HOWEVER, there have been a number of areas of concern which, although I just accepted and left to eccentricity and cultural framing over the years, frustrated me and eventually made me take refuge in MBSR. Before anyone practicing MBSR fully embraces traditional Buddhism, they should, in my opinion, ask themselves the following questions:
* How will you practice reducing your stress if you are walking around in constant fear of an unfavourable rebirth?
* How is the idea of 'gaining merit' for a favourable future rebirth helping one to remain in the present moment where stress-busting takes place?
* How is that past life personality that you are so proud of going to allow you to transcend your notion of a separate ego-driven 'self' which causes so much stress in your life?
* How will you be able to walk in later years if you believe one can only sit in meditation on the floor while very likely giving your knees, ankles and hips hypermobility - i.e. additional stress on the body?
* How is believing in the possibility of 'mind-to-mind' psychic transmission or any other supernatural phenomena like Chi/Qi going to simplify your understanding of the already very complex systems at play in your life, and thus reduce your stress?
There are probably more questions to add to this, but it's a good start. This is not to say that Buddhism does not have anything to offer MBSR practitioners, it is just that as soon as one considers oneself a Buddhist, then it opens the door to some serious time-wasting; arguing about all these traditionally accepted yet ambiguous mystical practices and ideas. That time could probably be better used helping people with their clinically tested and proven MBSR practice which follows the same philosophical and yogic principles as Buddhism (and Daoism!
), but without all the extra apparently unnecessary stuff.
. 
