Shunyamurti: Dear seeker. The question of how to pray is extremely profound. As one grows spiritually, one gains a greater capacity for true prayer. The key teacher of prayer in the Christian tradition, Evagrius Ponticus, has this to say: "The state of prayer is the condition of passionlessness, which by a supreme love snatches up on high the mind in love with wisdom, the spiritual mind." The great teachers of the East would speak in a very similar way. Vairagya, or passionlessness, is a prerequisite for prayer, if not the essence of prayer itself. But we can still discern a difference between meditation, samadhi, and prayer. In the state of prayer, there is still a soul separate from God. Complete union has not yet been achieved. In this state, there are several kinds of prayer: prayer that is praise of God, loving thoughts of gratitude expressed to God; prayer that is composed of blessings for others and for all of Creation; and prayer that petitions for specific help for oneself or another. In truth, petitionary prayer is not necessary, because God and destiny (karma) are already bringing about the accurate result for the optimal growth of all souls; the state of divine love one is in when one prays is more important than the words and images. But the question arises whether it is more effective to pray for a result, or pray by thanking God for the healing that one seeks, as if it has happened. In fact, it is most effective to do both, one after the other; but also to add that God's Will be done, and that one humbly accepts the destiny that is to come, both as a gift and as a teaching. Then one lets go of the burden of care that required the prayer in the first place. It is given over to God. The act of prayer is not complete until the one who prays releases first the desire on which the prayer is based, and then releases even the identification with the mind that has prayed, and enters into the Supreme Silence of the Presence of God, melting away all sense of separation, and enjoys the unalloyed bliss of union with the Absolute. Successful prayer brings liberation from maya and karma, as well as healing for those who have been prayed for. I pray that this answer has been helpful.

Namaste, Shunyamurti