What is your experience with prayer as a Buddhist ?

PremaSagar

How would you personally define prayer ?
Do you pray to any of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas ?
And how has prayer helped you cope and advance as a human-being ?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Long-Life prayer for H.H the 16'th Dalai Lama:
"In the snowy mountain paradise, you’re the source of good and happiness. Powerful Tenzin Gyatso, Chenrezig, May you stay until samsara ends."

Read more: How to Practice Tibetan Buddhist Prayer | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4425409_practice-tibetan-buddhist-prayer.html#ixzz1qqrEODxQ

Lady_Alison

Speaking of prayer ....I'm due for another one! Thank you...brb

Dakini

Thanks for the link, @PremaSagar. I've always wondered how prayer works in Buddhism. So Mahayanists pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. That answers the "Who do they pray to" question.

PremaSagar

Thanks for the link, @PremaSagar. I've always wondered how prayer works in Buddhism. So Mahayanists pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. That answers the "Who do they pray to" question.

You're welcome

Lady_Alison

Are Bodhisattvas angels?

Dakini

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

PremaSagar

Are Bodhisattvas angels?

Bodhisattvas are sentient-beings who through rigorous practice became enlightened for the sake of the liberation of everyone. Good examples of these beings would be: Chenrezig, Manjushri, and Medicine Buddha. And as @Dakini mentioned they postpone their Nirvana and stay in samsara in order to bring liberation to those in need.

Are they angels ?
While I'm not sure if they're some sort of celestial beings floating around in the cosmos somewhere I do believe that they do motivate others through their examples. In these examples they carry messages for those who strive to emulate and follow them and in this sense they are angels (Angel being taken from the Greek word "Angelos" meaning "Messenger").
But this is just what I know

Lady_Alison

Are Bodhisattva immortal? I thought Bodhisattva was a chosen path that anyone could imbark on. Also that some Bodhisattva are normal people who may not know they are like "mother Teresa "...am I wrong?

Dakini

(Angel being taken from the Greek word "Angelos" meaning "Messenger").

Thank you for this piece of linguistic trivia. I collect linguistic trivia.

Bodhisattvas aren't just the ones with fancy names. They could be anyone around us. The teacher who spends extra time with his students, the comforting nurse in the hospital, anyone you see around you who dedicates their life to serving others. Like the 16th Karmapa once said, "They're all over the place! But they're not going to look like me."

edit: good questions, Alison. Start a thread, we can answer there, it's a good topic.

vinlyn

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

I assume you have had personal contact with them?

Lady_Alison

Do Bodhisattvas know what they are?

federica

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

@Dakini, I think there's a typo here somewhere... care to modify...?

federica

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

I assume you have had personal contact with them?

Why would you assume personal contact @vinlyn, based on a description available to or from anyone? :skeptic:
It's a definition, not a testimonial.

Sabre

In Therevadan Buddhism there is no bodhissattva concept similar to that of some Mahayana traditions, however the wishes to cultivate effort to stay on and develop the path may be seen as a kind of prayer. Those are not towards a divine being, but towards oneself or towards others. I do this sometimes and it gives an energy to cultivate the path. Especially when you can't generate the energy to do it for yourself, it can be fruitful to dedicate your practice to all other beings; you can also see this as a sort of prayer.

Sometimes it is more easy to practice for the wellbeing of others than that of yourself. This kind of devotion of the practice is very similar -if not totally equal- to the boddhisattva idea.

Here you'll find a very detailed description of the why and how of this kind of prayer:
http://www.amaravati.org/downloads/pdf/Aj_Munindo_Unexpected_Freedom.pdf
Page 127

federica

Well If i were to categorise myself into any 'jacket' I would say i follow Theravada, but all i know is that some years ago, I spent at least 4 hours in one night reciting the Tara mantra - and the next day i saw a positive change in the situation which had hitherto caused me so much worry.....

Sabre

I think I also have a multi-colored 'jacket'. I think we should all practice what we think is most benificial for us and others and if this incorporates practices from different traditions, that's fine. For me the essence of most traditions comes down to be the same thing, anyway.

In this case, prayer to a Bodhisattva and prayer to cultivate the path for others benefit is not so different, I would say. I chanted " OM Mani Padme Hum " sometimes. I now read in the link of the first post, that it is considered prayer to invoke a Bodhisattva. I tend to see it as the bodhisattva-potential in me that is invoked, not a being. But whether you see the Bodhisattva as a literal being or figural, I think, doesn't make a lot of difference.

seeker242

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

@Dakini, I think there's a typo here somewhere... care to modify...?

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone parinirvana

Do Bodhisattvas know what they are?

Yes, because they are enlightened, they know that they are just a combination of the 5 aggregates. However, they do not identify these 5 aggregates as being "I,my,me". Because of this, their behavior can rightly be called "selfless".

Are Bodhisattva immortal? I thought Bodhisattva was a chosen path that anyone could imbark on. Also that some Bodhisattva are normal people who may not know they are like "mother Teresa "...am I wrong?

There are two different definitions really. The one above, enlightened, and also a person who is not enlightened yet but has properly cultivated "Bodhicitta": the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood (Trikaya) as fast as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings. One who has bodhicitta as the primary motivation for all of his or her activities is called a bodhisattva
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta

RichardH

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara ( Kannon, Kwan yin, Kwan seum Bosal) is an old friend.

Kinda superstitious that way..

federica

@RichardH, I can equate... i think s/he has a lot of friends....

vinlyn

Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who choose to postpone Enlightenment, and to continue the cycle of rebirth until all sentient beings are liberated from suffering.

I assume you have had personal contact with them?

Why would you assume personal contact @vinlyn, based on a description available to or from anyone? :skeptic:
It's a definition, not a testimonial.

But see, that's what I'm trying to differentiate. I don't need a definition. I can Google that and get 1,010,000 hits. No problem getting a definition and tons more on the internet. I wanna know what our community thinks about Kuan Yin, etc. Sort of like our discussions of karma -- an out-of-body consequence-process, or an in-your-mind process.

It's like when I hear people talk about ghosts. I have a concept of what a ghost is. I wanna know if people who believe in ghosts have a reason for believing in them. A personal experience?

Tosh

How would you personally define prayer ?
Do you pray to any of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas ?
And how has prayer helped you cope and advance as a human-being ?

Prayer is something I've used to help me at a psychological level. I'm a recovered alcoholic in A.A., which has a spiritual program of recovery - it's open and roomy - and suitable for anyone of any belief or non belief.

I have an A.A. sponsor (whose a Christian) and I sponsor (a sponsor is a mentor for the purposes of alcoholic recovery).

So, the first time I used prayer was when I had to make amends, which is part of the program, to those I'd harmed. It's very much like Tonglen - giving victory to our enemies. My Mother was on my amends list; she'd disowned me for about 10 years where we'd had no contact what-so-ever. So, when I first contacted me, she was extremely antagonistic towards me. Not only was I an alcoholic, but my father (her husband) was one too (he died of it).

After our first contact, my sponsor suggested I pray for her happiness just prior to phoning her, which I did, and this softened my attitude towards her, and I was able to take her criticism without retaliating. Eventually, after a lot of weekly phone calls (which I dreaded) her attitude towards me softened and we met up face to face where I spoke honestly and openly about the harms I'd caused her. It was a touching moment and she recently told me that she loved me, the first time in over a decade. Prayer definitely helped me adopt a good attitude in this process.

I also use prayer before I meet with an alcoholic I'm sponsoring. I pray that I can be of some use to the man I'm about to help. It helps me remember that I'm there to help and not to look smart or be funny.

And I will pray for those who I know are having a tough time; but I know this helps me, not them, to maybe help them; it helps with my motivation to be 'useful' to others.

I don't believe prayer works for any "woo woo" stuff and is purely a psychological tool to help adjust my attitude.

person

I use prayer as a type of inspirational affirmation. Saying a lineage prayer helps to be grateful for those who came before and humble in that appreciation. Saying a bodhicitta prayer helps change the focus of my practice off of myself alone and extend it to include everyone.

There are lots of native buddhists that pray for good fortune or good luck, what have you. I don't think that works and all the teachers I've heard talk about it say it doesn't work either. I'm with @Tosh in that prayer is primarily a psychological tool. I guess it would have some karmic impact as well, who knows to what end though.

vinlyn

I have one foot in Buddhism and one foot in Christianity, so my situation is a little different.

I do pray to God. That's one aspect.

But I also "pray" to Buddha, but that's really my way of focusing my thoughts...being mindful...about issues that are of concern to me at any particular time.

BonsaiDoug

For me, prayer is my attempt to awaken my own inherent inner capacities. So for example, if I "pray" to the Bodhisattva of compassion, it is my attempt to draw out my own inner compassion, rather than to petition some external force.

A looking inward rather than a looking outward. I'm not trying to manipulate some sort of "god" or "spirit" to make things happen in my behalf. I'm attempting to draw out something from myself.

caz

Are Bodhisattvas angels?

You could liken them to angels.

BonsaiDoug

Are Bodhisattvas angels?

You could liken them to angels.

I've always likened them more to the Christian concept of the "Patron Saint." Avalokitesvara (Kwan Yin; Guanyin; Chenrezig) would kinda be like the "Patron Saint" of Compassion.

As an aside: I've always thought Mother Teresa would have made a great Bodhisattva.

KarunaDharmakaya

In Therevadan Buddhism there is no bodhissattva concept similar to that of some Mahayana traditions, however the wishes to cultivate effort to stay on and develop the path may be seen as a kind of prayer. Those are not towards a divine being, but towards oneself or towards others. I do this sometimes and it gives an energy to cultivate the path. Especially when you can't generate the energy to do it for yourself, it can be fruitful to dedicate your practice to all other beings; you can also see this as a sort of prayer.

Sometimes it is more easy to practice for the wellbeing of others than that of yourself. This kind of devotion of the practice is very similar -if not totally equal- to the boddhisattva idea.

Here you'll find a very detailed description of the why and how of this kind of prayer:
http://www.amaravati.org/downloads/pdf/Aj_Munindo_Unexpected_Freedom.pdf
Page 127

Hey friend The Bodhisattva concept is present in Theravada you just have to know where to look:)

person

You also might benefit from learning about the ten bhumis or levels of a bodhisattva.

At the basic level a bodhisattva is someone who's motivated by the altruistic wish to achieve Buddhahood in order to help others. With this motivation it takes many lives to achieve the necessary level of wisdom and compassion to perfectly help others on the spiritual path like a Buddha can.

Someone, like Mother Theresa perhaps, can have a truly altruistic motivation to help others and maybe could be considered a bodhisattva. At the first bhumi a bodhisattva has a direct understanding of emptiness and I believe? its at this point that they can start to control their rebirth.

person

Oops, this ^^ was supposed to go in the bodhisattva thread. Delete please.