There is a danger in most faith traditions of becoming fixated on the person who delivered the message and not the meaning of the message.
Many Buddhists succumb to this same problem. Rather than embrace the meaning of the Buddha's teachings we become sidetracked with mantras, how to sit and meditate, the proper way to bow, formal rituals, holy days and dozens of other practical matters.
On the path to enlightenment, there comes a moment when you move beyond the historical and practical to the connection of love and service to others. The Zen poet Daito (1282-1334) captured this when he wrote: "It's over, the 'buddhas and patriarchs' disease that once gripped my chest. Now I'm just an ordinary man. With a clean slate." With this clean slate of understanding you can truly serve others and ease their suffering.
I don't make New Year's resolutions until I consider the past year and how I responded to life's issues. Was I bitter? Angry? Resentful? Ego-filled? If so, I try to mentally relive the experience to see what unresolved issues these hot-buttons activated. Once I begin to see what issues caused me to suffer I can then be alert for them in the future and work on reducing my reactions that led to my own suffering. I can then honestly relate to the Buddhist prayer: "May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering."
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