Letting Go of Ritual

I recently experienced a very ritualistic Buddhist practice and found myself very resistant to it.  A ritual without wisdom becomes an empty distraction.  Wisdom is the destination and the foundation of ritual but the ritual in itself is not wisdom.  Attachment to the ritual will make it impossible to reach the wisdom behind it turning the ritual into a barrier rather than a bridge.  The exclusive desire to preserve a ritual may blind us to the wisdom behind it.  The need to maintain a perfect practice can create fear, exclusivity, afflictive emotions, and discrimination.  Any ritual  taught to serve self-interest and personal gain is a ritual void of spiritual wisdom.

 

The center also had a very narrow view of what spiritual practice meant excluding any person who did not follow their rules.  In my mind, there is no one way to wisdom.  Any practice that teaches love, compassion, and connection to the earth and all living beings is truth.  Anyone who is taking steps towards these conditions is a true practitioner despite the path they have chosen to get there.  There is no one way to truth and no one should be told that their way of practicing is less worthy than any other.  Attachment to views is very dangerous.  As soon as one feels that their way is the right way, they have failed to embrace equanimity.