--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although it is nonreligious and…" description: "\"“Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s difficult to present Buddhism without sounding theoretical and religious. As”\" — Dzongsar Jamyang Kh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg" --- # Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s… ![“Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s difficult to present Buddhism without sounding theoretical and religious. As” quote by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg) > ““Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s difficult to present Buddhism without sounding theoretical and religious. As”” [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Buddhism’s non‑theistic nature is hard to convey without sounding religious, creating a communication challenge. **In simple terms:** Explaining Buddhism without spiritual language is difficult. Key Takeaway Seek clear, secular language when sharing Buddhist ideas. Themes religion communication misunderstanding secularism Mood thoughtful educational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - educational talks - interfaith dialogues - media interviews Key Concepts theory presentation Questions to Reflect On - How can you describe non‑theistic philosophies to a religious audience? - What analogies help clarify abstract concepts? A Different Perspective Null;audiences may still perceive religious bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhism Sounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism-sounding-4771744/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Nontheistic Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nontheistic-difficult-4771743/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Theoretical Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical-religious-4771745/) ## Related quotes > [Whether or not enlightenment is a plausible goal for us is a vital question for our lives. If it is possible for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/whether-or-not-enlightenment-is-a-plausible-goal-for-us-is-a-vital/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [There is no way to explain enlightenment. It is just a word to indicate something beyond, something very, very far beyond the normal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-way-to-explain-enlightenment-it-is-just-a-word-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The holy grail is right here in this gem of a book. Tosha Silver’s wisdom goes down as easy as a mint milkshake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-holy-grail-is-right-here-in-this-gem-of-a-book-tosha-silver-s/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [I don't want to convert people to Buddhism — all major religions, when understood properly, have the same potential for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-don-t-want-to-convert-people-to-buddhism-all-major-religions-when/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Meditation is the quickest path to enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/meditation-is-the-quickest-path-to-enlightenment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause & effect is nonsense. Buddhas don't practice nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bodhidharma/unless-you-see-your-nature-all-this-talk-about-cause-effect-is/) [Bodhidharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bodhidharma/) > [Don't worry. These poses have nothing to do with meditation or enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharma-mittra/don-t-worry-these-poses-have-nothing-to-do-with-meditation-or/) [Dharma Mittra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharma-mittra/) > [I think enlightenment is something that you decide to do after you have met someone who is enlightened. Something touches your heart, your being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-enlightenment-is-something-that-you-decide-to-do-after-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-need-enlightenment-not-just-individually-but-collectively-to-save/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/) [Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/) > [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/) [Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) ## More by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse > [“If it were not for certain people's greed for wealth, the highways would be filled with cars powered by the sun, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/if-it-were-not-for-certain-people-s-greed-for-wealth-the-highways/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“If there is no blind hope, there is also no disappointment. If one knows that everything is impermanent, one does not grasp, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/if-there-is-no-blind-hope-there-is-also-no-disappointment-if-one/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“Fearlessness is generated when you can appreciate uncertainty, when you have faith in the impossibility of these interconnected components remaining static and permanent. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/fearlessness-is-generated-when-you-can-appreciate-uncertainty-when/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“We are like monkeys who dwell in the forest and shit on the very branches from which we hang.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/we-are-like-monkeys-who-dwell-in-the-forest-and-shit-on-the-very/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [ “\[from the Acknowledgments page\] ...and while comments are very welcome, I would suggest it is a waste of your precious time.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/from-the-acknowledgments-page-and-while-comments-are-very-welcome-i/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“One is a Buddhist if he or she accepts the following four truths: All compounded things are impermanent. All emotions are pain. All things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/one-is-a-buddhist-if-he-or-she-accepts-the-following-four-truths-all/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“Most of the time we are trying to make the good things last, or we are thinking about replacing them with something even better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/most-of-the-time-we-are-trying-to-make-the-good-things-last-or-we-are/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“We usually appreciate only half the cycle of impermanence. We can accept birth but not death, gain but not loss, or the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/we-usually-appreciate-only-half-the-cycle-of-impermanence-we-can/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“Siddhartha’s priority was to get down to the root of the problem. Buddhism is not culturally bound. Its benefits are not limited to any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/siddhartha-s-priority-was-to-get-down-to-the-root-of-the-problem/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“However, the path itself must eventually be abandoned, just as you abandon a boat when you reach the other shore. You must disembark once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/however-the-path-itself-must-eventually-be-abandoned-just-as-you/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) > [“Millions of people in this world are interested in some version of meditation, or yoga, or one of the many so-called spiritual activities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/millions-of-people-in-this-world-are-interested-in-some-version-of/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) [Explore all 12 Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/) ## More Buddhism quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/) [Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/) > [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/) [Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s difficult to present Buddhism without sounding theoretical and religious. As”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheistic-it-s-difficult-to-present/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buddhism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheistic-it-s-difficult-to-present/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/016/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-3807_buddhism_although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheis_580304.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic, it’s difficult to present Buddhism without sounding theoretical…” — Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Although it is nonreligious and nontheistic,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheistic-it-s-difficult-to-present/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse/although-it-is-nonreligious-and-nontheistic-it-s-difficult-to-present/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```