Living in a state of prayer

We often think of prayer as a set of words to be chanted, often in times of need or distress. Typically, even when said/chanted on a more regular basis, the act of reciting a prayer tends to be rather perfunctory (I have definitely been guilty of this). In addition, once the act of saying a prayer has been concluded, life goes back to normal, and we continue with our daily routine as if nothing had happened. Such a dichotomous lifestyle description will definitely ring a bell in many of our minds - it definitely sounds alarmingly familiar to me. However, as I continue to study the Baha'i writings, I'm starting to gain a deeper appreciation of the concept of living in a state of prayer, and what it really means.

The Baha'i teachings talk of prayer as a loving conversation with God. The two key words here are "loving" and "conversation". Abdu'l Baha says: "In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven..." The message here is very clear - prayers are not to be said as a duty, or as a demand for some kind of gratification. A prayer has one and only one purpose - to express our love for God. Again, in the words of Abdu'l Baha - "...God knows the wishes of all hearts; but the impulse to pray is a natural one, springing from man's love to God". As this quote points out, by definition of God as an omniscient being, He already knows our needs/desires/sorrows, and so there is no need to communicate them through our prayers. The purpose of a prayer, then clearly rises above such concerns.

The second aspect of a prayer is that of a conversation with God - this isn't a one way street, though it often might seem that way. The effects are rather subtle, and so often not perceived. Over a sustained period of time, prayer opens out our doors to receiving the light of God, by cultivating in us the very spiritual qualities that reflect the attributes of God. But the Baha'i teachings also talk about an even more incredible phenomenon - the effect our prayers have not just on our soul, but on others as well. Says Baha'u'llah: "Whoso reciteth the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb." There is so much that I could say about this quote that I won't even get into it :) - but just sit back for a moment, relax, set your mind free, and conjure up the image this quote projects.

The final aspect of prayer I'd like to talk about is the elimination of our typically schizophrenic and dichotomous lives. The Baha'i writings talk about "living in a state of prayer". Now what does this mean? Does it mean constantly reciting prayers 24/7? Even a superficial understanding of this concept would tell us that there has to be more to it. What we really need to do is develop the attitude that comes with saying a prayer, and apply it to all aspects of our life - that of being in a state of supplication to God, of developing the spiritual qualities that reflect his attributes, of cultivating our Higher self, and bringing all this out in every interaction we have with the world and its beings. This sounds like a pretty lofty goal, of course - and so achieving this state of prayer is really a continual process, one which we slowly progress towards. Prayer, therefore, is not something that exists in a part of our daily life - instead, the concept of prayer becomes much more integrated with the entire process of our spiritual growth.

I'll leave you with the following words from Abdu'l Baha to meditate on:

"There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer. Man must live in a state of prayer. The most blessed condition is the condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is conversation with God. The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is none other than conversation with God. It creates spirituality, creates mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the Kingdom and engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence."