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Is Buddha watching over us? Can you pray to him?

BeachHouseGuyBeachHouseGuy
edited June 2011 in Buddhism Basics
?

Comments

  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Purists say no, but I know many Thai Buddhist who do.
  • YishaiYishai Veteran
    Debatable. Buddhism is a mixed bag.
  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    Nope :)
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    I don't know of any tradition in which that's the case. One can "call to the guru from afar" in TB, but that's about as close as it gets. Any comparison with the Judaeo-Christian omnipotent all-seeing God just doesn't apply in Buddhism.

    Maybe in Pure Land Buddhism, I guess. One can pray to Amitabha Buddha if one believes in some Pure Land tradition.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Maybe, but most serious Buddhists who believe so still say that liberation and enlightenment is up to us. The Buddha can only show us the way we have to do the work.
  • YishaiYishai Veteran
    I feel like this topic and the other you started are focused on the more mystical side of Buddhism. Almost like you are coming from a western religion point. (heaven, watch over us, etc.) it's good that you are exploring these issues though. I turned away from Buddhism once because of these realms, cosmos, prayer, reincarnation, etc. Then I found out that you can lay those aside and still practice.

    I made some sweeping assumptions here. You may just be curious. I only saw a little of my self in the topics when coming from a western religion.

    Just know that these mystical parts are not consistent across sects, and some people drop them altogether.

    All the best
  • zenffzenff Veteran
    There’s a practice called “sharing merits” which seems to have a similar function.
    Imagine your kid is undergoing life-threatening surgery.
    You don’t just want to sit there waiting and read a magazine; which probably is all you can do.

    Instead of praying to God to help the kid, Buddhists can symbolically pour water (or just say some formula) in order to donate the merits of their wholesome deeds in the past to the person in need of some good karma right now.
    “Sharing merits” can be performed for sick people, for a deceased loved one, ore for all living beings while we’re at it.


  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    He's not Jesus. And who cares if he's watching over us or not? Do we need watching over? We are responsible for ourselves and to ourselves, that's what Buddhism's about. Mindfulness is us watching ourselves.
  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    Of course you can pray to the Buddha. In a sense you'll be praying to your own true nature.

  • santhisouksanthisouk Veteran
    Look within

    metta
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Odd question from someone with adequate knowledge to be able to respond in this way, elsewhere.....
    girllikesam June 11
    That's not pure thinking, seems to be wrong view.

    http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/10908/thinking-in-terms-of-rebirth#Item_15
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited June 2011
    Yes, you can do what feels right to you. Its more like asking awareness to manifest in the right way. To bring to you inspiration and awareness. Which is my understanding of taking refuge of the buddha. Othersise why not a dualgem of dharma and sangha. As opposed to a triple gem?

    From the Jewel Ornament of Liberation (my paraphrase):

    The dharmakaya pervades all space. Its nature is emptiness. It respects no high and low towards beings. All beings have a relationship to this buddha nature based on five families of buddhas: incorrigible, hearer, solitary realizer, indeterminent, and mahayana.
  • zen_worldzen_world Veteran
    I do pray for Buddha because I feel good and protected. I don't pray for my worldly affairs but I ask for enlightenment...thats about it...
  • Tikal2012Tikal2012
    Who can say for certain? You'll have to experience full Nibbana for yourself to know something like that. ;)
  • jlljll Veteran
    You can but its no different from praying to any other gods.
    How do you know if anyone is listening?
    Buddha's line is busy under Denial of Service attacks.
  • taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
    one day the monk prayed to buddha and realized she was speaking to herself.
    she was always speaking to herself. there was only her mind and her awareness of such mind.

    *boom* her mind opened up and she continued to pray to herself.
  • ShutokuShutoku Veteran
    I don't know of any tradition in which that's the case. One can "call to the guru from afar" in TB, but that's about as close as it gets. Any comparison with the Judaeo-Christian omnipotent all-seeing God just doesn't apply in Buddhism.

    Maybe in Pure Land Buddhism, I guess. One can pray to Amitabha Buddha if one believes in some Pure Land tradition.
    In Jodo Shinshu we do not pray at all. We believe we are embraced by Amida, and we recite Namo Amida Butsu in gratitude for this, but we do not ask Amida to do us favours. Sort of the opposite.
    In Shinshu we accept we are ego based beings filled with blind passions, but we entrust ourselves To Amida because of this, knowing that in the Pure Land we will be free of these blind passions

    We as Buddhists in general should be trying to not be so attached to things, conditions and outcomes, because of course this attachment is the source of all the trouble. so to Pray for things, conditions or outcomes would be I think counter productive. More so If Buddha granted our wishes, because we would just get even more attached to these things.

    The whole petitionary prayer thing seems backwards to me anyway. If there is an omnipotent being like the judeo-Christian God, over seeing us, then it seems odd that we have to tell it what we want, and seems presumptuous to imagine it doesn't already know what is in our best interests. The only part of the Lord's prayer that makes sense to me is "Thy Will be Done", because beyond that it is the sinners directing the sinless, the imperfect directing the perfect.

  • dharmadharma
    edited June 2011
    I do pray for Buddha because I feel good and protected. I don't pray for my worldly affairs but I ask for enlightenment...thats about it...
    Me too, in my opinion, the Buddha and Buddha's dharma can definitely guide a person on the path to Awakening. I also feel protected. For example, I was taking a walk for exercise, a dog started chasing after me. So I prayed to the Buddha. Suddenly, the dog stop chasing after me but only bark a little bit. Another time I got lost driving in an unfamiliar residential area really late at night. I can't find my way out of the maze of houses with no shops to stop by and ask for direction. I prayed to the Buddha. Suddenly I saw a man walking his dog towards the direction of my car but I went past him. Then I saw someone riding on a bicycle down the street towards my direction. He pointed out the way to me. Many people would not believe, but it's fine. I guess in some situation if you don't have some bad kamma interfering, it's possible that others can intervene to help.

    I wouldn't pray to Buddha to help fulfill my worldly desires. I don't think that is appropriate. But when it comes to dhamma, the Buddha and dhamma are the best guide. Sincere effort is needed though. It is not at all the case where you just pray to the Buddha to grant you enlightenment and you don't need to walk the path .

    Metta,





  • BonsaiDougBonsaiDoug Simply, on the path. Veteran
    Is Buddha watching over us? I believe he is watching from within us.
  • chanrattchanratt Veteran
    No. Buddha means awake, or awakened 'one'. He is not a god and dead as a door nail. We 'are' Buddha and there is no outside force watching over us. We ourselves 'are' that outside force that we perceive as outside.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    I hope not. Jeez... all the stuff I do, he'd probably be pretty pissed at me :)
  • dharmadharma
    edited June 2011
    Ajahn Chah mentioned the Buddha guiding him in his practice when he didn't practice correctly.
  • dharmadharma
    I hope not. Jeez... all the stuff I do, he'd probably be pretty pissed at me :)
    lol....What did you do ?

  • mugzymugzy Veteran
    There are more diverse answers here than I expected! We all have our personal beliefs regarding spirituality. My view is similar to what @chanratt stated. I believe Shakyamuni Buddha was a great teacher who lives on through his teachings.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    "We as Buddhists in general should be trying to not be so attached to things, conditions and outcomes, because of course this attachment is the source of all the trouble. so to Pray for things, conditions or outcomes would be I think counter productive. More so If Buddha granted our wishes, because we would just get even more attached to these things."

    Very helpful.
  • Weird_ArtistWeird_Artist Explorer
    I often feel myself saying Thanks to Buddha, when something good comes from following the precepts, or when I feel capable of handling a situation I could not have handled a few months ago. I don't really feel like I am praying though, I feel like I am trying to share a bit of the good feeling I have with everybody responsible for it (pretty much everyone via everyone else).
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