LOSING ONE’S PRACTICE IN THE RITUALS

Few months back the daughter of my close friend from a minority community said in exasperation “I’m feeling a sense of religious suffocation”. I found the term particularly hard hitting more so as it described her state of mind. When asked to elaborate she said it was the continuous rituals that her religious and ritualistic family coerced her to do all the time, all through the day, year after year that was choking instead of liberating her. That which was making her rebel her faith rather than embracing it more deeply and willingly. I know the parents of this girl to be otherwise quite liberal minded but it is pressure that is put upon them by the community that compels them to follow the others simply so that they can be seen to ‘belong’ to the community and its followers. Failure to comply would mean ostracization and all the sad trappings that come with it; no friends, no groom for the daughter, no community assistance, no interactions, no nothing. Reduced to a social pariah. 

It is true that rituals, including those of study, recitation, chanting, puja and other forms, comprise an integral part of almost every faith. The Hindu religion in particular has very elaborate rituals. If there is one thing to be taken from this faith it could easily be the ritualistic processes and practices. However, it cannot be emphasized more that - unlike conventional subjects and streams of study - in the spiritual path without real time practice i.e. putting our study into practice simultaneously in daily life and living and live situations, rituals don’t help us much in our spiritual development. Infact, Buddhists are convinced beyond any doubt that without practice even study becomes an obscuration on the path. We cannot afford to lose our practice in the rituals. Although this may sound common place, we only have to look around us to see how many have fallen prey to it! Our political class leads by example for such an oddity. 

So then, are rituals really required? Indeed yes, but only up to a certain point and not beyond. All three vehicles in Buddhism have elaborate rituals mentioned in the Sutras and Tantras. They help us in two ways: to understand the subject better and to help us focus our mind on the visualization. However, just as the vehicle is of no use to us once we arrive at our destination, similarly once our practice is stabilized, we no longer need the rituals. It is during our entire lifetime and most importantly at the moment of our passing away that all our practices are put to a test. At that time and moment it is highly unlikely that we may have the luxury to pore over books and notes and conduct elaborate rituals. We have no other tool at our disposal other than our mind to turn to, to see us through. Exhorts Indian Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna (2^nd CE): “Turn your attention to your mind, O Śrāvaka”!