Deep Spirits

I have recently read a very interesting story. It is about devotion.
There was a saint surrounded with devotees in his Ashram. The practice of meditation was four hours daily in the garden of Ashram. As these hours supposed to be silent , saints cat who was meowing around bothered their meditation. Being wise and practical, the saint decided to tied his cat to a pole outside the garden for the meditation hours. Over the time this has become a habit. Before starting the meditation the cat was tied to a pole. Over the years it became a part of a ritual. Nobody could meditate unless the cat was tied to a pole. So, when the cat died it caused a huge panic between devotees, how to meditate without this part of a ritual . In their minds the cat became an important part of the ritual.
Obviously, the message of the tale is not to become too obsessed with repetition of anything just for its own sake.
I think that we all have longing to find these answers why we are here, what we really are, where do we go afterwards, to who to pray and for what. How we do it and what we choose in order to find the path to our heart is a personal choice and as we are different in so many aspects these paths are different too. As long as we are honest to ourselves and not allowing to become blind devotees of anything in that search, I think it is OK. We do not need to become anything else but ourselves in order to find that path. True and honest seeker will feel when meeting the moment of bliss. When this happens, we should hug such moment and save it in our heart as a precious gem that will bridge us further to the core of ourselves. Somehow it seems that personal choices how to live, how to love, how to do whatever we are doing is in fact personal religion, personal path to transcend or not anything we consider as obstacles of this reality.

That's a lovely story.

Being a blind devotee is a pity and a shame for any human being. Even the greatest philosophy or approach can be ruined by blind followers.

Yes a lovely story Mirjana.
We love to complicate things dont we, deciding that something simple needs to be more complicated, making rules to be observed, conventions to be obeyed........when really its SIMPLICITY thats the essence of any good thing?

A moment when the mind goes into stillness is amazing, but it can happen without us realising it, and we dont remember to call it what it is. Yet we attend classes to help us find avenues that may help us to de-stress, we exercise to reach exhaustion for the same reason, make ritual our God forgetting that we are already.

d.

Very nice story indeed! In order to make sense a ritual must simbolize something