The question has often been asked; Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what it is whatever label you may put on it. The label is immaterial. Even the label 'Buddhism' which we give to the teachings of the Buddha is of little importance. The name one gives is inessential.... In the same way Truth needs no label: it is neither Buddhist, Christian, Hindu nor Moslem. It is not the monopoly of anybody. Sectarian labels are a hindrance to the independent understanding of Truth, and they produce harmful prejudices in men's minds.

The wild worship of lawlessness and the materialist worship of law end in the same void. Nietzsche scales staggering mountains, but he turns up ultimately in Tibet. He sits down beside Tolstoy in the land of nothing and Nirvana. They are both helpless-one because he must not grasp anything, and the other because he must not let go of anything. The Tolstoyan's will is frozen by a Buddhist instinct that all special actions are evil. But the Nietzscheite's will is quite equally frozen by his view that all special actions are good; for if all special actions are good, none of them are special. They stand at the crossroads, and one hates all the roads and the other likes all the roads. The result is-well, some things are not hard to calculate. They stand at the cross-roads.

"I like the relaxed way in which the Japanese approach religion. I think of myself as basically a moral person, but I'm definitely not religious, and I'm very tired of the preachiness and obsession with other people's behavior characteristic of many religious people in the United States. As far as I could tell, there's nothing preachy about Buddhism. I was in a lot of temples, and I still don't know what Buddhists believe, except that at one point Kunio said 'If you do bad things, you will be reborn as an ox.'

Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth--penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words. Beyond images, beyond that bounding rim of the Buddhist Wheel of Becoming. Mythology pitches the mind beyond that rim, to what can be known but not told.

it is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.

The Buddhists say there are 149 ways to God. I'm not looking for God, only for myself, and that is far more complicated. God has had a great deal written about Him; nothing has been written about me. God is bigger, like my mother, easier to find, even in the dark. I could be anywhere, and since I can't describe myself I can't ask for help.

May He who is the Brahman of the Hindus the Ahura-Mazda of the Zoroastrians the Buddha of the Buddhists the Jehovah of the Jews the Father in Heaven of the Christians give strength to you to carry out your noble idea.

Right now I'm following the Buddhist principle: Smile as abuse is hurled your way and this too shall pass.

When asked if I consider myself Buddhist the answer is Not really. But it's more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it in an intellectual and spiritual environment. I don't practice or preach it however.

I don't call myself a Buddhist. I'm a free spirit. I believe I'm here on earth to admire and enjoy it that's my religion.

Not just Christians and Jews but also Muslims Buddhists Hindus and the followers of many other religions believe in values like peace respect tolerance and dignity. These are values that bring people together and enable us to build responsible and solid communities.

I do know that some Buddhists are able to attain peace of mind.

I get up at sunrise. I'm a Buddhist so I chant in the morning. My wife and I sit and have coffee together but then it's list-making time. I have carpentry projects. We have roads we keep in repair. It's not back-breaking but it's certainly aerobic and mildly strenuous.

I'm in awe of the universe but I don't necessarily believe there's an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for the visual in religious rituals though even though they may be completely empty and bereft of substance. The incense is powerful and provocative whether Buddhist or Catholic.

I want to love all the children of God - Christian Jew Moslem Hindu Buddhist - everyone. I want to love gay Christians and straight Christians.

I don't really go down one path. I wouldn't call myself a Buddhist or a Catholic or a Christian or a Muslim or Jewish. I couldn't put myself into any organized faith.

I don't know what religious people do. I kind of wished I'd been a Christian with the blind faith that God is doing the right thing. As a Buddhist you feel like you have more control over the situation and that you can change your karma.

I like change. There's something Buddhist about it - continuous change is wonderful.