July 6, 2013
Prayer is one of the most misused words and concepts in the world. Prayer is most often a fast food substitute for meditation. Meditation elicits the qualities attributed to prayer, and much, much more! Today prayer is being exposed as the ‘spit in the wind’ technique to bring in the fantasies mostly attributed to medieval, outdated remnants of a religion.
On the other hand, prayer is ‘apart from any religion’, and a reasonable method really meant to affirm the positive. Most use prayer to manipulate things for selfish reasons asking for an outcome that is to benefit themselves. ‘I’ll pray for you’ is mostly like a gesture for recognition of an intent that likely is rarely followed up but in that moment given.
Mass prayers are done by millions of Muslims five times a day! Public prayer is close to an all male ritual. Thousand of towns across the earth have ‘call to prayer bells’ that ring out on loudspeakers that can be heard for blocks oblivious of sensitivity to those who have no interest, or just need some sleep. Islam says it is the religion of peace. Are all other religions ‘of less than peace’? Muslims, inspite of more praying than any other religion, regard women as second class citizens, not to mention much more apparently acceptable violence.
Christianity and Islam have disregard for meditation. Is it because it opens the mind and heart into more freedom, and is there a fear they would lose people then? Prayer is not a technique or method to open the mind and clear the heart. Meditation empties the mind of attachment to all negatives, belief systems, anxieties, fears, unclear perceptions, and results in many, many more positives including opening the heart more deeply for compassion, love, and a prayer without words. Meditation has values, unlike prayer, that noticeably cure and ameliorate many physical maladies for greater health physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Prayer is more popular, or mentioned than meditation, partly because it’s a ‘tool’ of the religions as ‘the best answer’ to whatever. Affirming the positive will always be a way of hope to transcend doubts and fears, but to essentially ignore the multitude of benefits possible with meditating is certainly to ignore life’s great peaceful blessing to spread calm and more joy over the earth.
A good rule of thumb while walking through life is to never be afraid of the truth, or veritaphobia. Always take the higher of possible options, otherwise be in vigilant silence from the heart.
