When entering a Buddhist center, 

we need to leave more than our shoes at the door. 

Upon first entering the cultivation hall in a Buddhist center, most of us look around with a mixture of curiosity and respect, and try to follow what everyone else is doing. Hopefully, after attending for some time, we settle in and contentedly follow the established rules and procedures, focusing on our practice, not the established form.

But other people may find that, instead of according with the proceedings, they begin wondering why things are done in a certain way. Another center does things differently. Why can’t things here be done like that?

With such thinking, we will have entered the hall with excess baggage—our attachments. A vital part of self-cultivation is letting go of personal preferences and remembering that when things work, just not the way you’d like them to, is fine.

So when leaving your shoes at the door, remember to also leave your attachments.