Is there such thing as a frivolous ritual?

[Gaura Priya]

Is there such a thing as a frivolous or pointless ritual?

I was reading another day about this Unitarian Universalist Hindu minister, Manish, who partly joined Unitarian Universalism because he felt his tradition focused too much on ritual and not enough about ethical living and action.

I reflect on this as someone who was strongly influenced by Hinduism and her teachings before leaving the association of Hinduism now.

I think of the idea of puja (ceremonial worship of sacred statues or images), when done in the home. But I can also see where such worship can be taken to be too extravagant, rich, where priests even charge money to have such ceremonies performed in large temples, whereas the point of puja is to offer natural elements as a thanksgiving and share them with the worshippers, and as a short program to express one's affection for the Divine.

But such rituals are also unnecessary when it comes to trying to transform society.

What do y'all think?

 

[bicker]

Ritual has value, but like anything else people can get lost in ritual and thereby the value is lost.

 

[lilithu]

Like most things, you get out of it what you put into it. Ritual can become empty, rote. But it can also remind us of what is most important. Personally I lament that there is so little ritual within UU. But I agree with Manish that the Dharmic religions (including Buddhism with which I am more familiar) tend to lack a focus on social justice.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I think that with any religion, the more rituals one seems to have, the more adhrrence one gets. That may just be a narrow view, but it seems like a general consequence to me.

Lighting the Chalice is the only central part of Unitarian Universalism that I see so far in terms of a religious ritual, from it being a very symbol, to physically lighting the flame with intentions of imbibing words of inspiration.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

Life as a whole needs to be ritualized until every act is itself a ritual imbued with divine significance and purpose. This is needed for social transformation.

Work, industry, need to be ritualized.

 

[Gaura Priya]

Life as a whole needs to be ritualized until every act is itself a ritual imbued with divine significance and purpose. This is needed for social transformation.

Work, industry, need to be ritualized.

I think that is true. I think it's important to consider yoga (linking one's self to Spiritual Presence) as action to be the beginning and end of Hindu practice. I often think that we do not imbue our own actions of kindness, charity, and love towards others as our puja (worship), sadhana (spiritual practice) and our arati (worship ceremony).

Instead of offering water, perhaps the waters of social justice. Instead of the lamps offered with clarified butter, may I offer lamps of knowledge and personal truth. Instead of the fan, shall I not cool others with the breezes of community, and instead of the yak-tail whisk, whisk away the idols of superstition and hate? Instead of waving fragrant incense before the Deities, waft the aromas of ethical living and virtuousness.

Perhaps as long as the ritual will eventually inspire one to be mindful of righteous action in society, it remains a proper offering to the Spirit of World Community.

 

[lilithu]

Life as a whole needs to be ritualized until every act is itself a ritual imbued with divine significance and purpose. This is needed for social transformation.

Work, industry, need to be ritualized.

Agreed.

I think that with any religion, the more rituals one seems to have, the more adhrrence one gets. That may just be a narrow view, but it seems like a general consequence to me.

Lighting the Chalice is the only central part of Unitarian Universalism that I see so far in terms of a religious ritual, from it being a very symbol, to physically lighting the flame with intentions of imbibing words of inspiration.

We have more than just the chalice lighting, tho I agree that's the most common. We have the baby blessing and the water communion and the flower communion. In my congregation every week we sing 'Spirit of Life.' That too is a ritual. Oh yeah, and the candles of joys and concerns.

 

[applewuud]

Rituals can be, should be, fun and life-giving. Rituals can empower people, keep them energized for work in the real world. When they become an end in themselves, that's when they get a bad reputation.

I can't imagine being locked into one ceremony--say the Mass or the Book of Common Prayer--for each and every service. Those are both wonderful things, but every week makes it less special to me. But, sometimes UU attempts at incorporating other religions into our worship are not very deep, and the execution of a service is sloppy. Constantly changing elements is fine, as long as those elements are rehearsed and done well and thought through...otherwise, we become "frivolous" (or even offensive, as when some congregations incorporate elements from other religions they don't understand).

But in your own private practice, as long as it's meaningful to you and not just "magic words", that couldn't be frivolous.

Are you talking about Rev. Manish Mishra? A great guy. He's at Cherry Hill, NJ: http://uucch.org/our-minister

 

[Maija]

People were asked to bring a flower of their choice, either from their own gardens. or from the
field or roadside. When they arrived at church a large vase stood waiting in the vestibule,
attended by two young members of the Church School. Each person was asked to place their
own flower in the vase. This signified that it was by their own free will they joined with the
others. The vase that contained all the flowers was a symbol of the united church fellowship.
The young attendants helped with the arrangement of the bouquet. Later they carried the vase
up to the front of the auditorium and placed it on a table there. Dr. Capek then said a prayer,
after which he walked over and consecrated the flowers while the congregation stood. The
two attendants then took the vase back out into the vestibule.
After the service, as people left the church, they went to the vase and each took a flower from
the vase other than the one that they had brought. The significance of the flower communion
is that as no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to
make. Together the different flowers form a beautiful bouquet. Our common bouquet would
not be the same without the unique addition of each individual flower, and thus it is with our
church community, it would not be the same without each and every one of us. Thus this
service is a statement of our community.

Sounds beautiful I had to look it up

I'd love to partake in that.. Don't know if there's any UUs near by though

 

[Gaura Priya]

Rituals can be, should be, fun and life-giving. Rituals can empower people, keep them energized for work in the real world. When they become an end in themselves, that's when they get a bad reputation.

I can't imagine being locked into one ceremony--say the Mass or the Book of Common Prayer--for each and every service. Those are both wonderful things, but every week makes it less special to me. But, sometimes UU attempts at incorporating other religions into our worship are not very deep, and the execution of a service is sloppy. Constantly changing elements is fine, as long as those elements are rehearsed and done well and thought through...otherwise, we become "frivolous" (or even offensive, as when some congregations incorporate elements from other religions they don't understand).

But in your own private practice, as long as it's meaningful to you and not just "magic words", that couldn't be frivolous.

Are you talking about Rev. Manish Mishra? A great guy. He's at Cherry Hill, NJ: Senior Minister | Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill

Yeah, I wish I could listen to more lectures that speak of UUism from a Hindu perspective, since I can relate alot to such experiences. It is difficult personally for me to take apart what influenced me for several years.

Thanks for your reflections! I often wonder about the inclusion of other religious rituals into UU services, since the one I attend presently doesn't really do that, lol.

 

[applewuud]

I once was involved with the Youth group at our church. We went on an overnight retreat and did a ritual called the "pizza communion" from a UUA youth book. It involves telling a story and feeding each other pizza; with this group in that situation, it worked and was a spiritual experience for us. We tried it again next year with a larger group, but it became frivolous (and lots of pizza on the floor). It's all about attitude.

Some UU congregations sponsor Jewish Seders at Passover; my experience has been that they work very well, mostly because there is a strong liberal tradition within Judaism and you can get a Haggadah (ceremony book) that reflects those values (for example, Passover Haggadah Supplement 2011 | Tikkun Magazine).

Some pagan rituals have not worked as well because the people giving them didn't really have a background in them; the deeper meanings of the symbols weren't explained, it just seemed like a bunch of people banging on drums and celebrating superstition. :sorry1:

 

[EverChanging]

But such rituals are also unnecessary when it comes to trying to transform society.

I suppose it depends on the person. Some people are involved with social justice who are not religious and not inclined to religious ritual, but for others, ritual ignites something in the soul that leads to what the Bible would call "good fruit." Ritual is not an end in itself, but sustains and points to something beyond the words and form.

I disagree that set and frequent rituals become meaningless, though I have often seen this idea expressed in Unitarian Universalism as well as some forms of Protestantism (excluding highly liturgical Protestantism such as Lutheranism).

I have created various rituals with much depth and meaning for me. Some of them I perform daily or almost daily. Rather than becoming meaningless with repetition, they grow in significance. They become a part of my blood and bones, a part of who I am. The longer I keep up my practice, the more meaning and inner truth I find in them. I take this energy and at least try to incorporate it into the more mundane aspects of my life: that is, after all, the point of any meaningful ritual. It is meant to change us.

Sure, there are times I don't feel like keeping up my discipline. I have dry spells. But this is normal with any practice, especially meditation and prayer. I persist anyway, and the dry season passes, and when it does, I feel all the more refreshed and energized. Ritual does not always have to be fun or exciting, although it often can be and is for me. That's just a part of spiritual discipline. Always has been.

I often wonder if those who reject regular ritual and other forms of spiritual discipline as meaningless with repetition have ever persisted in such disciplines for a long period of time or if they are missing the point altogether. Change usually comes slowly. It is a gradual affair. Sustained ritual, meditation, and prayer over a long period of time aid in this gradual change. It may not always be exciting, but as I said, that's not the main point of it. Spirituality is hard work, and for most of us, the benefits don't occur overnight.

 

[BirdseyeSwordfish]

It seems to me, that things are what you make of them. To proceed with reverence and understanding, and to have your mind focused on the ritual at hand will give it significance. But even a sacred ritual can lose its meaning if you are just doing the motions without realizing what's behind them.

 

[EverChanging]

It seems to me, that things are what you make of them. To proceed with reverence and understanding, and to have your mind focused on the ritual at hand will give it significance. But even a sacred ritual can lose its meaning if you are just doing the motions without realizing what's behind them.

Agreed completely.

 

[ratikala]

namaste maija :namaste

Sounds beautiful I had to look it up

just what I thought when I read reference to it in this thread ,you looked it up for me

Quote:
People were asked to bring a flower of their choice, either from their own gardens. or from the
field or roadside. When they arrived at church a large vase stood waiting in the vestibule,
attended by two young members of the Church School. Each person was asked to place their
own flower in the vase. This signified that it was by their own free will they joined with the
others. The vase that contained all the flowers was a symbol of the united church fellowship.
The young attendants helped with the arrangement of the bouquet. Later they carried the vase
up to the front of the auditorium and placed it on a table there. Dr. Capek then said a prayer,
after which he walked over and consecrated the flowers while the congregation stood. The
two attendants then took the vase back out into the vestibule.
After the service, as people left the church, they went to the vase and each took a flower from
the vase other than the one that they had brought. The significance of the flower communion
is that as no two flowers are alike, so no two people are alike, yet each has a contribution to
make. Together the different flowers form a beautiful bouquet. Our common bouquet would
not be the same without the unique addition of each individual flower, and thus it is with our
church community, it would not be the same without each and every one of us. Thus this
service is a statement of our community.

thanks for posting it :namaste

I'd love to partake in that.. Don't know if there's any UUs near by though

I doubt that there are any here either , I would love to suggest the idea to any congregation what ever denomination it would surely bring some reflection of value to anyone and every one

it reminds me a little of the days when everyone is allowed to cook some thing to offer , then after all the dishes are combined and offered to the lord they will be distributed and shared amongst all of the congregation .

 

[SageTree]

Yes, The one that your heart and intention aren't in.
What is to then be the fuel for transformation?

 

[Little Darwin]

I probably place too little value on rituals in my personal life, but I appreciate them as part of a group... I am very introverted, and joining a group in ritual makes me feel less isolated, more a part of the whole, in addition to reflecting on my spiritual essence.

And even though those rituals need to be guarded against becoming no more than rote repetition, I do find myself slightly disjointed when the congregation I attend changes a part of the normal order of service.

We have no settled pastor, so we have members and invited guests of various backgrounds leading services each week. There are some weeks when the usual rituals are set aside, or take a back seat to a different order of service, and those can be spiritually invigorating as well.

I think the only ritual I couldn't see eliminating is the regular gathering of the congregation... everything else is open to change over time, with other rituals being modified as the congregations needs change over time. The human element needs to be prominent in the life of a church.