Clifford Geertz – Religion as a “System of Symbols ...
https://jamesbishopblog.com/2020/02/08/clifford-geertz-religion-as-a...08.02.2020 · Symbols are typically public, observable, concrete embodiment of ideas, attitudes, judgments, longings, or beliefs. In Zen Buddhism, symbols would include the Lotus Sutra, a temple, a stone garden, etc. Such items and phenomena possess symbolic meaning in the form of ideas, attitudes, etc. beyond itself.