Buddhism distinguishes prayer as a practice to stimulate inherited inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom, rather than to ask a God for blessings and gifts based on fear, idolizing and individual wants or desires. Even though Buddhists do not pray to Gods in the thought that they can utterly release them in the after life, they still at the same they do not deny the Gods and may pray to them. For example, they may pray to Amida Buddha who rules over a pure land in the west, which is the kind of heaven that the faithful Buddhists will eventually reach nirvana. Amida Buddha is part of the impermanent passing world not a God, and will take them to the Pure Land but it is only up to Buddhists who are able to take in the good karma from doing good deeds. .
Prayer can commonly be seen as a form of meditation, it promotes inner reconditioning and helps to overcome negative thoughts with the positive hence points one into the right direction in life. Chanting is also often seen, it is when one prays in rhythm. The traditional gesture to show respect to elderly people and monks is to place the palms of both hands together and raise them high in front, usually to the forehead as you are also bowing to them. Before the image of Buddha, you may also bow or have your head down to express deep veneration.
For Buddhists, praying is a way of affirmation; by reciting them with heartfelt devotion it reaffirms commitment. It is important to remember that it is not to another being but to develop ideal inherent in prayer.
For Shin Buddhists, prayer expresses hope for one to take in new energy and purify oneself and then share it with others. It also inspires the heart to reach for understanding and consideration for those around and the individual.
Prayer in Buddhism can be a form of self-talking or self-therapy, one can mentally talk through self troubles. People are able to speak aloud their thoughts and this gives hope that new insights come to mind to initiate a better decision; this benefits decision making processes.
You can do it anywhere anytime! Praying enriches lives with deep spiritual connection and makes every moment special, it is a plus that it doesn’t matter where you are because you can still pray.
.
.Metta Karuna Prayerby Shatideva's .
Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink, .
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp, .
For those who need your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.
Namo Amida Buddha This prayer helps Buddhists reflect on life and pursue to be a better person and also reminds them that they must not be selfish. Their goal is to help others and make the world a better place, to pray this prayer it helps them rethink their actions and to make better decisions. For Buddhists to become calm alight, hence fresh and ready to be ready for another day to help those around them.
Buddhist Mealtime Prayer This food is the gift of the whole universe,
Each morsel is a sacrifice of life,
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food,
Give me the strength,
To transform my unwholesome qualities
into wholesome ones.
I am grateful for this food,
May I realize the Path of Awakening,
For the sake of all beings.
Namo Amida Buddha.
Buddhists pray the Buddhist Mealtime Prayer before feasting. This is to be grateful for what they receive and remember that it is a gift from the whole universe as “each morsel is a sacrifice of life” in which should not be taken for granted.
Michelle Um Prayer for Peace May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses - the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Cindy Than
Parable
An example of something the Buddhist culture reflect on;
A man, travelling across a field, uncounted a tiger. He field, the tiger after him. Coming to precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine held him up. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away at the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!
No matter what situation a being is in, there is always something to be proud of or happy about. Even if the Man knew he was going to die, he still enjoyed the finer things in life, eg the strawberry.
Kakua visited China and accepted the true Buddhist teaching. He did not travel while he was there. Meditating constantly, he lived on a remote part of a mountain where he could be found less easily. When Kakua returned to Japan, the Japanese emperor heard about him, and asked him to preach Zen for his own edification and that of his subjects. Kakua stood before the emperor in silence. He then produced a flute from the folds of his robe and blew one short note. Bowing politely, he disappeared.
By: Caitlin Words of Truth Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.
A Prayer Composed by
HIS HOLINESS TENZIN GYATSO Buddhist teach every one to not harm any one else and us to love each other, also to care for anther just like a mother love and protects her child.
Prayer
Buddhism distinguishes prayer as a practice to stimulate inherited inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom, rather than to ask a God for blessings and gifts based on fear, idolizing and individual wants or desires. Even though Buddhists do not pray to Gods in the thought that they can utterly release them in the after life, they still at the same they do not deny the Gods and may pray to them. For example, they may pray to Amida Buddha who rules over a pure land in the west, which is the kind of heaven that the faithful Buddhists will eventually reach nirvana. Amida Buddha is part of the impermanent passing world not a God, and will take them to the Pure Land but it is only up to Buddhists who are able to take in the good karma from doing good deeds.
.
Prayer can commonly be seen as a form of meditation, it promotes inner reconditioning and helps to overcome negative thoughts with the positive hence points one into the right direction in life. Chanting is also often seen, it is when one prays in rhythm. The traditional gesture to show respect to elderly people and monks is to place the palms of both hands together and raise them high in front, usually to the forehead as you are also bowing to them. Before the image of Buddha, you may also bow or have your head down to express deep veneration.
For Buddhists, praying is a way of affirmation; by reciting them with heartfelt devotion it reaffirms commitment. It is important to remember that it is not to another being but to develop ideal inherent in prayer.
For Shin Buddhists, prayer expresses hope for one to take in new energy and purify oneself and then share it with others. It also inspires the heart to reach for understanding and consideration for those around and the individual.
Prayer in Buddhism can be a form of self-talking or self-therapy, one can mentally talk through self troubles. People are able to speak aloud their thoughts and this gives hope that new insights come to mind to initiate a better decision; this benefits decision making processes.
You can do it anywhere anytime! Praying enriches lives with deep spiritual connection and makes every moment special, it is a plus that it doesn’t matter where you are because you can still pray.
.
.Metta Karuna Prayer by Shatideva's
.
Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink,
.
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp,
.
For those who need your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.
Namo Amida Buddha
This prayer helps Buddhists reflect on life and pursue to be a better person and also reminds them that they must not be selfish. Their goal is to help others and make the world a better place, to pray this prayer it helps them rethink their actions and to make better decisions. For Buddhists to become calm alight, hence fresh and ready to be ready for another day to help those around them.
Buddhist Mealtime Prayer
This food is the gift of the whole universe,
Each morsel is a sacrifice of life,
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food,
Give me the strength,
To transform my unwholesome qualities
into wholesome ones.
I am grateful for this food,
May I realize the Path of Awakening,
For the sake of all beings.
Namo Amida Buddha.
Buddhists pray the Buddhist Mealtime Prayer before feasting. This is to be grateful for what they receive and remember that it is a gift from the whole universe as “each morsel is a sacrifice of life” in which should not be taken for granted.
Michelle Um
Prayer for Peace
May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses - the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Cindy Than
Parable
An example of something the Buddhist culture reflect on;A man, travelling across a field, uncounted a tiger. He field, the tiger after him. Coming to precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine held him up. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away at the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!
No matter what situation a being is in, there is always something to be proud of or happy about. Even if the Man knew he was going to die, he still enjoyed the finer things in life, eg the strawberry.
Kakua visited China and accepted the true Buddhist teaching. He did not travel while he was there. Meditating constantly, he lived on a remote part of a mountain where he could be found less easily. When Kakua returned to Japan, the Japanese emperor heard about him, and asked him to preach Zen for his own edification and that of his subjects. Kakua stood before the emperor in silence. He then produced a flute from the folds of his robe and blew one short note. Bowing politely, he disappeared.
By: Caitlin
Words of Truth
Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.
A Prayer Composed by
HIS HOLINESS TENZIN GYATSO
Buddhist teach every one to not harm any one else and us to love each other, also to care for anther just like a mother love and protects her child.
By: Ratana