism is a good example of this. While I find Tai Chi Chuan and the physical and meditative practices valuable, I don't believe we cultivate yin or yang energies or any method of divination from the practice. Does that mean it's without merit? Of course not.
But of what worth is the "saved" Christian, or the Jew who does not reflect on the Talmud, or the heathen who lives out his days in hateful and brutal hedonism with no self-reflection or thoughtful examination whatsoever? He is good for labor and little else. Wouldn't you agree? Although, I do actually find the Bible and Apocrypha, and the Quran valuable as a source of wisdom (e.g. "Be still and know that I am God."). On the other hand, this same wisdom can be found in the Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, et al as with all human beings because it is already within us. Humans are built with the full options package. We know right from wrong.
I don't mind sharing that more than once I've felt, definitively, an overwhelming sense of interconnectedness to all things. Of which, I (and you) are a part. However anecdotal this may seem to you, in each case it was life altering which in and of itself makes it "real" (whatever that word may mean). This is why I'm outside in some remote field spending hours nightly taking astrophotos of the night sky (galaxies, nebulae, clusters, etc). I feel it's all part of me.
I'm enjoying this thread. I'm happy to see I'm not the only one searching for the answers that mathematics and scientific instruments cannot give us which is, "Why?" Why are we here? Why are we aware of our existence? However it happened, we know the universe was created in such a way that one day it would look upon itself and be aware of its own existence. How can I know this? Because I'm certain I exist. I'm certain I have a will of my own. Are the sentient things throughout the universe what gives the universe itself life? Makes it real?
Consider Schröedinger's Cat. If there were no conscious things to observe the universe, would it exist at all? Or would it just be a soup of probabilities in eternal superposition? It begs the question: Does the universe need us as much as we need it?
Olp! Oatmeal and vanilla isolate on deck. Time to get to work. We'll talk more. I wish many of you were closer so we could maybe try a few "medicinal remedies" to increase clarity and have a full on discussion on these things. Even with little chance of arriving at anything conclusive it still would be enlightening. Many of you are sharing things which I know very little about. I'm 51 and still open to any and all possibilities.
Enjoy your day everyone. Today is back, hamstrings, and calves for me. My least favorite workout of the week. Wish me luck...