The Buddha teaches an attitude, not an affiliation

Occasionally, I am asked, "Am I a Buddhist"? My reply is usually, "No, I am not a Buddhist, but I am informed by the Buddha's teachings." To me, this is not a question of semantics, since one of the popular misconceptions concerning the Buddha's teachings is that to understand and practice his teachings, one has to adopt the Buddhist religion. That is, one has to follow the beliefs, dogmas, traditional observances and rituals that belong identifiably to the religion of Buddhism as opposed to those followed by Christians, Moslems, or Hindus (see Batchelor, 1997; Rahula, 1987). One reason for this misconception is that most people understand the form of Buddhism better than its substance. I believe that the Buddha teaches an attitude rather than an affiliation, and that this state of mind can be acquired by any individual irrespective of his or her race, culture or religious orientation.