Living Prayer
Prayer is deep, intimate communion with one’s Self-nature… the One in all beings. It is a request (or offering, like gratitude) from the depths of one's heart to all that is. Ultimately, it is the Incomprehensible speaking to the Incomprehensible.
“A prayer flag never wears out. Even after the last thread rides on the wind, the prayer waves on and on, forever and ever. How deeply those prayer flags touch us when we see them flying freely in the wind, way on high. Colourful banners of blessings, aging and ragged, keeping vigil in spiritual enthusiasm for all.”
As ShantiMayi said:
“It seems the secret of the prayer and the answer to the prayer lies in this wisdom: You always get what you need, not necessarily what you want. That is of course the greatest fortune.”
Where the Heart Turns
ShantiMayi turned our focus to prayer in many ways.
We offer prayer wherever the heart feels most moved:
For family — to soften the heart, to invite patience, compassion, repair, and nurture love.
For the sick, the dying, and the grieving — to offer steadiness, presence, and courage.
For the Earth — to tend, to heal, and to remember our belonging.
For awakening — a quiet dedication that each being may realize its own true nature.
Even a small act of attention or intention can offer steadiness and care.
Sometimes the prayer asks for change.
Sometimes it asks only for the strength to bear what is.
Often, the answer arrives in a shape we did not expect — a shift in circumstance, or the widening of our capacity to be present.
“Everything is listening, everything. It starts in your heart and from there the rhythm of life itself hears itself. The trees listen, the breeze listens, not with ears but in resonance. The intonation of that intimate moment, speaking from the depths of your being to all that can possibly be, resounds throughout the whole of existence in an extraordinary way. And that prayer is answered like an echo calling back to the center; and from there, an answer returns from its source. Yes indeed, the one who speaks, is the one who hears.”
— ShantiMayi
Ways to Pray
ShantiMayi showed us that prayer can take many forms. Follow your heart, not technique.
Sit in stillness and let your prayer rise from and rest in the silence.
Speak aloud, or whisper inwardly.
Chant sacred mantras — Gayatri, Guru, Medicine Buddha, Om Purnamidah, or others.
Light a candle, offer a Havan, or create a despacho.
Offer touch, breath, song, laying-on-of-hands, or any practice including Li Qi and other healing modalities that flow from your heart.
Join a circle of voices or hold a private intention at home.
Even a pause, fully held, is a prayer.
“Perhaps the prayer takes the shape of a request that you will realize God in everything. The result of prayer brings forth a peaceful meditative atmosphere. The more our prayer is for the awakening of all, the greater our world is.”
— ShantiMayi
Joining Together
Wherever You Are
We gather across distance
in shared attention and stillness.
Collective Presence
Every 2nd Monday
alternating 6pm – 3am CET
A simple field of presence. Join wherever you are and participate in any manner that you wish to offer prayer.
We encourage Sangha to find a time for private prayer and reflection every Monday at whatever time is best.
(This is in addition to any other days you may also wish to offer prayer.)
In this way we begin each week with prayer cascading across the world within our different time zones.
To sign up to receive the Zoom link and list of Prayer Requests:
Email: council@ganeshfoundation.org
Weekly Chant for Families
Fridays, 6:00 PM CET
We chant the Medicine Buddha Mantra for families. To join, contact Chundra and Amrita directly at chundra@mantrasite.nl.
For wider participation in healing, the World Wide Healing Circle gathers practitioners who chant the Medicine Buddha for healing for all who request support on this site.
For wider participation in offering prayers for the awakening of all and chanting the Gayatri Mantra together, visit:
http://www.worldwidelightcircle.net
“If we understand the power of prayer, we would be praying every minute.”
— ShantiMayi
Receiving Prayer
If you wish the Sangha to hold a prayer for yourself or a loved one:
Write to the Council: council@ganeshfoundation.org
Include the name, the nature of the request, and whether you consent to wide sharing.
Mark “Private” if you wish it held only within the Council.
Monthly holding: General requests are included in a monthly list of prayer requests circulated amongst the Sangha.
Time-sensitive matters: For urgent needs — serious illness, passing, or immediate crises — the Council issues alerts so prayers can gather swiftly.
If you may not be able to contact the Council yourself in times of emergency, consider alerting a loved one to contact us.
Prayer Opens the Heart
In that opening, the world reveals itself as divine (indivisible). Healing flows, support arises, and the One prays through us.
“How humble it is to tell a sacred secret to the wind, the rain, the plants and the stars and even to a fleeting moment. In that opening, the world reveals itself as divine (indivisible). Healing flows, support arises, and the One prays through us.”
— ShantiMayi
