Prayer Wheels & Prayer Flags
from the Tibetan
Buddhist
Tradition
Tibetan prayers,
known as
mantras, are taken from
Buddhist
scriptures and believed to
hold special powers. Mantras
appear on countless stones
and
prayer flags, or
written in endless
repetition on rolls of paper
inside prayer
wheels. Mantras
are
recited with malas
(rosaries), made into charms
which are worn on the person,
thrown to the four winds,
pasted on walls or set up in
homes and fields.
Repetition of a mantra is
equally effective whether the
words are voiced, sent forth
manually, or dispersed by any
of the forces of nature. The
most popular mantra is Om
Mani Padme Hum, an
invocation to Chenrezi, the
patron deity of Tibet and
deity of compassion.
The prayer wheel
consists
of a cylinder, usually of
metal,
which rotates on an axle.
Inside the cylinder are wound
sheets or strips of paper on
which the mantra or sacred
text is written or printed. Each
revolution of the prayer wheel
counts as one repetition of all
the prayers contained in the
cylinder.
There are many kinds of
prayer wheels. Some
are
designed to be held and
twirled in the hand; others to
be placed on a table and spun
with two fingers. Still others
are turned by the waters of
running streams, by the wind,
or hot air rising from butter
lamps and stoves. Very large
prayer wheels, often
containing a collection of the
Buddhist scriptures (Kanjur),
stand inside the temples, at
their entrance, or in rows
around the outside walls.
These may be as much as
eight or nine feet high and six
feet in diameter.
The prayer wheel is a
Tibetan invention.It has
been a popular Tibetan
instrument for five or six
centuries.
Prayer wheels should
be
turned clockwise,
following
the direction of the sun's
course, as well as the
direction followed by
Buddhists in circumambulating
sacred monuments. The
clockwise motion also causes
the works to revolve as they
should be read, from left to
right.
We currently offer
both
table-top and hand-held
prayer wheels
in several sizes as well
as prayer flags. |