Buddhism, unlike other religions, is not characterized by many prayers, because Buddhist prayer is a simple spiritual dialogue that helps mental and emotional concentration. As you begin to pray, try to visualize the entities you name as being happy and at peace. Imagine that your thoughts of love and kindness reach them, touch them and embrace them giving them peace, well-being and happiness.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Recite Buddhist Prayers
Step 1. Concentrate by assuming good posture, breathing steadily and consciously
Before starting, take a deep breath, make yourself comfortable and close your eyes. Focus on the present moment and focus in the way that you find most effective for you. You will need to immerse yourself completely in the prayer and not just say it.
The presence of candles, perfumes and soft lighting help you calm down and strengthen an intimate contact with prayer
Step 2. Learn some simple mantras
These are phrases that need to be repeated constantly, so that they settle in your mind and you can understand their deeper meaning.
- Om mani padme hum. This mantra is pronounced exactly as it is written and means: "Hello or Jewel in the Lotus flower", although it is an approximate, albeit widely accepted, translation.
- Oṃ Amideva Hrīḥ: the pronunciation of this mantra is "Om Ami-dehva re". Its meaning is "Overcoming all obstacles and impediments".
- Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih: this mantra helps to achieve wisdom, critical thinking and writing. When you recite it, emphasize the word "Dhih".
- There are many other mantras that you can recite, also available in audio format, so that you can learn how to pronounce them quickly.
Step 3. Try repeating or vocalizing a simple prayer for the Three Treasures
This prayer is short and lends itself to being repeated like a mantra. Remember to focus and let your spirituality grow without just asking the Buddha:
I take refuge in the Buddha, in Dharma and Sangha
until I reach enlightenment.
Thanks to the merits that I have accumulated with the practice of generosity and other virtues
May I attain enlightenment, for the benefit of all sentient beings.
- Sangha it is often translated as "community", "group" or "assembly". It usually refers to the community of people who believe in Buddhist ideals.
- Dharma it is the general and universal truth common to all people. It is the force that binds and holds the universe together.
Step 4. Pray for the happiness and well-being of friends and family
This prayer helps you express gratitude for the people around you and recognize their connection with you.
May I be well and be happy and at peace.
May my teachers be well and be happy and at peace.
May my parents be well and be happy and at peace.
May my relatives be well and be happy and at peace.
May my friends be well and be happy and at peace.
May indifferent people be well and be happy and at peace.
May the enemies be well and be happy and at peace.
May all those who meditate be well and be happy and at peace.
May all living beings be well and be happy and at peace.
Step 5. Say a simple prayer of thanks before you eat
The moments before a meal are perfect for slowing down and showing gratitude for the gifts that the earth offers us. When you eat, you connect even more with the people around you and respect your physical nature. Here are some suggestions:
May this food be dedicated to the Three Treasures
The precious Buddha
The precious Dharma
The precious Sangha
Bless this food, so that it becomes our medicine
Free from attachment and desire
So that it can feed our bodies and us
We can dedicate ourselves to the welfare of all sentient beings.
Step 6. Learn the Metta Sutta
This prayer, which was adapted from a Buddha's teaching on compassion, is extremely powerful and you can repeat it to yourself:
This should be done by those who practice good and know the path of peace, to be skilful and upright, clear in speech, kind and not vain;
happy and easily satisfied; not burdened by commitments and frugal ways, calm and discreet, not haughty or demanding; not attached to a nation, race or other group
unable to do what the sage then disapproves of. On the contrary, help me think
May all beings live happy and safe
everyone, whoever they are, weak and strong, big or mighty, tall, medium or low, visible and invisible, near and far, born and unborn. May all beings live happy!
Let no one deceive the other or despise him or with hatred or anger desire his evil.
As a mother protects her son, her only child with her life, so, with an open heart, she takes care of every being, radiating love over the whole universe, up to the sky down to the abyss, in every place, without limitations, free from hatred and rancor.
Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, free from numbness, supporting the practice of Metta; this is the sublime abode.
The pure of heart, unbound by opinions, endowed with clear vision, freed from sensual longings, will not be born again in this world..
Step 7. Remember that prayer is a simple way to connect with your spirituality
The Buddha is not a creator god, although some practices recognize him as a divine nature. That said, prayers are not offered to the Buddha, but they are a way to deepen your spiritual side. If you feel the need to pray, do it; you will worry about the theological aspect later. If you wish, you can also write your own mantras and consider them your prayer, as there is no wrong way to pray.
There is a wide range of Buddhist prayers, and there is no "right" way to pray. This way you are free to practice your prayer and spirituality as you wish, not as you have been told
Method 2 of 2: Using a Mālā
Step 1. The mālā allows you to count the prayers or mantras you recite without imposing a rigid quantity
The mālā is used only to keep track of prayers and not as a punishment or standard of reference. It resembles the Christian rosary but is used to help you pray and not get in the way of your spiritual practice.
- The movement of the fingers running between the beads involves the body in prayer, while the mind recites the words and the spirit visualizes them.
- You can recite all the prayers and all the mantras you want with the mālā.
- It can be purchased online, or at many Tibetan Buddhist temples and shops.
Step 2. Understand why this tool was built
In a mālā, generally, there are 108 beads, plus a last larger "head" grain. When you have one in your hand, you should reach 100 prayers, or mantras, and the eight extra beads are "back up" in case you have forgotten any mantras or miscalculated.
Some people believe that the larger bead has a special meaning and someone even calls it "master's"
Step 3. Say a prayer for each bead
Close your eyes and touch the first grain, usually the head grain. Recite your first prayer or mantra completely and then move on to the next bead, the one that is higher. Some people recite different mantras for beads of various sizes; you can do it too, if you have a mālā of this type.
- You can use either your right or left hand, while respecting a clockwise rotation of the mālā.
- Don't worry that everything has to be perfect. Focus on visualizing your prayer by fully experiencing the present moment. Anchor your body in the physical world by maintaining contact with the mālā beads.
Step 4. When you have completed the first set of prayers, do not skip the master bead
When you have exhausted all 108 beads, turn the mālā over and continue in the same direction.
This practice is mostly symbolic and means that you do not "step over" your master, which is the largest bead
Step 5. Store the mālā in a clean and high place or put it around your neck and wrist
There is nothing wrong with wearing it and always having it on hand, so you can count your prayers wherever you are. If you can't take it with you, hang it somewhere safe or securely on your altar so it doesn't fall.
