World Prayers
Here you will find beautiful prayers from around the world, representing various paths of spirituality.
THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled,
As to console,
To be understood,
As to understand,
To be loved,
As to love with all my soul
For it is in giving
That we receive,
It is in pardoning
That we are pardoned,
And it is in dying
That we are born to eternal life
A Blessing of Solitude
John O’Donohue from "Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom"
May you recognize in your life the presence, power and light of your soul.
May you realize that you are never alone that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here that behind the façade of your life there is something beautiful, good and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.
MILAREPA'S PRAYER
If there is joy in meditation upon the sun and moon,
the planets and fixed stars are the magic creation of the sun and moon;
make thyself like unto the sun and moon themselves.
If there is joy in meditation upon the mountain,
the fruit-trees are the magic creation of the mountain;
make thyself like unto the mountain itself.
If there is joy in meditation upon thine own mind,
distinctive thought is the magic creation of the mind;
make thyself like unto the mind itself.
THE MESSAGE OF MILAREPA
WHITE EAGLE'S PRAYER
Let us lay aside all thought of the material world and seek to make contact with the Source of life.
O gracious Spirit, all-enfolding love, light and life, we come before thee in humility and tranquility of heart and mind.
May nothing in us prevent us from stepping forward into the light;
and when sorrow and trouble come may we willingly surrender to thy love and wisdom;
knowing that underneath are thine everlasting arms:
for thou art merciful and just and all-loving.
May our hearts be open and minds subdued, waiting to receive the beauty of thy light.
O Father Mother God, we thank thee for thy infinite love.
May these thy children go their way in peace, filled with thy holy spirit.
Bless them, bless them, O Son.
THE DZOGCHEN, PRAYER FOR ASPIRATION (TIBET)
Throughout all lifetimes, wherever I am born,
May I obtain the seven qualities of birth in a higher realm;
May I meet the Dharma (divine knowledge) after taking birth,
And have the freedom to practice accordingly.
May I please the venerable spiritual masters
And practice Dharma, and accomplishing its inmost essence,
May I traverse the ocean of worldly existence in that very life.
Within the world may I expound the highest sacred doctrine,
And never become bored, or weary of accomplishing the welfare of the others;
And by my own tremendous, impartial service to others
May all beings attain Buddhahood (perfection) together.
THE DHAMMAPADA
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you,
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you,
As you shadow, unshakeable.
SAYINGS OF THE BUDDHA
TAKETHIS SELF
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move,
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and purposeful for Thee.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shall choose.
Take my will and make it Thine.
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own.
It shall be Thy Royal Throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
At Thy feet it's treasure store.
Take this self and let it be,
Ever, only, one in Thee.
All sicknesses have cures. The only one that cannot be cured is the sickness of feeling unloved
MOTHER THERESA
AN INTERFAITH PRAYER
May He who is the Lord in Heaven of the Christians,
the Holy One of the Jews,
Allah of the Muslims,
Buddha of the Buddhists,
Tao of the Chinese,
Ahura Mazda of the Zoroastrians,
and Brahma of the Hindus
Lead us from the unreal to the real,
From darkness to light,
From disease and death to immortality.
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is after all a beautiful world.
