The Power of Prayer - an interview
Hiya! I ran across an interview conducted with me on the topic
of prayer by journalist and writer Mandy de Waal in 2003. It's
always fun re-reading a transcript of something like that a few
years down the line. Thought you might find it to be of interest
as well. Regards, Clive
Medical research is examining the power of prayer on healing
with some astounding results that offer proof that prayer does
help heal. But is there a place for prayer in business? Can
spiritual appeals contribute to corporate growth? Journalist
Mandy de Waal speaks to Clive Simpkins about the meeting of
spirit and commerce. Simpkins is a marketing and communications
strategist, and author of the "Concise Communicator" and "Change
Your Thinking, Change Your Life", a book about personal,
sustainable change and finding meaning and purpose in one's
life. The work draws extensively on the author's twenty three
year experience with his teacher, Swami Shivapadananda.
Mandy de Waal (MdW) - What is prayer - what is your definition
of prayer? Clive Simpkins (CS) - Prayer is a conversation with
yourself or God - whatever your concept of Her, Him or It might
be.
MdW - Why do people pray? CS - Humans innately seek something
beyond their mundane selves. So we pray to make 'contact' with
whatever our concept of that is. We pray particularly when we're
in trouble, want guidance, want to say 'thank you.'
MdW - Can one expect an outcome from prayer? Does prayer work -
if so why? CS - One can certainly expect an outcome from prayer.
But it may not be the outcome you expect or want. Like a good
parent, the universe or God (whatever your concept or Her or Him
or It may be) will, I believe, give you what you need (which may
be suffering for growth) and not what you want - which is
usually the absence of suffering, hardship, trials and the like.
MdW - How does intent relate to prayer? CS - Jesus said "The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." So
it's got to be a prayer that's very specific in its intention or
desired outcome (effective). It needs to have intensity and
yearning (fervent). Your motive needs to be pure, unselfish or
'good' (righteous). Then it has the concentration power to make
it produce results. If it's unfocused, vague and not serious in
intent, it won't generate the energy required for a result.
MdW - Is there a place for prayer in business? CS -
Emphatically! Business is part of our lives or a 'compartment'
of our lives. What works after-hours works during working hours
as well! Touching base with God or the Universe or the Higher
Self a few times during the days makes us much nicer colleagues.
It means we're not forgetting what's really important in life.
MdW - Do you say prayers for business reasons? CS - Why ever
not? If you pray for your child's exam success (provided the
blighter has done the studying) there's no problem with an
intention for a successful business.
MdW - What is the junction of spirit and business? CS - There
shouldn't be a junction! If they're seamless, they work best.
There shouldn't be a separation between spirituality, prayer and
any of the aspects of our lives. We should live in an
integrated, congruent manner.
MdW - Are businesses becoming more spiritual or more conscious -
if so why? CS - Businesses are not 'things.' They're made up of
people. People are without doubt becoming more conscious of the
need for their spiritual component to permeate the workplace as
well. This is not suppositional or anecdotal. I see it in the
work I do all the time. People ask questions they would never
have asked five years ago. And hey, a guy in a Sasolburg
conference asked me to comment on reincarnation. You could have
knocked me over with a feather!
MdW - Would you advise people to use prayer in business - if so
why? CS - Yes. When we're in a truly prayerful state, we're in
an Alpha mind state. Generating hemispheric synchronization at
between 8 and 12 cycles or Hertz per second. It's a state of
optimal creativity and resourcefulness. It's also scientifically
proven to be restful, healing and therapeutic. So when we learn
to get into a prayer state at will, it can only benefit whatever
we're doing in business.
MdW - Have you had any interesting experiences regarding the
power of prayer? CS - Numerous. Perhaps the most powerful was
when my best friend, aged 31, was dying from lymphatic cancer.
The night before her passing, she was in great physical pain. I
was exhausted from all the emotional support I'd been giving
her. I took her one hand in mine and with the other (in my mind)
held my spiritual preceptor's hand, thinking, "Please do
something to help her." At that exact instant, she said, "Hmm.
It feels just like Swamiji's holding my hand."
MdW - Who (in your spiritual beliefs) hears our prayers? CS -
The universal consciousness - which is 'alive,' vibrant and
never sleeps. At a higher level of understanding, it is we who
pray and we who answer the prayer.
MdW - Why - traditionally - have corporations sought to exclude
spirituality or prayer from business? CS - Because they've had
difficulty - as have many individuals and organizations - in
separating 'religion' from the concept of spirituality. With
religion, you can 'live' in a church, temple, mosque, shul or
shrine - and still be a demon. With spirituality (respect for
all levels of consciousness) you may never have been in any of
them, and yet be a saint.
MdW - Why - traditionally - is business almost exclusively
concerned with the business of making money? CS - Because that's
the role of business - to make money. Good and insightful
businesses also invest in people and communities. But that's not
their prime role.
MdW - What role does religious and spiritual diversity bring to
bear regarding the above? CS - Organizations that are respectful
of diversity will be spiritual organizations. If they understand
the healing role of spirituality in their people, they'll
actively encourage it.
MdW - Is prayer connected to religion - if so how? CS - Prayer
is the universal language of spirituality. Whether spoken, as
thought, as meditation, solo or in groups. It may be a communing
with nature or animals. It may be a sense of connectedness. It
doesn't have to be linguistic and it doesn't have to be
religious.
MdW - What other things would you like to tell me about prayer
in business? CS - People who pray have a sense of higher purpose
in their lives, lower stress levels, better immune system
function, lower levels of anger, higher levels of self-esteem,
heal quicker, suffer less depression and if they do, recover
from it quicker than those who don't pray. All of this has been
the subject of some well-validated medical and psychological
research projects, and is well documented.
MdW - Any other thoughts? CS - Yes. If we don't get out of bed
in the morning with a sense of why we're on this planet and what
we're going to be doing and how we're going to do it, we'll at
some point - guaranteed - slide into a clinical depression. The
single most important dimension of the human being has to be the
spiritual component. If we resist the spiritual development
process, nature and circumstances will force us, kicking and
screaming, into the learning experience. If you want to know if
you're living a spiritual life, two thoughts: "If you can get to
end of a day and say, 'Today I have grown a little more in love
and compassion,' you are living a spiritual life. If you get to
the end of a day and you can't say, 'Today I have grown a little
more in love and compassion,' you are not living a spiritual
life." - The Dalai Lama of Tibet.
"God will not forgive you if you are bluffing. He is the One who
hears the heartbeat of the ant. Do you mean to say He does not
know what you are saying and doing?" - My Spiritual Preceptor
and best friend, Swami Shivapadananda. This interview was first
published on www.theworx.biz/change.htm and on
www.qualitylife.co.za in June 2003