________________
5. BUDDHISM AND PRAYER
Ven Pandith M Vajiragnana
The Buddha was very friendly with all the other religious teachers of his day, and he even visited them from time to time. He did not reject them or become unfriendly towards them. He showed that Buddhists can meet and co-operate with followers of other religions on matters of spiritual, moral, social and economic importance. There are, however, two items of doctrine about which they cannot compromise. The first is the idea of a creator God, and the second is the idea of an eternal soul, both of which have no place in the teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhists do not accept the idea of a creator God who controls everything and governs man's destiny. According to theistic religions, however much you practise virtue and morality, you cannot liberate yourself without the grace of God. Therefore, God's grace is fundamentally important in these religions. This means that you are not your own master. In Buddhism, 'Oneself is one's own master. Who else can be the
however, you are your own master. master? (Dharmapada, v.160).
For many
Let us examine what common ground we may discover in the matter of prayer. people, prayer might be said to be a solemn and humble request either to God or to an object of worship. It might be said to be a respectful attempt to strike a bargain with some deity or higher power, asking either for guidance or intervention on one's behalf. One tenders so much faith, or so much self-denial in mild forms of asceticism, in the hope of receiving substantial benefits, either here or hereafter. It is an understandable instinct for man to turn to prayer in times of need or perplexity, but for a Buddhist this definition of prayer is not acceptable.
As I have said, Buddhists do not have a belief in the existence of a supreme, omnipotent god who can influence the outcome of events. To a Buddhist, the world is subject to the operation of five natural laws, which we call Niyama, but these laws operate by themselves and cannot be varied at the request of any beings, either human or divine.
One of these five laws is Kamma, the law of cause and effect. Good actions produce good results, and harmful actions produce harmful results. If we want to experience desirable
-35
