Prayer wheel. When you travel to Tibet, you will often see the Tibetan Prayer wheel, if it is mounted on the wall surrounding the Temples, handheld or install on the hills top circulating on wind energy or fit on the river bed circulating with the kinetic energy of moving water.
The mini wheel is a made with the hollow cylinder usually made of metal and Leather. It is beautifully decorated with embossed of Tibetan sign and symbols and often painted with the Mani in Skastrit. Inside the primary container, we would tightly put a scroll of printed mantra. The wheel will be mounted on a rod handle in the centre. Prayer wheels come in a different size; Smallest one is hung in a handle to rotate on hand, Medium one mounts on the wall surrounding the temple and monasteries and the wind and water mill spin the Largest one.
In Buddhism, a Mini wheel is of a hollow metal cylinder, often beautifully embossed, mounted on a rod handle and containing a tightly wound scroll printed with a mantra. It comes in many sizes: they may be small, attached to a stick, and spun around by hand, medium-sized and set up at monasteries or temples, or very large and continuously spun by a wind or water mill.
Prayer wheels are used primarily by Tibetan Buddhist in Tibet and all over the Himalaya and inner Himalaya region. Devotees would carry the hand-held prayers wheels or circulated one that is available around the temples and monasteries.
For us, it also represents the turning the wheel of Dharma by Buddha. We believe turning the prayer wheel is just as valid as reciting the mantra aloud. We think by turning the prayer wheel; we are spreading the mantras to all the directions and hence spreading the blessing and positive energy.
In Tibet, every day we turn this wheel every day from the morning to evening before going to bed and recite mantras Om Mani Padme Hum. Prayer wheels are one of the essential spiritual items some can own in their life.
Spiritual blessing and tradition of the prayer wheel
The practice of prayer wheel has spread with the Mahayana teachings of Vajrayana. Nagarjuna instructed prayer wheel to Loin face Dakini, who then gave to Padmasambhava, who brought it to Tibet. Just touching and turning the wheel brings incredible purification and accumulates unbelievable merit.
When the mani wheels are made, the area was utterly transformed into pleasant, peaceful, serene and conducive to the mind due to the power of compassion.
The practice of the wheel is so powerful that it is purifying the mind and in accumulating the great merits. It contains billions of mantras. Turning it once is the same as reciting that many mantras.
In that few seconds, you perform so much great purification and accumulate so much merit. Turning the prayer wheel once is the same as having done many years of retreat.
Another benefit of the wheel is it embodies all the deeds of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of all directions. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest in the prayer wheel to benefits sentient beings. Mini wheel purifies all our negative karmas and obscurations and leads us to the realization of the path to enlightenment. All the beings in the area of the wheel are saved from rebirth in the lower realms on the wheel of life, and the next life will be of Deva or Humans or born in the pure land of Buddha.
If you have the wheel in your house, the house is as auspicious and holy as the Potala (the pure land of Buddha of compassion). During the time of death. If you have it next to you. You don’t need Po-wa. Mini wheel help to transfer your consciousness to the Pure Land. It helps the dying person to shoot the consciousness to the central channel and out through the crown to reincarnate in the pure land of Amithaba or Avalokitesvara.
Different kind of prayers wheels
There are different four different types of prayer wheels as according to the with the five elements. Earth, fire, water and wind prayer wheels.
Water Wheel
A water wheel is the prayer wheel which turns with the power of moving water. When water touches the prayer wheel, it becomes blessed. As the water flows, it carries the power and purifies billions of animals and insects along the way and in the ocean.
Fire Wheels
A fire wheel is turned by the hearing of a butter lamp, candle or light. The light which comes from the prayer wheels then purifies all the negatives karmas of any living being touch by it.
Wind Wheel
The kinetic energy of moving wind turns wind wheels. You will often see wind prayer wheels at a different spot along the way where the wind power is strong. In the wind prayer wheels, wind touches the wheel blessed with its power and then it purifies the negative karmas and obscurations to any being touched by it.
Earth Wheel
It is the standard hand-held wheel where energy from a living object is turned into a spiritual blessing. It also spread the grace to the ten directions, and it is most commonly use in Tibet.
Visualization of the Prayer wheel
Visualization of the power of the Mani wheel is essential to understand why we use it. There is two Visualization you can practice.
In the first visualization, you will have to visualize light beams are radiating from the mantras in the wheel; it is illuminating you and purifying all your decease and all the causes of diseases; You negative emotions and thought and Imprints of negative karma on your mental continuum. You can be better visualizing these lights illuminating entire sentient beings and purifying all their sufferings and negative karmas.
In the second visualization, beams radiate into all the sentient beings, and it will suck up all the disease, negative karmas and obscurations like a vacuum sucking in the dust. Absorb back to the prayer wheels, and all the sentient beings are liberated, actualising the path to Buddhahood and becoming the Buddha of compassion Buddha themselves.
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