Originally Posted by Lynn
... very ceremony oriented. I hated it at first...thought it was such a huge waste of time. But, then I came to truly love them. It can be off-putting if you are not of a devotional bent, but Rev. Master Jiyu said that generally people come to Buddhism through one of two ways: the intellectual (the study of sutras, history, the talks, the discussions) or the devotional (the zazen, the ceremonies, the chants.) However, since these are really only two ends of a single tunnel it doesn't matter which end you enter from because, as you deepen your practice, you will, eventually, travel deep enough to blend both aspects.
The key to the gateless gate is willingness.
In Gassho~
Lynn