Exploring why people pray, "The Energy of Prayer examines the applications and effectiveness of prayer in Buddhist and other spiritual traditions. The book introduces several meditation methods that re-envision prayer as an inclusive, accessible practice that is not tied to a particular religious or spiritual affiliation, but rather that helps anyone create healthy lives through the power of awareness and intention. Included are visualization and breathing exercises as well as a rich sampling of prayers, chants, and invocations from the Buddhist tradition.

Energy of Prayer: How to Deepen Your Spiritual Practice , Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax Press, Pocket, 2006, 155 Pages, $12.95

Thich Nhat Hanh has survived three wars, persecution, and more than thirty years of exile. A Buddhist monk, he is the master of a temple in Vietnam, the lineage of which is traceable across two centuries to the Buddha himself. Hanh has written more than 100 books of poetry, fiction and philosophy, wit over a million copies in print. He live in France and Vermont, He is the author of Living Buddha, Living Christ and Anger.

	Contents: The Energy of Prayer
	Introduction: Larry Dossey	9
	Why Pray?	17
	Chapter 1: Does Prayer Work?	19
	Five Questions about Prayer	22
	Prayer In Buddhism	32
	Praying for Ourselves and Others	38
	Two Elements of Effective Prayer	41
	Chapter 2: The Object of Prayer	45
	Prayer as Part of a Spiritual Practice	49
	The Collective Consciousness	53
	Chapter 3: Heart, Body, Spirit	57
	The Three Keys	59
	Touching God	61
	Prayer of the Heart and Prayer of the Body	63
	The Lord's Prayer: Buddhist and Christian Parallels	73
	Chapter 4: The Role of Prayer in Medicine	89
	Modern Medicine	89
	Collective Medicine	92
	Chapter 5: Meditation and Healing	103
	Meditation's Three Sources of Energy	104
	The Four Fields of Mindfulness	107
	Tangled Knots	112
	True Happiness	117
	Appendix 1: Meditaion Exercises	121
	Exercise One: Calming the Mental Formations	122
	Exercise Two Calming and Relaxing the Bodily Formation	124
	Exercise Three: Nourishing the Body	130
	Exercise Four: Finding Nourishment in Nature	132
	Exercise Five: Healing	138
	Appendix 2: Buddhist Prayers and Gathas	145
	Prayers	145
	Gathas	152