I was only ever exposed to catholic tradition and doctrine, it wasn't until I had a direct personal experience of something that I was drawn to the eastern traditions in order to try to make sense of exactly what it was that I had experienced. Whatever you wish to call it drew me down that path, it's not something I set out to do previously, and that is why I'll never turn my back and adopt the 'one true religion', because I know what I have experienced to be true. I've had to sort of piece things together and retcon things. Basically I've learned over time to how to see the similarities between my 'eastern' and gnostic style beliefs and classic western Jesusism. But I'm terrible at explaining it and it just sounds like heresy to the certain people. It's just exactly as you said.