
Originally Posted by
Dharma Dave
Hi
I always remember the first Zen (Chan) retreat I went to, and the teacher said in the meditation hall that the statue of the Buddha is a symbol, and the hall was a laboratory of the mind. (Interestingly -oratory being a place of spiritual practice). Some people may or may not agree with that, but it certainly resonated with me. BTW the hall was very basic and very little in terms of elaboration.
Why do rituals? I think there's a lot answers to that question. There's always going to be potential attachment to rituals, but then so can any human activity. I'm not big on rituals myself but I can see value in them and do participate. I personal think that it can focus the mind, there's the sharing and bonding of the group (Sangha), relating and connection with the Dharma lineage that provides roots to the practice, communication/transmission beyond words, and probably many other things that I haven't thought about or considered. And bowing to the Buddha is pretty symbolic, not as Buddha being a superior being, but letting go of our false sense of self/ego, and as mentioned bowing to your own Buddha nature.