How to Pray?

[Tirisilex]

Is there a formal system to follow for praying? Or do you just throw out your requests?

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste:

Excellent question.

This is my view.

There are many different kinds of prayers, but lets say that we are just asking for something individual, like good health, or a specific thin g about good health. It is good to have precise phrasing in your head as God is clairaudient, so you don't want to be confusing, as in any conversation with a human. You want it straight up. God won't answer adharmic prayers or course. You can also buy or arrange an archana, where your name gotra, and star are are chanted in front of the deity. This is a more mystical way of making contact. Its like the priest is saying: "Trisilex is here to see you. Please listen to his request. That wpould be a great time to pray.

Mystically, normally the answer will come in at least 3 days. Not always.

Other answersd will, of course, vary.

Aum namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

Namasté EM (et.al)



Other answers will, of course, vary.
Aum namasivaya

mileage may vary! :)

I have been told that before you even ask, the Lord already knows of your needs. Of what then can you be asking for that He/She is not already aware of?

My prayers are one of thanks and of appreciation. Does it make it better then another's prayers? Nope. Just thought it was worth sharing another POV.


praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namasté



I have been told that before you even ask, the Lord already knows of your needs. Of what then can you be asking for that He/She is not already aware of?


How can this occur ? I think I tried to capture this on a past post some time back... maybe there some use to it here:

If one wishes to consider this advaita vedānta - Non-duality (a-dvaita), bhūman, wholeness must be considered. That is pūrṇatā पूर्णता-fullness; based on pūrṇa पूर्ण abundant, fulfilled , finished , accomplished - This is the nature of Brahman, of this non-dual quality of life.

This suggests that I too (as you) are part and parcel of this fullness. This fullness suggests if I perceive an object it should be seen as a continuation of myself, and that object too ( viewing me) a continuation of it. If there is 'not two', it applies to all things surrounding me.
A word has been used to describe this:
The word is satatoditam. Svāmī Lakṣman-jū's offers this word from the Tantrāloka. It is that which has no pause, no break. This for me really captures the essence of this totality, the fullness. Svāmi-ji says ' It is break-less and unitary. In samādhi it is there and when samādhi is absent it is there. And in sleep it is there; in each and every state of the subjective body it is there.
If I look at this word I see it as sat + a-tu + dita. Which says to me, that which really is (sat) + not (a) +to have authority (tu) + bound or divided (dita). Or that Reality that cannot be bound or divided
The Isāvāsya Upaniṣad helps us with this;

oṁ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate |
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamīvāvashiṣyate ||

That is whole; this is whole;
From that whole this whole came;
From that whole, this whole removed,
What remains is whole.

How does this apply to the post... there is no place this fullness, this Intelligence is not. That also suggests it is wthin and without us - thoughts, feelings, ideas, impulses - past, present and future.
How could this Greatness not know of our needs, wants and desires?


praṇām

[Eastern Mind]

Yajvan: If the Lord already knows, why bother asking?

Lord needs to know that you want his help, that you are ready for this, mentally prepared for whatever way he might answer. So you are asking Self, really. But this connection to Self is more apparent at a temple, in a shrine room, etc. Its about surrendering the ego, getting the conscience clear on it, andf then proceeding with confidence.

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namasté EM,



Yajvan: If the Lord already knows, why bother asking?

Lord needs to know that you want his help, that you are ready for this, mentally prepared for whatever way he might answer. So you are asking Self, really. But this connection to Self is more apparent at a temple, in a shrine room, etc. Its about surrendering the ego, getting the conscience clear on it, andf then proceeding with confidence.

Aum Namasivaya

Points well made. I am of the opinion that prayer is fine, healthy and worthy of one's time. Yet I hoped to offer a POV that when we are talking of a totally Omniscient Being¹ what could this Being not know ( in space, time, event, thought, deed, action, past present or future) ?

The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (śloka3.3) informs us of that Rudra has eyes, face and arms, and feet in every place; who is all pervading and all-knowing (śloka2.4) and by knowledge of this Being all the bonds of ignornace are destroyed (śloka 1.11). It is the connection to this Greatness that I hope comes from prayer.

Yes, I agree with your notion of surrender...the successful yajña, done with the prayer of silence, the perfect prayer of samādhi.

Yet depending on one's maturity, prayer may find its way to a wish list - for promotions, a new house, car, etc. more things to manage more attachments. Is this what the Lord wishes one to have I cannot not say. Yet my POV I had offered on a previous post:

not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. This I find true again and again. this serves me well.

praṇām
references
a 2007 HDF discussion on this subject : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2363&highlight=omniscience

[devotee]

[COLOR=#800080]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=3]I have been told that before you even ask, the Lord already knows of your needs. Of what then can you be asking for that He/She is not already aware of?


Namaste Yajvan ji,

My take on this POV is, "Why feel ashamed of asking something from my own father ? I don't belittle myself by asking from my father. It is my birth right ! When I need something, its better I tell him".

After all, Lord Krishna though even wept at the abject poverty of SudAmA but didn't help him until SudAmA came to Lord Krishna.

Just another POV ! :)

OM

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namasté devotee,


Namaste Yajvan ji,

My take on this POV is, "Why feel ashamed of asking something from my own father ? I don't belittle myself by asking from my father. It is my birth right ! When I need something, its better I tell him".

After all, Lord Krishna though even wept at the abject poverty of SudAmA but didn't help him until SudAmA came to Lord Krishna.

Just another POV ! :) OM

Another's POV is always valuable - perhaps one may associate the Supreme with kalpa-vṛkṣa.

praṇām

[Spiritualseeker]

Excellent thread, thanks Yajvan and Eastern Mind

AUM
-juan

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

As I have mentioned, I am by no means the final authority on proper prayer.

I thought to share this from Śrī Aurobindo (some write Śrī Ôrobindo or even Srī Aravinda) - he offers some of these ideas worth considering.
I will paraphrase as to keep the post crisp and to the point. The proper form and spirit as well, of your prayer should consider this approach: ' Today I have to do (accomplish) this, I pray, give me the right guidance.

It is the attitude that matters most of all in prayer, says Śrī Aurobindo . The attitude then is not to call upon the Divine and demand ' Make me pass ', ( I will assume Śrī Aurobindo is referencing a student or someone in competition for a position ); for in making such a demand you lower your status of being yoked ( yoga, yuj) to Her ( Mother Divine) and feel a stranger to her grace.

Śrī Aurobindo also informs us there is no necessity of calling upon Her to do as She wills - for Her will ( icchā-śakti) when compared to the collective willings of all men exceeds theirs by 100 lengths and does not require a special prayer from us.

I thought Śrī Aurobindo's view in this matter made sense. I think we need to be mindful that we do not what to fall into the mindset of the shop-keeper - they love their customers when they buy items at his store i.e. he profits; yet when there is no buying, then he has ill thoughts of them ' where are they? why are they not buying? I cannot depend on these people, I need better customers! ' .

Like that I am mindful of not asking the Supreme to be the wish fulfilling tree - for She has given me a good mind & intellect to figure things out on my own. This does not mean I walk alone; That is, one's śraddā is being engaged and being groomed.

What of this śraddā श्रद्धा ? The feeble English equivalent is 'faith', yet this falls short of its components.
śrat श्रत्+ dha - śrat is truth + dha धis holding, possessing. Hence śraddā is the holding or possessing the truth. Śrī Aurobindo says it this way - śraddā is the power (śakti) by which truth is held. It is not a mere belief.

Why do I offer the above ? It is for one's consideration. Śrī Aurobindo has suggested leave at least one new idea in the mind of the reader and set him thinking. Does the reader feel elevated, the better for reading ( one's writngs or offer) ?

This I have subscribed to on HDF for some time - I am in hopes a few ideas have stimulated new thought in the reader.

praṇām

references
source: Collected works of TV Kapali Śāstri ( śiṣya of Śrī Aurobindo-ji) Volume 2 - The Book of Lights.
This set of books ( around 10) are some of the most insightful reading I possess. Approx. 3 to 4 books are in English.

[rkpande]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (śloka3.3) informs us of that Rudra has eyes, face and arms, and feet in every place; who is all pervading and all-knowing (śloka2.4) and by knowledge of this Being all the bonds of ignornace are destroyed (śloka 1.11). It is the connection to this Greatness that I hope comes from prayer.



Then why pray at all. may be one may train its mind to be no-mind. No wish lists.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

I mentioned in post 10,



The proper form and spirit as well, of your prayer should consider this approach: ' Today I have to do (accomplish) this, I pray, give me the right guidance.

It is the attitude that matters most of all in prayer, says Śrī Aurobindo . The attitude then is not to call upon the Divine and demand ' Make me pass ', ( I will assume Śrī Aurobindo is referencing a student or someone in competition for a position ); for in making such a demand you lower your status of being yoked ( yoga, yuj) to Her ( Mother Divine) and feel a stranger to her grace.

IMHO It is all about intent.

Śrī Aurobindo continues,
To ask God , constantly (for) gifts - spiritual or material, is beggarly mentality which repels the approach of the Lord. He is ever awake, watchful with a host of devatā ready to serve, ready to pour His untold riches in you if only you consent to let them enter you. The ego is the main bar ( or block ). Surrender of the ego and all you imagine yourself to be to the Almighty throws open the doors of your being.

So what of prayer? How does one align one's self to this knowledge ? I will leave that to you.

I continue to recall a śloka from the ṛg or soma veda - 'Thou art the giver of all things to those that praise Thee'.

For me I have taken on this POV. For me ( and only me) how many more pairs of shoes do I need? What more do I need to ask for?

'the patience of God is infinite' - Śrī Aurobindo

and a friendly note - I still contend I am not the final authority on this matter and only offer a POV that resonates with me as truthful. If there are blemishes in this POV I take full responsibility.


praṇām
references
source: Collected works of TV Kapali Śāstri ( śiṣya of Śrī Aurobindo-ji) Volume 2 - The Book of Lights.