Is it possible to be atheist and a buddhist?

Ekancone

Hello, I have been an atheist since I was about twelve and have always been spectical of the spiritual/supernatural side of things. However, I am quite interested in Buddhist philosophy and the concept of meditation. Do you think that there is anything for me to gain in exploring these topics while it being pretty much impossible for me to accept spirituality?

Note: I am open to the idea of a sort of Einsteinian/Hawkingian spirit or energy in the universe. If you get me. Would this be applicable to Buddhism? Any thoughts appreciated.

18AD

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. All that we are is the result of what we have thought. With our thoughts, we make our world."

I highly recommend you try meditation and other techniques of consciousness exploration. What it offers is an experience. How you interpret these is totally up to yourself.
You can use any model of the universe. The buddhist one is one of many. I'm sure a scientific one would yield interesting results.

Good luck.
AD.

Ekancone

18AD wrote: »

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. All that we are is the result of what we have thought. With our thoughts, we make our world."

I highly recommend you try meditation and other techniques of consciousness exploration. What it offers is an experience. How you interpret these is totally up to yourself.
You can use any model of the universe. The buddhist one is one of many. I'm sure a scientific one would yield interesting results.

Good luck.
AD.

Cool. Any recommendations on where to start? Any good books, etc?

18AD

Buddhism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/index.htm

Zen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_meditation
http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zenindex.html

Taoism:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/index.htm

Confucianism:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/cfu/index.htm

Podcast:
http://www.alanwattspodcast.com/Alan_Watts/Alan_Watts_Podcast/Alan_Watts_Podcast.html

Various:
http://www.ted.com/themes/view/id/21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching
http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/aba/aba1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

All the best.
AD.

Asiaprod

daithifleming wrote: »

Do you think that there is anything for me to gain in exploring these topics while it being pretty much impossible for me to accept spirituality?

Indeed yes. Think of Buddhism as self-development. It teaches you an awareness of yourself and the world you live in. Any spiritual aspect is entirely up to yourself.

Ekancone

Thanks. Say if i was to pick one book from the above, what would be a good starter? Four Noble Truths?

18AD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_meditation

I suggest you practice some meditation techniques so you can see for yourself.

The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path is a good place to start reading. They tie into eachother.

Good luck.
AD.