Is it alright for a Buddhist to pray to lord Jesus?

[Shaunc]

Originally Posted by Samana Johann

Frank, it's not right to say "I took Refugee in the Three Gems" while actually seeking refugee somewhere else. So in that amount it would be wrong.

But such things might happen and would only fall eternaly when entering the Stream.

Disciples of the Buddha do not "pray" to Deities or ask for help, but respect them since they are mosty beings with guṇa. Respecting the Devas, they respect and protect. As for householders its also good to do offerings.
No problem if one likes to remember the goodness of a being called Jesus, use it as Devatanussati (remembering ones own virtues equal devas), or simple make offerings like to ancestors, as a matter of gratitude, since he might have taught you good benefical things, indirectly.

When one feels inner peace when remembering Jesus means that one does not really know inner peace and seeks refugee in conditioned Dhammas, impure Dhammas.

Maybe useful: zugangzureinsicht.org/html/lib/authors/piyadassi/protection_en.html#s11 Banner Protection, a common known Paritta, cited to remember it.

I'm sure that if you asked around plenty of prayers have been offered up to kuan yin the goddess of mercy and compassion. Amitabha is also prayed to and of course who could forget medicine buddha.
Western style theravada and zen probably fit the description of Buddhism that you put forward but please be aware that there are many different types of Buddhism and they're not all the same. Some rely on self power, some rely on other power and some use a combination of both. I follow Japanese pureland which is other power type of buddhism yet Chinese pureland combines self power and other power. I started learning about Buddhism 20 years ago from Thai Forrest monks tradition (theravada) and that is almost completely self power method.
Good luck and best wishes. Shaun.

[mulyo13]

Originally Posted by sky123

I surpose it's the same as ' why do some rely on teachers/gurus, Jesus was also a teacher

A buddhist did not rely on teacher/gurus. Learn and getting guidance from teacher, and rely on teacher, both are 2 different things

Originally Posted by sky123

If it wholesome and brings benefits for you and all sentient beings then do whatever feels right, as the Buddha taught us.

Buddha never taught this. If you read something like this, it doest mean what ever you feel or what ever you want to. It has different meaning.

[sky]

Originally Posted by mulyo13

A buddhist did not rely on teacher/gurus. Learn and getting guidance from teacher, and rely on teacher, both are 2 different things


Buddha never taught this. If you read something like this, it doest mean what ever you feel or what ever you want to. It has different meaning.

Some Buddhist do rely on Teachers, why do you need guidance from a Teacher because you rely on them to guide you, and if you read the Sutras you will find plenty of teachings on wholesome behaviour/actions.

'Perform only pious actions, these are wholesome '
The Buddha.

' Dasa Kusala Kamma ' might help you.

[mulyo13]

Originally Posted by sky123

Some Buddhist do rely on Teachers, why do you need guidance from a Teacher because you rely on them to guide you,

I'm sure you never had a Buddhist teacher, because if you had one, you know what kind of guidance a Buddhist teacher will give because it's not like you asking direction from someone.
If you think a Buddhist teacher will order/command/instruct you to learn this, do that, practice this,... etc, you wrong
Even you want rely on a Buddhist teacher, you can't. You will meet a dead end.
When you have a Buddhist teacher, you will understand what I say.

Originally Posted by sky123

and if you read the Sutras you will find plenty of teachings on wholesome behaviour/actions.

'Perform only pious actions, these are wholesome '
The Buddha.

' Dasa Kusala Kamma ' might help you.

I'm not talking about wholesome. I'm talking about,

Originally Posted by sky123

If it wholesome and brings benefits for you and all sentient beings then do whatever feels right, as the Buddha taught us.

Since you bring up Dasa Kusala Kamma, you will know who is behind the "whatever feels right"

[sky]

Originally Posted by mulyo13

I'm sure you never had a Buddhist teacher, because if you had one, you know what kind of guidance a Buddhist teacher will give because it's not like you asking direction from someone.
If you think a Buddhist teacher will order/command/instruct you to learn this, do that, practice this,... etc, you wrong
Even you want rely on a Buddhist teacher, you can't. You will meet a dead end.
When you have a Buddhist teacher, you will understand what I say.





I'm not talking about wholesome. I'm talking about,

Since you bring up Dasa Kusala Kamma, you will know who is behind the "whatever feels right"

You practise your way, I practise my way and the op practises his way with the help of Jesus and we will all be happy

[Bohdiyana]

I think most of our help is from our spirit guides, higher beings associated with our souls who watch over us during our incarnations. A particular famous religious person or figure like Jesus I'm not sure would help in a personal way, though "he" would help those in his soul group. The astral world is set up kind of like a group hierarchy. We are grouped to a particular set of souls. I will say however I once prayed to Saint Jude as a child and had a miracle happen though I don't know if "Saint Jude" was responsible for it.

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by Bohdiyana

I think most of our help is from our spirit guides, higher beings associated with our souls who watch over us during our incarnations. A particular famous religious person or figure like Jesus I'm not sure would help in a personal way, though "he" would help those in his soul group. The astral world is set up kind of like a group hierarchy. We are grouped to a particular set of souls. I will say however I once prayed to Saint Jude as a child and had a miracle happen though I don't know if "Saint Jude" was responsible for it.

Buddhism is about taking refuge in the Buddha's, Dharma and the Sangha.

If you don't believe that Jesus was a Buddha or a Bodhisattva then praying to Jesus would be outside of the 3 Jewels.

[Bohdiyana]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

Buddhism is about taking refuge in the Buddha's, Dharma and the Sangha.

If you don't believe that Jesus was a Buddha or a Bodhisattva then praying to Jesus would be outside of the 3 Jewels.

Buddhism does not teach praying to anybody does it?

[sky]

For most people, God is a dualistic concept. Meaning, for a typical person the unspoken assumption is: "I am*here*and God is*over there". So when I think about God, when I speak to God -- I inevitably imagine some power outside of myself. It is in this power that I place hope for good life and for salvation; it is this power that I blame for unfairness etc.

There are several problems with this approach. First by attributing to God the power to save us or to send difficulties etc. we alienate ourselves from our own power. In Buddhism (except Pure Land) our liberation is always in our hands. (As Trungpa said, no one is going to descent in the golden chariot to take care of you. In fact this very feeling of loneliness/hopelessness is one of the main ingredients for the gunpowder of Bodhi.) As long as you keep looking up to some higher power, how can you be the master of your life?

Second, by relating with external God, we confirm our*own*existence, our illusory ego. "I pray to God, therefore I exist." -- This is good old dependent-coarising at work. When*that*is,*this*is. From the arising of*that*comes the arising of*this. So the more we praise God, the more we cement this little "I", the subject of God.

Instead, from the non-theistic perspective, "I" and "God" are two equally illusory ends of the same stick. It is not that I am infinite, and therefore I am God. Nor is it that "I" does not exist and everything is God. Neither is it that the little "I" is inside of, or a part of, God. Nor is it that God only exists as a concept of my mind. Rather, all of these are interpretations of the fundamental situation in which my power and the power of God is the same power, my will and the will of God is the same will, and my spontaneity and the spontaneity of God is the same spontaneity. Perhaps even this is implying too much. There is power / will / spontaneity, but no one who wields it. It just is. Using it and being used by it refers to the same activity.

Two of my teachers preferred to emphasize one side:*using it. My Zen Master said: "People say, 'God bless you', but Enlightenment is when*you*bless God". My current teacher says: "utilize God". Both of these serve to remind us of our inherent mastery. The power is us, and we are the power.

So a regular prayer, addressing God as "You", from Buddhist perspective is counterproductive. It dependently co-creates "I", takes away our power, and leads astray from enlightenment. A better perspective is, as Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (i.e. my true nature and the nature of God is one and the same). This corresponds to what Buddha called "a state of Brahma" (brahmapatta, AN 4.190) and praised as a valuable intermediate attainment. In Tibetan Buddhism there is*this beautiful prayer, spoken from the perspective of Kuntuzangpo, the Primordial Buddha -- i.e. the nature of intrinsic awareness, before separation into beings, which is another way to refer to God. This prayer is perhaps as good as a prayer can get from Buddhist perspective.

Chogyam Trungpa.

[Bohdiyana]

Ah so many Buddhist's do pray. Prayer wheels duh lol I forgot bout those. I was confused because I assumed Buddhism did not believe in a God so why believe in prayer? But then, it turns out Buddha was raised Hindu and according to some web sites did believe in many gods. I also googled it and web says a lot of Buddhist's do believe in God and pray. Many Christians meditate and many Buddhists pray. I think really humans are all the same deep down so that's how I would explain it. Really we are all the same no matter what group we claim to belong to or follow. I would say all the groups or labels are just temporary superficial things from social and cultural conditioning. One life you may be Christian, one life Buddhist, one life something else or even an atheist. Love is the only consistent I would say. Learning to be full of unconditional love for yourself and others. Full of empathy, compassion. Don't really make a difference what religion you follow.