Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life. Inspirational For Buddhists, prayer expresses an aspiration to pull something into ones life, like some new energy or purifying influence and share it with all beings. Likewise, prayer inspires our hearts towards wisdom and compassion for others and ourselves. It allows us to turn our hearts and minds to the beneficial, rousing our thoughts and actions towards Awakening. If we believe in something enough, it will take hold of us. In other words, believing in it, we will become what we believe. Our ability to be touched like this is evidence of the working of Great Compassion within us. Whats more, it can a function as a form of self-talking or self-therapy in which one mentally talks through a problem, or talks through it aloud, in the hope that some new insight will come or a better decision can be made. Prayer therefore frequently has the function of being part of a decision-making process. Everywhere and Anytime The wonderful thing about prayer practice is that we can do it everywhere and anytime, transforming the ordinary and mundane into the Path of Awakening. Prayer enriches our lives with deep spiritual connection and makes every moment special. Many Buddhist prayers involve self-reflection, including a sometimes painful confrontation with our own deeply-rooted destructive tendencies. As a result of practicing prayer, we begin to discover who we really are. We recognize our inherent foolish nature (shadow side) at the same time awakening ourselves to the working of Great Compassion. In essence, prayer practice is a process by which our intensely felt desires and sufferings are transformed into compassion and wisdom. Buddhist Prayers Founded in India 2,500 years ago, Buddhism remains the dominant religion of the Far East and is increasingly popular in the West. Over its long history Buddhism has developed into a wide variety of forms, ranging from an emphasis on religious rituals and worship of deities to a complete rejection of both rituals and deities in favor of pure meditation. But all share in common a great respect for the teachings of the Buddha, The Enlightened One. 1 _____________________________________________________________ A Buddhist 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. - U.N. Day of Prayer for World Peace 2 _____________________________________________________________ Earth Prayer We gently caress you, the Earth, our planet and our home. Our vision has brought us closer to you, making us aware of the harm we have done to the life-network upon which we ourselves depend. We are reminded that we have poisoned your waters, your lands, your air. We have filled you with the bones of our dead from war and greed. Your pain is our pain. Touching you gently, we pray that we may become peace-bringers and life-bringers so that our home in its journey around the Sun not become a sterile and lonely place. May this prayer and its power last forever. - Sensei Ulrich, Manitoba Buddhist Temple 3 _____________________________________________________________ Water Flows Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet. - Thich Nhat Hahn ____________________________________________________________ Over Cherry Blossoms Over cherry blossoms white clouds over clouds the deep sky over cherry blossoms over clouds over the sky I can climb on forever once in spring I with god had a quiet talk. - Shuntaro Tanikawa __________________________________________________________ Golden Chain I am a link in Lord Buddhaโs golden chain of love that stretches around the world. I must keep my link bright and strong. I will try to be kind and gentle to every living thing, and protect all who are weaker than myself. I will try to think pure and beautiful thoughts, to say pure and beautiful words, and to do pure and beautiful deeds, knowing that on what I do now depends my happiness and misery. May every link in Lord Buddhaโs golden chain of love become bright and strong and may we all attain perfect peace. - Buddhist Prayer __________________________________________________________ Prayer of Lovingkindness May all beings be peaceful. May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature. May all beings be free. - Metta Prayer ______________________________________________________ May Peace Harmonious May peace harmonious bless this land; May it be ever free from maladies and war; May there be harvest rich, and increased yield of grain; May everyone delight in righteousness; May no perverted thought find entry to your minds; May all your thoughts eโer pious be and lead to your success religiously. - Tibetan Great Yogi, Milarepa _________________________________________________________ Tibetan Wind Horse Prayer As Wind carries our prayers for Earth and All Life, may respect and love light our way. May our hearts be filled with compassion for others and for ourselves. May peace increase on Earth. May it begin with me. - Tibetan prayer flag is Lung ta, meaning Wind Horse ________________________________________________________ Buddhist Prayer We reverently pray for eternal harmony in the universe. May the weather be seasonable, may the harvest be fruitful, may countries exist in harmony, and may all people enjoy happiness. - Buddhist Prayer ______________________________________________________ Bodhisattva Prayer for Humanity May I be a guard for those who need protection A guide for those on the path A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood May I be a lamp in the darkness A resting place for the weary A healing medicine for all who are sick A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles And for the boundless multitudes of living beings May I bring sustenance and awakening Enduring like the earth and sky Until all beings are freed from sorrow And all are awakened. - Shantideva, Indian Buddhist sage 700 A.D. Prayer performed each morning by His Holiness the Dalai Lama ____________________________________________________ Being Peace If we are peaceful. If we are happy. We can smile and blossom Like a flower. And everyone In our family, Our entire society Will benefit From our peace. - Thich Nhat Hanh ______________________________________________________ A Buddhist Prayer Evoking the presence of great compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion โ towards ourselves and towards all living beings. Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life. - Buddhist Prayer _______________________________________________________ We Pray for Peace We pray for peace in all the world; We pray that evil may be overcome by good; We pray for harmony in the Sangha, and for the cessation of all disaster. - From Shasta Abbey ________________________________________________________ Offering the Mandala Here is the great Earth, filled with the smell of incense, covered with a blanket of flowers, the Great Mountain, the Four Continents, wearing a jewel of the Sun and Moon. In my mind I make them the Paradise of a Buddha, and offer it all to You. By this deed, May every living being Experience the Pure World. - Tibetan Prayer _______________________________________________________ New Year Poem and Wishes Under the glorious canopy of redwood trees The New Year peacock dances Sun and moon rise into the blue sky The earth grows and happinesss increases In this New Year - H.E. Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche _________________________________________________ Sky is Free Sky is free. Ocean is blissful. Trees are divine. Rocks are enlightened. So are we. Who is still searching ... for what? - Anam Thubten Rinpoche __________________________________________________ Enlightenment Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass. - Dogen __________________________________________________ Quotes and Inspirations May all beings everywhere be happy, peaceful, and free. - The Buddha Display a heart of boundless love for all the world. - The Buddha All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. - The Buddha Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be achieved unless we first establish peace within our own mind. - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso The dedication of a virtuous act for all beings is like a adding a drop of water to the ocean. As long as the ocean exists, the drop of water exists. So, too, a small positive action, when directed toward the benefit of all beings, will endure forever. - The Buddha All are nothing but flowers In a flowing universe. - Nakagawa Soen-Roshi You should entreat trees and rocks to preach the Dharma, and you should ask the rice fields and gardens for the truth. - Eihei Dogen My heart that was rapt away by the wild cherry blossoms - will it return to my body when they scatter? - Kotomichi The color of the mountains is Buddhas body; the sound of running water is his great speech. - Dogen Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world. - The Buddha Student - How may I enter the Way? Teacher - Do you hear the murmur of the mountain stream? There you may enter. - Zen Koan Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. We have caused a lot of damage to the Earth. Now it is time for us to take good care of her. We bring our peace and calm to the surface of the Earth and share the lesson of love. We walk in that spirit. - Thich Nhat Hanh Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life. - Thich Nhat Hanh Prayer of the Loving Kindness (Metta Bhavana) Practice May I be free from fear. May I be free from suffering. May I be happy. May I be filled with loving kindness. May you be free from fear. May you be free from suffering. May you be happy. May you be filled with loving kindness. May all people everywhere be happy and filled with loving kindness. Morning Prayer Full of equanimity, of benevolent thought, of tender thought, of affectionate thought, of useful thought, of serene thought, of firm thought, of unbiased thought, of undisturbed thought, of unagitated thought, of thought (fixed on) the practice of discipline and transcendent wisdom, having entered on knowledge which is a firm support to all thoughts, equal to the ocean in wisdom, equal to the mountains in knowledge, rich in many good qualities... they attain perfect wisdom. Blessing and Healing Chant Just as the soft rains fill the streams, pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans, so may the power of every moment of your goodness flow forth to awaken and heal all beings, Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come. By the power of every moment of your goodness... May your hearts wishes be soon fulfilled, as completely shining as the bright full moon, as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem. May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone. May no obstacle come across your way. May you enjoy fulfillment and long life. For all in whose heart dwells respect, who follow the wisdom and compassion of the Way, May your life prosper in the four blessings, of old age, beauty, happiness and strength. 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. Prayers of Karmic Atonement O Shariputra, having perceived this cause and effect, I with reverence say thus, Every son and every daughter of a family ought - with their whole mind - to make a fervent prayer for rebirth in the Pure Land of Buddha! Beings possessed by carnal passions - anger or lust - have but to revere and remember the Bodhisattva and they will be set free from their passions! Golden Chain Prayer We are a link in Amidas golden chain of love that stretches around the world. We will keep our link bright and strong. We will be kind and gentle to every living thing. We will protect all who are weaker than ourselves. We will think pure and beautiful thoughts. We will say pure and beautiful words. We will do pure and beautiful deeds. May every link in Amidas chain of love be bright and strong, and may we all attain perfect peace. Namo Amida Buddha. Universal Love Aspiration Through the working of Great Compassion in their hearts, May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness, May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow; May all never be separated from the sacred happiness, which is sorrowless; And may all live in equanimity, Without too much attachment and too much aversion; and live believing in the equality of all that lives. Namo Amida Buddha Blessing by The Buddha May every creature abound in well-being and peace. May every living being, weak or strong, the long and the small The short and the medium-sized, the mean and the great. May every living being, seen or unseen, those dwelling far off, Those near by, those already born, those waiting to be born, May all attain inward peace. Let no one deceive another, Let no one despise another in any situation, Let no one, from antipathy or hatred, wish evil to anyone at all. Just as a mother, with her own life, protects her only son from hurt, So within yourself foster a limitless concern for every living creature. Display a heart of boundless love for all the world, In all its height and depth and broad extent, Love unrestrained, without hate or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie, until overcome by drowsiness, Devote your mind entirely to this, it is known as living here life divine. Universal Love Prayer from the Metta Sutta May all beings be filled with joy and peace. May all beings everywhere, The strong and the weak, The great and the small, The mean and the powerful, The short and the long, the subtle and the gross: May all beings everywhere, Seen and unseen, Dwelling far off or nearby, Being or waiting to become: May all be filled with lasting joy. Let no one deceive another, 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. Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind; Your life will bring heaven to earth. Namu Amida Buddha. Metta Karuna Prayer 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 Prayer of the Four Immeasurable Minds Through the working of Great Compassion in their hearts, May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness, May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow; May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless; May all come to peace without too much attachment and too much aversion, And live believing in the equality of all beings. Namu Amida Butsu. Light Amida, Oneness of Life and Light, I enjoin my hands and pray to you, Who resides in every quarter, direction and within my heart. Let your Primal Vow kindle the Light of Dharma in all beings, For those who grope bewildered in the gloom of sorrow. Namo Amida Buddha. Refuge Prayer Ocean of Oneness, I take refuge in you. Entrusting with my whole heart and mind In your Primal Vow; I am empowered by you to live a full, Compassionate and creative life, I dedicate myself to the service of all beings, Striving to help others realize, Their human potential and Enlightenment; May your Teachings guide me Throughout the day, in my relationships, work and play. Namo Amida Buddha Daily Affirmation Prayer Entrusting in the Primal Vow of Buddha, Calling out the Buddha-name, I shall pass through the journey of life with strength and joy. Revering the Light of Buddha, Reflecting upon my imperfect self, I shall proceed to live a life of gratitude. Following the Teachings of Buddha, Listening to the Right Path, I shall share the True Dharma with all. Rejoicing in the compassion of Buddha, Respecting and aiding all sentient beings, I shall work towards the welfare of society and the world. Namu Amida Buddha. 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.\ Golden Chain Prayer We are a link in Amidas golden chain of love that stretches around the world. We will keep our link bright and strong. We will be kind and gentle to every living thing And protect all who are weaker than ourselves. We will think pure and beautiful thoughts, Say pure and beautiful words, And do pure and beautiful deeds. May every link in Amidas chain of love be bright and strong, And may we all attain perfect peace. Namo Amida Buddha.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 08:56:27 +0000
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