Mindfulness: translated from the Pali word sati; defined as moment to moment non-judgmental, non-interfering awareness; it is the 7th link of the Noble Eight Fold Path; the first of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment; for a full discourse, reference the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, also known as the Satipatthana Sutta.

Click to play or download the Dharma talk: Mindfulness

The ultimate goal for Buddhism is coming to the end of Dukkha, a word often translated as "suffering." Meditation is a means to this end, and certain meditative insights are essential for us to accomplish this goal. Meditation also has many secondary benefits, such as calming the agitated mind, gaining insights into the nature of our minds, and experiencing the incomparable joys of the "mystical experiences" or jhanas.

Yes. Prominent Christians, like Thomas Merton, and prominent Jews, like Sylvia Boorstein, have greatly enriched their traditional religious practices with Buddhist insights. Many Buddhist practices have no elements of theology or worship, so they have no more essential conflicts with religious practice than, say, art or science. Buddhism has traditionally been agnostic about the experience of God -- the Buddha did not experience God, so he did not talk about it.