Prayer Expands Toward Everyone's Happiness

When we pray, we first think of ourselves. We wish that things will go well for us, that we will succeed, and that we will be happy. When we go a little further, we come to pray for our parents, family, and people close to us. This too is a precious heart.

But in Buddhism, it is said that self and others are not completely separate. My happiness is connected to the happiness of others, and it is also deeply related to the peace of the world in which I live.

So prayer should not stop as a heart only for myself; it needs to grow wider. When we pray, 'May all beings be happy,' the mind moves beyond narrow worries and opens into greater compassion.

The teaching to respect all life and not harm it comes from the same place. If I wish to be happy, I should also wish for the happiness of the world I belong to and the beings who live together with me.

Today, widen the scope of your prayer a little. From your own wish, send your heart to your family, to neighbors, and even to people you do not know. Within the great prayer that wishes for everyone's happiness, your own happiness also deepens.