Einstein and Buddhism

I have begun suspecting that Einstein had either studdied Buddhism, or independantly arrived at many Buddhist conclusions on his own, or most probably both (like me).

The following quotes of his tend to lead me to believe this:

A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe'; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compasion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely but striving for such achievement is, in itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.

This is almost exactly the foundation of Buddhist thought.

And of course:

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. The religion which is based on experience, which refuses dogmatism. If there's any religion that would cope the scientific needs it will be Buddhism�