Something of a followup to Yan Ones post entitled, THE PRACTICE OF TONGLEN, by Pema Chödrön. That essay has caused me to wonder, how and/or to whom do Buddhists pray? (I am an atheist who has studied far too much western philosophy. As such, I have no god of any kind. To the degree that I might pray, it is not to any entity.) This morning, I asked my wife, a Thai lay Buddhist, about this matter. She first understood the question to be for what do you pray? and proceeded to tell me those things. Largely, the list consisted first of things relating to health, centering on immediate family, but sometimes extending to others and especially if they were in need. Secondly, and to a lesser degree, she prays for happiness. Sometimes she prays for help in returning to herself, in staying centered and focused. And sometimes she will pray for ghosts. For the departed, for the spirits who may be wandering around our house, neighborhood, etc. After she explained these things to me, I offered an answer to my original question, saying that it sounded to me as if she prays TO Buddha... That he is the one who hears her prayers and who can offer the different kinds of assistance she was describing. She said something along the lines of Of course. All Thai Buddhists pray to Buddha and believe that he is the one with the power to help. In that way, the Buddha strikes me as being very much like the Christian God. As I contemplated these matters, this video went by on my wall. It has a somewhat curious statement, for me, when the monk says, As for Phra Chao Than Chai, if one prays to it, he will get what he asks for immediately. This may have been translated improperly, or may be being heard too literally by my western ears/eyes. The monk does make clear a bit later that he is talking about merit, and that any results occur in the heart of the doer, provided their prayers contain four elements, which he goes on to describe. This is all very interesting to me... It is me, of course, who is the weirdo outsider from the west, and who seems to have personal beliefs somewhat at odds with those in SE Asia now and again. To the people here, it is perfectly natural to have a spirit house near ones home or business, and to pray to/for the spirits who reside inside; it is natural to hang an animals entrails in an altar in the forest, and to pray to whatever spirits might benefit from that animals entrails hanging there (Ive participated in such ceremonies); and too, it is natural for some (not all) to pray for material goods -- for wealth. (Oh Lord, wont you buy me, a Mercedes Benz. My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. -- Janis Joplin) Why share this? Partly because its a matter Im considering here today, and partly because I think it a matter good for us all to consider. The different people here have different backgrounds, different experiences, different expectations, belong to different schools of Buddhist thought, have considered themselves Buddhists for different numbers of years, and so on. It is always interesting to see what one or another considers Buddhism to be, and to observe how they practice it. The same for those adhering to other faiths, of course.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 05:45:48 +0000
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