The Energy of Prayer

How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice

In The Energy of Prayer Thich Nhat Hanh looks at the applications and effectiveness of prayer in Buddhist and other spiritual traditions and closely examines the question of why we pray. The Energy of Prayer introduces the reader to several meditation methods that re-envision prayer as an open, inclusive, and accessible practice that helps create healthy lives through the power of awareness and intention.

Prayer has played an increasing role in the practice that Thich Nhat Hanh offers to his students. Rather than viewing it as dogmatic obligation, Buddhism views prayer as a form of energy, a way of communicating with one’s higher self, one’s ancestors, or one’s God. Prayer is redefined not as being about asking some external force for what we need but about creating an internal environment in which it is easier to manifest positive outcomes in our lives.

Life’s fast pace leaves little room for reflection and attention to the present moment. To seek relief from stress and pain, we often turn to consuming in order to forget our suffering, but we soon find that material wealth is not enough to bring true happiness, and always leaves us searching for something more. The Energy of Prayer shows how prayer and meditation can offer a beneficial way to reconnect with ourselves while satisfying the basic human need to make a connection with something larger than our everyday self. Whether used as a daily practice, during times of crisis, or to express gratitude prayer serves many functions, and does not need to be tied to a particular religious or spiritual affiliation to be effective.

The Energy of Prayer includes visualisation and breathing exercises and concludes with a rich sampling of a broad range of prayers, chants and invocations from the Buddhist tradition.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics and peace.

Publication Date:
March 10, 2006
Publisher:
Parallax Press
ISBN:
9781888375558

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What is Mindfulness

Thich Nhat Hanh January 15, 2020

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