The prayers of Buddhism were mostly written by the historical Buddha, who dictated them during his lifetime, as well as by his disciples and descendants. One of his most important sayings was that if you search the whole universe for someone who has gained more of your affection and affliction than your fellow human beings, that person is nowhere to be found. One’s self, as much as anyone else in the beautiful universe, receives love and affection.
Buddhist prayers for love
If love is thought to be wrong in your life, be brave and energetic. You are worthy of love, it did not happen to you. Put the Buddhist prayers for love into practice to bring about peace and love itself. Don’t stop there, you can find out more about the Universal Healing Prayers for Peace (see article: Novena to St Roch).
Through the responsibility of great love in your hearts. May all beings have prosperity and the roots of happiness. May all be free from pain and the sources of sorrow. May all never turn away from the consecrated happiness that is afflicted. May all attain peace without excessive attachment and excessive antipathy, and live in the equality of all individuals.
May we be filled with hope and may others around us understand the love we transmit. May people encourage us and want to spend time with us. May happiness and healthy love captivate us. May I be free of fear, pain and autonomy to love again, as we must give freely and love others.
May our hearts be joyful and may my soul mate come to us today. Give me the eyes to know her and a healthy dependence to last forever. May I be free from fear, may I be saved from suffering. May we be happy, may you fill us with loving charity. May you be free from fear and may we be free from sorrow. May we be happy and filled with loving compassion. May all individuals throughout the universe be timely and filled with loving kindness.
The prayers of love will set the tone for the rest of the year and give comfort to those who have various intimate obstacles. The great mechanism of these prayers is that they are numerous and can be accepted by any subject regardless of their devotion:
“Water flows, water flows over these hands. I can use them skilfully to protect our beautiful planet. – Thich Nhat Hahn”.
Our tastes and preferences are just one of many basic resources that enable us to be useful members of humanity. Not only do our tastes help us accomplish our daily tasks, but they also keep the world running. Without our constructive habitat, the world would cease to flourish.
Golden chain: “I am an iron in Lord Buddha’s magnificent continuum of love unfolding around the world. I must maintain my bright and energetic link. I will try to be kind and gentle to every living being, and I will protect all who are more fragile than myself. I shall endeavour to think pure and beautiful inclinations, to speak pure and graceful phrases, and to do pure and graceful deeds, knowing that in what I do now lies my happiness and unhappiness. May all the fetters of Lord Buddha’s golden chain of love become bright and vigorous, and may we all attain perfect peace. – Buddhist Prayer”.
One of life’s greatest challenges is to realise that each person is only one piece of the puzzle. It takes a team of people to change the world and to know that this will be the discrepancy. It is also crucial to realise that your self-esteem will grow when you realise that your happiness lies in your own dissatisfaction with life. If you bring unhappiness into your life, it will only follow you. However, if you make a commitment to mark the discrepancy and live with a true quality, you will see that the universe is a much brighter place.
“Well, happy and serene. May I be well, happy and serene. May my teachers be healthy, happy and serene. May my parents be well, fit and calm. May my family members be content, happy and calm. May my friends be well, happy and tranquil. May the insensitive people be well, fit and peaceful. May the dissenting people be well, happy and in harmony. May all meditators be well, happy and peaceful. May all beings be well, happy and in harmony. – Buddhist Prayer” (See article: How to Teach the Word of God to Children)
Whatever difficulties you have with someone, you must always keep them in your prayers. Sins are forgiven and setbacks happen because they are compendiums of life. Never turn anyone’s head or heart. Although you do not have to keep these issues in your life, you should not exclude them from your prayers and the good energy of others. Always strive to be a genuine person and share the blessings of happiness, prosperity and peace.
Buddhist prayers are phrases of wisdom to be embraced regardless of the religion of the individual. Instead of seeing these messages as phrases of Buddhist wisdom, an individual should see them as phrases of enlightenment.
Of protection
Prayers are very powerful instruments. Here are prayers of protection from various subjective and mystical traditions. You can chant one of these prayers while using the graceful stone prayer scales. One way is to chant one line of a poem per bead, or break the prayer into phrases and chant one phrase per bead. You can then use the beads to keep the sustaining energy close to you. (See article: Phrases of Trust in God)
You can also harmonise prayers with specific gems, either tokens or pendants, or with consecrated geometric images for further protection; in this case you would connect the object with the will of the prayer by holding it between your palms and chanting the prayer openly, and then transfer or use the object so that its energy envelops your own. If you wish to change the prayer, rub the object with incense and then install the new prayer within the being:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me spread love,
Where there is decay, forgiveness.
Where there is uncertainty, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sorrow, joy.
O Divine Master, grant me not to seek
Not so much to be reassured as to be comforted,
Not so much to be enlightened as to understand,
Not so much to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we gather,
It is in forgiving that we are absolved,
It is in dying that we incite to eternal life.
May I become in every moment, now and forever.
A protector for those without protection.
A guide for those who are lost.
A ship for the seas to cross.
A bridge for those who cross the rivers.
A temple for those in danger.
A lamp for those who have no light.
A refuge for those who need shelter.
And a helper to those in need.
– Dalai Lama (Buddhist)
God’s light surrounds me;
God’s love surrounds me;
God’s power guards me;
God’s representation watches over me;
Wherever I pretend to be, God is.
– James Dillet Freeman
“Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my grandfather, all over the earth the faces of living things are alike. Tenderly have they sprung from the ground. Look upon these faces of children without number and with children in their shelters, that they may manage to brave the winds and walk the good way to the day of serenity. “Black Elks
“O Lord, grant that we may sleep in peace tonight. And at dawn may we wake in peace. May our day be surrounded by your peace. Protect us and teach us to think and act only in love. Keep us from all evil; may our journey be free from all obstacles from the time of our departure until the time of our return. Jewess”
Dear God, be good to me;
The sea is so wide
And my boat is so small.
– The Breton fisherman’s prayer
“May all beings plagued by physical and mental anguish be quickly freed from their sufferings. May those in fear cease to be afraid and those in bondage be set free. May those who are barren find strength, and may those who speculate find friendship. May those who are in the wilderness without fear or suspicion, the children, the old and the helpless, be protected by beneficent deities, and may they quickly attain enlightenment. – The Buddha” (See article: Whom Moses Married)
“Be detached in prosperity and grateful in adversity. Be just in your judgement and watch over your word. Be a lantern to those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind and a guiding light to the feet of the wandering. Be a breath of life to the body of mercy, a dew to the stretch of the human heart, and a fruit on the tree of faithfulness. – Bahá’u’lláh”
For health
Founded in India over 2,500 years ago, Buddhism remains the dominant religion in the Far East and is becoming increasingly important in the West. Throughout its long tradition, Buddhism has been refined into a wide variety of expressions, ranging from a preoccupation with religious protocol and the worship of omnipotence to a total rejection of ritual and deity in favour of pure reflection. But what they all have in common is a great respect for the Buddha’s instructions (see article: What is compassion?).
We are all able to learn how to tap into a rich source of healing energy through reflection on the Medicine Buddha, the representation of the healing energy of suggestion. Physical illness and mental pain are rooted in our conflicting and painful states of mind. Cultivating compassion and meditating on Medicine Buddha will cure this inner illness and bring physical and mental health and prosperity.
This energetic practice is a powerful source of relief in a suffering world. This skill is dedicated to healing ourselves, our family, our friendships, our community and our universe. We all need healing at different times in our lives.
Sometimes we need healing for physical ailments. At other times we need to heal the traumas we have tolerated and find ways to release the conflicts of the past that we carry in our bodies. We need release from the struggles and upsets caused by our predicaments and the pain we feel from the madness of humanity. In order to heal ourselves, we fail to challenge our illness and pain, or to manage anger and hostility in an attempt to disarm ourselves of them.
On the contrary, we are to bring a tender, healing energy to all that is infected or torn, broken or debauched. In the Buddhist healing prayer, analogous to the spirit of Jesus, we say “May I be the beneficial medicine for all the sick. May I bring healing to myself and to others. We believe that healing is possible and we consecrate ourselves to be part of that healing. We reconcile with ourselves and those around us in tenderness and enlightenment, especially when we acknowledge concern and sadness.
Sometimes this is all that healing requires, that we become present. We must never diminish your power to heal when you approach hardship with courage and love, when you touch pain with healing rather than fear. Our healing comes through our comfortable attention and through the loving embrace of another. As you achieve, find a passion for the grace of life and bring this alertness to the healing of your core and body.
Sit peacefully and allow your eyes to engage. Ensure that your floor allows you to be present, awake, grounded and relaxed. As you feel comfortable, feel your connection to the earth. Breathe in and feel your inhalation coming into your body. Soon, without trying to change anything, pay gentle attention to what is comfortable and uncomfortable in your body. Notice if there is tension, spasm or pain in certain areas and ease and relaxation in others. Notice if there is any confusion or repetitive ideologies in your mind.
Notice the state of your heart. Does it feel stiff or soft and open, is it filled with a particular emotion or excitement, such as tiredness or joy, sadness or excitement? Just witness what is happening without judgement. Breathe in and let everything be easy. After a few minutes, begin to imagine or feel yourself moving through the air as if on a magic mat, in the clear blue sky, taking your time. (See article: Christian Prayers)
Feel or assume or appreciate that you are floating above the earth in the stillness of clear air and bright sunlight. After a minute or two, allow yourself to gradually move on. Set your intention to go to a sacred and beautiful temple of healing, a place of great knowledge, healing and love. Allow this sanctuary to be a surprise. It may be an area you have been to before or a place you have never perceived. It may be within or without. Come to rest in it. Take as much time as you need to imagine and feel and embrace this temple.
As you imagine yourself in this temple and feel its brio moving you, become aware of the wounds you carry that cry out for healing. Once you have at least one wound manifestly in your mind, take cognition that there is a divine altar of healing nearby. Now imagine that you are sitting in front of this altar. After a while a wise and loving healer who lives in this temple will walk towards you. Allow yourself to open to this shining being, to feel or sense it as it arises. As this healer approaches you, they will bow slightly to you.
They will then place their gentle healing hand on the part of your body where you are most deeply wounded. Feel the representation of this healing hand on your crippled limb, your wounded heart or your wounded forehead. If you feel like it, you can remove your own hand and place it on the place of your deepest wound. Hold the place of your pain, your problem or your illness. Touch it as if you were being guided by this great Beneficent Being.
Know that no matter how many times you have blocked or resisted this pain or discomfort, no matter how many times you have admitted it with fear or aversion, now is the moment when you can finally open up. As you feel your body open to this beneficial touch, explore your feelings. Is the touch warm or cold, hard or soft? Let your wisdom be gentle, as if you were receiving the loving touch of Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, or Mother Mary, or Jesus. Feel your hurts, fears and problems being touched by pure warmth and sincerity.
For the deceased
Much can be done to help the dead, according to Buddhist wisdom. When we enter this realm, most of us are in unfamiliar territory, for we have only known the experience of saying prayers for the dead and perhaps passing out candles. Usually people feel that those who have died are beyond help. This is not the judgement, as Ringu Tulku points out, this is where Buddhists, especially Tibetan Buddhists, really come into their own, much more so than at beginnings or weddings. (See article: St Anthony Abbot)
People who die can make arrangements for their bodies to be transferred to the stupa to remain in this chamber for the 49 days of the death minstrelsy, and before this monks and nuns will say prayers at the coffin during this cycle.
This is just one of the many ways that Tibetan Buddhists offer the world the convenience of helping those who have passed on. By pretence, the strangeness and unfamiliarity of it is depressing to many people because we show a fear of the new and the unknown and therefore plan our occultism around it.
Through reflection and concern, we become aware of spiritual forces that transcend the limitations of the rational cognitive mind that speculates these words. Whether there is value or grace in attempting to name these forces, we do not know, but it is safe to say that the common way it is always expressed is as grace. Mercy, like the sun, is an impartial and effective healing blessing that shines upon all beings, whether they are good or bad, and whether they understand it or not.
Godliness is expressed through the content of righteousness in order to help in an appropriate way. It is explained as an all-encompassing outline that arises in the mind, an arrangement that sees all representations of life and beings as equal. It can only be born in a mind that is open and accepting of itself and others; a perception that is not burdened by distinctions, judgements, intransigence or self-absorption.
Integral to this is a willingness to live by the proposition that the universe is a locution and manifestation of compassion, and that the quality of our enlightened nature is compassion. If this is the case, we can stimulate and manifest this compassion to heal the world and ourselves.
Tibetan Buddhism follows the usual path and has various practices that invoke and channel into our world uneven manifestations of the universal power of devotion to benefit beings. The most common of these is the Chenrezig experience, centred on the Buddha of Compassion.
We could use the term universal archetype of compassion, but instead the archetype is a fundamental principle that lives within each of us, but also exists freely. It is not the authority of our mind. The accompanying mantra for this practice is ‘om mani padme hum’. Tibetans give it a different twist and chant “om mani peme hung”, which means the same.
Silent prayers
The silent prayers are intended to express our simultaneous sense of gratitude and boldness as practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism and parts of Soka Gakkai International. The composition of these prayers is deliberately intended as a guide to help us formulate this intimate sense of gratitude and boldness. Therefore, it is not the actual composition of the silent prayers, but what is most meaningful that we have in our minds when we perform the prayers. (See article: Novena to St Roch)
First sentence:
APPRECIATION OF THE ZENJIN SHOTEN
I offer an explanation to the shoten
zenjin, the occupations of life and the
of life and the environment
day and night.
I pray that their guardian power may be
Be further strengthened and reformed by
by my knowledge of the law.
Second prayer:
THANKSGIVING TO THE DAI-GOHONZON
I offer my deepest praise and most sincere
to the Dai-Gohonzon of the
Dai-Gohonzon of the
Three Great Secret Laws,
which has been granted to
to the whole world.
Third phrase:
PRAISE FOR THE THREE TEACHERS
I offer my most sincere praise and
and sincere appreciation to Nichiren
Daishonin, the authentic Buddha of the
Latter Day of the Law.
I offer my deepest praise and
Sincere gratitude to Nikko Shonin,
the great leader of the spread
of True Buddhism.
I offer sincere devotion to
Nichimoku Shonin, High Priest of Kosen-rufu
Of Kosen-rufu.
Fourth prayer:
FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF KOSEN-RUFU
I pray that
The great aspiration of Kosen-rufu will be fulfilled, and that
Soka Gakkai International
will continue to develop in this endeavour.
I pray for the purification of my negative karma
caused by my fable of the Fa in this life and in the past
in this life and in the past, and to realise
My ambitions in the present and future.
Fifth prayer:
APPRECIATION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND
SOKA GAKKAI PRESIDENTS AND PRAYER FOR THE RESOLUTE
FOR THE RESOLUTE
I respond to the first president
First President of Soka Gakkai Tsunesaburo
Makiguchi, and to the second
President, Josei Toda, for his
generous devotion to the spread of the
of the Law.
I pray for my deceased family members and all those who have died.
For all those who have died,
Especially for these people…
I pray for peace throughout the
universe and for the happiness
of all humanity.
Essential Buddhist Prayers
Essential Buddhist prayers include the following:
Buddhist Prayer for Peace
“May all beings filled with physical and mental suffering be quickly freed from their sufferings. May those in fear cease to be afraid and those in bondage be free. May the infectious find strength, and may people speculate in friendship. May those in the fearless and anxious wilderness be guarded by heavenly protectors, and may they quickly attain Buddhahood.
Buddhist Prayer for Forgiveness
“If I have harmed anyone in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, through my compliant confessions, I ask for forgiveness. If anyone has harmed me, knowingly or unknowingly, by their timely gibberish, I forgive them. And if there is an environment that I am not yet ready to forgive, I forgive myself for that. For all the representations in which I hurt myself, deny, doubt, dismiss, judge, or am cruel with my convenient confusions, I forgive myself.
Prayer of the Earth
“We meekly coo to you, Earth, our planet and our home. Our perspective has brought us closer to you and made us aware of the damage we have done to the web of life in which we live. We are reminded that we have poisoned your waters, your lands, your air. We have littered you with the bones of our dead from war and greed. Your pain is our pain. Touching you gently, we pray that we may be conjured of peace and life, that our home in its exodus around the sun may not be reconciled to a barren and hermitic place. May this prayer and its power last forever. (See article: Prayer to St Mark of Leon)
