Jewish Bedtime Prayer
Blessed are you, Lord
our God, king of the universe,
who causes the bonds of
sleep to fall on my eyes,
and slumber on my
eyelids.
May it be acceptable in
your presence,
O Lord my God, and God
of my fathers,
to cause me to lie down in
peace,
and to raise me up again
in peace;
and suffer me not to be
troubled with evil dreams,
or evil reflections;
but grant me a calm
and uninterrupted repose
in your presence;
and enlighten my eyes
again,
lest I sleep the sleep
of death.
Blessed are you, O Lord,
who gives light to the whole universe in your glory.
Islamic Bedtime Prayer
In Thy name, Lord, I lay
me down and
in Thy name will I rise
up...
O God,
Thou art the first and
before Thee there is nothing;
Thou art the last and
after Thee there is nothing;
Thou art the outmost and
above Thee there is nothing;
Thou art the inmost and
below Thee there is nothing....
Waken me, O God, in the
hour most pleasing to Thee
and use me in the works
most pleasing to Thee,
that Thou mayest bring
me ever nearer to Thyself . . .
attributed to Al-Ghazali
Buddhist
Morning Prayer
from the Sukhavativyuha Sutra
from the Sukhavativyuha Sutra
Chanting of
Buddhist sutras, the sacred writings that house the living voice of the Buddha,
is a very common practice among the Buddhist believers in the morning. These
are chanted a number of times. One radiant passage from a frequently chanted
sutra, the Sukhavativyuha Sutra, describes the characteristics of true
spiritual attainment:
Full of equanimity,
of benevolent thought,
of tender thought,
of affectionate thought,
of useful thought,
of serene thought,
of firm thought,
of unbiased thought,
of undisturbed thought,
of unagitated thought,
of thought (fixed on) the practice of discipline
and transcendent wisdom,
having entered on knowledge
which is a firm support to all thoughts,
equal to the ocean in wisdom,
equal to the mountain Meru in knowledge,
rich in many good qualities....
they attain perfect wisdom.
Sufi Morning Prayer
I. Saum
Praise be to Thee, Most Supreme God,
Omnipotent, Omnipresent, All-pervading, the Only Being.
Take us in Thy Parental Arms, raise us from the denseness of the earth,
Thy Beauty do we worship, to Thee do we give willing surrender.
Most Merciful and Compassionate God, the Idealized Lord of the whole humanity,
Thee only do we worship, and towards Thee Alone we aspire.
Open our hearts towards Thy Beauty, illuminate our souls with Divine Light,
O Thou, the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty, All-powerful Creator, Sustainer,
Judge and Forgiver of our shortcomings, Lord God of the East and of the West,
of the worlds above and below,and of the seen and unseen beings:
Pour upon us Thy Love and thy Light,
give sustenance to our bodies, hearts and souls,
use us for the purpose that Thy Wisdom chooseth, and guide us on the path
of Thine Own Goodness.
Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life,
until in us be reflected Thy Grace, Thy Glory,
Thy Wisdom, Thy Joy and Thy Peace.
Amen.
Christian Bedside Prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels there aspread:
Two to foot and two to head,
And four to carry me when I'm dead.
If any danger come to me,
Sweet Jesus Christ deliver me.
And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels there aspread:
Two to foot and two to head,
And four to carry me when I'm dead.
If any danger come to me,
Sweet Jesus Christ deliver me.
And if I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
St. Francis Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an
instrument of Thy 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;
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.
Amen.
Hindu
Chant this when you wake up in the morning.
Karagre vasate
lakshmi kara madhye saraswati
kara mule tu govindah
prabhaate kara darshanam
Sanskrit to English
Word Meaning
Karagre-on the
tip of your fingers; vasate- dwells;
Lakshmi- the Goddess of
Prosperity; karamadhye-palm;
Saraswati- the Goddess of Knowledge
Saraswati;
karamule- in the
wrist; tu-whereas; Govindah-the Lord Govindah; prabhate-in the
morning; karadarshanam-look
at your palm.
Translation
On the tip of your fingers is Goddess Lakshmi; on the palm
is Goddess Saraswati; in
the wrist is Lord Govinda. In this manner, look at your
palm.
Some times the words karamule
sthite Gowri are seen instead of kara
mule tu
Govinda. With
this substitution, we are praying Laxmi, Saraswati and Durga for
giving us wealth, the appropriate knowledge to use that
wealth, and the strength to
sustain us.
Brief Explanation:
This is a morning prayer called “karadarshana”. One begins the day with this
prayer. “Kara”
means the palm of the hand and it stands for the five karmendriyas,
or the organs of action. While looking at the palm, one
invokes the Lord in the form
of various deities, thus sanctifying all the actions that
will be done during the day.
By acknowledging the Lord as the giver of the capacity to
perform actions and as
the giver of the fruits of those actions, one sanctifies the
actions. Thus, one prays in
the morning to reinforce the attitude that all actions are
performed as a service to
the Lord.
Shloka:Bedtime Prayer of Hindus
"Karacharana
Krn Itam Vaakkaayajam Karmajam Vaa,
Shravananayanajam Vaa Maanasam Vaaparaadham,
Vihitamavihitam Vaa Sarvametatkshamasva,
Jaya Jaya Karunaabdhe Shriimahaadeva Shambho"
Shravananayanajam Vaa Maanasam Vaaparaadham,
Vihitamavihitam Vaa Sarvametatkshamasva,
Jaya Jaya Karunaabdhe Shriimahaadeva Shambho"
Meaning: The literal
meaning of the mantra is: "O God, kindly pardon my incorrect actions done
consciously or unconsciously, either through my organs of action (hand, feet,
and speech) or through my organs of perception (eyes, ears) or by my mind. I
adore God, who is the ocean of kindness".
Significance: By God's grace, we have completed one more day of our life. This bedtime Sloka is a prayer to God asking Him to excuse our mistakes and have His mercy on us.
Significance: By God's grace, we have completed one more day of our life. This bedtime Sloka is a prayer to God asking Him to excuse our mistakes and have His mercy on us.
A
Zoroastrian Prayer At Dawn
I pray for the entire creation
... for the generation which is now alive,
for that which is just coming into life,
and for that which shall be hereafter.
And I pray for that sanctity which leads to
prosperity,
and which has long afforded shelter,
which goes on hand in hand with it,
which joins it in its walk,
and of itself becoming its close companion
as it delivers forth its precepts,
bearing every form of healing virtue which
comes to us....
And so the greatest, and the best,
and most beautiful benefits of sanctity fall
likewise to our lot.
From ‘The Zend-Avesta’, the scripture of Zoroastrianism
Baha'i Morning Prayer
and left my home trusting wholly in Thee,
and committing myself to Thy care.
Send down, then, upon me,
out of the heaven of Thy mercy,
a blessing from Thy side,
and enable me to return home in safety
even as Thou didst enable me to set out
under Thy protection with my thoughts fixed
steadfastly upon Thee.
There is none other God but Thee,
the One, the Incomparable,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
- Bahá'u'lláh
The Christian Our Father Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
forever and ever.
Amen.
Hail
Mary
Mother
of God
Blessed
art thou amongst women
And
blessed is the fruit of thy womb
Protect
me now and even at the hour of death.
Mary Thy Sacred Image
Mary Thy Sacred Image
Mary,
from thy sacred image,
With those eyes so sadly sweet,
Mother of perpetual Succour!
See us kneeling at thy feet.
In thy arms thy Child thou bearest
Source of all thy joy and woe;
What thy bliss, how deep thy sorrows,
Mother , thou alone canst know
With those eyes so sadly sweet,
Mother of perpetual Succour!
See us kneeling at thy feet.
In thy arms thy Child thou bearest
Source of all thy joy and woe;
What thy bliss, how deep thy sorrows,
Mother , thou alone canst know
St. Anne Prayer
Dear
St. Anne
One
whom I love has wondered off
and
become like a lost sheep,
please
St. Anne
intercede
with your grandson,
the
good shepherd ,
let your daughter,
the
good shepherd’s holy mother
intercede
with him too.
Let
the good shepherd of us all
seek
out my lost sheep and,
rejoicing,
bring
my loved one to his home-
for
all time
amen.
St. Theresa of Avila's Prayer
Christ has no body now, but
yours.
No
hands, no feet on earth, but yours.
Yours
are the eyes through which Christ looks with compassion into the world.
Yours
are the feet with which Christ walks to do good.
Yours
are the hands with which Christ blesses the world."
~
St. Theresa of Avila 1515 Spain
Buddhist Bodhisattwa Prayers
From now on, until I achieve
enlightenment, I rely on you.
Please give me wisdom to escape samsara.
Please give me wisdom to escape samsara.
If I am supposed to get sick, let me
get sick, and I’ll be happy.
May this sickness purify my negative karma
and the sickness of all sentient beings
May this sickness purify my negative karma
and the sickness of all sentient beings
If I am supposed to be healed, let all
my sickness
and confusion be healed, and I’ll be happy.
May all sentient beings be healed and filled with happiness.
and confusion be healed, and I’ll be happy.
May all sentient beings be healed and filled with happiness.
If I am supposed to die, let me die,
and I’ll be happy.
May all the delusion and causes of suffering of beings die.
May all the delusion and causes of suffering of beings die.
If I am supposed to live a long life,
let me live a long life, and I’ll be happy.
May my life be meaningful in service to sentient beings.
May my life be meaningful in service to sentient beings.
If my life is cut short, let it be cut
short, and I’ll be happy.
May I and all others be free from attachment and aversion.
May the three hindrances and all afflictions be annihilated.
願消三障諸煩惱
May I gain wisdom and true understanding.
願得智慧真明了
May all hindrances caused by sin be removed.
普願罪障悉消除
May I always walk the Bodhisattva Way, life after life.
世世常行菩薩道
May I and all others be free from attachment and aversion.
May the three hindrances and all afflictions be annihilated.
願消三障諸煩惱
May I gain wisdom and true understanding.
願得智慧真明了
May all hindrances caused by sin be removed.
普願罪障悉消除
May I always walk the Bodhisattva Way, life after life.
世世常行菩薩道
As long as sentient being remain in samsara
may I too remain so that I may inspire them
to recognize their own true nature,
free from both attachment and aversion, hope
and fear!!!
As long as space endures
as long as sentient beings remain and suffer
then may I also remain and abide
to dispel the miseries of the universe.
1) loving-kindness or benevolence
2) compassion
3) empathetic joy
4) equanimity
as long as sentient beings remain and suffer
then may I also remain and abide
to dispel the miseries of the universe.
The four immeasurables, also known as the Brahma Viharas (Skt.) are found in one brief and beautiful prayer:According to the Metta Sutta, Shākyamuni Buddha held that cultivation of the four immeasurables has the power to cause the practitioner to be reborn into a Brahma realm (Pāli: Brahmaloka). The meditator is instructed to radiate out to all beings in all directions the mental states of:
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.
1) loving-kindness or benevolence
2) compassion
3) empathetic joy
4) equanimity
Prayer to The Four Directions
by Chief Seattle
by Chief Seattle
Great Spirit
of Light, come to me out of the East (red)
with the power of the rising sun.
Let there be light in my words, let there be
light on my path that I walk.
Let me
remember always that you give the gift of a new day.
And never
let me be burdened with sorrow by not starting over again.
Great Spirit
of Love, come to me with the power of the North (white).
Make me
courageous when the cold wind falls upon me.
Give me
strength and endurance for everything that is harsh,
everything that hurts, everything that makes
me squint.
Let me move
through life ready to take what comes from the north.
Great
Life-Giving Spirit, I face the West (black), the direction of sundown.
Let me remember every day that the moment will
come
when my sun will go down.
Never let me
forget that I must fade into you.
Give me a
beautiful colour, give me a great sky for setting,
so that when
it is my time to meet you, I can come with glory.
Great Spirit
of Creation, send me the warm and soothing winds
from the South (yellow).
Comfort me
and caress me when I am tired and cold.
Unfold me
like the gentle breezes that unfold the leaves on the trees.
As you give
to all the earth your warm, moving wind,
give to me,
so that I may grow close to you in warmth.
Man did not
create the web of life,
he is but a
strand in it.
Whatever man
does to the web,
he does to
himself.
Mother Earth
Prayer
by
KiiskeeN'tum
Mother Earth
hear your child, as I sit here on your lap of grass,
I listen to
the echoes of your voice in my brother, the Wind,
as he blows
from all corners and directions.
The soft and
gentle raindrops
are the tears
you cry for your children.
Teach me the
Lessons you offer:
To nurture
my children, as you nurture yours,
To learn the
Lessons of the Four Kingdoms,
that make up
this world of physical things, and
To learn to
walk the path chosen so long ago.
Mother
Earth, hear your child,
Be a bond
between the worlds of Earth and Spirit.
Let the winds
echo the knowledge of the Grandfathers,
who await,
unseen, yet visible if I only turn my eyes to their world.
Let me hear
their voices, in the winds that blow to the East.
From the East: I seek the lessons of childhood:
To see with
the trusting innocence of a small one,
The lessons
of Spirit, given in love by our Creator.
From the South: to learn
the ways of questioning:
The fire and
independence of adolescence,
the truths,
and how they help us grow along this path.
From the West: where the Grandfathers teach us
acceptance
of responsibility
that come during
the years of marriage and family.
that my own
children grow strong, and true.
From the North: where the
Elders, who by their long lives
have learned
and stored wisdom and knowledge.
and learned
to walk in balance and harmony
with our
Mother, the Earth.
Mother
Earth, hear your child.
Hold my hand
as I walk my path in this world.
Guide me to
the lessons I seek,
bring me
closer to our Creator,
until I
return to the Western Direction,
to once
again enter the World of Spirit,
where the
sacred fire awaits,
and I rejoin
the Council of the Elders,
in the
Presence of the One-Who-Created-All.
Gaia Prayers
Gaia Prayers
That seed
springeth
That flower
openeth
That grass groweth
We praise Thee
For winds that
whisper
Through the
shining birch
Through the
lively pines
Through the
mighty oak
We praise Thee
For all things
Oh Earth
Mother who gives life.
The
Lady’s Prayer
Great
Mother who is all around us,
Blessed
be thy names.
Thy
Paradise has come,
Thy
Will be done.
As
above, so it is below.
Give me this day a voice with which to sing,
And
teach my feet to dance,
That
I might teach others.
Guide
my hands to work thy will,
And
fill my heart with joy.
For
yours is the Universe,
The
Earth and the Stars forever.
....patterned after psalm 23
Kuan Yin Prayer
....patterned after psalm 23
The Earth is my Mother.
I shall not want.
Her hand brings forth the green pastures.
She tarries within the still waters.
She leads me in fields of fruitfulness for my Glory.
Yea, as I walk through the summer of life unto death,
I will not be afraid, for You are with me.
Your womb in the earth will enfold me.
You prepare a harvest before me and bless my home with children.
You fill me with milk and honey.
My cup overflows.
Surely, goodness and beauty will nurture me all the days of my life,
and I will become part of the earth forever.
I shall not want.
Her hand brings forth the green pastures.
She tarries within the still waters.
She leads me in fields of fruitfulness for my Glory.
Yea, as I walk through the summer of life unto death,
I will not be afraid, for You are with me.
Your womb in the earth will enfold me.
You prepare a harvest before me and bless my home with children.
You fill me with milk and honey.
My cup overflows.
Surely, goodness and beauty will nurture me all the days of my life,
and I will become part of the earth forever.
Kuan Yin Prayer
I call upon
the Goddess Kuan Yin,
Mother of
Compassion, who hears
And answers
the cries of all hearts,
Who carries
the pearl of illumination
And pours
forth a stream of healing waters.
Bless me
with your spiritual peace.
Mother of
Mercy
Compassionate
Lady Kuan Yin
You who
hears the weeping world
And
comforts its souls
Come on the
dragon’s breath!
Come to
answer our prayers!
Come to
soothe our pain!
Jade
Goddess, who never refuses a prayer,
We ask for
peace,
For
banishment of fear, anger and hatred.
For your
love and compassion
To be
poured out upon the Earth and us all.
Gracious
Kuan Yin we ask for your blessing today and every day.
Goddess of compassion,
Goddess of compassion,
You who are
all to me,
All that
is,
And all
that shall be.
Come, Eternal Protector!
Come, Eternal Protector!
Come as the
scent of sacred Lotus,
With love
and compassion,
Do be with
me now, I pray!
Oh Blessed
Kuan Yin.
The Unity Prayer
The Light of God surrounds me
The Unity Prayer
The Light of God surrounds me
The
Love of God enfolds me
The
Power of God protects me
The
Wisdom of God guides and directs me
Wherever
I go, God is
And
all is well
And
so it is
Amen.
Salutation to the Dawn
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
--Attributed to Kalidasa | Source: Holistic Living
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
--Attributed to Kalidasa | Source: Holistic Living
