Prayer in Buddhism is a somewhat different animal from the way it is frequently spoken of in other faith traditions. Prayer is about changing us and not changing something outside of ourselves. Yet, still it is not uncommon and in fact quite human to need certain things in our lives and so we may pray for them. When we pray for things outside ourselves we must realize that we may not have our prayer answered specifically as we decide it should be. Our intent in prayer should focus on the necessary change that needs to occur in our lives so that we can attain enlightenment.