on a wing and a prayer...

prayer's a rather problematic topic for me, one that nonetheless seems insistent on raising its awkward little head and butting into my thoughts. it's a word that can be multifaceted in interpretation and meaning but i hazard a guess that the most immediate or apparant image which springs to mind is asking for something from some bearded guy way up in the sky.

this example is aka petitionary. it doesn't have to be a bearded guy of course, it can just as well be a blue-faced dude or a green lady springing from a lotus but the point is we're requesting something for ourselves, be it material or otherwise. and i have a huge problem with it.

another example, related to the first is when we ask on someone else's behalf (aka intercessory). this is slightly less problematic for me but only slightly (and something i grappled with last year)

then it seems that we come to prayer as introspective and contemplative. here i feel on more solid ground because the thing which causes all the problems for me - the act of petition - appears largely absent in this space.

in fact, if petitionary can be viewed as an attempt at establishing control over a given situation, then contemplative is perhaps happier to rest in and make peace with the helplessness of the self....maybe i'm (inevitably) bringing my own bias to the table but at the very least i feel it is more a manner of listening than, as with the former, of attempting to make oneself heard.

one thing is certain, that prayer seems to feature in one way or another in all religions, be they folk or organised. and both petitionary and contemplative/devotional strands appear common. Buddhism isn't the exception either. and as regards the petitionary angle it oftens seems to have the added dimension of voicing aspiration, eg. the Patrul Rinpoche quote i began my last post with (although, this aspect certainly needn't be exclusive to Buddhism, eg. - "Lord, help me to love my enemies"). Actually, that quote is interesting for me to consider as here we have an admission of our wretchedness coupled with an extremely selfless request.

nonetheless though, however selfless such a petition may be, i can't shake the feeling that petition by its nature is founded on the assumption that we know what is best for ourselves (and for others). and in the instant of our voicing we establish an expectation not only of answer, but means by which such request is answered.

in light of all these concerns i have, i'd be most interested in hearing how friends in other traditions, particularly ones in which prayer forms a central part of practice (and not necessarily limited to the scope of Buddhist either - the more the merrier) view the matter - do you ever share the same doubts and concerns? do you view prayer in a different light to those i've mentioned? what form does prayer take for you (as i'm well aware there are many more than the few examples i provide)? need prayer even require a recipient?

in expectation of responses, i'll round up with a quote from that Great American Soul Thoreau, whose words on the matter paticularly resonate with me and appear to open up new vistas - your daily life should be your prayer.

namu amida butsu