Religion

Man needs a religion not for the reason of giving him a dream for his next life or providing him with some dogmatic ideas to follow, in such a way that he surrenders his human intelligence and becomes a nuisance to his fellow beings. A religion should be a reliable and reasonable method for people to live 'here and now' as cultured, understanding beings, while setting a good example for others to follow. Many religions turn man's thoughts away from himself towards a supreme being, but Buddhism directs man's search for peace inwards to the potentialities that lie hidden within himself. 'Dhamma' (meaning, to hold on) is not something a person searches outside himself, because in the final analysis, man is Dhamma and Dhamma is man. Therefore, true religion, which is Dhamma, is not something outside us that we acquire, but the cultivation and realisation [sic] of wisdom, compassion and purity that we develop within ourselves.

---What Buddhist Believe, by K. Sri Dhammananda---