Should Buddhism Be Made Secular?

Question: What do you think about making the Buddhist teachings non-religious to reach out for benefiting more?

Answer: It’s a good idea to adapt the Buddhist teachings for secular self-improvement to reach out to more to some extent, but from the perspective of authentic Buddhist teachers, it is also very important to eventually show the bigger picture and ultimate purpose of Buddhist teachings – as a path towards liberation, the perfecting of compassion and wisdom that culminates in Buddhahood, to make sense of the great matter of life and death for one and all.

The only way to preserve the pure teachings completely is to keep its main purpose in mind: http://thedailyenlightenment.com/2011/12/beyond-self-improvement-2 Sadly, there are many instances of over-secularisation of the precious Dharma, that dilutes its main intention beyond recognition, making it less than noble, more worldly than spiritual. The Buddha’s teachings are not merely for self-improvement; but for spiritual perfection that the Buddha attained. If by ‘religious’, we are referring to having faith in this possibility, non-religious Buddhism would not be true Buddhism.