Prayer and Zazen

It's commonly known among Buddhists that we don't worship a higher being.  For we are all a part of the universe and this is what the Buddha tells us.
I recently read a line from a great book titled "Returning to Silence" by Dainin Katagiri which opened my eyes to something.  Katagiri states:

"Though Buddhism doesn't seem to have prayer, it does have dhyana.

Dhyana means zazen (meditation), and dhyana is exactly the same as prayer."

How true is this? When we sit down and still our minds and hearts on the teaching of the Dharma, we are essentially asking for the truth from the Buddhas and the universe.  Katagiri Roshi goes on to say:

 "Buddhism is not a revealed religion [i.e. Christianity], but an awakened religion- it is awakening to the self or to the Truth."

So with that in mind, our mediation/sitting (whichever we prefer) is our own exploration into the universe and the Dharma.  Why do Buddhists meditate?  To reveal our minds to the Dharma and to reveal the Dharma to our minds.  With a compassionate heart and a still mind, we can see wit our "Buddha Eye."

Dogen

Amituofo.