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52 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Do Buddhists Pray?

The modern definition of prayer is that it is a request A deva might help someone out now and then, but a
for help or expression of gratitude directed to a divine spiritually awakened person, or a Buddha, was seen
being, a God, gods, saints, or other godlike beings. In as being far superior to the many gods, spirits, and
most monotheistic and polytheistic religions, prayer other supernatural beings. Whether they are great or
is the central devotional activity. But since Buddhism small, the fact is both human beings and deities are
is nontheistic -- meaning gods aren’t necessary -- do subject to rebirth. Therefore, it is clear that praying or
Buddhists pray? We ask our three experts from the worshipping such gods or deities are not encouraged by
Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna traditions to the Buddha.
explain the meaning of prayer, its significance, if any, how
should Buddhists do prayers, and if prayers work. Dadul: Perhaps there is a problem with the use of the
term ‘prayer,’ an English term loaded with its own
The Buddha lived at a time when there were many cultural meaning that may not completely fit within the
religious traditions. Did the Buddha encourage Buddhist context. Naturally then, there is a need for
his followers to pray to the divine like many of his considering different connotations of the term to see if
contemporaries? any or some of them might be applicable in the Buddhist

world. Surely, praying in the sense of propitiating or
Aggacitta: In the Pāli canon, the Buddha’s most making a request of Buddha or other holy beings, for
prominent contemporaries are actually portrayed as one’s spiritual growth or accomplishments, with the
atheistic or materialist philosophers. Even the Brahmins expectation that the holy being will do that for the
are portrayed as priests whose ultimate goal was to be individual, without any effort on the individual’s part, is
reborn in the company of Brahma. Therefore, prayer to completely unrealistic. This will not be something that
the divine is hardly mentioned in the early suttas for the Buddha could have encouraged his followers to do.
Buddhists and others.
It is believed that some devas are able to answer

However, honoring and making offerings to deities at requests from human beings. As such, humans do
their shrines was condoned by the Buddha in Vassakāra pray to devas for help. In the Mahāyāna tradition,
Sutta [AN 7.22]. The Buddha also said that a wise Buddhists pray to Bodhisattvas, such as Guan Yin.
person who feasted virtuous, restrained renunciates at Is this practice of praying to devas or Bodhisattvas
his home, and then dedicated the offerings to the devas taught in the scriptures of the Theravāda, Mahāyāna
there would always see the auspicious due to their and Vajrayāna traditions, or are they later practices
reciprocatory sympathy [Pāṭaligāmiya Sutta, Ud 76]. that crept into Buddhism?

Min Wei: In fact, Śākyamuni Buddha didn’t try to Aggacitta: Apart from the reciprocatory favors of the
eradicate native beliefs or deny the existence of various devas mentioned above, the granting of requests made
gods, deities, or devas. However, what Buddha taught by mere prayer as such cannot be found in the early
was that they were never seen as holding the keys to the Pāli suttas. The closest resemblance to prayer in this
attainment of enlightenment, liberation, and happiness. sense is the set of verses paying homage to the seven
According to Buddha, human beings have more Buddhas and extolling the kingdoms of the Four Great
opportunities to attain such conditions, and the deities Kings, which was given by Yakkha King Vessavana to the
have less chances in this respect. Buddha. He urged the Buddha to allow His followers to
recite them often as a form of protection against attack
by hostile yakkhas [Āṭānāṭiya Sutta DN 32].