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Random website - Pure Land Prayer?
Hi - I didnt want to start a thread on here about this but its made my brain twist (slightly!)
http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/pureland_sangha/id14.html
Where does the concept of praying fall into buddhism? Im comparing this to the general concept that a person is praying to a God. Sorry if this has already discussed in a previous thread but I stumbled into this website (link above) and its sort of puzzled me.
http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/pureland_sangha/id14.html
Where does the concept of praying fall into buddhism? Im comparing this to the general concept that a person is praying to a God. Sorry if this has already discussed in a previous thread but I stumbled into this website (link above) and its sort of puzzled me.
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Comments
Praying, in Buddhism, is more of just a way of putting you in the right mindset. Its like a positive affirmation, but more of a very strong "wish" or "hope" for something good to happen. Like, "Allow me to be a better human being, to relieve the suffering of myself and others."
Some Buddhists pray to bodhisattvas, or a Buddha, or just to no one in general. Its not really a Christian prayer (Like, "God, please help my father get over his cold") kind of thing. Its more to put yourself in the right mindset.
As the Dalai Lama said, nothing was ever accomplished without the right intention.
"What is Buddhist Prayer?
The purpose of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life.
For Buddhists, prayer expresses an aspiration to pull something into one's life, like some new energy or purifying influence and share it with all beings. Likewise, prayer inspires our hearts towards wisdom and compassion for others and ourselves. It allows us to turn our hearts and minds to the beneficial, rousing our thoughts and actions towards Awakening. If we believe in something enough, it will take hold of us. In other words, believing in it, we will become what we believe. Our ability to be touched like this is evidence of the working of Great Compassion within us.
What's more, it can a function as a form of self-talking or self-therapy in which one mentally talks through a problem, or talks through it aloud, in the hope that some new insight will come or a better decision can be made.