Buddhism honestly feels less like a religion and more like a slightly less secular version of the “mindfulness” exercises therapists have tried and failed to use on me over the years.
This is certainly how a certain type of Western popularizer prefers to present it, yes. I'd advise you to look further into sources and authorities on it that aren't intended for the consumption of ~white wokesters~ in Marin County. "Mindfulness" is actually a pretty small part of the way most laypeople practice Buddhism in countries where it's historically dominant.
