What is the significance of all the rituals in Tibetan Buddhism?

such as making offerings and prostrating. I know this is a very Western view...but when I think of the rituals done in Tibetan Buddhism, I think of them worshipping the Buddha when I know that is not the purpose of it.|||Numa is mixed up. There are two "vehicles" of Buddhism, or two main approaches:


(1) Hinayana, which is the Theravadan tradition, and


(2) Mahayana, which includes other traditions, of which Tibetan and Zen are most well-known to Westerners.


The difference between the two is that those practicing the Mahayana traditions promise to continue to come back after they have obtained enlightenment, for the purpose of helping all other sentient beings to achieve enlightenment.





Yes, to Westerners, it does look as if Tibetan Buddhists are worshipping when they do offerings and prostrations. It is not taught to be a worship (see my source below), but there is ever the desire in many hearts to worship, and I am sure that some do worship when they perform these rituals. The teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, however, say this:


- There is not power outside of ourselves which can bring us to enlightenment. We must do it ourselves. For this reason, the question of whether or not God exists, and matters of worship, are not relevant to Buddhism.


- Offerings are made to learn generosity of heart, and to pay respect to all the Buddhas. Yes, "all the Buddhas" ... Buddha is not a person ... Buddha is an enlightened state. There have been many Buddhas, and you and I are at essence Buddhas, but do not yet know it because we are not awakened. So when we pay respect to all the Buddhas, we are paying respect to the state of being awakened, and we are simultaneously paying respect to ourselves as well. Prostrations are undertaken in the same attitude.





A Masters in Education explained it to me another way. Buddhism is essentially a re-training of one's mind and attitudes, and as such is basically a form of learning. There are 3 styles of learning: (1) auditory (what you hear), (2) visual (what you see), and (3) kinetic (learning through physical action/doing). Buddhism uses all three of these learning styles. Chanting and bells are auditory. Visualization and all the pictures are visual. And prostrations and mudras (hand gestures) are kinetic. Therefore, learning is maximized through the use of all three styles of learning ... these ancients were pretty smart.|||Very few people truly listen to what the Buddha said, and I think in Tibet one can see that in full force. Cultural biases have totally polluted the path. That said, the current Dalai Lama has a very enlightened nature despite the terrible behavior of his predecessors. Enlightenment can be found in virtually any tradition. The key is a rebellious mind, and that was something the Buddha possessed, Jesus possessed, Gandhi possessed, and something you can possess. The Buddha taught the questioning of everything, including him. The Buddha begged for his meals right next to his followers. The "Buddhism" found in a lot of the world is not the teachings as the Buddha taught them.|||They are worshipping the Buddha. That's what differentiates Hirayana Buddhism from Mahayana Buddhism (Big Carriage vs Small Crriage) Tibetan buddhism is hirayana and is more centric than the other forms of buddhism, mahayana, such as Tao, Seo, and Nichiren.


In "small carriage" buddhism, people do not worship the Buddha, but rather themselves based on the phylosophy that "there is a buddha in all of us"


The rituals are to buld good karma to reach Nirvana.|||I always found the offerings and prostrations to be a way of releasing my ego, thereby creating an empty vessel for the teachings to fill. I do not know if this is the intended purpose but this is how I view it.|||All religions have rituals as a way to show ...