She acknowledged that rituals, parables, and symbolism in Buddhism—touching your throat, repeating syllables in a language you don’t understand, imagining a Buddha with a fiery sword—seem puzzling and possibly silly, but they share a purpose: to help us break free of lifelong patterns in our thinking that cause our suffering. They help us understand more about ourselves and the nature of existence. And they help us suffer less by revealing our purpose. They open our hearts and ultimately lead to enlightenment.
