The Power of Prayer around the World - The Use of Prayer in Various Religions

The Power of Prayer around the World

The Use of Prayer in Various Religions



When we look at how prayer is used in different religious traditions, we notice the striking similarities among the diversity.

People come together as a group, whether in Hindu temples or Jewish synagogues. Most engage in prayers of gratitude, of devotion, of petition. Prayer marks the passages of one’s life, the seasons of the year, and the hours of the day. With the richness of the religious traditions of our world, we can learn to appreciate the beauty of the many facets of our Creator in the expressions of those who are seeking to open their hearts to God.


JUDAISM


Jewish prayer is an elaborate set of rituals designed to bond a community and to transmit the experience from generation to generation. The Shema is recited when retiring at night and awakening in the morning. The Amidah is the central part of the three daily services. There are other prayers that distinguish the Sabbath from the rest of the week as well as special prayers for the many seasons, festivals, and holy days, such as Passover and Yom Kippur, which make up the rich tradition of Judaism.

Jewish prayer can encompass praise (the Psalms), petition for healing or forgiveness, gratitude—usually after eating— or powerful emotions that transport the worshiper beyond the words of the prayers themselves. Prayer often takes place in a minyan, which is a quorum with a minimum of ten Jews. The minyan symbolizes the Jewish people, past and present. The prayers are often chanted or sung by a cantor or a non-clergical congregant.

Jewish prayer is both a personal and community experience. It defines the peoplehood and community of Israel and articulates the theological views of the Jews.


CHRISTIANITY

The early basis for Christian prayer comes from the plea of the disciples for Jesus to teach them to pray. In response, Jesus gave them a model prayer for Christians then and now, a prayer that has since become known as the Lord’s Prayer. In addition, Jesus warned against hypocrisy and public posturing when praying, and urged his disciples to pray even though God already knew their needs. When the disciples were not able to heal a young man with epilepsy, Jesus stated that this type of healing requires prayer; in other words, assistance from a higher source is necessary in order for miracles to occur.

Early Christians prayed at specific times during the day, following the Jewish pattern of praying. These prayers were collected into a Book of Hours, which was filled also with psalms, hymns, and readings for private use.

In addition to the Lord’s Prayer, the Eastern Orthodox used the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” which was repeated continually to provoke a mystical union with God. The Roman Catholic Church developed the use of the rosary and Hail Mary for devotional praying, as well as prayers associated with specific sacraments, which developed eventually into the Mass. With the Reformation came new ways of worshiping and new liturgies from the Protestant perspective. These and other different interpretations of the religion created worship and prayer of great variety.

Christian worship traditionally takes place within a church where services are held on Sundays. The service usually contains Bible readings, songs, prayers, a sermon, and often Communion. Some denominations follow a strict order of worship; others allow for free expression of prayer during the services. No matter what the specific Christian tradition, prayer remains an integral part of personal and public worship.


ISLAM

Prayer in Islam is one of the five pillars of the religion, which also include the declaration of faith, fasting during Ramadan, charitable donations to be distributed among the needy, and pilgrimage to Mecca.

There are very specific rules set down for Islamic prayer. It is to be practiced five times a day—at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and nighttime. Before praying, one must purify oneself, which involves washing the face, hands, and feet, and cleaning the mouth, nose, and teeth. Prayers are to take place in a clean space, often using a prayer rug. The ritual involves elements of bowing, touching the forehead to the ground, kneeling, and repeating specific prayers for the times of day. These prayers can be shared with a group or alone. Specific prayers also mark special events, such as birth, death, and marriage, and are part of yearly festivals. In addition, on Fridays all Muslim men gather at the mosque for afternoon prayer, although this is not theoretically a holy day. In Islam every day is considered holy and every location is a mosque, since there is no special distinction between the sacred and the ordinary. The practice of Islam can be thought of not just as a religion, but as a way of life with prayer playing a significant part.


HINDUISM

Hinduism is an ancient religion based on the Vedas, which are Sanskit holy texts from India. Some of the beliefs include reincarnation and the desire for release from rebirth, called moksha. The Hindus believe that what passes from one incarnation to the next is the soul, the inmost essence of a person, called Atman. All of the universe is held together with a universal consciousness called Brahman, who is the force behind all the deities and is the creative force of the universe. Hindus believe that Atman is part of Brahman. Complete devotion to spiritual practice, however, takes place only after the duties of life, such as raising a family and providing for its material well being, are satisfied. These responsibilities might also be considered religious duties to be fulfilled before a person devotes time to the study of sacred texts and renunciation, or leading the life of a holy person.

A famous Hindu religious writing is the Bhagavad Gita, which is called “The Song of the Lord.” It tells the story of a young warrior named Arguna and his charioteer, Krishna, who is really God in disguise. Krishna explains to Arjuna the meaning and purpose of life, including his duty to fight and the need to remain unattached to the outcome, thus remaining as calm as a yogi. Much of the Bhagavad Gita can be recited as a prayer, such as, “O Lord of Sleep, I am the Atman seated in the heart of all beings. I am the beginning, I am the middle, I am the end of all beings” (Bhagavad Gita 10:20).

Most worship takes place in Hindu households, which contain domestic shrines with statues of various deities. There are also public temples and shrines in the villages in which people gather during the day for prayer. Specific rituals that mark special events, such as birth, death, and marriage, are celebrated
in the temples, along with study and other community events.

One path of worship is called bhakti, where love of God is expressed through thought and action focused on constant devotion to God. Bhakti can also take the form of song, prayers, chanting, music, and dancing. Another path is that of karma yoga, the yoga of performing good works with no thought of return. The path of knowledge is called jnana, which is liberation through knowledge and wisdom. These methods involve deep commitment, self knowledge, discipline, and dedication to spiritual liberation. Most of the methods would be followed under the guidance of a guru or teacher, who would provide mantras for meditation and other specific practices for the student.

The path of Hinduism is one of nonviolence and a sense of responsibility for the actions of our lives. Prayer or meditation is one of the methods that Hindus use to become closer to God.


BUDDHISM

Buddhism developed from Hinduism and contains within it many of the same concepts. Its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, was born into a wealthy Hindu family, but he renounced the pleasures of the world to seek liberation from the endless, meaningless cycle of life.

At first he followed a path of extreme asceticism, gaining discipline and control through fasting and meditation, but not true liberation. Eventually he renounced this austere path and found enlightenment through a method he developed to calm the mind and by avoiding extremes of deprivation or indulgence. Sitting under the bodhi tree, he was able to perceive the true nature of things. He then taught this
“Middle Way” to his followers as a way to release themselves from suffering caused by attachment to bodily desires, hungers, wants, and feelings. This teaching is contained within the Four Noble Truths, which deal with the nature of suffering and attachment.

The purpose of human existence according to Buddhism is to attain Nirvana. The way to do this is by following the Eightfold Path, which is right views, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

From this basic teaching many schools of Buddhism developed and spread from India to China, Tibet, Korea, and Japan. Their holy scriptures, practices, and prayers vary, but there are some similarities. For instance, a Buddhist temple can honor many Buddha incarnations because the original Buddha is not worshiped as a deity, only as a special person who attained a state of enlightenment that all have the capacity to realize. Buddhist devotion usually begins with the acknowledgment of the three refuges: “I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma (true path); I take refuge in the Sangha (community).”

Since Buddha reached his liberation through meditation, it is the primary Buddhist practice. Some schools, such as Tibetan Buddhism, use a mantra as the focus of their meditations; one famous mantra is “Om Manipadme Hum,” which means “O, the jewel in the lotus.” Repetition of this phrase can create positive karma, or well being in this life or the next.

Other schools use an image of a holy person or an object, such as a candle. Another method is to look closely at the thoughts and feelings that arise in meditation.

The Tibetans use prayer flags and prayer wheels with Scripture on them as a way of worship. They hang the flags in temples and special places and believe that the prayers are actualized when the wind blows through them. The prayer wheels are cylinders inscribed with a prayer on the outside and contain a scroll with other mantras on the inside. The rotation of the wheel in worship services activates the forces of the text.


In addition, there are often festivals that take place with special prayers and ceremonies. Some of these festivals celebrate the birth of Buddha, the New Year, and other special events.

Buddhism is a path of compassion and mindfulness, which means being aware of every thought, every action, every feeling, and seeing how they affect others. In order to overcome negative traits, we first must acknowledge them. This practice becomes one of constant consciousness, of paying attention to what is taking place here and now rather than worrying about the past and the future. This attitude could be thought of as a state of prayer.

OTHER RELIGIONS

In the myriad of other religious traditions can be found practices that support prayer as an integral part of worship. Practicers of Taoism, a Chinese religion, seek to align themselves with the Tao—the “way” or natural flow of the universe— in a state of awareness and serenity. The main text of their religion is one of simple, wise teachings that can be meditated upon and used as prayer. Taoists developed yoga
and other methods of healing to align the body’s energies with this universal energy, and chose humility and simplicity as a way of life.

Native Americans and other indigenous peoples often use songs, dancing, and drumming in a meditative, prayerful way. The purpose of these ceremonies is to petition certain favors, such as a successful hunt, or to mark the passage of a young person to adulthood.

The Sikh faith, from India, combines prayers from Islam and Hinduism in its worship service. Its founder, Guru Nanak, had an enlightenment experience that showed him God’s path, which was neither Hindu nor Muslim, but can be known through the Guru.

The Bahá’í faith is another that honors many faiths, drawing from the Torah, New Testament, and the Qu’ran. However, it also has sacred texts from its own teachers, Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá, which include collections of prayers. The Bahá’í believe in the unity of God and his prophets and the unity of the human race. Their worship involves obligatory prayers each day. They are in the process of building prayer centers for people of all faiths for collective worship. These centers have nine entrances to honor the nine major religious traditions. Thus we see that prayer can take many forms—from structured, mandatory participation to solitary meditation. The unifying element is the aspiration of the human soul seeking connection and upliftment. This feeling is felt and expressed around the world through prayer.