Thich Nhat Hanh is of the opinion that while most pray for health, success, and harmony, you need to go beyond them
The year was 1945 and we, airmen of Royal Indian Air Force, were at the Indo-Burma border during the last days of Second World War bombarded by the Japanese kamikaze pilots. He was an orderly, a late twenties man and a native of Orissa, assigned to take care of our chores. In the bombings this orderly too was injured like several others. As medical aid could not reach in time, gangrene had set in one of orderly's leg and the doctors had advised that his leg had to be amputated. This was to happen the next day. The news was enough to shatter him.
Distressed he sought solace in prayers: for the entire night he wept, tears rolling from his eyes and beseeching Lord Jagannath to save his leg. His cries were heart rending that we, three of us lying inside the tent, were unable to sleep. Hours went on like this. The night gave in to dawn. We came out from the tent and found him exhausted sleeping.
At the assigned hour he was picked up on a stretcher and taken to the makeshift hospital. The doctor removed the bandage and could not believe his eyes - for there was no trace of the wound. This was a story my father, who passed away recently, told us years back when we were school kids. We dismissed the story like most youngsters unwilling to believe that such miracles could happen. But while reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Energy of Prayer I remembered the story and felt convinced that prayers do have the energy to move mountains and heal wounds too!
Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, scholar and human rights activist who lives in his meditation centre in France is of the opinion that while most pray for health, success, and harmony, you need to go beyond them. Like, where do I come from? Why I’m here? Where shall I go? After death, what? Is there a relationship between God and me? Answers one has to find on one’s own.
Hanh stresses the need of prayer at a very deeper level. Result: when this satisfaction is there, then whether we have very good health or poor health, we can still be happy. And no more blame God for one's illness but are happy that He has given us much that s/he can pray.
The Energy of Prayer,Thich Nhat Hanh, Jaico Books, Rs 175
