Do Buddhists pray to Awakened Beings such as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? The answer is yes. This may come as a surprise to many people who have heard that there is no God in Buddhism. I don’t think it is as easy as all that to say there is no God in Buddhism. It all depends on what you mean by God, doesn’t it? Continue reading How do Buddhists pray? Who do they pray to?
The seven branches of prayer begin with salutations, which traditionally take the form of bowing and prostrations. The idea is that we honour the Awakened ones with our body, speech and mind, giving up our pride and egocentricity in order to be open to the vision of the Buddhas. So the gesture of salutation or bowing is one of acknowledging, aligning, honouring and celebrating. Continue reading What are the Seven Branches of Prayer?
Adhistana [blessing] is a power we all have because it’s the power of the Buddha Nature itself. When we say to someone we are with them in our hearts it is more literally true than perhaps we realise. Continue reading How can our prayers help people?
Lama Shenpen answers the questions: Do you pray in Buddhism? Who are you praying to? What for? Does it do any good? Does prayer mean you have to believe in something to pray to? Prayer is strongly connected to the idea of (another unpopular word!) ‘Worship’. We talk about worship in Christian tradition. But even the Buddha when he reached enlightenment asked himself, ‘now I’m foremost in the world, and I’m the great enlightened Buddha, what shall I worship, who shall I worship? Continue reading Video: Prayer in Buddhism – Do you pray in Buddhism?
Lama Shenpen advises a student who is questioning the practice of repeating a prayer over and over: “Always do the practice that comes most strongly from one’s heart, the practice that one has most confidence in.” Continue reading Follow your Heart
Lama Shenpen answers a meditation student’s question on the effect of the prayers on the people who have died, especially in view of the karma and its results. “…I even find it convincing that because our hearts are all one what we wish and feel about others can directly affect them.” Continue reading Heart Connections with the Deceased
