Do Buddhists pray

　　Buddhists don”t pray to a Creator 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. The sharing of merit is a practice where one dedicates the goodness of one”s life to the benefit of all living beings as well as praying for a particular person.

　　For further information on the nature of Buddhist devotion and faith:

　　In Tibet prayer is going on most of the time. Tibetans pray in a special way. They believe that when certain sounds and words, called mantras, are said many times, they arouse good vibrations within the person. If a mantra is repeated often enough it can open up the mind to a consciousness which is beyond words and thoughts.

　　In Japan millions of Buddhists pray to Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. They believe that Amida has created a Pure Land in the west and that those who have faith and repeat Amida”s name in prayer will go there. Yet they also believe that Amida is really within them

　　How do you become a Buddhist

　　In one way being a Buddhist means belonging to a particular community of people and following a path of life taught by the Buddhas (enlightened beings). Members of the Buddhist community are formally joined by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (the teaching) and the Sangha (the community of noble disciples).

　　When visiting Centres and Temples - what is expected

　　Many people are shy of visiting centres or temples because they think that:

　　They will be asked for money

　　They will be harassed about converting and followed up by

　　calls, spam email, and stuff like that.

　　First: the teaching of Buddhism is always free. Going along to a temple is free and meditation teaching is usually free. The Buddhist belief is that religion should be free, open and truthful. It is a custom, if you go to a temple, to take a small offering such as flowers or food. If you talk to a master for long periods, you may wish to leave a small donation.

　　For some activities - public talks, meditation courses, retreats - a charge is made, because the expenses involved in organising them can be substantial. If you have a strong interest and are sincere but have a financial problem, this can be discussed with the organisers. The teaching is not supposed to be denied to people who lack financial accumulation.

　　It is very, very rare for anyone to have people try to convert them and almost unknown to have any sort of mail or email solicitation (and I would stay away from any such temple). New students who have only just discovered Buddhism tend to want to tell all their friends how wonderful it is. Older students know everyone has their own path and their own pace.

　　Buddhists are human. There are a few bad organisations. It is obligatory to answer truthfully questions concerning one”s teachers and lineage. The teachers one finds in Buddhist temples, especially if they have been trained traditionally, overseas, are incredibly qualified, with decades of experience. If a temple is open and honest, if it is connected to the mainstream of Buddhist tradition, then it is almost certainly okay. Cults are closed and secretive. Trust your own judgment.

　　Why do Buddhists chant

　　It reminds one of the Dharma so that it is not forgotten; when meditation is not possible and when bare mindfulness does not give much consolation, it can be used to great advantage as an extension of meditation into words to produce calm, some peace within; and certainly, it expresses one”s strong confidence in the Dharma. Reciting the same chants day after day also has an advantage - the making of wholesome repetitive karma which of course will bear very good fruit.

　　What about Buddhist …

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