I have always believed in the power of prayers. Somehow, in the daily chores, it is not easy to keep reminding oneself of this and every year around this time during Paryushana, the feeling is reiterated in many ways through reflection and reading.
Religion is and has been a sensitive issue for centuries the world over and especially in the current environment we live in, it is hard to find that deep sense of devotion and divinity. However, born and raised in a devout Jain family and the influence of Initiatives of Change has played a key role in fostering spiritual, if not religious, principles and ideologies. So effortlessly, I have grown-up believing in the influence of prayers and the overall concept of God – that resides in me and the fact that one’s main goal is to merge with the force that exists inside us.
While organized form of religion is not my cup of tea, as kids our parents would advice us to form a ‘habit’ of praying – "..not as means of desire or for self-fulfilling prophecies", they would explain, "but as a form of atonement". It may have started out initially as consenting to their advice without truly understanding its essence; now I call it a weapon deeply rooted and a ‘dial-up modem’ used to ‘connect’ to the force within.
Each of us have our own unique definition of prayers. Some recite verses, some meditate, some talk, others listen. On the other hand, there are people who doubt the very existence of such phenomenon. True, there is this agnostic side to all of us, in some more reinforced than in the other. But then don't we all go through that phase at some point, and hopefully, outgrow? Or do people remain in denial of such experiences? I do not have an answer to those who simply refute such faith but I do know that doubting the beliefs has never helped me in challenging situations; on the contrary, that hope and sense of deep faith has facilitated in overcoming such difficult circumstances. Furthermore, to answer the question how prayers help in such cases, I am not sure. Maybe they do, maybe they do not. It is not quite a reflex action of ‘prayers-versus-wishes’ but a form of discipline, a practice that surely bears fruits in some form.
My mentor at Initiatives of Change used to exemplify quite simply that the power of prayers is like that of gravity. We can never truly fathom how such a force like gravity acts in our lives and yet, at a micro level, it keeps us from falling.
Think about it….
Religion is and has been a sensitive issue for centuries the world over and especially in the current environment we live in, it is hard to find that deep sense of devotion and divinity. However, born and raised in a devout Jain family and the influence of Initiatives of Change has played a key role in fostering spiritual, if not religious, principles and ideologies. So effortlessly, I have grown-up believing in the influence of prayers and the overall concept of God – that resides in me and the fact that one’s main goal is to merge with the force that exists inside us.
While organized form of religion is not my cup of tea, as kids our parents would advice us to form a ‘habit’ of praying – "..not as means of desire or for self-fulfilling prophecies", they would explain, "but as a form of atonement". It may have started out initially as consenting to their advice without truly understanding its essence; now I call it a weapon deeply rooted and a ‘dial-up modem’ used to ‘connect’ to the force within.
Each of us have our own unique definition of prayers. Some recite verses, some meditate, some talk, others listen. On the other hand, there are people who doubt the very existence of such phenomenon. True, there is this agnostic side to all of us, in some more reinforced than in the other. But then don't we all go through that phase at some point, and hopefully, outgrow? Or do people remain in denial of such experiences? I do not have an answer to those who simply refute such faith but I do know that doubting the beliefs has never helped me in challenging situations; on the contrary, that hope and sense of deep faith has facilitated in overcoming such difficult circumstances. Furthermore, to answer the question how prayers help in such cases, I am not sure. Maybe they do, maybe they do not. It is not quite a reflex action of ‘prayers-versus-wishes’ but a form of discipline, a practice that surely bears fruits in some form.
My mentor at Initiatives of Change used to exemplify quite simply that the power of prayers is like that of gravity. We can never truly fathom how such a force like gravity acts in our lives and yet, at a micro level, it keeps us from falling.
Think about it….
