When Buddhists pray, who do they pray to?

[William]

I saw a photo of a room full of Buddhist monks praying on Twitter once, I thought Buddhism was supposed to be an Atheistic religion and that most Buddhists didn't believe in a God because it prevents them from reaching Nirvana, is Buddhist prayer simply reflection on thoughts?

[Elegua!]

Basically, yes. When you speak aloud a mantra (words that kind of sound like a prayer), you are more using the words as a focus point to consider a concept.

That said, there are plenty of people who treat Buddhism in a superstitious fashion -- that is, they go to a temple, light incense, and ask for stuff. But when you see monks 'pray,' they are not really praying to any particular entity.

[Vedantist]

Just like other religions such as Christianity and Islam there are different sects of Buddhism. Some Buddhist sects worship Buddha as God.

[Bulldog Drummond]

Only in Tibetan Buddhism is the Buddha a deity. A deity is not a part of any other Buddhist sect.

[lois p]

Buddhism does not recognize an external God, a personal Creator. But many Buddhists worship images and relics of Buddha.Buddhists worship their ancestors, because they view these as the source of their life.

[Seyfert]

They may be chanting Dhamma, not praying to some superpower.

In Theravada, many people including monks chants Dhamma because they believe that chanting will create positive action or kusala kamma. One sutta teaches that listening to Dhamma even without understanding can be a good action that can produce desirable rewards. Other reasons are to review what they have learned, to teach Dhamma to others, to comfort laypeople and for protection. In some situations, monks recite Paritta for protection. Theravada teaches that Paritta can provide protection even by reciting although actually practicing them is better. They also chant "anicca vata sankhara", etc to comfort grieving people by teaching them that nothing is permanent.

As for the offerings to Buddha or Buddha relics, people are trying to do good kamma by discouraging lobha or possessive desire over material things by giving them away, not because Buddha statue or Pagoda can use food. That practice may be considered an easier form of meditation method known as Buddhanussati where one meditates on the positive qualities of Buddha together with the image of him in the mind. Those who imagine the image of Buddha and present offerings to Buddha or pagoda will have peaceful and wholesome minds during the act and they can be very strong actions (kamma) especially if the pagoda contains actual relics. So it is not Buddha who will take their offerings and grant wishes in return. It is that kamma which will reward them with desirable consequences. It also depends on the knowledge level of practicing Buddhists as some people with more spiritual belief instead of intellectual understanding of Buddhism may treat Buddha as higher being and expect some return for their offerings.

The 'prayer' of a Theravada Buddhist is also different from the prayers of other religions. In Theravada, there is no creator or a being who watches over us, so it is not a prayer to the almighty. But Theravada Buddhists make a sort of 'wish or will' usually after they finish doing significant good actions or Kusala Kamma. It is like a determination for themselves. For example, people pray that they wish to achieve Nibbana after their donation. It reinforces their goal and their determination.

Another important point about Theravada prayer is regarding kamma (karma). The people who wish for Nibbana after a good deed are willing or directing the result of that good action toward their wish, Nibbana. It is true that their good deeds will have desirable consequences whether they wish it or not. But with a clear wish, those potent kamma are reserved or directed towards only that wish and will not randomly produce arbitrary good consequences, making it more efficient. That is why Theravada monks teach us to wish for Nibbana or the opportunity to practice toward Nibbana after every good kamma.

[Been There]

They pray to no one.
The "prayers" are actually imprints they are setting into their brains .. thoughts, ideals, concepts, visualizations of qualities-of-being (such as visualizing compassion or wisdom, or dedication to the practices ... etc).

In Tibetan Buddhism these qualities are personified as the "deities" .. Manjushri, Chenrezig, etc. Note that some Buddhist practitioners LIKE the idea of higher powers .. well, to each their own. If they want to, they can pray TO some entity.
You get mixed messages from the teachers ... for instance, one lama was dying of cancer and taught right up to less than a week before his death. You couldn't tell he was sick, but once or twice during a 2-hour class, he would briefly close his eyes and sit still for a minute. Then he would open his eyes and apologize, saying he'd been talking to his teachers. Now, did he mean that literally? Or figuratively? In Buddhism ANY person OR situation that is difficult is called our "kind teacher" because it gives us the opportunity to do our practice. The lama never defined what he was referring to.
Same thing with the deities ... one can see them as entities, one can see them as metaphors. They are taught in such a way that you can take it either way.

But make no mistake .. the teachers/lamas/geshes/bikkhus I have heard teach .. they ALL say that ONLY you can reach enlightenment, that NO higher power can do it for you. By extrapolation, what use would it be to pray to any deity or to Buddha, if they cannot help us?
And I asked my own lama if saying the "Medicine Buddha" puja (ritual) would help someone I knew who was sick .. he shook his head and told me that it only helped me, by increasing my compassion for others. So in Buddhism prayer has no metaphysical power.

This is probably not as clear-cut an answer as you would like .. but the eastern monks seem to think it is rude to correct or contradict people. When someone in the class stands up and angrily says that what the teacher is saying is wrong, the teacher sits there and gently looks at them with great love and says, "You may be right", or "I'll have to think about that".

You see, Buddhism is an inner journey. The teachers are our guides, but they don't tell us what to think or how to feel. They give us the teachings, but don't insist we "believe" them or even follow them. They give us the meditations, the pujas, the various practices, and tell us to go do them and see for ourselves what happens.