Brāhmaṇavagga · The Brahmin · Gāthā 397
Yo ceva brāhmaṇoti vuccati, na ceva brāhmaṇo hoti; So ceva brāhmaṇoti vuccati, so eva brāhmaṇo hoti.
Yo ceva brāhmaṇoti vuccati, na ceiva brāhmaṇo hoti; so ceva brāhmaṇoti vuccati, so eva brāhmaṇo hoti.
Who is called Brahman, is not Brahman by that; who is called Brahman, is truly Brahman.
The name does not make the reality. Being called brahmin by birth, caste, or ceremony does not make one brāhmaṇa.
In the Dhammapada, the Buddha constantly redefines religious terms from experience, not from social tradition.