What way is there to repay the Buddhas
Who grant immeasurable benefit
And who befriend the world without pretension
Other than by pleasing sentient beings?
— “Shantideva A Guide to The Bodhisattva's Way of Life”
Having seen that the door to all good qualities
Is the thought to place all cherished mothers in happiness,
Even if others rise up as my enemy
May I be blessed to cherish them more than my life.
— “Panchen Lama Chokyi Gyaltsen, Guru Puja”
I should be happy to have an enemy
For he assists me in my conduct of awakening.
And because I am able to practice patience with him
He is worthy of being given
The very first fruits of my patience,
For in this way he is the cause of it.
— “Shantideva A Guide to The Bodhisattva's Way of Life”
— Losang Tendrol is a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. She teaches meditation at the Guhyasamaja Buddhist Center in Reston, Va.
Catholic:
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all ‘thanksgiving.’ ”(The Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The following are prayers from the Roman Missal, 3rd Edition, for Thanksgiving Day:
Collect:
Father all-powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite; as we come before you on Thanksgiving Day with gratitude for your kindness, open our hearts to have concern for every man, woman, and child, so that we may share your gifts in loving service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer after Communion:
In this celebration, O Lord our God, you have shown us the depths of your love for all your children; help us, we pray, to reach out in love to all your people, so that we may share with them the good things of time and eternity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
— The Archdiocese of Washington.
Jewish:
In Judaism, Thanksgiving doesn’t just come once a year. It’s every day. In fact, three times a day we anchor our prayers with blessings of thanksgiving. For Jews, to pray in earnest requires a heart open in gratitude. To connect with God is to recognize that we are provided with more than we can ever need in this life. In Hebrew, we call this fullness of heart “Hakarat HaTov,” or “Recognizing the Good.” When God created the world, God called it “very good.” Our job is to begin our spiritual life with an abiding sense of that goodness each and every day. The following prayer from the ‘Amidah, the Standing Prayer of 19 benedictions that we recite morning, noon, and night, captures this experience:
“We thank You that You are Adonai our God and God of our ancestors throughout all time. You are the Rock of our lives, the Shield of our salvation in every generation. We thank you and speak your praises for our lives that are in Your hand, for our souls that are in Your charge, for Your miracles that are with us, and for Your wonders and Your gifts that are with us at all times—evening, morning, and noon. You are good because your compassion never ceases; You are compassionate because your kindness never ends. You have always directed our hearts toward You. For all these blessings we shall ever praise and exult Your Name. May every living being thank and praise You in Truth, God of our deliverance and help. Blessed are You Adonai, whose Name is Goodness, to You it is joyful to thank”
— Gil Steinlauf is senior rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in D.C.
In the comments, share with us your favorite Thanksgiving prayer or blessing.
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