Encyclopedia of Buddhism

supplication). Buddhist prayer can also be done in the
mind. Buddhists pray in private, individually in pub-
lic, or together with others as a joint activity.

Buddhists pray to a variety of beings, both human
and nonhuman. The object of prayer can be the his-
torical Buddha, or one of a seemingly infinite number
of transhistorical BUDDHASor BODHISATTVAS. When
THERAVADABuddhists, for example, prostrate before a
Buddha statue, this might be considered an act of pray-
ing with the body. If, in addition, they chant the most
famous Pali worship formula, “Homage to the worthy
one, the lord, the completely awakened one,” that
might be considered to involve a verbal prayer as well.
If this is further accompanied by thoughts of the Bud-
dha’s greatness, or by feelings of gratitude or devotion,
this might be considered to involve the mind in prayer.
In the Chinese and Japanese Pure Land tradition, the
practice of nenbutsu(nianfo), the recollection of the
Buddha AMITABHAand his pure land, is quintessen-
tially a mental action, but it is usually accompanied by
the repeated recitation of a prayer-formula, “Homage
to the Buddha Amitabha.”

Prayers can also be directed to human beings, both
living and not. For example, Tibetan Buddhists prac-
tice what is popularly called guru devotion.Mentally,
this involves the cultivation of an attitude in which the
teacher comes to be seen as a buddha. Verbally, guru
devotion can be done through the simple repetition of
the guru’s name. In more elaborate rituals, for exam-
ple, in the “worship of the guru” (bla ma mchod pa),
the living or deceased guru, whose presence is ritually
invoked, becomes the object of the adept’s devotions:
Offerings are made, the guru is requested not to for-
sake the world and to continue to teach the doctrine,
and he or she will also be asked to impart blessings on
the adept.

Buddhists also direct their prayers at special things.
For example, the widespread practice of “going for
refuge to the three jewels” can be seen not only as a
prayer to the buddha and the SAN ̇GHA, but also to the
dharma (a holy, but inanimate, object). Sometimes a
specific scripture will become an object of prayer and
devotion, as in the Sino-Japanese cults of the LOTUS
SUTRA(SADDHARMAPUN
D
ARIKA-SUTRA). The worship
of STUPAs or relics might also be said to be forms of
prayer directed at something, rather than at someone.

Besides praying to what we might call “transcen-
dental” objects, however, Buddhists also pray to the
various DIVINITIES(devas) that are believed to inhabit
the world. These can be quite extraordinary beings, like

the great gods of the Hindu pantheon, or the protec-

tors of the dharma. They can also be lesser, though

nonetheless powerful, spirits associated with a partic-

ular region or place. Tantric Buddhists developed elab-

orate prayer rituals to propitiate both dharma

protectors and indigenous spirits. In many of these rit-

uals practitioners visualize themselves in the form of

an enlightened deity, who then demands, rather than

requests, the cooperation of the protector. This is im-

portant, lest it be thought that all forms of Buddhist

prayer requires the adept to assume a position of hu-

mility and submission before the object to whom the

prayer is directed.

Finally, Buddhists pray for a variety of things that

range from worldly goals (e.g., a good harvest, chil-

dren, protection from harm, health, money, erudition,

love) to the most sublime (enlightenment). They pray

for a better REBIRTH(e.g., as a human or god) or, as is

widespread in Mahayana Buddhism, they pray to be

reborn in a pure land. When one engages in prayer for

one’s own sake, this is often conceptualized in terms

of the dual activities of purification and the accumu-

lation of merit. For example, Tibetan Buddhists spin

prayer wheels, metal cylinders that rotate on their axes

and that contain MANTRAs (Tibetans themselves call

these objects man
i wheels). The spinning of prayer

wheels is often done during other activities, almost as

a reflex, and would appear not to involve any conscious

goal. However, Tibetans generally believe that the

movement of sacred objects (in this case, printed

mantras) generates merit for the mover, and so the goal

of merit-making is at the very least implied in the spin-

ning of prayer wheels.

Buddhists also believe in the efficacy of prayers for

the sake of others, both living and dead. The Mahayana

in particular stresses the importance of praying for oth-

ers, as in the practice of “dedicating one’s merits” for

the benefit of all sentient beings, which can also be seen

as an act of prayer.

See also:Merit and Merit-Making; Nenbutsu (Chinese,

Nianfo; Korean, Yo ̆ ̆mbul); Refuges; Relics and Relics

Cults

Bibliography

Griffiths, Paul J. “A Hymn of Praise to the Buddha’s Good Qual-

ities.” In Buddhism in Practice,ed. Donald S. Lopez, Jr.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995.

Makransky, John. “Offering (mChod pa) in Tibetan Ritual Lit-

erature.” In Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre,ed. José I.

Cabezón and Roger R. Jackson. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1996.

PRAYER