Why would I want to be a sponsor of prayers and rituals?
Many people ask why they should be contributors or sponsors towards activities of monastic prayers, offering rituals, making, gilding or refurbishment of holy images. One thing of course must be made clear, all of the above mentioned are NOT done FOR the divine deity involved, but really it is a method for the devotee to help themselves.
Such activities are usually only done or performed when one is in “low luck”, trouble or the like. It is not uncommon, that in times of relative happiness most of us are very seldom aware of the divine in our lives. And it is during times when our energy or luck is on“low ebb”, that is when our spirit is really telling us, that we need to also nurture the spiritual nature within us.
During times like this, it is helpful to know that our troubles are not the hand of God or Buddha or Divine striking with supreme wrathful and anger… no! How can the Divine who is the epitome of love and care do that? It is really the accumulated deeds of our own doing from our near and distant past that have come to haunt and ask for payment like a loan shark. This is what eastern spiritual paths call karma. Sow the seeds of Discord, nourish it with Water of Hate, Anger and Jealousy and VOILA! Like magic some time later we will be wonderful Harvesters of Pain and Chaos! On the flip side of course Sow seeds of Love and Kindness, fertilized with a Caring Heart and reap the juicy fruits of Joy and Happiness.
When the Harvests of Pain and Chaos strike, is there a possibility of respite or escape? Of course there is, although the deed itself cannot be totally erased, it CAN be purified or minimized BEFORE it manifests and rear its ugly head of pain. but, if the effects/ harvests of the deeds have already borne fruit, there is no way to erase it, it is like rain that has fallen, we can only lessen its effects and let it run its course with minimal loss.
How do we do that? It can be done by the power of Regret, Conscious Remedial efforts and the excellent power of Divine Prayer.
The Power of Regretting our harmful deeds or some spiritual paths call confession of faults. Confession is not towards only the divine but also towards other people whom we have consciously or unconsciously hurt of harmed in our lives. If the feeling of regret is sincerely arisen deep from within one’s heart and soul, it is said multitudes of negativities can be instantly pacified!! But are we truly sorry for our deeds? How sincere is that feeling? We can lie to others but never to our own hearts. Also, what about deeds that we do not even remember, and therefore cannot BE regretful for? In this case, the next methods can be better utilized to help us.
The Power of Conscious Efforts. If by planting seeds of malevolence we reap the fruits of pain, so too, when we plant the seeds of benevolence we are cultivating a harvest of Love and Light. It is said, that the simplest yet effective way to create energy of benevolence is to rejoice in the happiness of others. I mean really rejoice, not say, “Oh I am soooo happy he struck LOTTERY! But…..” when there is a “BUT….” There is no true rejoicing. For the Buddha has told, by rejoicing in the benevolent activities of others we are inadvertently plant powerful mind seeds in our spiritual bank to invoke the self same energies in our lives too! Like… if we see on CNN members of Red Cross helping the victims of disasters and in our hearts deep happiness arises that the poor victims have received help, in that moment the power of the mind has planted noble seeds of Care and Comfort in our mind stream. It has bestowed upon us the energy that one day we have the ability to bring comfort to others AND also, to receive help when WE ourselves become victims of any disasters! THIS is the cheapest way to receive the highest benefits!
Of course, there are those that prefer the hands on methods like physically going into the frays of disasters, and bringing hope, bringing comfort and rescuing those trapped in situations of despair. Such nobility is far and few, but it truly plants within our lives the energy of nobility, courage and helpfulness. Not many of us are able to go “hands on”... and thus we have the 3rd method to then fall back upon…
The Power of Prayer and Offering Rituals. This is probably the most powerful and quickest of methods in the pacification of our negative luck or situations. When one is able to do that which others find very hard… THAT is courage and nobility but to be able to do that which others find impossible, THAT is Divine. By performing prayers of supplication, prayers of purification and prayers of Love and Light, we are calling upon the energies that perform that which seems impossible! So during times of for example sickness, many seekers of the path are even able to extend their lives, cure diseases and avert calamities by way of prayers.
But since most of us are unable to do those practices ourselves, many teacher recommend easier methods. Like those who have the good fortune of being born in an affluent family or maybe a self made business person, they are sometimes encourage to sponsor prayers to be done in monasteries by providing the monks and nuns ( or even laity in some cases ) with food and drinks for the duration. Imagine! If we had the capacity to request 5000 monks and nuns to pray for us…. 5000 chanting throats and prayerful hearts… all invoking the powers of healing, blessings and compassion… and dedicating it all towards our wellbeing!!! Oh… if only I was so lucky!
Truth is… not all of us have the capacity to buy lunch for a few thousand people so, teachers will recommend a more modest method. That is self-help (or with family and friends) the modest method requires much dedication in terms of sacrificing our time, our efforts and personal devotion to one’s deity. In performing prayers or even prayer-like activities ourselves, we are going deep within our inner self and connecting that with the flow of outer divine blessings. It is this connection of Human and Divine nature, that causes miracles to truly happen.
For example, by making a holy image or even causing a holy image to be made (because we order so the shop will make) we have made a connection to manifest a “physical form” of the divine to be on earth. So that, this very deity that inspires faith and devotion within us, can now be shared by all who come across it. And each time, any passes by looks at that image, makes offerings and prayers to the qualities which the image represents, each of those moments when a prayerful heart arises, a loving spirit manifests or a noble mind expands, a part of those wonderful energies are thus sent towards the benefactor who sponsored the image that these people can have the chance to bring about such peaceful moments in their lives.
The same goes for any rituals and offerings, as each ritual has deep powerful meanings within them, so the same benefits of the offerings and rituals will also be created by our minds. Like Liberating of Animals, it is a wish to the divine for ourselves as well to be ‘set free’ from whatever fears and problems that shackle and cage our lives.
These are but some of the many possible methods to purify and pacify obstacles in our lives. If we are able to do all, all the better for us, if not we can only serve to do what we are able to. It would serve us well to remember, that whatever method we choose to attempt, a spirit of sharing, joy and love is the key in which to transform a simple act of offering a beautiful candle of light into a profound act of miracles and liberation to bring Peace, Hope and Love into the world.
Om mani Padme Hum
Om Mani Shri Shri Hum
