Praying

=The Buddhist Approach to Prayer =

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A Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken ou r inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom. It is also a form of meditation; it is a practise of inner cleanliness. A buddhist prayer should be part of our spiritual journey. ======


There is no formal, traditonal prayer in Buddhism because there are many different types of buddhism

Theravada / Hinayana (The great tradition or the way of the elders): Practised in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos and sticks firmly to the teachings of the Vinaya Pitaka. It teaches that Buddha was a man, a very special man, a very special person but nevertheless human. Theravada teaches that there is no reality corresponding to the concept of God that we can rely on for salvation. The monastic sangha (assembly) is at the heart of the practice and as well as working towards realization and enlightenment for themselves, the role of Theravada monks is to preserve and spread the Buddhist teaching (the dharma). Lay Thervada Buddhists live to support monks and attempt to live a life of morality, generosity and detachment, turning to Buddhism for religious ceremonies. Theravada is very individualistic. Its key virtue is wisdom and its ideal is Arahat (saint). They see Buddha as a saint. Mahayana (little tradition) Theraveda emphasizes the life of the monk and serious meditation practices that demand extended time and isolation which became difficult for millions and as Buddhism moved into new countries outside India it also had to compete with other religions. A new strand developed which was known as Mahayana. Mahayan accommodated and change it’s religious beliefs and practises to the religious expectations and ideas of people. They moved away from considering monks as the only elite and beyond the monastery. The Mahayan interpreted and transformed the Buddha and his teachings into divine being of personal nature and transcendence. The Lotus Sutra, a sacred Buddhist writing states that there are infinite numbers of Buddha saving people. Many people can achieve Buddha hood based on their ethics, enlightenment and compassion and one may become a Bodhisattva, a saviour, who helps others. Mahayana speaks of a Buddha land (heaven) faithful Buddhist go after death. The Amida Buddha with a great following amongst Japanese Buddhists has a heaven bliss called “Pure Land” and offers compassion to people who honour him and heavenly reward in paradise. Mahayana philosophy is drawn from various scriptures however the two most important are the Madhyamaka which teaches the emptiness of all things that nothing is anything in or by itself but only in relation to others. The Yogachara teaches that all things are consciousness only. Variants of Mahayana Buddhism: Tibetan Buddhism: A mixture of Buddhism, Tantrism and the ancient Bon religion of Tibet. They have a vast collection of scriptures (tantras), which describe powerful rituals. Their teachers (Lamas) are said to be reincarnations of holy teachers who lived in earlier times. The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists is the Dalai Lama who is believed to be the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara. Zen Buddhism: Developed from CH’an a school of Chinese Buddhism formed in the Seventh century from a blend of Taoism (Chinese philosophy outlined in the TaoTeChing). It aims is to achieve harmony with all that is by pursuing inaction and effortless) and Mahayana teachings. The school stressed experience rather than learning. One of the heroes of Zen is the fierce – looking Indian monk Boddhidharma who brought Buddhism to China. Absolute faith is placed in a person’s own inner being. Zen came to Japan in the 13th century five centuries after the orthodox forms of Buddhism. It appealed because of its emphasis on the uselessness of words and the insistence of action without thought. Zen teaches the possibility of enlightenment in the here and now, unlike the tendency that have developed in other strands of Buddhism as far off goals. It teaches that enlightenment is a spontaneous event, totally independent of concepts, techniques or rituals. Zen Monks are based on doing things, learning through experience. Pure Land Buddhism: Buddhist sect founded by a Chinese monk called Hui Yuan (AD 334 –416). It focuses on one particular scripture which tells of a living Buddha who inhabits another world system, a far off place known as the Pure Land. The Buddha is Amitabha and his followers believe that through faith they will be transported there after death. Nichiren Buddhism: A Japanese Buddhist reformer whose teachings are based on the Mahayana Sutra (scripture) known as the Lotus Sutra which contained the ultimate truth and that it could be compressed into a sacred formula NAMO MYOHO RENGE KYO (homage to the Lotus of the wonderful law). The central practice of Nichiren Buddhism is reciting the mantra of the namo myoho rengye kyo. Nichiren denounced all other forms of Buddhism and when the Mongols threatened Japan preached a fiery nationalism, urging the nation to convert to true Buddhism. 

http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/pureland_sangha/id41.html