(February 6, 2014 at 6:31 pm)dscross Wrote: As the thread subject states, I am an atheist but there are lots of things about Buddism I like - meditation, self discovery, presence of mind, the idea of a higher state of consciousness etc.
You can do or obtain all those things without being a buddhist. Real meditation, for example, is basically breathing technique and thinking about nothing. A method to achieve this 'presence of mind' that you speak of. I used to do this a lot for many years, although I no longer feel the need to.
I think the mysticism of Buddhism is an obstacle rather than a help when it comes to obtaining the things you like about it.
