Buddhists and Jainas: Whom do you pray to when your religion doesn't believe in a god?!?!?

Question

There are only two atheistic religions on this earth viz., Buddhism and Jainism. So you guys, whom do you worship?

Answer 1

In answer to your first question, as a Buddhist I do not pray at all as it doesn't fulfill any requirements of the Dharma or Teaching. I do practice controlled, purposeful meditation whereby I calm my mind from any influence and purposefully contemplate on my various consciousnesses to eliminate them from my psyche and thereby eliminate their influence on my Actions via my thoughts.

Contemplative meditation also allows me to examine and realise the truth of my various clinging attitudes and to thereby examine ways of eliminating the selfish ones and try to find ways of cultivating the selfless ones.

In answer to your second question, I do not worship at all. The Lord Buddha specifically instructed us not to worship him as he is just a human Being. There is no necessity to worship anything or anyone.

Contemplative meditation is all that is required to awaken my awareness for the benefit of all Beings. Once my clinging attitudes are eliminated, my awakened awareness will allow me to express truly selfless Actions through my thoughts, words, deeds and even in inaction. These positive Actions will engender positive Consequences as all Actions have Consequence no matter how insignificant the Action. These positive consequences themselves will have further positive Consequences and this will continue to expand and the only consequences remaining will be positive ones. This remaining positive Karma will enable all Beings to benefit, this is my goal.

While I meditate on ways to improve my attitudes, the improvements will engender a slowly awakening awareness which will eventually encompass all Beings and through more positive Actions which will become better and better as I practice the Dharma so that all with whom I interact will feel the benefits. Those benefits will hopefully continue to rebound long after the initial contact as others feel happier from that contact.

An old Monk was once asked.."Are you enlightened..?", He smiled and replied.."No, but I am highly eliminated.."

I do not need to pray or worship, I need to contemplate and practise.

Peace from a Buddhist...

Answer 2

I am a student of Buddhism, just a bit over a year now.

Gaz, one can notice by the excellence of his answers, has been a Buddhist much longer than I have. Also, Anger Eating Demon also provides quite excellent answers to Buddhist questions.

All I can say, as still a very new student of Buddhism, is that we have no belief in a creator god, so obviously we do not pray to any higher entity, or higher deity.

Buddhism teaches us to cultivate through daily practice, Insight [Mindfulness] Meditation, which gives us clear awareness in the true nature of things: meaning that we are quite able to clearly see things, people, situations, our problems, and challenges in life as they really are, and through guidance of the Dharma, and through using reasoning, logic, and self-understanding we skillfully, and successfully face any challenges that arise in our life. Thus, as a result, greatly helps think, speak, act, and react, in a very non-harming, wholesome, and productive way toward others, and toward ourselves. Buddhism, actually is a very Optimistic Philosophy of Life to follow. Not a religion, for there is no deity to go to solve our problems for us, or to worship. Through the committed, daily practice of Insight Meditation, and yes, also Loving-kindness meditation, we acquire a stable mental and spiritual peace,
and have a Happy, very fulfilling life !

Thank You very much for giving me the opportunity to provide an answer to your excellent question.

Peace from a new student of Buddhism.

Have an Excellent Weekend.

Answer 3

They worship the idea of Nirvana. I think they have the right of it. You don't hear about any Buddhists suiting up and preparing to kill the infidels, or purify the world of the unclean and unworthy.

Buddhism is based on the principle that people have brains and good judgement and can actually make informed decisions without having to be told word for word how to live a clean life. Thus they can't interpret the "Word" wrongly, like so many theists do.

Answer 4

The world is bigger than you think it is.

Religion needn't involve the vulgar idea of "worship" at all. Buddhism is a non-dogmatic system of meditation practices designed to help the practitioner attain "Enlightenment." Its moral and ethical councils are properly only means of establishing the best conditions for meditation.

Answer 5

Many Buddhist pray to the Buddha, to bodhisattvas, and to distinct gods of the human beings religions coated into Buddhism. case in point, many Greeks who settled in India switched over to Buddhism yet persevered to worship the Greek gods.