What/Who do Buddhist pray to?

Question

When I went to many temples in Japan, everyone was praying. It was not a shinto shrine, spirits, but a buddhist temple. However, I thought that Buddhist do not have a good or angels, etc. Then who are the praying people praying to? Or are they not praying at all and instead are meditating? I am really confused. Help please. Also, if Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion then how does it include all of the nirvana and reincarnation stuff?

Answer 1

From my understanding, Buddhists don't pray, they meditate. However, they do look very similar, so that may have been what confused you.

I also think that Buddhism can be both philosophy and religion, depending on how you apply it to your life.

I could be wrong, though. *shrug*

Answer 2

What makes you so sure they were praying and not meditating? There's a difference between worshipping something, and bowing before something as a sign of respect and desire to emulate a figure. Buddhists strive to be Buddha-like, not worship Buddha.

And Buddhism IS indeed a religion, as it includes both ceremony and dogma. Philosophies don't. It may be a non-theistic religion, but it's still a religion none the less. Eastern religion and western religion take different approaches to things.

Answer 3

This is a very complicated question. I practice Tibetan Buddhism but our tenets are similar. You are not praying for intercession. The Buddhas are there to show you the path but not to intercede. When I meditate or chant I am doing so to center myself. The dedication of chants, mantras or 'prayers' is a way of dedicating yourself to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime so that you can decrease the suffering of all sentient beings and remove yourself and others from cyclic existence. Nirvana is a state of happiness and an end to suffering. It is a return to a universal consciousness. The matrix we all belong to as sentient and ascended beings (these ascended beings having achieved an end to their own suffering through much work and dedication). Reincarnation or cyclic existence is boiled down to this: our minds exist independent of our bodies and therefore when the body dies the mind is still a part of the universal consciousness. If you have died without eliminating your own suffering and attaining true happiness, it would follow that your energetic existence (the mind) would pass into human form until it has attained Buddhahood. This is a lot to go into but it's the best I can do on this board.

Answer 4

Many Asian countries have long, long history. When Buddhism was introduced to Northern (or Eastern?) Asia, like, China, Korea, Japan and Mongolia, about 1500 years ago, people already had their own religion. Mainly people have worshiped their ancestors, and shamanism was practiced as well. People accepted Buddhism, and got great benefit from it, but it changed little bit to be incompatible with existing local spiritual practice. Later, when Confuciasm become popular (~500 to 1100 years before now) it also influenced Buddhism practice.

So, in short, the teaching of Buddha there's no God, and it really is a fascinating philosophy.
Nirvana and reincarnation concept existed even before Buddha, and naturally interweaves with his teachings (to teach many people...)
Later, it mixed with local religion (or spiritual belief system), and the concept of angel, hierarchy of angels, hell, and PRAYING to Buddha factors came in.
To understand teachings of Buddha better, it's wise to be comfortable with the religious practice of Buddhism, but if you don't feel comfortable about that, focus on Vipassana branch of Buddhist practice, which (I personally think) is the closest with original teaching of Buddha, much less religious practice.

Answer 5

There are two major branches of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism is most widely practised in South-East Asia. It doesn't really have Gods or saints (but in everyday life, many people will actually pray to the Buddha).

Mahayana Buddism is practised in China, Japan and (historically) Korea. It has a Heaven and a large pantheon of Gods and Saints (Bodhisattva) that people will pray to.

(That's a highly simplified version, anyway).

Answer 6

Buddhists don't pray. Many accept the existence of god(s), but they do not actively worship them. Instead, they meditate. Buddhism is a religion, not a philosophy, because it has an organised clerical structure and works on faith, not reason.

Answer 7

NIRVANA!!!

here want one of the famous chants?

Load up on guns
Bring your friends
Its fun to lose
And to pretend
Shes overboard
Myself assured
I know I know
A dirty word

Hello (x 16)

With the lights out its less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
Yea

Im worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello (x 16)

With the lights out its less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
Yea

And I forget
Just what it takes
And yet I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard
Its hard to find
Oh well, whatever, nevermind

Hello (x 16)

With the lights out its less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido
Yea


YAY! NIRVANA!

Answer 8

It is a religion and a philosophy, there are gods that you can pray to for help here and there, but they are not the ones that give you eternal life or whatever.

Answer 9

I see them honoring Buddha or meditating.

Some Buddhists do believe in a God figure, but it isn't Buddha.

Answer 10

They meditate on different Buddhas that represent different things to gain knowledge in that certain subject and keep their meditation focused.