But if the mind takes on the material nature it becomes deformed and deceptive, and our life becomes . . . . . To know our real nature we need discipline, we do not need religion. We need to discipline our mind to do what is right, to do what needs to be done. Religion is a 'lazy man's out'. Religion makes people lazy.
Religion makes people artificial.
That's not to say that irreligious people are real, on the contrary, they are just as phony. There is no need to convert to any religion. It is only in the mind that one thinks oneself to be a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, etc. It does not really change what is inside. To really change our mind, to bring it in alignment with our real nature, is mostly a process of renunciation, of expelling from the mind the misperceptions, the useless images and impressions, and the wrong attitudes and tendencies.