Some Buddhist Prayers

A prayer creates positive energy. When we pray, it is often to achieve a specific goal. The number of targets can be as diverse and numerous as there are people on Earth. For example, you can pray for contentment, healing, a good rebirth or the development of special qualities for ourselves or for others.

If you say the words indiscriminately as if it were a nursery rhyme and leave it at that, the prayer will have little effect. The power of prayer is determined by our motivation, confidence, and concentration, and it can help us create the causes that will help us achieve a specific goal. It is therefore very important to actually pursue the goal in addition to prayer. 
A prayer is like a seed that you plant in the soil (your mind). If you don't take care of that, it will never grow into the beautiful flower you envisioned. However, watering and protecting it from harmful external influences will result in a flower. Likewise, the development of our mind requires proper attention.

While praying, you can use Buddha as inspiration. If you pray for the development of a specific quality, such as compassion or wisdom, you can direct your prayer to Avalokiteshvara or Manjushri, respectively. Then you can try to apply their specific properties to your own daily life.

Life proceeds according to the law of cause and effect (karma). This means that you always undergo what you yourself created the cause for. Wishing prayers and the dedication of positive energy can have very specific consequences as a result.

• Prayers Before Meditation or Lesson  (PDF)
• Dedication Prayers After Meditation or Classes  (PDF)
• Special FPMT Devotion Prayers  (PDF)
• Dedication Prayer from the Practices of Bodhisattvas of Shantideva (ca. 685-763) (pdf)
• Long life prayers for some teachers: h.h. the Dalai Lama, Lama Zopa and Lama Ösel (pdf)
• Praise to Manjushri (pdf)
• Praise to the 21 Taras (pdf)
• Maitreya Buddha Prayer (pdf)
• A Short Sadhana of the Medicine Buddha, (pdf) (an abbreviated version of that done monthly in the centers)