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praying in Buddhism
woods93
Explorer
I have seen a few documentaries about Buddhism in Tibet, Nepal, and other places and some of the monks pray and talk about praying. What use is this? who or what are they praying to?
0
Comments
Sometimes Buddhists chant or "share merits" with their hands in "anjali" (palms touching each other) and sometimes they close their eyes as they do this. It is easy to see why it could be confused with a "prayer" that is practiced in a Monotheistic religion such as Christianity. Externally, it is very similar. Internally, however, the Monotheist is attempting to communicate with God while the Buddhist is chanting for the sake of recollecting the Teachings of the Buddha or perhaps they are attempting to "share merits" with other beings after doing something wholesome.
In my opinion, prayer has no place (or, at best, is unnecessary) in Buddhism and it is not something I practice. I don't believe that God can save us, I believe that we have to do the work ourselves.
Kind regards,
Guy
however, to be honest i have noticed that in the east in the popular conception The Buddha has taken the place of a god. i remember clearly once watching a nepalese boy look toward the sky and thank Buddha before eating. So, in fact some .. hmm .. uninformed people that consider themselves Buddhist _are_ praying in the sense that a Christian or other monotheist might.
there is a very subtle and frequently misunderstood principle - saddha; usually translated as faith that is necessary to engage in the practice. it refers to having enough confidence to sincerely practice dhamma without doubt interfering with the concentration.
there is also the case of some practices in vajrayana which were probably adopted either from the local shamanic traditions or from bhakti yoga (my opinion, no offense to practitioners intended). in these one imagines in detail a deity (usually assigned by the teacher) and attempts to embody that deity .. this is sometimes not clearly explained as a technique and is misunderstood and turned into worship. the more esoteric schools do little to change this perception under the rubric of expedient means.
there is also the case of the Amida Buddha belief in china - some of the chinese sects have adopted the position that there is a cosmic eternal buddha to which one surrenders for liberation - again, i know personally a nun from a chinese order that says specifically "we cannot do it ourselves"
the popular versions of buddhism have undergone the same sorts of distortions and misinterpretations as other traditions. people offer gifts to statues, think in terms of accumulating merit pray for healing and miracles and so on.
on the other hand, these are not all totally without benefit - and there are even suttas that describe this level of understanding. in fact, bhakti (or devotional) yoga can be a very powerful approach and has many of the same principles as dhamma. this corresponds to a level of wisdom which is beneficial but will not lead to awakening but rebirth (according to dhamma). and, generosity, even if not fully understood and done for a statue is also beneficial - it helps to dissolve the habit of selfishness and acquisitiveness. prayer and good intentions even in a monotheistic context will inform the habits of mind.
in more modern western contexts the prayer is usually understood as was described above - sort of like positive affirmation or self-motivating thought; mind training. in my opinion that is probably the most effective way to think about it for most people.
i hope that helps.
It could also be an opening to the mandala of awakening. My teacher has stated that the mandala of awakening is helping us from its own side including beings whos hearts have stirred with awakening and bodhicitta. By praying we may open our resolve to come in contact with such beings, make ourselves more available. Or make ourselves available to enlightening situations.
Second in extreme duress prayer can stabilize our mind so that it is not overwhelmed by fear and doubt. This can help us to have peace and relief. It can also help us to see the positive side and not be swayed to an exagerated negative view. It can help us to open to our loved ones as we are stabilized, and touched. As I said the metta naturally radiates to our companions also.
Finally prayer can help us to crystallize our wishes. Such that we know what is important to us. These can be on the verbal or subverbal level.
One the one hand, when we do prayers to a particular Buddha, for example Chenrezig, it seems like we regard the Buddha as a person who can see and hear us. We invite the Buddha to come, do prostrations, make elaborate physical and mental offerings, ask for blessings, etc.
On the other hand, a Buddha can represent a quality of the mind, like compassion, or a truth, like the emptiness of phenomena. The Buddha is regarded as a symbolic representation of abstract concepts. Prayer now would seem like a technique to recall important points of the Dharma and focus the mind.
However, although the latter view seems more modern, and perhaps to some, more intellectually sophisticated, I've never seen or read about a teacher who regarded the Buddha images in an impersonal, casual manner. Instead, great care and time is put into making offerings, beautifying the images, etc. In my own experience, Tibetan Buddhists show just as much reverence to a Buddha image as Christians show to a Jesus image. As puzzling as it may be, it seems like both views of the Buddha, personal and symbolic, are present in the prayers.
I agree. I think prayer is personal, and the intellectually sophisticated explanation seems best to me. Like when you pray to Chenrezig, you're inviting those qualities to come out within yourself. You may call upon the deity, but I believe for all intents and purposes, you are calling on yourself. Almost like an echo. You yell across the mountains at a deity if only to hear yourself.
When I was in Church and singing praises and such to God, I would feel energy sweep through my body. I don't think it was God reaching out to me but myself revitalizing and giving strength.
metta