Was Albert Einstein a Buddhist?

Question

Heh, I'm sorry but I just had to ask this question!
I've seen so many "Einstein believed this, " Einstein believed that," or "Einstein didn't believe" and their all 'supported' by his own quotes.
Hence I had to add another "lookie here at this quote,
Einstein believed what I do!"
( Not that I actually believe this, nor even care if it's true or not. )

-Einstein :
All such notions as causation, succession, atoms, primary elements...are all figments of the imagination and manifestations of the mind.

-Buddha :
Time and again the passion for understanding has led to the illusion that man is able to comprehend the objective world rationally by pure thought without any empirical foundations—in short, by metaphysics.


-Einstein :
By becoming attached to names and forms, not realising that they have no more basis than the activities of the mind itself, error rises…and the way to emancipation is blocked.


-Buddha :
In our thinking...we attribute to this concept of the bodily object a significance, which is to high degree independent of the sense impression which originally gives rise to it. This is what we mean when we attribute to the bodily object "a real existence." ...By means of such concepts and mental relations between them, we are able to orient ourselves in the labyrinth of sense impressions. These notions and relations...appear to us as stronger and more unalterable than the individual sense experience itself, the character of which as anything other than the result of an illusion or hallucination is never completely guaranteed.

-Einstein :
I teach that the multitudinousness of objects have no reality in themselves but are only seen of the mind and, therefore, are of the nature of maya and a dream. ...It is true that in one sense they are seen and discriminated by the senses as individualized objects; but in another sense, because of the absence of any characteristic marks of self-nature, they are not seen but are only imagined. In one sense they are graspable, but in another sense, they are not graspable.

-Buddha :
The belief in an external world independent of the perceiving subject is the basis of all natural science. Since, however, sense perception only gives information of this external world or of "physical reality" indirectly, we can only grasp the latter by speculative means. It follows from this that our notions of physical reality can never be final. We must always be ready to change these notions—that is to say, the axiomatic basis of physics—in order to do justice to perceived facts in the most perfect way logically.


So whom now thinks dear Albert, was a Buddhist? :P

Answer 1

to be honest I don't know but i don't think he was as he saw physics as a way of knowing god and used the term god often although it must be said I honestly don't think he actually accepted any religion but was more of an acepting agnostic who identified with the faith of his birth (jewish) he did say once if i remember correctly "if i joined/accepted any religion as my own i would be buddhist" it isn't an accurate quote but it is the jist of it and i dont know any sourse of quotes to look for an accurate one but i will look and change later if i fingd it. i think he accepted all denominations and the existence of a devine although i doubt it was in anyway like the christian, jewish, or other interpretation but he accepted science as showing the different aspect of the devine or god.
as to his quotes being used by everyone to prove he believed onething and not another, and vice versa if someone says egnouf they can be mis quoted.

Answer 2

Possibly. :-)

[Quote] “Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.” - Albert Einstein

Answer 3

He was not Buddhist but had much respect for it if you believe the quotes attributed to him. Einstein viewed God as the sum total of the physical laws of the universe. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Answer 4

Gorgeous is absolutely right about Einstein, but completely wrong in describing that belief system as Deism.

Answer 5

The claims of him saying "what people heard about my religion is wrong and I am definitely not that." Was him referring to people who thought he was Jewish. Not about him being an atheist. He very clearly believed in a more powerful being but not the Christian god and definitely more of a deist. Just to clear the falsities.

Answer 6

Albert was logical. That's why he recognized the truth of
Buddhism but I believe he was raised Jewish.

Answer 7

Good one (((Bo)))
I guess a lot of folks want a genius to believe what they do?

Answer 8

I think he was a deist. At least that is what I have been told.

Answer 9

He was a self described agnostic.... how was certain the abrahamic god was nonses

Answer 10

Maybe, maybe it's coincidence that both men had these ideas.