[OmahaFields]

If you took that bet, you'd probably lose . . . I'm no spring chicken.

Ok, how many years have you spent living in Buddhist and Hindu cultures?

[AnAmericanMother]

A good friend of mine is a Christian convert from Hinduism. I don't count any Buddhists among my friends or acquaintances (other than a couple of crunchy granola types who like the "idea" of Buddhism but don't know much about it and are really Unitarians in search of meaning). On the other hand, my late father in law made a close study of Buddhism (he taught a World Religions class for 20 years or so) and we have had some wide-ranging discussions. Outside view of course, but very detailed.

On still another hand, a long-time friend (since about 1977) is a Third Degree Wiccan Priestess . . . < top that! < wink > >

I will point out that there is a real cultural and social difficulty with someone raised in Western society truly integrating with an Eastern religion. On some levels it's virtually impossible (my Hindu friend has some pretty sharp words for the hippie types who showed up in India following the latest guru . . . and for those gurus themselves.)