The Pure Mountain Path

Some people are surprised to learn that many Buddhists pray everyday. But why would they? Buddhists do not pray to a God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings.
For example, I may pray that all beings are blessed with happiness. It does not matter if no one else hears this prayer. The important part is that I hear it. If I perform a sincere prayer, this prayer practice helps to build and reinforce compassion within myself. Prayer in Buddhism is not to anyone or anything. It is an expression of a wish.
It is my understanding that the Tibetan word that is generally translated as “prayer” actually means literally “Wish Path.” A wish path is for expressing our intentions to benefit all beings by attaining Buddha-hood, or other enlightened activity.

Those who pray are not calling upon higher powers to affect this for us as much as we are calling upon our own minds to be open to such. Prayers are more for the person that is doing them for the person that is “receiving” them. Prayers can be very powerful, but such power does not come from outside ourselves. It solely comes from inside ourselves, namely from our Buddha-nature.

Of course there is the unknown. Does prayer actually somehow affect outcomes? No one knows for sure if the metta created by prayer somehow results in a favorable outcome. It certainly does not hurt. One thing that is known is that prayer develops compassion within the person doing the praying and that in itself is a reason to pray.

Buddhist prayer malas/beads are used for counting sacred mantras (prayers). The main idea of using mala beads is to drive away the evil and fill you and all beings with peace and harmony. The most common use of Buddhist prayer mala beads is for the recitation of a mantra; like “Om Mani Padme Hum”. I use that as well as the “Hare Krishna Chant” just for a change of pace. Use these prayer beads with the intention to bring greater happiness, joy, loving-kindness and serenity into the world. One interpretation of this prayer is ‘om mani padme hum.’ During recitation, this phrase is repeated over and over again according to how many beads are on a person’s strand of mala beads. Traditionally, there are 108 beads on a strand of mala beads. The origin of is the sacred number related astrologically to the 12 astrological houses, multiplied by the 9 planets in our solar system. Monks usually have mala beads with 108 beads, where as a lay person may have a strand numbering in 30 or 40 beads. 

Typically, monks’ mala beads are made of wood from the Bodhi tree. In Tibet, mala strands often contain parts of semi-precious stones. In this culture, the most valued strands are made of bones of holy men or lamas.

One can also use wrist malas. The wrist Mala was created out of necessity make it easy to use for prostrations, and for convenience when traveling. A wrist Mala can be safely held in the hand while doing a period of prostration’s. You can imagine how a long necklace or Mala would flop around during prostrating, so wrist Malas are a natural solution to this dilemma.

HOW TO USE BUDDHIST MALA BEADS 

You use the mala by moving it through your fingers beginning at the first bead after the Guru bead. Each time you recite one compete mantra you then cross to the next bead. Once you have gone one round across the Mala and reach the Guru bead you reverse directions. Many people believe that you do not cross over the Guru bead as a sign of respect or good attitude of mind towards a spiritual teacher.

Keep your mala off of the ground, as it true with all sacred objects, including books and other ritual instruments of spiritual practice. If the Mala falls on the ground, you are supposed to touch the crown of your head while reciting, Om Ah Hum, three times. It really is not necessary, just gently scold yourself for mindlessness. Do not let your mala get wet when bathing or swimming. This may weaken the cording which many Malas are strung with. It is also a good idea not to sleep with it as it may get broken during your slumber. I did this once myself. I find it useful to wear and use to keep my mind always in touch with my practice.

1. I vow to affirm life and not kill. “If a person does not harm any living being… and does not kill or cause others to kill – that person is a true spiritual practitioner.” – The Dhammapada

2. I vow to be content and not take what is not given to me. Avoid stealing. Do not take what is not yours. Live simply and frugally.

3. I vow to be dispassionate and not misuse the body for sensual gratification. Avoid sexual irresponsibility. Refrain from improper sexual activity. Do not engage in sexual misconduct.

4. I vow to speak the truth and not lie. Avoid lying, or any hurtful speech. Refrain from incorrect speech. Refrain from lying, gossiping, slander, and spreading false rumors. Silence is precious, Do not gossip or engage in frivolous conversations.

5. I vow to proceed clearly and not cloud the mind with intoxicants. Avoid alcohol and drugs which diminish clarity of consciousness.

6. I vow to see the perfection of all beings and not speak ill of others. Beware of judgments of others. Perfection is an illusion, as are the standards by which we seek to measure it. If perfection is measured by physical or mental attributes, then we are all lacking. It is well to remember that the harshest judgments should be reserved for ourselves.

7. I vow to see the interdependence of all beings and not put my wants or needs ahead of others. Practice humility. In order to be above, one must first be below.

8. I vow to not be withholding but to be generous with the dharma and whatever is at hand to share. Refrain from selfishness. Cast aside desire.

9. I vow to be calm and refrain from anger. The wise maintain composure and practice calm.

10. I vow to be earnest and not defile the three treasures. Do not defile the Buddha, dharma, or sangha.

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

1. There is suffering, discontent, stress

2. Suffering, discontent and stress are caused by desire, cravings, greed, attachment

3. Suffering can be ended by stopping desire, cravings, greed and attachment.

4. Follow the eight-fold path to reduce and minimize suffering.

THE EIGHT FOLD PATH-

1.Right View-the ability to distinguish wholesome from unwholesome. A deep understanding of the four noble truths.

2.Right Thinking-three practices, are you sure, eliminate wrong perceptions? What am I doing? This overcomes the habit of wanting to complete things quickly. Smile to yourself and practice mindfulness Realize habitual emotions and actions! When we accept our ingrained thoughts, they lose their power over us.

3. Right Mindfulness-when we are mindful, our thinking is right thinking, our speech is right speech, and so on. Mindfulness is concentrating on the just now. Do not lose yourself in the past or in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment.

4. Right Speech- speaking truthfully, not gossiping, not speaking cruelly, avoiding idle chatter. For many of us, the most difficult part of practicing right speech lies in how we express our sense of humor. We often find it easy to get laughs with exaggeration, sarcasm, and pure silliness-all classic examples of wrong speech.

5. Right Action- the practice of preventing harm, practicing non-violence, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not ingesting toxins such as alcohol, drugs, violence from books, television, movies.

6. Right Effort- Live deliberately! Walk like an elephant. Do not be diligent for possessions.

7. Right Concentration- active concentration is when we welcome what comes along. We don’t think about or long for anything else. Selective concentration is when we choose one object and hold onto it. If our concentration is on one thing, we don’t watch television or talk on the phone at the same time. Look deeply at your intentions. Just ‘being there’ is a concept.

8. Right Livelihood- you must find a way to earn your living without compromising your wholesome and mindful life. Our vocation can nourish our understanding and compassion, or erode them. We cannot find inner peace with a livelihood that disturbs the mind.

THE FIVE REMEMBERANCES

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

2. I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to escape having ill-health.

3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

Although Buddhism has far more and far deeper teachings, I beleive these to be the most relevant and important of them. There is no need for metaphysical debates or abstract thoughts as is often the case among the ’schools’ of Buddhism. Do your best to follow these guidelines and you will be on your way to inner peace.