Nepal’s Earthquake and Buddhist Prayer

Nepal: birthplace of the historical Buddha and current home to many, many Buddhists and Buddhist sites, monasteries, nunneries, regular folk trying to scratch out a living and countless animals and insects. The massive earthquake was much stronger than the one that hit Haiti and most of the stone villages look like landslide areas. Remember that earthquake magnitude goes up logarithmically, so .9 bigger means the shaking was 9 times harder than it was in Haiti. I know, right? Just unbelievably strong.
My newsfeed has been filled with photos of rescues, tent cities (mostly not waterproof in a rainy dry season – per Kopan’s Facebook page - thank you climate change), young monks giving away their blankets, trucks of monks and supplies heading for the worst hit regions and a veterinary team helping every animal they can (see here for just a small sample). Buddhists aren’t just about saving humans, they are about saving all beings.  It has been heartwarming and amazing to watch.
The part that bothers me is the part that has always been at odds with this former Methodist farm girl: the “Pray for Nepal” posts. The idea of intercessory prayer in Buddhism runs into my memories of tent revivals and everything feels very off-balance for a while. I never claim to know things. This blog is about my process. Bear with me and comment later if you feel the urge.
His Holiness the Karmapa led a monlam (prayer service) in Manhattan on May 2nd. I emailed his office, by the way, to see if the Gyalwang Karmapa page is run by them, just to make sure my unfriending tale of woe was their click and not that of a random person who named a page Gyalwang Karmapa. No word yet. Back to the point. The service is available online here and consisted of the prayers one would expect for the deceased and suffering beings in whose honor they were said.
However, I still find myself reflecting on the warnings His Holiness gave in Kingston before conferring the Refuge vow not to use the Buddhas or Refuge as mundane gods (bellhops, waiters, etc.). I am not saying mundane requests apply in this case. Motivations for the safety and enlightenment of all those beings is awesome. I am just always back and forth on the connotations to Westerners.
Most Buddhist prayer is, ultimately, to identify and become familiar with the aspects of the Buddha (we already possess) whose practice we are doing and then to work toward embodying these qualities. As I understand it, at any rate. Further, Lama Zopa Rinpoche has said something about the Buddhas and bodhisattvas having made vows to lead all beings to enlightenment and emanating, so even if we can not see them due to our own obscurations, they are listening and help out to complete their goal and fulfill their vows. It is nice to think that our asking gives them opportunity to do so. It seems a little weird to me, but so does eating peas, so who am I to say I know things?
Buddhist prayer isn’t about journaling to some higher power in a counselor/ Santa Claus kind of way. It is focusing on others and working to close the gap our minds create between ourselves and others. Praying for the victims of the earthquake isn’t even necessarily about praying to anyone other than our own future totally enlightened self who can emanate anywhere anytime and help. That is probably just me making things up, but I wonder. And I find wondering useful. It gives me new things to ask the Lamas and bothering Lamas is something I seem to excel at. Perhaps my role is in teaching them patience? My task is to stop overthinking. Or to think more wisely. Asking fulfills many roles.
So I do pray for those beings, and all beings. I just wonder about the details.
Thanks for listening.