To me prayer is a way to explicitly talk to "God" (or whatever you prefer to call the Intelligence behind our existence). And meditation is a way to explicitly listen. I think meditation (i.e. listening) to "God" is far more important (and beneficial) than praying. When we pray we seldom know what to pray about and end up pretending to know instead. For example, when Jesus taught his followers to pray, he taught them to pray for "us" not "self". He also discouraged any prayers for a person's health, wealth, and welfare. He taught us to pray God's will to be done, not ours. If Christians listened half as much as they like to talk perhaps they'd realize the insanity of their numerous prayers. I rarely actually pray, but I meditate often. And when I do pray I do not invoke any "God" by name. I simply send my thoughts "outward", and hope that they are heard, but don't count on it.
I also believe that at the center of everyone's "heart" is a "core prayer" that defines the purpose of their existence. I believe we can "hear" our core prayer in the same way we can "hear" God. By meditating we can learn our purpose, and hence "God's Will" for us.
I believe my core prayer has to do with World Salvation. That doesn't mean I think I am the savior of the world, only that I am here to help somehow. I sometimes think of my core prayer as "The Fifth Nail".
