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with ray, here. verbal = “using words”. non-verbal = “not using words”.
Since our heart simply pumps blood, I wonder if we can explicitly define — in words — what ‘praying in the heart’ means.
Words are constructed in our cerebral cortex. This is what is often referred to as ‘the mind’. Language defines humanity, it makes us different than animals, although there are some mammals who seem to communicate through sounds quite effectively.
When we use the term ‘heart’, we don’t mean anything really associated with the cardiac system pumping blood, although our heart responds to our emotions. Heart typically means our ’emotions’. I’ve really been probing into this of late, and I have to say, without equivocation, that emotion does not use words, although what we say can be affected by our emotions, and words can evoke emotions.
Emotions are managed through a network of at least six distinct regions of the brain, and none of these are involved in word production or understanding. When we ‘pray in our heart’, we are emoting. those who pray in their heart with words are both emoting and framing their thoughts into words. As long as you are framing words at some level, even repetitive words, you’re using verbal prayer. And that’s ok — it’s the most common way to pray.
I remember the very first time I prayed in a way that directly connected with the divine. I had lost my contact lens in my dorm at Deseret Towers. The contact was green tinted to make it easy to find when dropped. The problem is that at DT, the floor was green. The bedspread was green. The walls were green. I couldn’t find that hard contact lens anywhere. Finally, I began to pray to find it. But instead of praying about a contact, I was so frustrated with losing it, so mad at myself, that I started to pray and confess how I felt. First starting with words, after a while there were no words, only cries of passion for help. I writhed in pain and suffering, wordlessly. Then, a peace came over me as I finished. no words, just simply peace, tranquility, a sense of how the sun shines after a violent rainstorm. I wasn’t thinking in words, only a sense of being, a sense of presence that said nothing, but I knew, without words, that I was ok. As I opened my eyes, I passed my hands over my hair and the contact lens dropped in front of me on the bedspread.
For years, I thought that this was an answered prayer, and that the answer was the contact lens. No. The answer was the peace. A peace that goes well beyond words, because my prayer had gone well beyond words.
I seldom pray with any words at all. By emptying my mind of words, of worries, of thought itself, I try to find that peace by pouring out my feelings. It comes often, perhaps not at the same intensity.
This is what works for me.
I need to add that I am not saying nor do I think that non-verbal prayer is “better” than verbal prayer. I don’t believe that, at all. It simply is what works for me, but I know verbal prayer works better for lots of other people. If verbal prayer works better for someone, that person should pray verbally.
I’m studying Buddhism right now, and I’m very interested in the 8 fold path. I am trying to become better at meditation, since my prayers are terrible (going through the motions with very little faith, with many repetitions, and not enough emotion). In the 7th part of the path you are supposed to have Right Mindedness. Essentially, our life is shaped by our minds. My mind is full of anger, and rage at times. I need to have right mindedness through meditation before I pray. The eighth part of the Buddhist eight fold path is: Right Concentration. Here, I need to exercise to focus my mind; focus my mind at sustaining my focus on a single point or objective. Essentially I need to find peace in a darkened world. It ain’t gonna happen without my attempts at right mindedness and right concentration which are essential for meditation. So, in other words, I need to work on refining my mediation before I can even get to prayer. I remember saying a prayer with my Buddhist friend (it was a chant in a different language). It was a set prayer on a card. We repeated it over and over again, I got so much peace from it. So, I don’t know what we prayed, but it brought me peace.
jamison wrote:I’m studying Buddhism right now, and I’m very interested in the 8 fold path. I am trying to become better at meditation, since my prayers are terrible (going through the motions with very little faith, with many repetitions, and not enough emotion). In the 7th part of the path you are supposed to have Right Mindedness. Essentially, our life is shaped by our minds. My mind is full of anger, and rage at times. I need to have right mindedness through meditation before I pray. The eighth part of the Buddhist eight fold path is: Right Concentration. Here, I need to exercise to focus my mind; focus my mind at sustaining my focus on a single point or objective. Essentially I need to find peace in a darkened world. It ain’t gonna happen without my attempts at right mindedness and right concentration which are essential for meditation. So, in other words, I need to work on refining my mediation before I can even get to prayer.
I remember saying a prayer with my Buddhist friend (it was a chant in a different language). It was a set prayer on a card. We repeated it over and over again, I got so much peace from it. So, I don’t know what we prayed, but it brought me peace.
I can relate.
The challenging part for me is finding something new (or a new perspective) to resonate with/to feel peace about.
My perspective is changing so much & I also realize like Buddha taught that attachment is not enlightenment – or like other religions teach: Thou shalt have no other gods before God/Love.
jamison wrote:My mind is full of anger, and rage at times.
I think a buddhist teacher would say that is OK. Mindfulness is not controlling the mind, but being aware. You can meditate or pray about why it is you are angry, or have rage. You don’t need to try to get rid of anger or rage…accept it as part of who you are.
I like using a gong sound on my iPhone every 8 minutes to bring me back to center as I practice keeping my mind focused.
I came across this infomercial recently called “What Prayer Does to Your Brain.” on latest studies on prayer that makes me want to start praying again. See what you think: http://w3.newsmax.com/newsletters/mhr/prayer_video.cfm?s=al&promo_code=101D8-1
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