Prayer
Prayer is an expression of our reverence for the universe, our awe toward forces greater than ourselves. Prayer transcends the logical, the rational and the scientific. It comes from an intuitive recognition of the link, the relation, the correspondence between the individual and the universe. Pressing one’s hands together in prayer is one of the noblest of human acts.
[Discussions on Youth]
Prayer is not a feeble consolation; it is a powerful, unyielding conviction. And prayer must become manifest in action. To put it another way, if our prayers are in earnest, they will definitely give rise to action.
[Learning from the Gosho: Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin]
Prayer is the courage to persevere. It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness and lack of confidence in ourselves. It is the act of impressing in the very depths of our being the conviction that we can change the situation without fail.
[Essay series, “Travels Around the Globe: My Home is the World,” Seikyo Shimbun, Oct. 10, 2004]
Prayer is the effort to align the gears of our life with the movement of the universe. Our lives that have been passively embraced by the universe now embrace the universe in turn, make the entire universe our ally, and fundamentally redirect our state of life in the direction of happiness.
[Essay series, “Travels Around the Globe: My Home is the World,” Seikyo Shimbun, Oct. 10, 2004]
Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.
[Essay series, “Travels Around the Globe: My Home is the World,” Seikyo Shimbun, Oct. 10, 2004]
[Prayer] lies beyond the realm of logic or intellect. It transcends these. Prayer is an act in which we give expression to the pressing and powerful wishes in the depths of our being and yearn for their fulfillment.
[Discussions on Youth]
Prayers are invisible, but if we pray steadfastly they will definitely effect clear results in our lives and surroundings over time. This is the principle of the true entity of all phenomena. Faith means having confidence in this invisible realm.
[Learning from the Gosho: Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin]
Prayers are neither light dreams nor vague wishes. They should be firm pledges of determination. . . . Prayers made with such strong resolve invite clear results just as magnets attract iron.
[Essay series, “The Light of the Century of Humanity,” Seikyo Shimbun, Apr. 8, 2009]
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