The Power of Prayer with Lama Surya Das Prayer is a conversation with God. It should be part of our spiritual journey, transforming confusion into clearness and suffering into joy. As per Lama Surya Das prayer can move mountains if only we would let it. If only you would realize just how effective prayer can be you would never feel hopeless.
Prayer in Buddhism with Lama Surya Das Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our natural inner capacities of strength, feeling and wisdom rather than to appeal external forces based on fear, idolizing, worldly and heavenly gains. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner rebuilding. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life. The purpose of Buddhist prayer according to Lama Surya Das is to awaken our innate inner capacities of strength, courage and wisdom rather than to petition external forces. Only one popular Buddhist teacher has written a book about prayer, and that’s Thich Nhat Hanh. Many Western Buddhists and mindfulness practitioners today seem unaware of the numerous prayerful traditions and practices of Buddhism in the old world. I myself savor the mystic poems, songs, chants, prayers and sacred music practices of Vajrayana Buddhism. Perhaps because Mahayana-Vajrayana Buddhism is very inclusive and open to eclecticism, I too feel that way. I wanted to share with you a prayerful poem gifted to me this month, from some Catholic friends.
A prayer with Lama Surya Das “As we turn our lives to the crosswalk of Lent’s dark journey, let us locate ourselves in the intersection and there open a holding space to welcome the world. Over these next weeks exercise your holding heart and make room for the world. Go to your listening place. Open up, within you,
open up around you, a space wide and deep. And in the quiet, let the whole world tumble in. All the hurts and hopes of loved ones, of enemies, of neighbors, let them all in. The complex tangles of struggles personal and global, let them in. Summon the most ravaged and despairing. Find room for those who are sorely afflicted. Let them all come. Bar none! Let this space hold and enfold them! Let the expansive mystery of God’s love envelop all that is confounding, disturbing, unresolved or unrealized. Hold it, hold it all till it fills you. Lift the brimming pitcher and empty yourself into the vast vessel, that is the Sacred Heart.”
Here are benefits of Prayer •
Prayer is the way to a life of communion with God. Prayer helps protect one from negative energies, (evil spirit, ghost and devils) and creates armour around oneself.
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Prayer is a vital tool of spiritual practice in the generic spiritual path of loyalty.
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Prayer increases our personality, because in prayer we are having give and take with God who is the source of our personality. As a result, we gain clearer, solid grip of our own self image. This makes for a more confident, friendly and loving personality. Prayer is like water for our soul. With the constant supply, our personality becomes bright and beautiful.
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Prayer gives us the self-belief to succeed. Usually fear of failure comes from a bad self image. Prayer changes our wrong self images and gives us confidence in ourselves and what we must achieve.
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God provides us a great deal of strength through prayer. It helps sometimes to know someone is there for us, especially someone like God. He gives us direction that offers strength. He provides help through other people that gives us strength.
Prayer is a responsibility whereby strength is derived from God against the desires and corruptions of the heart, and the snares of the world. Article Source – http://askthelama.com/post/80287219560/the-power-of-prayer •