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Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious group.^[1][2][3][4]

Academic sphere[link]

Examples of private universities that identify themselves as nonsectarian include Berea College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Columbia College in Missouri, Cornell University, Denison University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Franklin & Marshall College, George Washington University, Hawaii Pacific University, Hillsdale College, Hofstra University, Howard University, Kwansei Gakuin University, National University, New York University, Northwestern University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, Reed College in Oregon, Whitman College in Washington, Rice University, University of Richmond, Syracuse University, Tulane University, the University of Southern California, Washington University in St. Louis, and Woodbury University in California.

Private primary and secondary schools also self-identified as nonsectarian include Allendale Columbia School in Rochester, New York, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in New York and Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania (the oldest nonsectarian school in the U.S.)^{[citation needed]}, Friends School Mullica Hill in New Jersey, Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, The Pembroke Hill School, as well as Notre Christi Academy of the Philippines.

Pi Lambda Phi (ΠΛΦ or Pi Lam) is a college social fraternity founded by Frederick Manfred Werner, Louis Samter Levy, and Henry Mark Fisher at Yale University in 1895. It was founded as the first non-sectarian fraternity, "a fraternity in which all men were brothers, no matter what their religion; a fraternity in which ability, open-mindedness, farsightedness, and a progressive, forward-looking attitude would be recognized as the basic attributes."^[5] It currently boasts 35 chapters and four colonies in the United States and one chapter in Canada. The fraternity founded the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity Educational Foundation^[6]

The first nonsectarian sorority was Phi Sigma Sigma. Phi Sigma Sigma (ΦΣΣ), colloquially known as "Phi Sig," was the first collegiate nonsectarian fraternity, welcoming women of all faiths and backgrounds. Founded by 10 women on November 26, 1913 at Hunter College in New York, Phi Sigma Sigma is now an international sorority with 60,000 initiated members, 115 collegiate chapters and more than 100 alumnae chapters, clubs and associations across the United States and Canada.

Non-academic institutions[link]

Organizations that are explicitly nonsectarian include the Apex Clubs of Australia, those participating in the Ethical Culture Movement, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia. In Northern Ireland, nonsectarian refers to groups identifying themselves as neither Nationalist/Republican or Unionist/Loyalist, such as the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.

Other[link]

Some cemeteries are known for being nonsectarian. In the United States, these are typically Christian cemeteries that do not adhere to one branch of the faith. Internment services can therefore be conducted in accordance with any one of various faith traditions, or none at all.

References[link]

Sharon Salzberg
Born	1952 (age 59–60) New York City
Occupation	author, meditation teacher

Sharon Salzberg (born 1952) is a New York Times Best selling author^[1] and influential teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in the West.^[2][3] In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Her emphasis is on vipassanā (insight) and mettā (loving-kindness) methods, ^[4] and has been leading meditation retreats around the world for over three decades.^[5][6] All of these methods have their origins in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Her books include Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (1995), A Heart as Wide as the World (1999) and Real Happiness - The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program (2010), which was on the The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011.^[7]

Early life[link]

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Born in New York City to a Jewish family, Salzberg had a troubled early life after her parents divorced when she was four, and her father abandoned the family. At nine, her mother died and she went to live with her father's parents. Though her father returned when she was eleven, he soon overdosed and was subsequently hospitalized. He was soon placed in the mental health system, where he remained until his death. By 16, Sharon had lived with five different families.^[8]

In her sophomore year at the State University of New York, Buffalo in 1969, Salzberg encountered Buddhism during a course in Asian philosophy. The following year, she took an independent study trip to India, and in January 1971 attended her first intensive meditation course at Bodh Gaya. In the next several years, she engaged in intensive study with various Buddhist teachers. After returning to US in 1974, she began teaching vipassana (insight) meditation.^[9][8].

Career[link]

Salzberg is a student of Dipa Ma, Anagarika Munindra and other asian masters.^[10] She, Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts in 1974.^[11][12] She and Goldstein co-founded the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in 1989 and The Forest Refuge, a long-term meditation retreat center 9 years later. Today, she is a notable teacher of the Vipassana movement.

An in-depth interview with Salzberg appears in the book Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America, by Lenore Friedman. (Boston:Shambhala, Revised and Updated edition, 2000. ISBN 1-57062-474-7)

Honors[link]

Sharon Salzberg was honored by the New York Open Center in 1999 for her "Outstanding Contribution to the Mindfulness of the West"

Appointments[link]

• Mind and Life Institute 2005 Investigating the Mind Conference, Panelist.
• Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, Contributing Editor.

Books[link]

• Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (1995) ISBN 1-59030-187-0^[4]
• Heart as Wide as the World (1999) ISBN 1-57062-428-3
• Voices of Insight (2001) ISBN 1-57062-769-X
• Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience (2003) ISBN 1-57322-340-9
• The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love and Compassion (2006) ISBN 1-59179-355-6
• The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Campanion (2008) ISBN 978-1-59179-655-8
• Real Happiness - The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program (2010) ISBN 978-0-7611-5925-4

Audio Publications[link]

• Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate (2002), with Joseph Goldstein ISBN 1-56455-906-8.
• Lovingkindness Meditation (2005) ISBN 1-59179-268-1
• Guided Meditations For Love & Wisdom: 14 Essential Practices (2009) ISBN 978-1-59179-707-4
• Unplug: An Interactive Kit for Giving Yourself a Break (2009) ISBN 978-1-59179-638-1

Articles[link]

• A Teaching in Shambhala Sun Magazine
• Life of One Piece, PBS The Buddha
• How Silence Can Help Us Unplug, HuffingtonPost.com
• How Doing Nothing Can Help You Truly Live, HuffingtonPost.com
• Meditation Practice: A Paradigm Shift, HuffingtonPost.com
• 12 Tips on Exploring Spirituality, Blogher.com
• The Benefits of Meditation, AARP.org
• Opening the Heart with Lovingkindness, HuffingtonPost.com
• Buddha Nature, RebelBuddha.com
• What's Better for Creativity: Depression or Happiness? HuffingtonPost.com

Interviews[link]

• Video interview with Sharon Salzberg
• Audio Interview Series on Buddhist Geeks]
• Salzberg interview with Dan Harris for ABC News
• Huffington Post Interview with Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
• Yoga and Buddhism's adaptation in the West: An interview with Ascent magazine.
• Salzberg discusses meditation, happiness & social media with Danny Fisher for Shambhala Sun
• PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Interview, 2/18/2011
• LA Times Interview 2/19/2011
• Healthy Radio Interview 2/23/2011
• Sharon Salzberg talks
• Sharon Salzberg talks about her childhood and early life, June 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sharon Salzberg's Website
• Sharon Salzberg audio from the DIY Dharma site