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Definition of Prayer
Definition of Prayer
In this article we provide an overview on how prayer works. There are two types of prayers for worldly benefit and for spiritual growth. Accordingly the prayers are answered by a different aspect of God. Spiritual research has shown that even negative energies can answer prayers, to our detriment! Ones spiritual level is the single most important factor in ensuring that ones prayers are answered. Praying for world peace, while a noble thought, is most likely not to be answered due to lack of spiritual level of the people praying. Paradoxically the people who can really effect change through a single prayer are Saints but They see the futility of praying as they are totally in alignment with Gods will and dont see it separate from Theirs. Lastly the posture of prayer also contributes in the prayer being answered.
Definition of prayer
The word prayer or praarthanaa (in Sanskrit) is derived from two words pra and artha meaning pleading fervently. In other words, it is asking God for something with intense yearning. Prayer includes respect, love, pleading and faith. Through a prayer a devotee expresses his helplessness and endows the doership of the task to God. Giving the doership to God means that we acknowledge God helping us and getting the task done. Prayer is an important tool of spiritual practice in the generic spiritual Path of Devotion. t is important to note that when there is any problem or difficulty in life, the root cause can be physical, mental or spiritual in nature. Research carried out by SSRF shows that up to 80% of problems in life have their root cause in the spiritual realm. Destiny and departed ancestors are two very important factors among the spiritual causes of problems in life.
What is the difference between prayer with expectations and without expectations?
There are two types of prayer depending on the intention behind the prayer.
1. Prayer with worldly expectation
This is the commonest variety of prayer. This type of prayer is said with the expectation of fulfilment of some worldly requirement. The prayer may or may not be accompanied by any other spiritual practice.
Some of the prayers with worldly expectation would include prayers about: Gross material requirements like job, partner, child, etc. Subtle material requirement like recovery from illness, happiness, etc.
Prayers that are said with expectation of some worldly benefit are generally said by people in the initial stages of their spiritual journey. Even those whose prayers about some worldly benefit are regularly answered, are generally in the initial stages of their spiritual journey. The reason is because people in later stages of spiritual growth make prayers only for their spiritual growth as explained in the next section. When we pray for the worldly benefit of ourselves or others, the prayer may get answered but we end up using our spiritual energy gained through spiritual practice. This spiritual energy could be either from this birth or an earlier birth. People who continue praying lifelong with worldly expectations use prayer as a tool to obtain a little something from God rather than striving to increase spiritual practice to attain the all encompassing continual grace of God. The important disadvantage of this type of prayer is that one tends to remain trapped in worldly desires and needs instead of transcending to surrender to Gods will and being able to rely on Him to provide as per our requirement (and not as per our wish).
Seekers who pray without worldly expectations have the double benefit of being graced with spiritual progress as well as their material need being taken care of as per the requirement. Here as the person who is praying surrenders much more than the person who prays with worldly expectations, he is able to access much more grace of God. Also the surrender contributes to dissolution of mind, intellect and ego. Both these factors result in rapid spiritual progress.
Prayer may get answered if a persons destiny does not deem it otherwise. Spiritual energy is used up. Spiritual progress does not occur.
Always gets answered depending on the intensity of the prayer and persons spiritual level. Spiritual energy is not used up. Spiritual progress occurs and worldly requirements too are taken care of as per Gods wish.
Aspect of life
With expectation
Job
Lord, I have just finished the Lord, I have just finished the interview, please let me get the interview and I leave the outcome job. I really really need it! at Your feet. Please grace me with the strength to accept the outcome as per Your wish. Lord, I love this person. Please Lord, You know best whether this make that person love me equally person is meant for me. I also know if not more. that whether I find a partner or not in this lifetime is as per my destiny. But please protect my spiritual practice either which way.
Finding a partner
Illness
Lord, I cannot take this illness Lord, please give me the strength to please cure me. bear this illness so that it does not distract me from my spiritual practice.
Illness of ones Lord, please save my child. I will Lord, my child is seriously ill. We child do anything. If you save my child I have done all we can I know You will donate half of my next salary love him much more than I do - I to an orphanage. surrender him at Your feet. Painful part of Lord, this is the most painful part Lord, please give me the strength to ones life of my life. Please save me from it. bear the pain and let me learn what I need to learn at a spiritual level. Please let my spiritual practice continue without getting obstructed. Happy part of ones life Generally absent Lord, please let me remember You continuously in my happiness and that You only have graced me with it. May I yearn for You the same as when I am unhappy. Lord my gratitude to You for giving me another day to do spiritual practice. Please let me serve You as per Your wish and grace me with the capacity to improve my spiritual practice.
Spiritual practice
Generally absent
5. In summary
In summary, the following is a rule of thumb that one can keep in mind when making a prayer: If the prayer is about enhancing the five senses, mind and intellect it is a prayer with worldly expectation If the prayer is about making efforts to experience the Soul (i.e. the God within us) it is a prayer without worldly expectation.
Seekers of God whose main focus in life is spiritual growth also pray regularly to God, not only in difficult situations but even in day-to-day situations. The prayers however are not about worldly expectations but about their spiritual growth and are said as a part of their spiritual practice. This article explains the mechanism of how both varieties of prayers are answered.
When we make a prayer with expectation such as asking for a job or overcoming an illness, to God or a specific deity, our prayers as stated earlier are answered by lower level deities or lower positive energies. Lets take the example of a person who has prayed intensely for a job. If it is in the persons destiny to be without a job for 5 years, then the lower positive energy or the lower level deity can answer the prayer by pushing out this five year jobless period to somewhere later in the persons life. Thus the person still has to go through a phase of being jobless. (This is because regardless of anything one has to undergo ones destiny; it can only be overcome by ones spiritual practice.)
Sometimes higher level deities also help the worldly situation of a seeker if it is causing an obstacle in his spiritual growth.
gratitude it generates humility in us which has an even greater positive effect on our spiritual level. Hence our communion with God increases. This rise in the subtle basic sattva component itself increases our capacity to overcome or bear the problem.
The first stage in this mudraa is raising ones hands in prayer with the thumbs gently touching the midbrow region or the Aadnyaa chakra (the spiritual energy centre at the mid-brow region). It is best to begin praying after we are in this position. When we bow our head in this prayer position, it awakens the spiritual emotion of surrender in us. This in turn activates the appropriate subtle frequencies of deities from the Universe. These divine frequencies come in through our finger tips which act as receptors. These divine frequencies are then channelised into our body through the thumb to the Aadnyaa chakra (the spiritual energy centre at the mid-brow region). The result is an increase in the positive spiritual energy in us which makes us feel lighter or gives relief from symptoms of physical or mental distress.
After one finishes his prayer, he should assume the second mudraa (posture) as shown in the diagram above. This means that instead of bringing his hands in prayer down immediately, they are to be placed in the mid-chest region in such a way that the wrists touch the chest. This facilitates the process of more completely imbibing the Divine Consciousness of the deity principle. So initially the Divine Consciousness of the deity principle that had entered the finger tips now also gets transmitted to the region of chest, the seat of the Anaahat chakra. Just like the Aadnyaa chakra, the Anaahat chakra also absorbs sattva frequencies. By touching the wrists to the chest, the Anaahat chakra is activated and it helps in absorbing more sattva frequencies. When activated, the Anaahat chakra awakens a seekers spiritual emotion and devotion. In this stage of the prayer mudraa, one should be introspective and contemplate upon the experience of being in Gods presence.
Points to note:
Body should be bowed and not erect Fingers should be parallel to the forehead. Fingers should not be stiff but relaxed. Fingers should be touching each other not spread apart Thumb should be lightly touching the area of the Aadnyaa chakra Hands need to be gently pressed together slight space between the palms. In case of seekers above 50% spiritual level, no space is required between the palms.
5.4 Does it mean that every time we pray we should take this position?
If one is at a higher spiritual level (above 50%) divine subtle (intangible) frequencies begin to be received directly through the Brahmarandhrait self. The Brahmarandhra is a subtle opening above the Sahasraar Chakra (as per the spiritual science of (Kundalini yoga) that has access to the Universal Mind and Intellect. This subtle opening is closed in people of a lower spiritual level. The primary factor that helps the opening of the Brahmarandhra is a lower level of ego. When in this phase of our spiritual growth the need for the prayer mudraa as explained above becomes less and less. However if a person between the spiritual level of 50% - 80% complements his prayer with the recommended mudraa, then he gets the benefit of additional Divine Consciousness. This additional benefit is 30% more in the case of a person at the 50% spiritual level and it proportionately become less and less as the spiritual level increases. Since most people are not of a high spiritual level they are unable to receive divine frequencies through the Brahmarandhra. Most people (level 30-60%) are however able to receive subtle frequencies through their finger tips (though to a much lesser extent) as our finger tips are very sensitive to receiving or sending out subtle energy. For this section of people it is best that they do utilize the prayer mudraa suggested above to make a prayer. All other factors remaining equal, by praying using the recommended mudraa a person will add 20% to the effectiveness of their prayer as opposed to not using this mudraa.
We are exposed to various hand actions when praying. When conducting spiritual research into the various hand postures (mudraas) related to prayer, the following were our findings in terms of efficacy.
Footnotes:
1. 100% is getting full spiritual benefit which results in God realization 2. Level of the manifest deity principle, i.e. higher, medium or lower level deity 3. Percentage of deity principle accessed 4. This shows the possibility of negative energy interfering with the prayer to reduce a seekers faith. The negative energies interfere with the prayer so that the prayer is not answered thereby undermining the persons faith. Do try a subtle experiment by yourself wherein you say the same prayer using each of the above mudraas separately. In some cases people hold hands and pray. This is also a spiritually incorrect practice as if the person beside one is affected by negative energy it is more likely that the black energy be transferred to you. Refer to the article on How much of the worlds population is affected by negative energies?
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