What is prayer?

[doc benway]

I'm interested in what people think about prayer.

What is it's meaning and purpose?

Who or what is it directed at?

How does it help?

Does anyone have any interest in discussing this topic?

thanks

[CarsonZi]

Awesome question xuesheng and yeah, at least I am up for chatting on this topic.

 

Personally prayer has taken on a new shape for me ever since starting the practice of samyama....but essentially I think the basis is all the same.

 

Taking a thought and surrendering the thought to God/Source. Thy will be done right? To me that is true prayer. And yeah, it helps

 

Would love to discuss in depth....not sure exactly where to start though....ambitious topic.

 

Love,

Carson

[doc benway]

Taking a thought and surrendering the thought to God/Source. Thy will be done right? To me that is true prayer. And yeah, it helps

Thanks Carson - I really like that interpretation.

That makes sense and feels 'right.'

So then what is it about surrendering that thought to God/source that makes it help or makes it work?

Why is surrendering the thought to the source different than simply noticing the thought as it slips through the mind with all the rest or selecting the thought and taking some concrete action based on it?

_/\_

[Ryan T.]

I tend to see prayer as less about an omnipotent being helping or intervening in people's lives and more about an energetic change in the way the person who is praying relates to the issue at hand. A prayer takes it out of the person's hands. The prayer says "[insert higher power here], this is too big for me to handle. Do you think you might provide me the guidance, strength, wisdom, etc. to facilitate a better outcome?" Which to me takes the person's ego out of the equation. It says I can't do this on my own. It opens the person praying up to the interconnectedness in the world. And that is something I think more people could stand to contemplate more often.

[Ya Mu]

To my experience true prayer is never an emotional appeal but is a casting of INTENT.

[NeutralWire]

Personally I pray to keep devoted to my life and give thanks, I don't do 'issues prayers' or however you want to say that... To me giving thanks is like empowering the good, that's all I use this practice for personally. It opens the heart I guess.

 

My practice is totally non-religious but this cross-cultural book is full of interesting prayers:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Prayers-around...9299&sr=1-1

 

(... I like some more than others. )

 

I find prayer is energizing, it increases devotion and receptiveness... I'm considering praying to some deities at some point later in my practice, but right now I address prayers to the earth and life in general really, esp. nature. Sometimes I write poetry along those lines too, which was inspired by that book partly and also by ancient poetry and Hermetic prayers I read in various places.

 

All best wishes,

 

~NeutralWire~

[Aetherous]

What's worked for me personally...

 

...is that it has to be something from the heart. It has to be very important to you...so I haven't seen a problem with it being emotional. I prayed at one time to get a job because I went 2000 dollars into debt overnight, and the next day I got the first job I called on. Another example is when I was overseas, I prayed to keep our unit safe, and my prayers were answered. Miraculously at times.

 

It takes effort on your own part to make what you want to happen work. You can't just pray for world peace - you have to actually be working towards it yourself...then what you're working on can fall into place easier.

 

So I guess it requires a full devotion on your part to your cause. It kind of has to be a need. Otherwise, you're just jerking on God's chain...why would he listen to you then?

 

And then what's required is a connection to the source...the more connected you are, the better it works. So doing some kind of deep meditation or whatever, makes it happen. Synchronicities start happening all over the place.

 

I've also found that you have to respect that you're not going to get everything answered with a "yes". But the more you respect that, the more yeses you get. I think this kind of has to do with surrendering it to God. The point of prayer is to acknowledge that we aren't in control of everything...so the more your prayers resemble that, the more connected you are, and the more your will lines up with reality.

[Ya Mu]

What's worked for me personally...

 

...is that it has to be something from the heart.

...

It takes effort on your own part to make what you want to happen work. You can't just pray for world peace - you have to actually be working towards it yourself...then what you're working on can fall into place easier.

 

... It kind of has to be a need. Otherwise, you're just jerking on God's chain...why would he listen to you then?

 

And then what's required is a connection to the source...the more connected you are, the better it works. So doing some kind of deep meditation or whatever, makes it happen. Synchronicities start happening all over the place.

 

 

Really like those statements.

H for help is prayer in the warrior's SHIELD method.

[orb]

[rex]

An interesting approach for me has been always the Orthodox " Prayer of The Heart" .

Some Instructions from various Saints for the "Prayer of the Heart" were posted on a yahoo group here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Way-of-Light/message/1008 (just past the syncretic intro).

[CarsonZi]

Here are Yogani's instructions on "Prayer and the Principles of Samyama". (a brnad new lesson posted on Jan 22, 2009)

 

http://www.aypsite.org/301.html

 

Love,

Carson

Edited February 9, 2009 by CarsonZi

[doc benway]

Just beautiful posts - I can't thank all of you enough for your contributions.

Much obliged!

[rookie]

It is a response to the call to return to your true self.

 

Although there are many forms, this is the one that resonates with me.

[Bruce]

I tend to see prayer as less about an omnipotent being helping or intervening in people's lives and more about an energetic change in the way the person who is praying relates to the issue at hand. A prayer takes it out of the person's hands. The prayer says "[insert higher power here], this is too big for me to handle. Do you think you might provide me the guidance, strength, wisdom, etc. to facilitate a better outcome?" Which to me takes the person's ego out of the equation. It says I can't do this on my own. It opens the person praying up to the interconnectedness in the world. And that is something I think more people could stand to contemplate more often.

 

That's exactly how I now view prayer, and probably said much better than I could have!

[Seth Ananda]

The Heart knows what it longs for.

 

For me Prayer moves me closer to the Divine by allowing the full blossoming of my hearts Longing for God.

 

It helps me collect all the ungathered parts of myself up and turn them towards God.

 

I like to start with prayer for others, peace, planet, but when it comes to me I rarely pray for anything other than to be closer to God and It seems that God loves this prayer for it is always answered.

 

when I sit back and contemplate it I cant help feeling that One of its greatest values is as a vechicle for joyfull Submission of the false self.

 

It is an unceasing spring of vitality, joy and renewal. I couldn't live without it.

 

Seth.

[soundhunter]

For me in my tumultous youth it was often a desperate appeal in case someone was listening, when I felt there was no one to help me. I became a devoted Christian when I was 10, read the bible twice that year and the church choir was my reason for living. Prayers were constantly said to help me cope with the inescapable abuse that was my family life. I think prayer can be this for some people who don't actually even believe in anything, during difficult human times, I hear that even athiests pray during desperate times. Of course there are many other reasons for prayer, but this is one of them.

 

I tend to see prayer as less about an omnipotent being helping or intervening in people's lives and more about an energetic change in the way the person who is praying relates to the issue at hand. A prayer takes it out of the person's hands. The prayer says "[insert higher power here], this is too big for me to handle. Do you think you might provide me the guidance, strength, wisdom, etc. to facilitate a better outcome?" Which to me takes the person's ego out of the equation. It says I can't do this on my own. It opens the person praying up to the interconnectedness in the world. And that is something I think more people could stand to contemplate more often.

\

 

And that, wow, that was well said

[Stigweard]

Consulting the I Ching is a prayer for me

[mat black]

So many beautiful responses, all of them are nice because they are sincere.

I noticed this one as particularly touching:

For me Prayer moves me closer to the Divine by allowing the full blossoming of my hearts Longing for God.

 

It helps me collect all the ungathered parts of myself up and turn them towards God.

 

I like to start with prayer for others, peace, planet, but when it comes to me I rarely pray for anything other than to be closer to God and It seems that God loves this prayer for it is always answered.

 

when I sit back and contemplate it I cant help feeling that One of its greatest values is as a vechicle for joyfull Submission of the false self.

Seth.

That's wonderful

 

My personal take on prayer is when, with intentions of peace, goodwill and kindness we concentrate our heart and mind in expressing devotion and respect to the greatly virtuous and kind ones that inspire us to become a better person.

And with that intent, we grow in compassion and understanding

I feel it's also important to dedicate the prayer to end suffering and for the peace of all beings.

The prayer itself can be of various sorts, for me, it's meditation and mantra recitation.

My favourites are the Medicine Buddha Mantra, Great Compassion Mantra and the Shurangama Mantra

 

Dedication of merit "Compassionate and Wise - Fr. Cyprian Consiglio"

http://www.urbandharma.org/mp3/compassionate_&_wise.mp3

Edited March 2, 2009 by mat black

[Owledge]

I would describe prayer as self-conditioning, giving yourself an attitude of hope. Although you're thus wanting the prayed-to entity to help you out, I think it's possible that the ensuing mood (provided that it's elevated into the positive) makes self-help easier.