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I have to laugh a bit when you guys complain that they talk Buddhist metaphysics at Buddhist meditation retreats.

For a view on what the Buddha himself suggested about how to evaluate claims, see the: Kalama Sutta[1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalama_Sutta

No, the complaint is that they make a big point about only being pure technique, no faith, dogma, etc. Then they act like any other place. If they were honest about it from the get-go, then it wouldn't be worth mentioning.

Fwiw, not all Buddhist monasteries or organizations do anything like this. I've been to retreats at a Shambala center and at one of the monasteries in Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village network and they were very secular.

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