About Praying

I resorted to praying these days. In fact, I pray every single day. I don't pray at home. I go to a temple and pray. It is not along my daily route, I need to take some time and it is inconvenient to reach there. But it is said that the efficacy of the temple is high. Hence, I do not care about how difficult it is for me, as long as my prayers can be answered.

But honestly speaking, I do have a fundamental problem with myself, and a problem with the concept of how things work out.

1st, do we need to believe in prayers for them to work?
I think we need to. I mean, something can only work if you believe in them. But the mind is a very strange creature. If I believe and they do not work? Or do I wait and if my prayers are answered, I will believe them for life?

2nd, what are the chances of our prayers answered?
I don't know man. It is up to someone up there to decide.

3rd, am I doing anything practical?
If there is a problem, I should be doing something in the real world that can solve the problem. Well, I guess for me, it is impossible to solve it anymore unless a miracle happens. Which in a sense, I have to pray for a miracle.

4th, does your accumulation of good karma helps in praying?
That is if you believe in karma. I always think that being good to people in your daily life is a wonderful thing to do. I have in fact never thought of it as "I am doing all these good things because I want to have good benefit for myself in the future." I am doing good because I sincerely want people around me to be happy. I always think that if my little actions can brighten up someone's day, why not?
Now, I curse myself. When I am in a predicament, I don't think help is coming at all. Does it pay to be nice and good? Now for the praying part. I know I did not do too much evil stuff, or none of them can be considered evil and harmful to anyone. Will my good karma pull me through, will the Gods have mercy on me?

5th, what is good for me, may not be good for me.
Sigh... Sometimes this concept of what is really good for me is not what I wanted is bothering me. The good outcome for me, perceived by the Gods, is directly opposite of what I think is the good outcome for myself. So if I pray for something I see as good for me and not good for the Gods, will they still help me? But I swear that my intentions are good and morally upright but the Gods may feel that I am being too selfless. Perhaps they will have their way and land me in misery only to have me eventually realising they are actually helping me. But if I cannot pull through this tough times, are they actually helping?

6th, everything is pre-destined.
If everything is pre-destined, do we have to even pray? Things will turn out the way it should be.

7th, any difference in the Gods that we pray?
Some pray to Jesus, some pray to Kwan Yin etc. Is there a difference? No offence to any religion. A Christian lady once prayed for me in a time when I felt that I have hit the bottom of a bottomless pit. And to my amazement, everything was resolved the next moment. Is it the power of the prayers that made it happen? Or is it because of my sincerity, my efforts, my karma that helped me? Or is this outcome pre-destined?

Perhaps I should just knock myself out. Why am I given the capacity to think and feel?

-dakepaike-