Is Buddhism a religion?

To extent to which Buddhism is a religion depends on three main factors, namely what we define a religion as, how far Buddhism as a philosophy overpowers the belief that it is a religion and the the spiritual implications of Buddhism as a whole. If we take Paul Tillich's definition of religion as "providing the answer to the question to the meaning of our existence," then Buddhism fits in very well. The centre of Buddhism is the Dharma and through mediation, or tantric yoga for Tibetan Buddhists, one can get to grips with existence on a fundamental level. However, some secular Buddhists, such as Stephen Batchelor, would argue that Buddhism is not a religion at its core. He argued that the practical aspects of Buddhism are merely cultural add-ons and are a distraction from the real goal of Buddhism: the survival of the Dharma. By disregarding the cultural and practical aspects of Buddhism, one could regard it more as a philosophy than a religion. But even so, this cannot be said for Buddhism as a whole. Tibetan Buddhism in particular is highly ritualistic and so much be regarded as a religion. Therefore, although some forms of Buddhism resemble a philosophy more than a religion, the religious aspects of Buddhism outweigh the philosophical and so must be regarded as a religion.