(The Buddha is not limited by religion. Neither is the way he taught. Religious identities divide humanity and fill the mind with dogmas and presuppositions. Whereas, the Buddha taught how to remove such clutters and walk a life of freedom and wisdom with simplicity of mind and compassion for all. Here are few lines that explore this topic.)

The Buddha has no religion.
In the pristine clarity of Bodhi,
Is the Buddha with his great compassion.
So too is the Way he showed.

The divisions of religion, caste and race
Enshroud the human intellect
Like an array of dense clouds.
Scrabbling around in that darkness,
Humans part their ways
Into many warring groups!
By building a dam on the river of compassion,
They bear an immense burden in their hearts!
Alas, How miserable!

Don’t be stuck with such divisions!
Let the heart touch all beings,
With the warmth of kindness and compassion.
Only then will the dark clouds dissipate.
Only then will the stainless Bodhi blaze.
That is the Way of Bodhi.
Religion has no role there.

The Buddha has no religion.
In the pristine clarity of Bodhi,
Is the Buddha, the Liberated Man.
So too is the Way he showed.

The tight clasp of religious dogmas,
The howling currents of disturbing emotions
And the wavering shadows of speculative ideas,
They distort and bind the mind!
The distressed mind whirls around,
Floundering in desires,
And engrossing in miseries,
Never seeing the power of the open mind!
Alas, How miserable!

Watch your own state of mind,
With openness, vigilance, and mindfulness.
Only thus can you loosen the knots of mind!
Only then can the expanse of Bodhi shine unhindered!
That is the Way of Bodhi.
Religion has no role there.

The Buddha has no religion.
In the pristine clarity of Bodhi,
Is the Buddha with his great wisdom.
So too is the Way he showed.

Religious dogmas are wasteful baggage,
That we piled up over eons
As we groped around
In the dark passages of mind.
It lacks the simplicity of direct knowing.
It lacks the freshness of direct seeing.
Alas, it fills to the brim
With hearsay and speculative ideas!

Let go of the religious clinging!
Only then can the light of Bodhi
Permeate the inner expanse.
Let go of the blinding notions!
Only then can intellect and direct knowing shine forth!
That is the Way of Bodhi.
Religion has no role there.

The Buddha has no ‘religion’.
In the pristine clarity of Bodhi,
Is the Buddha with his great simplicity.
So too is the Way he showed.

As the mind settles in its original simplicity,
In the great expanse of luminous knowing,
In the spontaneous bubbling up of compassion,
And in the gushing joy of boundless freedom,
In that state of groundless openness,
There spreads,
The stainless radiance of Bodhi, continually!
Its vibrancy extends effortlessly
As a healing touch to the beings in misery.
That is the Way of Bodhi.
Religion has no role there.

The Buddha is not a God.
Those awakened to the perfection of Bodhi
Are the Buddhas!
Bodhi is not a boon.
It blossoms through one’s own effort.
Buddhas are those who lit the Way of Bodhi.
The Buddha has no religion.

As our own confusion and frailness wither away,
May the vibrancy of the Bodhi
That blossoms in our inner space
Extend as a guiding lamp to all beings …!

-Prabodha