Re: Am I a Buddhist?
Namaste,
I agree with Ananda. It doesn't sound like you're a Buddhist. Sounds like you're of the Advaita mindset. Individual personality and constituents of "I"-ness are an illusion in non-dual teachings. Personality as we would understand it in the traditional sense of what makes Bob, Bob is not really there, and you're probably right - it is the acculumation of one's vasanas and samskaras that will proceed into the next reincarnation, not the person itself. Buddhism's stance on the Atman (and probably Paratman) tends to be one of disbelief, as it emphasises the impermanence of things. Buddha himself refused to talk too much about God and the individual soul - he felt these things would be getting in the way of enlightenment, but as far as I know Buddhists today largely don't believe in the concept of a soul.
It's been a while since I've studied Buddhism, so if I've made any mistakes and we have any resident Buddhists here on HDF, please do correct me.
Om namah Shivaya
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye namah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ।
Lokaah SamastaaH Sukhino Bhavantu
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