[Buddha-l] Enlightenment as dogma

[Randall Jones]

At 05:46 PM 10/9/2010, Michael wrote:

>Many of the Buddha's teachings are quite valuable, I've found, for people
>who have already advanced in practice (i.e. been transformed by practice
>to a greater or lesser degree). However, those same teachings cannot be
>rightly understood, and therefore have almost no value, to someone who
>only wants to "think them through" without engaging in serious practice
>under a qualified teacher.

Isn't thinking things through a valid form of serious practice? 
(Though, of course it would take more than that, just as just sitting 
wouldn't quite cut it either.)

Randall