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THE MEANING OF BUDDHIST PRAYERS
Nature is impartial; it cannot be flattered by prayers
It does not grant any special favours on request
Humans are not fallen creatures but rising angels
Prayers
are answered by the power of their own minds
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Nature is impartial; it cannot be flattered by prayers
It does not grant any special favours on request
Humans are not fallen creatures but rising angels
Prayers
are answered by the power of their own minds1/16
Acc'g to Buddhism, humans r potential masters of themselves
Only bcoz of their deep ignorance, do they fail to realise their full potential
Since the Buddha has shown this hidden power, ppl must cultivate their minds n try to develop it by realising their innate ability
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, humans r potential masters of themselvesOnly bcoz of their deep ignorance, do they fail to realise their full potential
Since the Buddha has shown this hidden power, ppl must cultivate their minds n try to develop it by realising their innate ability
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A following story will illustrate this point:
An eagle once laid her egg in the nest of a hen
The hen hatched the eagle’s egg along with her own
The hatchlings then followed the mother hen about as she taught them to focus on the ground to find their food
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An eagle once laid her egg in the nest of a hen
The hen hatched the eagle’s egg along with her own
The hatchlings then followed the mother hen about as she taught them to focus on the ground to find their food
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The eaglet, thinking it was a chicken did the same
One day however, it saw an eagle flying high up in the sky, and decided to do the same
The other chickens laughed at him, but he did not care
Everyday he perservered until one day he became strong enough and
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One day however, it saw an eagle flying high up in the sky, and decided to do the same
The other chickens laughed at him, but he did not care
Everyday he perservered until one day he became strong enough and
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soared up into the air and became a lord of the skies, while the other chickens continued to eke out a living on the ground
We must think like that eagle
Buddhism gives full responsibility and dignity to human beings
It makes them their own masters
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We must think like that eagle
Buddhism
gives full responsibility and dignity to human beingsIt makes them their own masters
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According to Buddhism, no higher being sits in judgement over a person’s affairs and destiny
That is to say, our life, our society, our world, is what you and I want to make out of it, and not what some other unknown being wants it to be
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, no higher being sits in judgement over a person’s affairs and destinyThat is to say, our life, our society, our world, is what you and I want to make out of it, and not what some other unknown being wants it to be
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Remember that nature is impartial; it cannot be flattered by prayers
Nature does not grant any special favours on request
Thus in Buddhism, prayer is meditation which has self-change as its object
Prayer in Buddhism meditation acts as an aid to recondition one’s nature
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Nature does not grant any special favours on request
Thus in Buddhism, prayer is meditation which has self-change as its object
Prayer in Buddhism meditation acts as an aid to recondition one’s nature
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It is the transforming of one’s inner nature accomplished by the purification of the three faculties—thought, word and deed
Through meditation, we can understand that
‘we become what we think’,
in accordance with the discoveries of psychology
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Through meditation, we can understand that
‘we become what we think’,
in accordance with the discoveries of psychology
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When we pray, we experience some relief in our minds; that is, the psychological effect that we have created through our faith and devotion
After reciting certain verses we also experience the same result
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, we experience some relief in our minds; that is, the psychological effect that we have created through our faith and devotionAfter reciting certain verses we also experience the same result
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Religious names or symbols are important to the extent that they help to develop devotion and confidence, but must never be considered as ends in themselves
The Buddha Himself has clearly expressed that neither the recital
of holy scriptures, nor self-torture
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The Buddha Himself has clearly expressed that neither the recital
of holy scriptures, nor self-torture
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nor sleeping on the ground, nor the repetition of prayers, penances, hymns, charms, mantras, incantations and invocations can bring the real happiness of Nirvana,
ONLY PURIFICATION of the MIND through self effort can do this
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ONLY PURIFICATION of the MIND through self effort can do this
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Regarding the use of prayers for attaining the final goal, the Buddha once used an analogy of a man who wants to cross a river
If he sits down and prays, imploring that the far bank of the river
will come to him and carry him across, then his prayer will not be answered
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If he sits down and prays, imploring that the far bank of the river
will come to him and carry him across, then his prayer will not be answered
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If he really wants to cross the river, he must make some effort; he must find some logs and build a raft, or look for a bridge or construct a boat or perhaps swim
Somehow he must work to get across the river
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Somehow he must work to get across the river
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Likewise if he wants to cross the river of Samsara, prayers alone are not enough
He must work hard by living a religious life, by controlling his passions, calming his mind n by getting rid of all d impurities n defilements in his mind
Only then can he reach d final goal
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He must work hard by living a religious life, by controlling his passions, calming his mind n by getting rid of all d impurities n defilements in his mind
Only then can he reach d final goal
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Prayer alone will never take him to the final goal
If prayer is necessary, it should be to strengthen and focus the
mind and not to beg for gains
The following prayer of a poet teaches us how to pray
Buddhists can regard this as meditation to cultivate the mind:
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alone will never take him to the final goalIf prayer is necessary, it should be to strengthen and focus the
mind and not to beg for gains
The following prayer
of a poet teaches us how to prayBuddhists can regard this as meditation to cultivate the mind:
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‘Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless
in facing them
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but for the patience to win my freedom.’
Jai Bhim Namo Buddhay
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in facing them
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but for the patience to win my freedom.’
Jai Bhim Namo Buddhay
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