I feel you. I told my therapist I am naturally averse to "totalizing systems." I can never go quite all the way with the logic of any individual tradition. That said, I like "Western Buddhism" and Thich Nhat Hanh-style Western Zen (often called "Thaypassana") because they focus on the practice rather than on the affiliation. There is plenty in the Pali cannon to suggest that Siddhartha Gautama actually didn't want us to think of ourselves as "Buddhist." I know that taking this approach to the practice can make me seem a little arrogant, especially since I don't read the root languages and am really leaning on later, Anglo interpretations, but I think at this middle stage of my life I'm willing to accept that in exchange for some powerful tools.
I feel you. I told my therapist I am naturally averse to "totalizing systems." I can never go quite all the way with the logic of any individual tradition. That said, I like "Western Buddhism" and Thich Nhat Hanh-style Western Zen (often called "Thaypassana") because they focus on the practice rather than on the affiliation. There is plenty in the Pali cannon to suggest that Siddhartha Gautama actually didn't want us to think of ourselves as "Buddhist." I know that taking this approach to the practice can make me seem a little arrogant, especially since I don't read the root languages and am really leaning on later, Anglo interpretations, but I think at this middle stage of my life I'm willing to accept that in exchange for some powerful tools.