 |
 |
| AP Photo |
|
| Balinese women offer prayer during a preparation to celebrate the Hindu holy day of Galungan, the day of victory over evil, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. |
|
Prayer has different meanings in different religions.
Brian Kinghorn, BYU-Idaho religion professor, defined prayer in general as “an act of devotion geared to help the practitioner become better.”
Hindu prayer is used to help the practitioner form a relationship with the divine, Kinghorn said. All Hindus pray at sundown.
According to The Dictionary of World Religions, “Prayer permeates Hindu life … Great merit is accrued from the saying of prayers.”
Buddhists pray to focus on the teachings of Buddha. The prayers are not sent to a god, Kinghorn said.
Kinghorn explained that some Buddhists pray with their hands placed together, fingers in an upright position holding three sticks of incense.
Prayer wheels, used by Tibetan Buddhists, hold scrolls containing sacred texts, which are spun to release the power of the texts, according to The Dictionary of World Religions,
Prayer in Islam is for thanksgiving, penitence, praise and supplication.
“Muslims practice frequent daily prayer … The daily cycle of prayer-related activity is governed by five obligatory prayers: morning, noon, mid-afternoon, evening and night,’” according to David D. Peck, BYU-I professor of history, geography and political science.
According to Peck, Muslims pray in mosques, which provide a place for religious education and worship.
