Do We Observe Religious Rituals With The Right Attitude?

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The problem is, people are contented with just following rituals. There is a certain security they enjoy in doing this. The science behind the rituals is no more known to people but the rituals are ego fulfilling to them. Rituals are complex and we always find it a challenge to keep pace with complex things.

People come to me with their problems and ask me for a solution. I tell them that I will take care and suggest to them to sit for a while under the banyan tree while they are in the ashram. The banyan tree in the ashram is an Energy field. But they are not happy with that answer. They ask me what rituals they should do to make things better.

If I tell them that they should go 108 times around the banyan tree in the ashram, they will be very happy doing it! You see, when you go 108 times around the banyan tree, it becomes ego-fulfilling for you. You then feel that you have worked hard and that you will get the benefit out of it. This is how we have trained our minds with respect to religion.

Even in religion and rituals, I have seen – people compete with each other! If your neighbour has done a particular offering in a particular temple, next you go and do the same offering in that temple. What is the focus on? The deity or the neighbour?! You have missed the whole thing by doing these things!

People feel proud in saying that they have visited so many important holy shrines all over the world. They list out the groups of temples that they have visited. Immediately, the people who listen to these stories make an effort in surpassing these achievements.

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