Is the secret to life really found in a fortune cookie?

[Exhumed]

I think you'll find as Buddhism assimiliated into native cultures, and due to it's non-fundamentalist nature, it left plenty of room for such concepts. Tibetan Buddhism is particularly rich in pre-Buddhist mythology. However, they are not central to Buddha's teachings, and believing in them is not a requirement. My favorite sect is Zen Buddhism, so I tend to represent this interpretation. They are free of theistic concepts.

Ah, I didn't realize that. I kinda learned what I know about Buddhism from my art class, so it probably made these themes disproportionately important. Does the same hold for reincarnation?

[spidergoat]

I think so. Since life after death is central to Christianity, reincarnation becomes their focus when they talk about Buddhism. I think Buddhism is much more concerned about personal development through following the precepts. Buddhism certainly has it's cosmology, but it doesn't interest me.