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Question
hi there what day of the week to buddhist pray. i could really use your help as iam writing about this for school thanx regards lucy
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for asking me.
In the context of Christian prayer, Buddhists do not pray as we do not believe that there is any higher being to be prayed to. Prayer usually means an act to solicit,
petition, or supplicate a favour from a higher being usually "God". However we recite the "suttas" which are the discourses of the Buddha. This is what we call chanting, and after that we may make an aspiration whereby the other beings existing in other planes of existence may assist us in our worldly problems.
We do not pray to the Buddha for he is dead and gone. But his teachings which are more important, are here for us to live by. It's just like we know Faraday discovered electricity, but we don't need him around to use electricity. His discovery is more important than his personality. So is the Buddha; who advised us to practise his teachings and not to worship him.
Smile from justinchoo :-)
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Answers by Expert:
Justin Choo
Expertise
When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.
Experience
I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
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