That's exactly my point! Buddhism has been so "morphed" into the local culture and custom that true meaning is "lost in translation". It is so ironic that this religion is walking the same line Buddha wanted to avoid. After seeing Brahmins in Hinduism becoming too powerful and acting as a go-between between God and the followers, Buddha came up with methods to avoid the "middlemen" and approach the God directly. But now buddhism itself has "maha Brahmins" in the form of Rimpoches and High Lamas.