Mindless Followers

Came across the below article - which I totally agree.

Try not to follow blindly or for the sake of doing it or just becos everyone's doing it or becos of peer pressure


Anything you repeat mindlessly is a pointless rite and ritual. - Stonepeace


Once upon a time, whenever the monks in a monastery were about to begin their evening meditation sessions, a stray cat would prance around and create quite a din, making it difficult to meditate.

With no workable solution then, the master asked the cat to be tied to a pole some distance away. Years later, after the master passed away, the same cat was still regularly tied, even though he had stopped making a nuisance of himself. Even more years later, when that cat died, another cat was brought in - to be tied up during meditation.

Absurdly, the master's disciples began writing lengthy scholarly pieces on the significance of the cat ritual! This is probably a good theory of how something done for a good reason can eventually degenerate into pointless superstition when its rationale is forgotten. Worse still, 'rationale' that is not the original might be wrongly imagined.

It's not suprising to come across many following customs without knowing their real intentions. This becomes ritualised display of blind ignorance - that might repeatedly create negative karma - e.g. by animal abuse!

Many religious rituals started simple - to serve practical functions, but became lavish in form over time, which distracts the followers from their true meaning. Some routines might not even be spiritual in nature!

As such, truly responsible disciples should question traditions instead of just adhering to them 'responsibly' - or there would be no wisdom gained.

Attachment to rites and rituals happens to be one of the first fetters to break on the path to enlightenment. Rituals are but means to a greater goal. Don't just stick to them and stay stuck!