In so far as the teaching of the Buddha deals primarily with the training and disciplining of the mind in order to achieve mind’s liberation from the shackles of dukkha, it is a spiritualistic rather than a ritualistic teaching.
There is little that is ritualistic in the teaching of the Buddha. Although there are certain recommended procedures and guidelines given in the Vinaya for carrying out certain function of the Saṅgha, these are practical advices which are meant for the Saṅgha to use in a very real world of human beings, to address very real human problems and needs. They are not ritualistic procedure that must be rigidly adhered to, and the failure to do so does not entail a violation of some sacred ceremony or ritual purity that may incur the wrath of some unseen being.
But after the Buddha’s passing away his teaching gradually became institutionalized into a religion called Buddhism (Buddha – ism). And together with this came the accompanying rites and rituals that usually adorn religions. Simple teaching of the Buddha such as going for refuge and observing the precepts which was originally recommended as personal spiritual undertaking, forming part of the foundation of the training on the spiritual path leading to liberation from dukkha, was turned into religious rituals to be carried out by the assembled devotees in every religious ceremony and meeting. Other rituals includes the often elaborate ritual of offering of dāna, kaṭhina, the daily morning and evening pūja, Vesākha pūja, etc. Within the Saṅgha, many of the monastic functions too such as for example ordination, the fortnightly Uposatha meeting, the confession of monastic offences, etc. were turned into ritual-like ceremonies.
It would be alright if these rituals were carried out sparingly and with full understanding of their meaning and significance. They could then be taken as an opportunity for some wholesome reflection and recollection of certain aspect of the Dhamma, kind of like a meditation. But often they are not carried out in this way or in such a spirit. The nature of ritual is such that even though one may initially strive to understand its meaning and significance, when it is carried out frequently and over a prolong period of time the meaning and significance that one initially felt tend to lose their impact on the mind and the whole exercise tends to become mechanical and perfunctory. One would then simply go through the motion of the ritual without much thought or reflection.
We acknowledge though, that majority of the Buddhist devotees need such rituals in order to keep them grounded in the spiritual life. Majority of the devotees are simply not mature enough spiritually to take on the full training of the spiritual path in the absence of such rituals. Faith or saddha as taught by the Buddha is faith that is based on understanding and wisdom. At its height faith is based on understanding and wisdom born of spiritual practices especially that of insight meditation whereby the insight gained through the contemplation of the nature of one’s experience of mental and physical phenomena leads one to an acceptance of their impermanent, suffering, and non-self nature. It is this faith, also called the controlling-faculty of faith (saddh'indriya) and power of faith (saddha-bala), that leads to letting go of suffering and inclines the mind towards the unconditioned and thus liberation from suffering or dukkha.
But for one who has not yet have such spiritual experience such faith does not come easily. For such a person faith needs to be arouse through patiently listening to the Dhamma, studying, and learning the Dhamma. If a proper study of the Dhamma is carried out under the guidance of a learned teacher one would be able to understand properly, at least theoretically, the true nature of our life and experiences. One would then be able to appreciate the need to practice the Dhamma, especially insight meditation, in order to understand on a more personal and experiential level, the truth of suffering and its cause. Understanding born of such a study would arouse in one the initial faith that will propel one to take up the practice of the Dhamma in earnest.
But for some the zest for learning does not come naturally or it may not come at all. Learning and studying are for those who are intellectually orientated. There are, however, many who are not so inclined. There are those who are by nature emotional and “feeling orientated.” For them the intellectual study of the Dhamma does not appeal so much. They need something that appeals more to their emotion and feeling. And rituals when carried out properly can have this appeal. For rituals which are well thought out and properly carried out can serve as a powerful tool to draw out the meaning and significance of certain aspect of the Dhamma, and this can appeal to the emotion of these people. If, for example, the ritual of going for refuge is preceded by a brief explanation of its meaning and significance in a way that appeals more to the emotion and not too heavy on the intellect, and if the ritual is carried out not only in Pāḷi but also in the local language so that its meaning and significance is fully felt by the participants, they would be inspire even while going through the ritual to undertake the practice of the Dhamma in earnest. And the presence of a serene and peaceful image of the Buddha during such ritual as well as a congregation (Saṅgha) of monks who are earnestly practicing the Dhamma will serve to enhance this inspiration further. And if among these practicing monks there is a learned and experienced teacher who can expound the Dhamma to them in a suitable way the impact would be even greater. The faith and the Dhammacchanda (desire to realize the Dhamma) that is aroused through this inspiration can be a very powerful impetus that drives one through all the obstacles in the practice of the Dhamma all the way to the realization of Nibbāna.
So we do acknowledge that rituals do serve some purpose as an aid to the spiritual practice. But lest we forget, the teaching of the Buddha is ultimately spiritual in nature. The rituals are there only as an aid for those who need them in order to get on to the spiritual path that stands at the core of the Buddha’s teaching. And these rituals only serve their purpose in so far as they are able to inspire one to carry out the practice of the Dhamma in earnest. If they are merely carried out mechanically, without a proper reflection and understanding of their meaning and significance, or if they merely form part of a ceremony that will not be “complete” without them, then they are not at all helpful. Remember that the Buddha and many of his arahant disciples attained enlightenment without the help of these rituals.
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