chanting rounds for others' benefit

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

Whether chanting for others is authorised by the previous acharyas or not,

it's still a nice and human thing to do. So what's wrong with it? Besides

the fact that it works, praying for others also helps to be less obsessed

with ourselves and creates this nice devotional mood of serving the Lord's

devotees.

 

ys

Subhadra-mayi dd

Ps. thought the article below may be of interest...

 

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Scientific Research of Prayer: Can the Power of Prayer Be Proven?

 

By Debra Williams, D.D.

 

1999 PLIM Retreat, © 1999 PLIM REPORT, Vol. 8 #4

 

Theme: Inner Journey, Part 5

 

Feel free to copy and circulate this article for non-commercial purposes

provided the Web site and author are mentioned.

 

See Related Articles in MEDITATION AND THE POWERS OF THE MIND

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Throughout time, the power of prayer has been questioned by science. The

analytical mind of the scientist calls for proof of the existence of a

higher being. These scientists, both the faithful and nonbelievers alike,

have produced studies into the affects of prayer on our physical as well as

spiritual well being. Although most of us, who possess the belief that

prayer can and does work, do not require physical, quantitative proof of the

power of prayer, it is interesting to read the results of these studies.

 

Was a scientific study of prayer and its effect on heart patients done?

 

One of the most quoted scientific studies of prayer was done between August

of 1982 and May of 1983. 393 patients in the San Francisco General

Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit participated in a double blind study to assess

the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer. Patients were randomly

selected by computer to either receive or not receive intercessory prayer.

All participants in the study, including patients, doctors, and the

conductor of the study himself remained blind throughout the study, To guard

against biasing the study, the patients were not contacted again after it

was decided which group would be prayed for, and which group would not.

 

It was assumed that although the patients in the control group would not be

prayed for by the participants in the study, that others-family members,

friends etc., would likely pray for the health of at least some of the

members of the control group. There was no control over this factor.

Meanwhile all of the members of the group that received prayer would be

prayed for by not only those associated with the study, but by others as

well.

 

The results of the study are not surprising to those of us who believe in

the power of prayer. The patients who had received prayer as a part of the

study were healthier than those who had not. The prayed for group had less

need of having CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) performed and less need

for the use of mechanical ventilators. They had a diminished necessity for

diuretics and antibiotics, less occurrences of pulmonary edema, and fewer

deaths. Taking all factors into consideration, these results can only be

attributed to the power of prayer.

 

Did prayer lower blood pressure?

 

The August 31, 1998 issue of Jet Magazine questioned whether prayer could

lower blood pressure in high blood pressure sufferers, Again the obvious

conclusion was reached. The magazine reported of a study conducted by Duke

University Medical Center in Durham, NC. This study had over 4,000

participants over the age of 65. The study found that those who pray and

attend religious services on a weekly basis, especially those between the

ages of 65 and 74, had lower blood pressure than their counterparts who did

not pray or attend religious services. They found that the more religious

the person, particularly those who prayed or studied the Bible weekly, the

lower the blood pressure. According to the study these people were forty

percent less likely to have high diastolic pressure or diastolic

hypertension than these were who did not attend religious services, pray, or

study the Bible.

 

Dr. David B. Larson, president of the National Institute for Health Care

Research in Rockville, MD, who co-authored the study, also says that prayer

can lower high blood pressure. "The at-risk population of people with

illnesses, such as the elderly seem to be helped if they have faith and

religious commitment." Dr. Larson states: "Faith brings a calming state

which helps decrease nervousness and anxiety with coping with day to day

stress."

 

How does prayer effect people who lack health care?

 

In the Essence Magazine May 1997 issue, Allison Abner writes that

African-Americans have historically turned to faith in times of illness and

other crises. She cited Luisah Teish who states: "Because of limited access

to quality health care and our distrust of the medical establishment we have

occasionally relied on spiritual healing through such practices as prayer

and the laying on of hands, Most of us, at some time have used prayer

chanting or proverbs as ways to guide, direct, and heal ourselves.Now,"

states Allison, "Our beliefs are being backed by medical research," Science

is setting out to prove what most of the faithful already know--prayer does

work.

 

Has a prayer study been done on the life of twins?

 

The December 1998 issue of Mc Call’s Magazine raised the question: How does

prayer heal? The article notes a study done at the Virginia Commonwealth

University Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, which studied 1,902

twins. They found that those who were committed to their spiritual lives

tended to have less severe depression and a lower risk of addiction to

cigarettes or alcohol. The healthful lifestyles of the spiritually rich and

faithful clearly contribute to their well being, They tend not to smoke or

drink or not do either excessively. Their marriages are more stable and

their spiritual communities form a network that can catch and support people

when they are ill.

 

What effect does prayer and religion have on life?

 

To delve into religious attitudes and their impact on health, Koenig and his

co-researcher, Kenneth Paragament, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at

Bowling Green State University in Ohio, studied 577 hospital patients age 55

and older. One 98-year-old woman with pneumonia and congestive heart failure

looked upon her illness as God’s plan for her. She prayed often for the

health and well being of her family and friends. These attitudes were

associated with a serene response to stress and low levels of depression.

All signs of well being that nurture joy in living might even extend one’s

life.

 

While positive feelings toward a higher power seemed to foster well being,

negative thoughts about a deity had the opposite effect. For example, a

woman in her late 50’s with lung cancer left her church in her 20’s, became

involved with drugs, and now feels her illness must be a sign of divine

disapproval. She got poorer scores on tests that measured quality of life

and psychological health than the 98-year-old woman.

 

What do atheists think about prayer?

 

Noted atheist Dan Barker, a spokesperson for the Freedom from Religion

Foundation says the findings of the above research are no big surprise.

Prayer and religious beliefs can have a placebo effect, just like a sugar

pill. Barker, who was once a Christian Fundamentalist preacher before

developing serious doubts about his religion, states that one of the

strongest factors in recovery from an illness is a sense of connectedness

with a community and people who care about you. Even if we mumble our

prayers only when we are ill or if there is no God to hear them, the new

research indicated that religious thoughts could help to heal.

 

....

 

The fact that prayer is non local, that it functions at a distance, and that

spatial separation does not diminish the affect means that it does not have

to be intrusive. There is cross-cultural evidence that prayer does work. The

factors that seem to affect the outcome of these studies are qualifies of

consciousness, like caring, compassion, empathy, and love. When you take

these qualities away the outcome of the study is changed. In, fact according

to Dr. Dossey, if you flip these "empathetic, warm feelings" to the

negative, frequently the subject is affected. In experiments a bacterium

died and plants withered when subjected to the negative influence.

 

Conclusion

 

These studies have shown conclusive evidence of the power of prayer. Time

after time the outcomes of these tests have shown the reality of the force

of a higher being and our ability to communicate with Him.

 

We have also learned from viewing the results of these studies that the

expectations we have while praying factor into the outcome of our prayers.

Though the faithful will always believe that there need not be any physical

evidence of the power and effects of prayer, science has come a long way

toward showing just that-prayer is real, and it works.

 

 

 

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