Prayer

I was talking to my wife the other day and mentioned that I say prayers every day.  She looked at me and asked me what I pray to and that set me to thinking about why I use prayer as a way of relating to the One.

Buddhism and Taoism tend to be nontheistic philosophies but, if you look at them in their cultural religious forms, there is still a good bit of praying going on.I think the reason for prayer is pretty simple.

It is one thing to have an intellectual understanding that there is a Power that flows through the universe (whatever you want to call that) and that our job as humans is to try to move in the flow of that Power.  The next big question that arises, once one has accepted this premise, is how?  How does one align oneself with that Power in order to live life effectively and to the fullest potential.

The answer to that question is, I think, wholly dependent on the person.  Some individuals will align through the use of meditation practices.  Others will see and feel the Power in formal religious rituals and disciplines.  Still others will require movement or rhythm to come into contact with the Power.

It is often the case that a single person may need to use a number of techniques to come into contact with the force that flows through all things.  For myself, movement (as in tai chi and chi gung) and prayer are my primary ways of relating to the Power.  The movement actually allows me to feel the flow of the Power around me (on a good day :-)) but prayer is my time of personally relating to the Power, what Lakota people called Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery.

Yes, I am guilty of blatant personalization.  I feel, when I pray, that Someone is listening.  You can explain that feeling in any way that makes you comfortable because this is my subjective reality and it works for me.  Your mileage may vary.

What is important in all this thinking is the idea that we need to experiment to see what hooks us up with that Power.  Too often, our relationship to the Source is dictated by outside influences - family or friends, for instance.  As we look for ways to express our true nature, we have to realize that part of that nature is finding our connection to the Power, seeking what works best for us and then working with that to move ourselves into the flow of life.