Praying with the Religions of the World

Next, Byakko Vice-Chairperson Rika Saionji introduced the program at the core of the Symphony of Peace Prayers, Praying with the Religions of the World. This unique program brings together prayer leaders from different faiths and spiritual traditions to lead participants in prayers for peace from their own traditions, in a powerful show of interfaith harmony and unity.

“Please listen and feel the love and wisdom embedded in each peace prayer,” Rika said, “and offer your prayer with the leaders of each religion, to create a circulation of peace prayers around the world.”

Prayer leaders from six world religions offered prayers, followed by a prayer from Byakko Chairperson Masami Saionji. Each prayer leader recorded their prayer in advance, in their place of worship or at home. They began with a message for participants, and then offered a prayer on their own, followed by an additional short prayer for everyone to pray together. Participants were invited to join in the last part of each prayer using the subtitles on screen.

Fr. Muhindo Mapendo Kasongo Pascal (Christianity — Catholicism)
Priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo

Message

Since 2014, the eastern part of my country has been facing a hard challenge, caused by terrorist attacks. I am doing my best to guide and comfort people through these terrorist attacks. Every day in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, people are victimized by threats, killing, raping, robbing, burning houses and cars, and violent acts such as cutting off people’s heads, arms, and legs.

All of these attacks are [motivated] by the desire for diamonds and metals that are used in mobile phones and computers. They are also caused by the desire of shepherds to take their flocks to pasture in the mountains of the eastern DRC. I believe that this problem is really a challenge of the whole world.

Let us pray for peace in the world, and ask God to help with the confession of hearts in this part of Africa, which is the most important green area of Africa. Let us pray in the name of the father and of the son and the holy spirit.

 

Prayed by Fr. Pascal in English

Lord, Master of times and of history, we praise you, we give you thanks and we glorify you for the universe which you have marvelously made and which you have given to us. You are present in all creation. You are in heaven. You are in the firmament. You are in the sun. You are in the stars. You are in the oceans. You are in the seas. You are in the water of the rivers. You are in fire. You are in the wing of the wind. You are in the song of the birds. You live in the man you made just smaller than you.

We give you thanks especially for the gift of life in all its forms. It is the most precious treasure of all the treasures that you have entrusted to us, and that we must guard and manage jealously. It is a living sign of your glory. Thank you very much, Sovereign Creator. And with these poor words from our mouth, we beg you to come to the aid of our fragility, which is clearly revealed whenever we experience natural disasters, hatred and divisions, ethnic or tribalist conflicts, conflicts between religions, the horrors of violence and war, or the manipulations of human consciousness in today’s world. Our imperfections make us unworthy to stand before you. But beyond our weaknesses, your grace comes to comfort us.

Lord, you have entrusted the world to us to be stewards of it: for all progress, thank you; for any cowardice, sorry. You have given us fellow workers: for the help given and received, thank you; for the malevolence and the jealousies, sorry. You have given us sisters and brothers: for the testimonies of affection, thank you; for any lack of love, sorry. You gave us the opportunity to meet strangers: for the friendships that were made, thank you; for our indifference, sorry.

Lord, now that we pray for peace in the world, we would especially like to beg you to take pity on us and forgive us because of the complacency of man in the absence of the promotion of the culture of lives in some corners of our planet.

Lord, turn our hearts to the deep meaning of good: that we may seek and find our joy as well as our happiness by feeding the hungry, by freeing the oppressed, by bringing our aid to the displaced and refugees of war as well as to the victims of natural disasters, by caring for the sick (among whom we especially cite Covid-19 patients), by providing clothes for those who are naked, by bringing our technological support to underdeveloped nations, by promoting truly fraternal cooperation between nations. We implore your forgiveness more particularly for those who are authors or accomplices of the misfortune of their human brothers throughout the world and especially for those who shed human blood by using machetes, knives and axes. This behavior is an evil that we entrust to your great mercy so that you can cure it. Because the perpetrators of evil do not know what they are doing.

Lord, make us artisans of your peace everywhere and around us. May our thoughts always be thoughts of peace. May our words always be words of peace. May all our projects always bear the mark of peace, which is a gift that we receive from your goodness. May we always reflect peace through our whole being. Lord, our poor words that we address to you today in praying for peace in the world and in hearts, are words of Hope. For you will save us because of our hope. We hope in you and we have faith in you because you love us and you are love. And love is above everything. Indeed, if I do not like others, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is of service. He is not jealous, he does not boast, he does not puff himself up. Love does nothing shameful. He does not seek interest, he does not get angry, he does not remember evil. He does not rejoice in injustice, but he rejoices in the truth. Love excuses everything, it believes everything, it hopes for everything, it supports everything. Love never goes away.

Lord, you are love. Teach us to love like you. And since peace is the daughter of love, without delay, give us the true peace that comes from you who are love. For this to become possible, transform our life into prayer. May peace prevail on Earth. May peace prevail on Earth. May peace prevail on Earth.

 

Prayed by all participants in English

Hear us, O Lord. Hear us, O Lord. (repeated three times)

 

 

Ms. Tamar Alon (Judaism)
Israel

Message from Dr. Shlomo Alon (Tamar’s father)

Hello friends around the globe, and my dear SOPP family in Japan. We are connected, all in our different mother tongues, through our prayers to the Almighty and eternal prayers for a world of peace, love, and open hearts—for us all, and for the young generations. Therefore, I would like this year to ask my daughter Tamar to lead a prayer that connects all human beings, old and young, for a better future and hope.

 

Message

Shalom. Hello dear SOPP participants and friends from all over the world. Thank you very much for inviting me to speak at this special event. It is an honor to speak as a representative of the Jewish prayers in this year’s ceremony, and a great honor to follow my father’s words and footsteps.

I’m very proud of the long covenant with the SOPP and its values. My youngest son, Lavie, attended the assembly at Fuji Sanctuary twice with my father, and the heritage of Byakko and Fuji Sanctuary is so essential in the three generations of our family.

This year’s SOPP theme—Circulation: a world connected by prayer—is inseparable from the human fabric. Our prayers are not lost in a void. They reach the far ends of the world while sending influential ripples that are not always seen but can always be felt. The waves of prayer continue from father to daughter, and from daughter to her children. We are the carriers of prayers, hopes, and dreams, from generation to generation.

We give the world our love and creativity through spirituality, and the world embraces us in return. By passing goodness forward to the next generation, we continue the never-ending circulation, which, for its part, creates more plentiful ripples, recognizing the good in the world, love, and peace around us.

Thank you very much, and may we always be the carriers of prayer, peace, and good in the world.

 

Prayed by Ms. Alon in Hebrew

PSALMS, chapter 121: A song for going up to the Temple.

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. He will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep. Israel’s Protector does not get tired. He never sleeps.

The Lord is your Protector. The Lord stands by your side, shading and protecting you. The sun cannot harm you during the day, and the moon cannot harm you at night. The Lord will protect you from every danger. He will protect your soul. The Lord will protect you as you come and go, both now and forever!

 

Prayed by all participants in English

The Lord will protect you from every danger. He will protect your soul. The Lord will protect you as you come and go, both now and forever!

Prayed by all participants in Hebrew

He who makes peace in his celestial heights
May he in his mercy create peace for us
And for all of Israel
And for all the inhabitants of the world
And we shall say Amen

 

 

Mr. Muhammed Rasit Alas (Islam)
Counsellor for Social Affairs, Turkish Embassy in Tokyo

Message

I would like to give as my message the words of the prayer (du’ah) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

O Allah, join our hearts, mend our social relationship, guide us to the path of peace, bring us from darkness to light, save us from obscenities, outward or inward, and bless our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our wives, our children, and relent toward us. You are the Relenting, the Merciful.

 

Prayed by Mr. Alas in Arabic

In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

He created the heavens without pillars—as you can see—and placed firm mountains upon the earth, so it does not shake with you, and scattered throughout it all types of creatures. And We send down rain from the sky, causing every fine plant to grow on earth.

(from Chapter 31 of the Holy Quran)

When the earth is shaken [in] its ultimate quaking, and when the earth throws out [all] its contents, and humanity cries, “What is wrong with it?”—on that Day the earth will recount everything, having been inspired by your Lord [to do so]. On that Day people will proceed in separate groups to be shown [the consequences of] their deeds. So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.

(from Chapter 99 of the Holy Quran)

 

Prayed by all participants in Japanese

We sincerely pray for the earliest possible recovery of the areas affected by the major earthquake in Turkey.

 

 

Mr. Daisuke Ogino (Shintoism)
Chief Priest at Samuhara Shrine

Message

When I think about the circulation of prayer, I am reminded of the sentence, “God increases in power through people’s reverence, and people gain fortune through God’s virtue.” A good heart comes around and returns to us, and grows into an even better heart.

There is divinity in nature, and divinity in human beings. Divinity can also be called life, and this life is connected from the past to the future. It may not always be easy, but let us keep in mind that when our heart is good—when we continually think of life and purify our divinity without letting it become cloudy—our heart will respond in harmony with other good hearts, and will circulate widely, filling the world as an even greater heart.

 

Prayed by Mr. Ogino in Japanese

I humbly bow down before the precious divinities who are here in the pure place, as they reside as divinities throughout heaven and earth.

Since the beginning of the human world, we have been divided into nations and religions, but for us human beings, who have been blessed with life, our fundamental hope is for a world of peace and harmony.

Struggles and conflicts persist around the world, yet today, people who are deeply concerned and who pray strongly for peace are gathering around the world. Please listen to their ardent prayers for world peace.

From here on, please protect those who pray together and those who live in this world with the blessings of the divinities. Please guide and protect us, so that people of goodwill who come from different religions can cooperate to make peace, and humanity can create a tranquil world where people sincerely respect one another’s hearts and minds.

 

Prayed by all participants in Japanese

Purify us.
Cleanse us.
Guide us.
Bless us.
(repeated three times)

 

 

Ven. Ryugen Matsunami (Buddhism)
Abbot of Experimental Temple Houdouji

Message

Hello, everyone. My name is Ryugen Matsunami, and I am Abbot of the Experimental Temple Houdouji, which is operated by the Japan Buddhist Association.

Is it OK for us human beings to continue living as we have been? I think many people feel that it is.

Then, what are the problems facing us human beings? War, poverty, discrimination, uneven distribution of wealth, environmental destruction, and many other problems are piling up, and it seems humanity is about to be crushed at any moment.

Who created these problems, and how did they come about? I believe that they were created in each and every one of our hearts, and by the actions that our hearts guided us to take.

We have been accumulating foolish actions by turning our eyes away from the truth that all things are interconnected, and by being trapped in the limited thinking of our small individual consciousness. Everything we experience in this physical world, where our bodies are located, is formed through the actions we take with our bodies, our language, and our communication.

No matter how much we pray, it is meaningless if our actions are not directed toward solving problems. Wars are waged with physical actions. Bullying and discrimination are carried out through language and communication. Prayer is not in phase with these actions, and cannot solve these problems.

However, the root of all human deeds is the mind and heart. Every action is a manifestation of the mind and heart. Prayer is an act of facing our heart and guiding it the right way. It does not do to pray to someone or something else. Every problem depends on the actions that each one of us takes. Now is the time to stand up, keeping prayer in our hearts. Take action to solve the problem. Let’s have courage and go forth together.

 

Prayed by Mr. Matsunami in Sanskrit

O Buddha, the light that illuminates all worlds, come and sit here. Open the eyes of ‘satori’ (enlightenment) to illuminate all things in this world and all lost souls. I kneel before You now to invoke You. O all Tathagata, turn the wheel of the most wonderful Dharma.

O all Tathagata, Lord of the three worlds, and all those who have attained perfect nirvana, I beseech you all to abide with us forever. Do not abandon your desire for great compassion to save the world.

 

Prayed by all participants in Sanskrit

Knowing that everything is interconnected, I wish infinitely that I and all others, who are all equal to me, may attain greater happiness and ease, and I put this wish into practice.

Knowing that everything is interconnected, I wish infinitely that I and all others, who are all equal to me, will have less suffering and less sorrow, and I put this wish into practice.

Knowing that everything is interconnected, I wish infinitely that I and all others, who are all equal to me, may together make the joy of others our joy, and that our own joy may lead to the joy of others, and I put this wish into practice.

Knowing that everything is interconnected, I wish infinitely that I and all others, who are all equal to me, thoroughly abandon the mind that clings to the self and to one’s own opinions—a mind that crushes happiness, creates suffering, and erases joy—and I put this wish into practice.

(Modern translation of the “Sincerity of Exhortation” section of the Five Chants of Repentance)

 

 

Dr. Chintamani Nath Yogi (Hinduism)
Scholar, philosopher, spiritual master, teacher, and peace activist (Nepal)

Message

My dear friends! Please accept my Namaste from the country of the Himalayas—Nepal—from the country of Buddha, and from the country where we have great diversity—unity in diversity. I feel very happy and honored to be part of the Symphony of Peace Prayers and I extend my request and prayers to all the great masters, social workers and leaders.

My friends, let’s go further together—religion to realization, ritual to spiritual, knowledge to wisdom. Similarly, let’s work together for education—culture-based, value-based, and spirituality-based education. Similarly, let’s work together for humanity, no matter what caste, creed, sex, sect, nationality, or community we belong to. After all, we are only human beings. That’s why the Mahabharata says: ‘na manusyat shrestha taram kinchit’ (there is nothing greater than a human being).

Let’s work for peace, only peace. It’s not a political agenda. It’s not only about social issues—it’s a process of total transformation. Gyanat Shanti Anantaram. Let’s work together for the prosperity of every human being, and for the entirety of nature.

Vanaspataya Shanti (peace in plants). Osadhaya Shanti (peace in herbs). Antariksha Shanti (peace in space).

 

Prayed by Dr. Yogi in Sanskrit and English

With humility and Love, I bow to you
With humility and Love, I bow to you

All the celestial and divine beings, I bow to you
All the saints and sages, I bow to you
All the masters, I bow to you
All the friends, I bow to you

I will like to extend my heartfelt warm Namaste to all the Gods and Goddesses, to all the sages, saints, prophets, and religious masters of this beautiful world. Namaste!

 

Prayed by all participants in Sanskrit

May there be Wellness
May there be complete Wellness
May there be Wellness
May there be complete Wellness

Wellness in home, Wellness in Village, Wellness in Family, Wellness everywhere
Mother’s wellness, father’s wellness, son’s wellness and daughter’s wellness

May there be Wellness
May there be complete Wellness
May there be Wellness
May there be complete Wellness

Wellness in mind, Wellness in intellect, Wellness in the subconscious mind, Wellness everywhere
Auspicious birth, Auspicious death, Auspicious Happiness, Auspicious Pain

 

Closing message

Namaste, and thank you so much Symphony of Peace Prayers. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti! Peace for myself, for the communities, and for the entire universe.

 

Lastly, Masami Saionji offered her own message, then read an original poem titled “Creation of the Universe” and led participants in the prayer May peace prevail on Earth.

Message

We need to be aware. We need to be aware that we are all originally divine. We need to remember. We need to live our lives with our divinity out in the open. Divinity is the life, the light, and the love of the Great One. It is the divinity inherent in us that connects humanity as one.

We each live our life with an awareness of the vertical and horizontal lines. The vertical line is our connection with the Great One. The horizontal lines are our connections with our spouse, parents and children, friends and colleagues. They are now circulating. Circulation is like a circle, going round and round, end to end, corner to corner.

The power of the divine is the great surging wave that connects everything. The air, the water, the greenery, the earth, everything is connected as one. Humanity, ethnicity, principles, age, and gender are all connected as one. This is the cycle created by divinity.

The horizontal lines that we have created will disappear, and everything will circulate, harmonize, and connect under the divinity that unites all things. By connecting with our own divine spark and praying, let us place ourselves in the cycle of all things, becoming one.

 

Prayed by Mrs. Saionji in Japanese

Creation of the Universe

When we quiet our mind and pray, we feel the prayerful life of all living things.
Our prayers become the energy of love and healing, embracing the Earth, humanity, and all living things, and bringing all back to life.
The creation of a new planet Earth begins.
Even when human beings forget to pray, the earth, the seas, the mountains, and all living things go on praying
For the time when humanity will awaken.
When we quiet our mind and pray, we feel the prayerful life of all living things.
Our prayers become light, illuminating the divinity in each and every human being.
At that time, the Earth, humanity, all life and all living things become one,
And a new symphony of life resonates with the Universe.

 

Prayed by all participants in Japanese

May peace prevail on Earth (repeated three times)

Following Mrs. Saionji’s prayer, a message appeared on screen inviting participants to “take a moment and let the energy of these prayers resonate out to the world,” by closing their eyes and focusing their thoughts on sending out this prayer energy.

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