Question: “I’m just learning about Buddhism. As Buddhist, do we pray? If so, how do we do it?”
Yes, Buddhist pray. But it’s a little different compared to other religions. ‘Praying’ in Buddhism is equivalent to ‘chanting.’ In most all other religions, the person praying is praying to their god for whatever reason – forgiveness, strength, health, etc. – for either their own sake or for the sake of others. Since there’s no concept of god in Buddhism, our praying is not for forgiveness, strength, health, etc. because we don’t rely on an external deity, they can’t help us. Only we can help ourselves.
Anyway. In Buddhism, praying is more or less simply chanting. We can pray a sutra (scripture) in order to understand it more deeply and penetrate its true meaning. We also pray (chant) a sutra during celebrations, ceremonies, and funerals. Especially for those dying and dead. Praying is especially important if someone is on their death bed. By praying to them, we help lead them to a better rebirth. The Amitabha Sutra, for example, is believed to lead the dying person to Amitabha’s Pure Land heaven by just hearing the words.
Buddhist also pray (chant) for peace, to spread and cultivate of loving-kindness and compassion, and develop Buddha-like minds by cultivating bodhichitta. We also pray to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas for thanks for their teachings and lessons, and for respect and honor. There are different ways and meanings of praying. The simplest form is simply reciting, “Namo Sakyamuni Buddha.” Which means, ‘homage to the sage of the Sakya clan, Buddha.’ Any chant, mantra, sutra, or invocation can be a form of praying.
Smile and be well!