> Buddhism as a lived experience is a set of guidelines and practices that direct a way of living.

Pretty much all sincerely religious people would describe their religion in these terms, including christians.

Buddhism and hinduism are certainly religions as well, especially when you look at the culturally embedded practice of them in asian cultures. "Only able to respect religions that they can consider not really religions" is a whole type of guy you find a lot on the internet. But globally it's a very fringe extreme minority kind of religious experience.

You can just value and respect religious experience, even though or, radically for this venue, perhaps because they are religion.