The Open Book | Dr. S. P. de Silva

23 .A

PRAYER

**PRAYER IS RATIONAL APPEAL*(1) OF THE WEAK TO THE STRONG. ANYTHING**

MORE IS AN ATTEMPT TO CAJOLE

ANYTHING LESS WOULD AMOUNT TO AN IRRATIONAL REQUEST.

“MORE THING ARE WROUGHT BY PRAYER THE THIS WORLD DREAMS OF” *e.g.: The Lord’s Prayer of Christianity:

........................ Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespasses against us THE WORD ‘FORGIVE’ MEANS THE ACCEPTANCE OF REPENTANCE; AND NOT, A CONDONING OF AN ERROR. FORGIVING IS A PART OF JUSTICE: AND INCLUDES THE EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE, TOO. SILENT PRAYER IS THE MOST INTENSE, INTIMATE AND INSPIRED PRODUCT OF HUMAN INTELLECT; WHERE ONE EXAMINES ONE’S SELF THOROUGHLY AND HONESTLY, IN ENTIRETY. (AND, IF SUCH A PROCESS IS ENACTED SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, AS REQUIRED BY ISLAM THERE IS, LITTLE POSSIBILITY OF ONE GOING ASTRAY UNWITTINGLY: A SORT OF MINDFULNESS.) IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ONE’S PRAYERS OR ENTREATIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOA SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER, AND NOT TO JESUS, MOHAMMED, SPECIFIC HINDU GODS, OR EVEN THE BUDDHA. FOR THIS WOULD MAKE THE ENTREATY HONEST-A RATIONAL APPEAL; WITHOUT IDOLATRY, RITUALS OR ANY OTHER FACADES, BEHIND WHICH ONE COULD CONCEAL ONE’S TRUE FEELINGS AND MOTIVATIONS. EVEN WHEN THE HIGHER BEINGS MADE THEIR PRESENCE OBVIOUS, TO AUTHENTICATE THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS AND MOHAMMED; ONLY A RATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF A SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER WAS EXPECTED. NOW WITH SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE AT HAND, THERE IS NO RATIONALITY WHAT SO EVER FOR RETAINING ANY HOUSES OD RITUAL (AND PRAYER) QUITE SIMPLY: NO BEING CAN BE A GOD IF ENCUMBERED WITH A PERSISTENTLY DEMANDING BODY. AND, ANY SORT OF BODY CAN ONLY HINDER, NOT HELP. A HIGHER BEING. EVEN THE MOST ARDENT BELIEVERS SHOULD BE PREPAIRED TO ACCEPT A SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER; TO WHOM THEY CAN PRAY TRULY, AND WITH WHOM THEY CAN REASON FREELY - IN THEIR HOMES! WILLIAM HAUGE, LEADER OF THE CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION, WAS QUOTED BY THE B.B.C. ON EASTER SUNDAY 1998, AS HAVING SAID THAT HE PREFERS TO GO FOR A WALK ON THE YORKSHIRE DOWNS ON A SUNDAY MORNING, THEN GO TO CHURCH. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HIS WALK THERE IS TO THINK OVER, HONESTLY AND SINCERELY, BY HIMSELF (AND POSSIBLY GOD); A THING HE COULD NEVER DO IN CHURCH

PRAYER TO UTILIZE ANY TEACHING IN ITSELF -BY CHANTING- AS A ‘PRAYER’ (PARTICULARLY WASTEFUL IF IT IS SCIENCE) IS THE RESORTMENT TO MAGIC LIKE CORES OR WITCHCRAFT*(1). *(1).THAT IS, HOPING FOR THE ‘POWER’ OF THE WORLD TO BRING ABOUT A ‘CURE FOR THE DISEASE.’ NONE DO THIS BETTER THAN LANKAN BUDDHIST; WHO DO IT EVERY WHO DO IT EVERYDAY AND FOR EVERY CONCEIVABLE PURPOSE: THE PERFECT BLESSING, OF THE SIMPLE CLERGY. SEVERAL PERVERSIONS OF PRAYER HAVE EMANATED (WITH THE EASING OF FEAR) AS RELIGION BEGAN TO MOVE AS RELIGION BEGA TO MOVE AWAY FROM ANY ALMIGHTY CREATOR TO A MORE ACCEPTABLE SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER. THE MOST REPUGNANT OF THESE NUMEROUS PRACTICE IS THE USE OF CUNNING OBEISANCE, WITH THE HOPE OF EXTRA EXTRACTING FAVOURS: AN INSULT TO HUMANINTELLECT, BUT MUCH MORE TO THAT OF A SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER. AND, EVEN OBVIOUS REVERSALS ARE OFTEN INTERPRETED AS BLESSINGS. (BEYOND THE RELIEF OF SUFFERING OR JUSTICE FOR INNOCENTS, THE HIGHER BEINGS HELP HUMAN ONLY TO ELEVATE THE BODILY ..........) WHEN AN ALMIGHTY IS ACCEPTED AS SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER; HIS WILL TOO SHOULD GET FIXED-AS RATIONAL, NATURAL LAWS. THEN FAITH WOULD BE UNNECESSARY AS IT WILL BE REPLACED BY CONFIDENCE, AND BELIEF WILL SIMILARLY BUT GRADUALLY BE TAKEN OVER BY UNDERSTANDING. WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON REFERS TO “DARK IMPULSES OF THE SOUL,” AND FERVENTLY WISHES GOD TO BLESS AMERICA, HE IS NOT IMPLICATING THE DEVIL OR IMPLORING A CREATURE DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE MADE THESE REMARKS IN HIS INAUGURATION SPEECH (FOR A SECOND TERM IN OFFICE) ON A DAY HE HAD ALSO PAID TWO VISITS TO.......HE IS MAKING AN IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR JUSTICE (FROM GOD) AND EXPECTS ALL TO TRY HARD, AS HE TOO WOULD, TO OVER COME THE DARK IMPULSES OF INJUSTICE THAT .....

EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING WHO PRAYS, MUST DO SO TO A SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER, OTHERWISE THE PRAYERS ARE MEANINGLESS. THIS MEANS THAT THE POWER IS TRULY SUPERIOR OR CAPABLE OF HELPING HUMANS; AND THAT THE HELP HAS GOT TO BE RIGHTEOUS OR ARISING FROM COMPASSION. YET THIS SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER CHOOSES TO REMAIN VERY DISCREET IN ITS FUNCTIONS. WHY DOES IT NOT COME OUT INTO THE OPEN AND EXPRESS. IN ANY UNAMBIGUOUS WAY, THAT THIS IS THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE DONE? THE ANSWER TO THIS IS OBVIOUS. AS THE DISCREETNESS IS TO AVOID BELIEF. IN OTHER WORDS THE SUPERIOR RIGHTEOUS POWER MUST WANT THE HUMANS TO ACQUIRE IRREFUTABLE, RATIONALLY ASSESSED TRUTHS. ABOUT WHAT? THE MEANING OF LIFE (ALL LIFE) AND THE MEANING TO LIFE (ANY LIFE); AS WITHOUT SUCH AN AWARENESS, THE HUMAN IS TRULY LOST. BECAUSE, WHATEVER APPROACH ONE ADOPTS TO REALIZE THE TRUE NATURE OF THINGS; THE BASIC REALIZATION MUST BE THAY, YOU ARE YOUR MIND! THIS IS ALSO THE FIRST REQUIREMENT OF DUMPING THE BODY SYNDR