Rituals are very important for humans. Always have been, since before we knew how to write them down. They punctuate the year, they anchor cultures, they provide context within a lifetime to measure change, and the seasonal progression defines the agricultural cycle.

It’s interesting that Buddhism is also on a spectrum, like you say, where the Tibetan versions lean way into their original shamanic roots, and it goes from there down to the nearly secular Western versions. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel write a cool book about the shamanic origins of Soto Zen, and it really all tracks. It’s order overlayed on the ad hoc nature of animism. There’s a gap where intent and, to some degree, ego powers magic, but with Buddhism, it’s like a negative space where you kind of are affecting the world around you, but you’re not invested in outcomes.