Q: Master, I
don't pray a lot for myself. Life just happens and I meditate. And
if it's not positive, I meditate more. But I have a question about
praying for others. There're often bad circumstances happening to
people we love, or people we don't know, and we say, "Oh, let's
pray for them." (M: Yes.)
So I sit down and think, "OK,
I'll pray for them." But then I think, "But they're God,
and they chose this and they might learn something from it."
Anything I ever perceived as bad that happened to me was a tremendous
learning experience. I changed and grew in so many ways. So I can't
say it's bad. And I think that might be true for them, too. So my
question is, how can I use prayer to help people? And what does it
sound like?
M: If you feel
like praying, then you should just pray automatically. At that time,
you can't help yourself. Because you're praying not just for them,
but also for yourself so that you can bear that situation.
Q: You comfort
yourself.
M: Yes, because
sometimes you see people suffer so much, you can't do anything else
but pray, "Please, do something, if it's Your Will." Or
at least you can pray, "Please, whatever happens, let him benefit
from it so he can learn and know You better." But who cares?
They will all know Hirm in the end.
Q: I think to
pray, and then I think, "Just meditate."
M: You have to!
You have to pray.
Q: I don't know
what to say. Because I think, "Whatever's happening, they're
going to know more; it's going to be more of the Path."
M: Then that's
OK. If you realize that, then don't pray. But if you have to pray,
you can pray. If you don't want to, don't pray. It depends on you.
If you think God takes care of everything anyway, then you don't have
to pray. But your sympathy is already a prayer. Do you see what I
mean?
Q: OK. I do feel
all of those feelings. But I'm not sure about making a request. I
don't feel comfortable with that.
M: Yes, you wish
somehow that this person didn't suffer so much and that he didn't
have to go through this. Nevertheless, he has to. You see it, that's
all. Sympathy is also a prayer. Because the moment you think of that
person with love and sympathy, you transmit your good thinking. And
who is it? It's God in there. God looks upon the suffering of Hiers
own and Hes feels sorry, from Hirmself.
Q: Maybe the
best prayer is just "Love, love, love."
M: Yes, yes.
That's a prayer, yes.