Guest guest Posted August 16, 2008 Report Share Posted August 16, 2008 Namaste all family; I posted Jennifer's questions about prayer to Swami. Here is his response. SWAMI SAID: Namaste Jennifer, It can never be harmful to pray on behalf of someone else. The more good energy we send in that individual's direction, the more positive attitude that person will have with which to meet the challenges of her or his life. That is why we maintain a prayer club to assist and inspire each other in meeting the challenges of our lives. Jai Maa Jai Swami vishweshwar , " jrholm1007 " <jrholm1007 wrote: > > Dear Devi, wow! My gratitude for sharing all of the lessons that you > have learned on this topic! I am learning a lot too from both the > responses to my post and those from others that are running at the > same time. > > As I read over your kind response, I realized what a big topic this > is...Mother is teaching each of us according to our growth process. > > I also realized it's somewhat of a hard-to-communicate thing that I'm > trying to reach out about, apparent from your response - for example, > you are thinking that my dear one is an adult and a friend. She > isn't, actually. She is a child, and a family member. > > I do share your ethic around not taking on other people's issues, and > appreciate your reminder about praying for essence and not > particulars. > > And I do absolutely believe that Goddess/God is in each one of us. > But some of that Divine, it seems to me, is potential and it is > enlivened and awakened through learning from Holy Ones like Shree Maa > and Swamiji. To me, it is a developmental/evolutionary path, with > the potential to become more and more " God-like " as we grow. > > When I learned about intercessory prayer, it was Jesus who had the > capacity to stand between a person and God, not me for another > person. In my view it would take a Holy Being such as Shree Maa who > is established always in Divine Communion to be the Mediator. And > this is the kind of guidance that I'm looking for...the universal > (sanatana dharma) application of a practice that I only know from > Christianity...how does it work here, I wonder? > > Again, many thanks for this topic being held in all of our hearts and > Beloved Shree Maa and Swamiji, gratitude for this opportunity to > learn and grow. > > Jennifer > > , devi <student61754@> wrote: > > > > Thank you for bring this up here in group. We all learn from each > other when we share. > > Added some more thoughts under each parigraph so scroll down. > > Please excuse spelling my cker is not working correctly. > > LOL > > > > > > > > --- On Thu, 8/14/08, jrholm1007 <jrholm1007@> wrote: > > jrholm1007 <jrholm1007@> > > [www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Intercessory Prayer > > > > Thursday, August 14, 2008, 3:31 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear Morningsong, thank you so much for jumping in! > Your response is > > > > very helpful, and my heart is touched by the thoughtfulness and > care > > > > in your message, as well as your strong and heartfelt faith. > > > > > > > > I must admit that there still is an aspect to my question that is > > > > unanswered though, perhaps I'm not communicating clearly. For me, > in > > > > relating to others there are times of acceptance and letting go, > and > > > > also times of interaction and holding on. If my three year old > child > > > > was about to chase his ball into the street with an oncoming car, > I'd > > > > hold on to him! I would be sooooo invested in the outcome of his > > > > safety. He wouldn't know what was best for himself in that moment, > > > > and it's my 'job' as his parent to protect him from things that he > > > > doesn't understand. And my belief is that this, too, is the Divine > > > > working through the natural instinct of a parent to nurture and > > > > protect life.I think the situation above is different than the one > you are discussing. A child needs people to direct it in this world > while he is learning.Where as the issue of your friend she is an > adult and has created her life as it is and sometimes no matter how > hard it is with adults we have to let go.We create our lives and > until we learn that we continue to create missory for ourselves > sometimes others, by how we act and the choices we make.To interfer > sometimes takes away the lesson needed to shift this.But you can > alway lift her up in prayer, you can alway pray for understanding on > both your parts but to pray for a perticular thing in Her life to be > as we want it to be is interfering with the course of her life. > Much as we would like to help it is not alway help or what should > be. We must pray for guidance and what ever is Mothers will & that > we will all learn from life and grow in understanding. > > In having an attachment to the outcome YOU will be pained.Now you > are taking on her issues.This has been a hard lesson for me. > > My ego wants me to help everyone. (see me trying to help you here) > I ask myself do i seek to help linda or to make myself look smart? > > And it never turns out like we wish it too.It almost always brings > pain when we pray with an ajenda. > > I know it's hard to just be.Pray for her best and let it go. But > don't stop loving her and showing her your love. She needs that. That > is the best way to help in all situations. Letting others see your > balance & feel love. This gives them hope that they too can change > and walk a different path.As for your friend: > > Balls in HER park to learn the lessons and change HER world.I had a > teacher long ago try to teach me all this & boy I let him know how > dumb I thought he was. Now I see he was so, so correct.He told me > there was no good or evil. I was furious. > > I argued and argued only to have to experience it for myself.Then > there are others that say good can not exist without evil.So what i > gleened from all this and the experiences that followed was that > everything is what you make it. You can take the rock falling on > your head as evil or you can take it as good because if it had not > you would not have moved and would be under a landslide.Evil is > changed into good by learning from it so you don't have to experience > it again.There is so much for you to learn here. Love, compasion and > when to let go. How to pray and help and when to let go and let it > ride. Basicly knowone can answer your question for you. Just take > all we say and decide what seems best for your situaltion and jump in > and learn from the experience.Life is so fun and full of > experiences. So much to learn. Hardly boaring. > > > > (Which is an oversimplified example, please forgive me, of the > > > > situation I'm in right now, and I'm not wanting to give details out > > > > of respect for confidentiality of my loved one.) > > > > > > > > So what I experience is that there are, in this creation, > influences > > > > of forgetfulness and of remembrance. When I, myself, am lost in > > > > forgetfulness, I can be selfish. When I remember that we really > are > > > > all one soul (thank you Shree Maa for bringing me back into > > > > remembrance) then I am so much more respectful of others.Being all > one soul and truely knowing that will help you to see that to best > serve her and others you must be your best, your most loving, & that > will cause you to be a light for others. > > > > I am in relationship with someone dear to me whom I see as being > lost > > > > in forgetfulness. I DO pray for myself in relation to her, for > > > > acceptance and clarity and that Divine Mother would 'get me out of > > > > the way' to be an instrument for Her peace. And also to show me > > > > right action for this person's best wellbeing.Sounds like you are > already doing all you can. > > > > But then in addition to that I pray for my loved one as well. And > > > > this is what I'm seeking guidance on, as to what the teachings are > on > > > > this aspect of prayer, which I know as intercession. > > I have only heard of Intercession in the Christain faith when > practice it. We were told you take on there suffering to ease it for > them. You stand in between them and God and act as a conduit for the > love and energy to get to them. BUT when you see that God/Goddess > is in us all that seems unnessary. If God is in us all that proves > that we KNOW what to do and we just choose to do what we want > anyway. I know I'm guilty of that. By standing in the way you block > their learning. You make them dependent on you. You want them to > see that they have the answers within themselves so they can fly. > > > > > > Perhaps that is just a great mystery. : ) > > > > > > > > Thanks for listening, Jennifer > > > > > > > > , " c_morningsong " > > > > <c_morningsong@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Namaste' Jennifer > > > > > > > > > > I hope you don't mind my jumping in here but I just wanted to > share > > > > > some thoughts on prayer that help me when I am, like you, trying > to > > > > > be a conduit for Mother's love. > > > > > > > > > > First of all, if I can remember that we are all living out our > > > > dharma > > > > > and karma in the best way we can it isn't too much of a leap for > me > > > > > to realize that even if life isn't appearing in the way I would > > > > want > > > > > it to, it is always appearing as Maa's will. She knows why we do > > > > or > > > > > don't do something in such a way. We have our preferances and > > > > > certainly can often see when someone isn't living in such a way > > > > that > > > > > would best serve them, but Maa sees their life from a much bigger > > > > > perspective. Luckily, with faith we can trust that She knows what > > > > She > > > > > is doing. > > > > > > > > > > As for prayer more specifically, my understanding of prayer is > that > > > > > it allows us to understand and accept that Maa's way is what is > > > > best, > > > > > and is what is occuring in every moment. It is really one of > those > > > > > practices where the work begins within us, changing our mind and > > > > > beliefs, adjusting our attachments and helping us to let go of > our > > > > > desired outcomes. When we are able to do this letting go, we > > > > become > > > > > that clear conduit, and the example we show to others through our > > > > > steadiness, consistency, and joy is how Maa works through us. > > > > > > > > > > I hope this was helpful. > > > > > > > > > > JAI MAA JAI SWAMIJI > > > > > > > > > > OM Shanti > > > > > Morningsong > > > > > > > > > > , " jrholm1007 " <jrholm1007@ > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Thank you so much, Devi, for your response. I do participate > in > > > > > the > > > > > > prayer group on Saturdays and recite the tryambakam mantra. > > > > > > > > > > > > My situation right now is this: a person that I love dearly is > > > > > really > > > > > > struggling with her life journey, making choices that seem (to > > > > me, > > > > > > from my limited view) highly dangerous and self destructive. I > > > > > want > > > > > > to be praying effectively for her, my desire is to be a conduit > > > > of > > > > > > Divine Mother's love in her life. I pray for this person many > > > > > times > > > > > > throughout the day. Sometimes I recite mantras for her as > well, > > > > > > always asking 'according to Divine Mother's perfect plan for > her > > > > > > life... " . So, I'm just looking for more guidance on how > > > > > intercessory > > > > > > prayer works in this tradition... .in my youth I grew up within > > > > the > > > > > > Christian tradition, which offers very clear teachings on the > > > > > > theology of intercessory prayer, and now I'm just curious to > > > > learn > > > > > > more about how it works within this way of following Divine > > > > > Mother. > > > > > > Thank you, Jennifer > > > > > > > > > > > > , devi <student61754@ > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Namaste Jennifer, > > > > > > > You can do so with the prayer group if you like > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _ prayer_club@ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jai Maa, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Devi > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- On Fri, 8/8/08, jrholm1007 <jrholm1007@ > wrote: > > > > > > > jrholm1007 <jrholm1007@ > > > > > > > > [www.ShreeMaa. org] Intercessory Prayer > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Friday, August 8, 2008, 3:53 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hello Dear Friends, I have a question for anyone > > > > who > > > > > > feels inspired to > > > > > > > > > > > > > > answer. What are the teachings of this tradition on > > > > intercessory > > > > > > > > > > > > > > prayer? What happens when we pray on behalf of someone else, > > > > for > > > > > > their > > > > > > > > > > > > > > well being, and/or for Divine Mother's will and blessing in > > > > their > > > > > > > > > > > > > > lives? What is the best way to pray such? With gratitude, > > > > > Jennifer > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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