Have you seen Buddhist monks and general people carrying and rotating hammer-like cylindrical instruments as they chant in whispers? The unique instrument called a prayer wheel is popular in the regions of Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan. It is not just a mere instrument for Buddhist followers but rather a portal to Nirvana and much more.
Prayers and blessings are enchanted with the prayer wheels. Buddhist people across the South Asia region believe that praying with wheels keeps one grounded and expresses more humility towards everything. While there are different forms of Buddhism across the world, the people who follow the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism are the ones who use the prayer wheels the most. However, with the rise of preachings of Buddhist practices from Nepal, more people are now interested in including prayer wheels in their meditation and praying sessions. In this blog, we explain the origin and meaning of inscriptions on the most popularly used prayer wheels and the unique role of prayer wheels in Tibetan Buddhism.
What is a Prayer Wheel?
Prayer Wheel, known as Khor Lo in Tibetan, is a cylindrical wheel of wood, silver, gold and copper inscribed with sacred mantras supported with an attached pole of wood, copper, gold, or silver in the center. The prayer wheel is also often inlaid with stones like carnelian, lapis lazuli, coral and turquoise stone to enhance the meditation and praying process. Stones as such are believed to protect people from harm and evil eye and improve spiritual connection.
The prayer wheels are most commonly inscribed with “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Wheels are rotated in a clockwise direction to attract blessings, positive spirits, and strength. The wheels are also believed to ward off evil energy and spirits.
Origin and Significance of Prayer Wheel
There are numerous studies done on prayer wheels and the origin of it. The origin story of the prayer wheel is, however, confusing as there are different stories across the South Asia region. In China, historians believed that with the development of libraries and bookcases, a revolving bookcase was developed for convenience. The bookcase is believed to have later evolved into prayer wheels in the 4th century.
Similarly, in Tibet, a Buddhist scholar named Nagarjuna is believed to have developed the prayer wheel. Some scholars also believe that the Bon religion that existed before Buddhism was already practicing rotating wheels to attract higher spirits.
Prayer wheels have a significant role in practicing meditation and praying sessions. Buddhist practitioners across the world have experienced profound mindfulness, healing experience, and a higher level of spiritual connectedness while using the prayer wheels. The sacred instrument is considered to be one of the most powerful tools and must-have tools among Buddhists.
What Are the Sacred Mantras Inside Prayer Wheels and Their Spiritual Significance?
The inscribed mantras differ from places in text format and even prayers. While most of the prayer wheels are inscribed with a meritorious prayer in general about the universal gods, it is believed that it’s mostly dedicated to the God – Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. The most common type of payer wheels contains the phrase “Om Mani Padme Hum,” which is carved numerously. The Tibetan mantra translates to “Praise/ Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus.” These mantras are mostly inscribed in the Tibetan language called the Uchen Script. However, during the Licchavi dynasty, from around 450 to 750 CE – the prayer wheels were also inscribed in Ranjana Lipi (script), Prachalit Lipi and Newa Lipi in Nepal.
The auspicious symbols and mantras inscribed in the prayer wheels are regarded to promote prosperity, wisdom, kindness, peace, and strength. Other than that, people found themselves feeling more grounded and relaxed after consciously using it for meditation sessions. The following are the eight auspicious symbols (Ashtamangala) often carved in the wheels for prayers:
- Lotus Flower (Padma): The lotus flower plant (Padma in Sanskrit) can even bloom while growing in muddy water and dirt. Many Asians believe that it is thus a symbol of power, purity, enlightenment and growth. As many goddesses and gods use the lotus flower for preaching, the Tibetan prayer wheels are therefore inscribed for spreading positive vibrations.
- Golden Fish (Matsya): In Buddhism, as golden fishes swim freely in water, they symbolize liberation and happiness. They also represent abundance and unity among beings.
- A knot of Eternity (Srivatsa): The endless knot or knot of eternity is regarded as a symbol of Interconnectedness among creatures of all kinds. The symbol is believed to promote the eternal continuous growth of mind and compassion. It also represents an endless loop and cycle of birth, death and rebirth (samsara).
- Conch Shell (Sankha): The symbol of the conch represents the preaching of Buddha’s lessons in far and wide places. The symbol also promotes wisdom and truth above everything in the world.
- Victory Banner (Dhvaja): This Buddhist symbol represents the enlightenment and victory of Buddha against Mara – the lord of Illusion. It’s also considered a symbol for people to remind themselves that they must overcome pride, lust and greed to reach the ultimate enlightenment (Nirvana) over ignorance.
- Parasol (Chattra): The parasol is considered to protect people from harm and evil spirits. It also is a symbol of respect for Buddha’s sacrifices for achieving the truth about life.
- Vase (Kalasha): The vase is a symbol that represents deities of wealth and wisdom like Jambhala and Vasudhara’s spiritual abundance. It’s also called pumpa and is believed to represent endless lessons taught by Buddha.
- Wheel (Dharmachakra): The Dharmachakra or Dharma wheel represents an inescapable part of life, like birth, death and rebirth for all beings. It also represents a path to enlightenment and the inevitable perfection of nature.
What are the Benefits of the Prayer Wheel?
The benefits of using Tibetan/ Nepali prayer wheels are several. Using a prayer wheel is believed to grant several spiritual, psychological, and religious benefits. Besides that, the following are the major benefits of using a prayer wheel:
- Cleansing Negative Karma: By spinning the wheel, it can help purify the misdeeds that you committed in your past life. It also helps in warding off evil spirits and negative energy by protecting you with the help of auspicious symbols.
- Promoting Mindfulness: The circular motions in repetition help one focus their energy on the movement present in the current time. It cleanses the mind from worries of all kinds and enhances concentration while praying and meditating.
- Invoking Blessings: The wheel is believed to contain spiritual energy, and it is often carved with powerful stones like carnelian, lapislazuli, turquoise and corals. The combination of these stones with the mantra and the 8 auspicious symbols is believed to bring blessings for oneself and others, spreading peace and positivity.
- Spiritual Healing: People who practice Buddhist rituals or use Prayer Wheels while meditating and praying have experienced higher levels of spiritual vibrations. They felt stronger and had a sense of inner peace as spinning the wheel inscribed with the mantra created a calming effect. People also felt that their stress levels had reduced to a low level when they regularly used the prayer wheels.
What is the Symbolism Behind Prayer Wheels in Tibetan Buddhism?
Prayer wheels symbolize the continuous cycle of nature of life that no creature can escape. By aligning spiritual practices with the help of professionals, you can rhyme inner peace against the chaotic phases of life. The spinning movement of the wheel also helps one focus on the present moment by being mindful of the intricate structure of the wheels. By rotating the wheels carved with the 8 auspicious symbols – Ashtamangala and the powerful “Om Mani Padme Hum” mantra, the chants and prayers are considered to be far more successful as the prayers multiply with each revolution.
How Can You Use a Prayer Wheel for Your Spiritual Practice?
Using a prayer wheel requires one to be patient with the outcome of practicing healing and spiritual activities. To get the best results while using prayer wheels, it will be much better to consult Buddhist monks, practitioners and professionals. Mindlessly rotating the wheels results in nothing but rather emptiness. Similarly, it’s best to practice using the wheels when you have access to a peaceful environment as a disturbed environment is generally not helpful for best results.
The following are the general methods for using a prayer wheel:
- Hold the Wheel: Grip the handle gently yet firmly. Keep the wheel upright in a slanted position, facing towards the east direction as it’s considered the most auspicious direction that led Buddha to achieve Nirvana.
- Spin Clockwise: Rotate the wheel gently in clockwise direction while focusing on your thought processes of past, present and future.
- Recite Mantras: Chant or silently repeat the sacred mantras or your visions and manifestations. Observe the motion of the wheel properly and visualize the best version of yourself.
- Practice Mindfulness: After focusing on the spinning motion, notice things around your surroundings and allow thoughts to naturally come in your mind.
- Dedicate the Merit: Conclude your practice by dedicating the positive energy to all sentient creatures of nature.
It’s also considered best to use natural aromatic incense sticks for improving and enhancing senses.
Conclusion
A prayer wheel is not just an aesthetic artifact or instrument that requires you to spin around to capture positive energy while praying. They are a ritualistic part of people’s lives and the Buddhist community of people like the Sherpas and Tamangs of the Himalayan region of Nepal. The auspicious devices are considered to play a vital role in helping one concentrate and focus against adversaries of life. Integrating a prayer wheel into one’s spiritual life will help in developing mindfulness, nurturing compassion, and connecting with spirits of higher levels.
At Nirvana Mala, we provide the best quality and authentic prayer wheels for you to practice meditation and pray to achieve Nirvana. Check out our best and most affordable prayer wheels made with passion by highly talented Nepali artisans.
FAQs on Prayer Wheel: Their Unique Role in Tibetan Buddhist Practices
1. Why is the wheel of life important to Buddhism?
The Wheel of Life, or Bhavachakra, is a Buddhist symbol that represents the cycle of life and existence. It consists of vital parts of life like birth, death and rebirth (samsara). The wheels represent how we are all part of the cycle and can not escape the ultimate truths of life, like death, rebirth, and life. As the life of each of us consists of suffering, which is inevitable, it is best for us if we were to accept and acknowledge sufferings of all kinds instead of deviating from the emotions of pain. The wheel of life consists of six realms of paths/ existence of life where one can be reborn. The realms are:
- The world of gods
- The world of demigods
- The world of humans
- The world of animals
- The world of hungry ghosts
- The world of hell.
The wheel of life is a continuous cycle of existence and teaches us the principles of karma and the path to liberation from suffering.
2. What are the unique qualities of Tibetan Buddhism?
Tibetan Buddhism has many unique qualities in comparison to other religions. It places a major emphasis on compassion, meditation, kindness and seeking the ultimate truth above everything. The teachings of Buddha and other gods help you understand and accept the spectrum of human life experiences and range of emotions. The rituals, mantras, and symbols like prayer wheels are part of spiritual and human realms.
3. What is the role of prayer in Buddhism?
Prayers obviously play a huge role in manifesting prosperity in one’s life. Other than that, praying by aligning with the practices in Buddhism helps in being mindful of one’s surroundings and body. The praying session also serves as a means to bring positive energy and connect with the spirits of the universe.
4. What are the 5 key points of prayer?
The key aspects of prayer include intention, focus, recitation, mindfulness, and dedication of an individual. One should try to inculcate faith in oneself and the universe while admitting their weakness and truth.
5. What is the power of prayer?
Praying is a personal and spiritual experience that can help one be mindful of their current situation. By communicating with Gods or spirits through prayers, one can foster inner peace. They can also gain strength for being resilient against hardships and challenges in life. One can notice positive changes in oneself when one manifests better things and is grateful for what they have while praying.