Religion is an idea that there is a ''something'' to believe in. A ''something'' that is nothing more than an ARTIFICIAL imposition, imprinted upon what already IS PERFECT, TRUE and REAL...aka the pure blank screen of Awareness.
Beliefs appear to be rendering their own self made movie show made of light and sound and images upon the screen of awareness that are in effect just illusory appearances built of stories that are of a self bias nature constructed via the mind that created them.
Mind being just another belief. No belief, no movie.
Moving on from belief to clarity is a willingness to accept everything about oneself, the good, the bad and the ugly. And then just breaking free from this artificially constructed identification with the body-mind-persona that is the ego self.
But it's as though the two of you, the uncreated created one occur simultaneously. You can't see clearly so long as you would reject that which you might see. As soon as you come to a point of willing acceptance you see clearly.
Getting to this point of acceptance involves surrender. You can't decide to surrender, but you can get to this point by counter-balancing the intellectual side of self-inquiry with what the Hindus refer to as bhakti. A heartfelt, remembrance that a higher power, albeit unknown, is running this show opens one to the "grace of God." As Rumi says, "Whoever brought me here will have to take me home."
The one beating your heart and breathing your breath, is the only one doing you, and that the you you think you are does nothing, simply because you are effortlessly being done, you do not have to do a thing, or want a thing. You are all done, present and correct just as you are.
From belief to clarity.
.