Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Charles Day*
www.desmoinesmeditation.org
There are many traditions and sects within Buddhism, just as there
are many divisions and denominations within Christianity. Different
Buddhist traditions differ in their rites, rituals, and practices, but they
all share the same basic teachings of the Buddha, summarized in his
lecture on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which I will
not be discussing in this talk. My purpose here is to discuss the role
of prayer in Buddhism.
In doing so, I’d like to share several quotes from different Buddhist
traditions and teachers, and then present some of my own
observations. Keep in mind that the word “meditation” is used far
more frequently than the word “prayer” in Buddhism. But both words
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are intended to describe a similar personal spiritual practice, although
there are differences in purpose and structure, which I’ll explain later.
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Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and the 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.”
The parallels are obvious between this Buddhist prayer and the
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. The noteworthy difference is that the
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is directed outwardly toward “Lord” and
“O Divine Master” while this Buddhist prayer is directed inwardly
toward the “Oneness of Life and Light.”
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Here’s a quote from Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai
International (SGI) and leader of the Nichiren Buddhist tradition, a
tradition that practices chanting instead of silent sitting, as its primary
form of meditation:
I’d also like to offer a quote from Deborah Guthrie, a local practitioner
of this tradition. She said, “Prayer in Nichiren Buddhism is the
practice of chanting. The prayers may appear to be requests for
something tangible, such as financial security, or intangible, such as
happiness, (but the) prayer is considered more of an intention or
determination than a request. Prayers are offered with the
understanding that the benefits will move one along the path to...
enlightenment (so that one is better able to help others along the
path). Inconspicuous benefits, rather than material benefits are
considered the most important in this process, such as increased
happiness, compassion, and wisdom.”
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Armageddon or Global Warming. We must achieve inner peace
before we can achieve outer peace.
Now a quote from the world renown Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. It
is from his book, Living Buddha, Living Christ, in a section which he
calls “Concrete Prayer”:
Let me share with you a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh that can also be
considered a meditation or prayer and exquisitely reflects the
interconnected unity of everything in existence. Thich Nhat Hanh
wrote it in 1976 when he received news about a twelve-year-old girl,
one of many boat people trying to escape Vietnam, who threw herself
into the sea after being raped by a sea pirate. After meditating for
several hours, he realized, “I could not take sides against the pirate. I
saw that if I had been born in his village and brought up under the
same conditions, I would be exactly like him.” Out of his suffering
came the poem:
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learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I am a mayfly metamorphosing
on the surface of the river,
And I am the bird,
that swoops down to swallow the mayfly.
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My pain is like a river of tears,
so vast that it fills all four oceans.
The instructions are to sit quietly, focus the attention on the breath or
other repetitive object, such as repeating a word or phrase, or
focusing on a sound or visual image. And then to return the attention
to the breath or other chosen object each and every time one
becomes aware that it has been distracted by sounds, body
sensations, or thoughts, feelings, and images that arise
spontaneously in consciousness.
I’m reminded of the story told about Mother Teresa when a reporter
asked her what she said when she prayed to God. She said, “I don’t
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say anything, I just listen.” And when the reporter then asked, “Well
what does God say to you when you pray,” she replied, “God doesn’t
say anything, he just listens too.”
On the other hand, there are Buddhist meditations and prayers that
intentionally utilize cognitive processes to facilitate psychological and
spiritual growth. These include meditations designed to cultivate the
four divine virtues, previously referred to, of lovingkindness,
compassion, joy at the happiness and success of others, and
equanimity. These meditations involve the repetition of phrases, such
as “May I be well, may I be safe, may I be happy, and may I be
peaceful.” It is suggested that the phrases be directed first toward
oneself, and successively to family, strangers, enemies, and all
beings.
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of God, while for a Buddhist, it is simply an experience of grace, an
experience that can not be willed by the ego. When a Buddhist gives
praise or thanks, he or she is simply expressing gratitude for life and
for the mystery of life as it unfolds within oneself, rather than giving
thanks or adulation to any external or anthropomorphic being.