Prayer wheels and positive vibes
6th of August, 2017
One of our many offerings to you in store: Prayer Wheels!
We believe this is an item that will bring some great energy into your home but also into your life. Why? Well, let’s take a look at some of what the sources say…
What is a prayer wheel?
"… prayer wheels are devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being. Rolls of thin paper, imprinted with many, many copies of the mantra (prayer) Om Mani Padme Hum, printed in an ancient Indian script or in Tibetan script, are wound around an axle in a protective container, and spun around and around. Typically, larger decorative versions of the syllables of the mantra are also carved on the outside cover of the wheel.
Buddhists believe that saying this mantra, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion." *
Being mindful when using a prayer wheel
"Buddhist texts teach that mindfully turning a prayer wheel produces the same merit and benefits as having recited the number of prayers (mantras) inside the prayer wheel multiplied by how many times the prayer wheel spins around. This is accomplished through the clockwise turning of the prayer wheel which activates and releases the power of the mantras inside. Deities, Enlightened Beings, Bodhisattvas, Dakinis, and Dharma Protectors automatically help us when we turn a prayer wheel." **
Origins?
"The earliest recorded prayer wheels were written of by a Chinese pilgrim around 400 C.E. in Ladakh. The concept of the prayer wheel is a physical manifestation of the phrase "turning the wheel of Dharma," which describes the way in which the Buddha taught. Prayer Wheels originated from ‘The School of Shakyamuni sutra, volume 3 – pagoda and temple’ which states that, “those who set up the place for worship, use the knowledge to propagate the dharma to common people, should there be any man or woman who are illiterate and unable to read the sutra, they should then set up the prayer wheel to facilitate those illiterate to chant the sutra, and the effect is the same as reading the sutra". ***
The regular practice of saging homes and offices could well be supported by the regular spinning of a prayer wheel! We are all looking for ways to bring some great vibes into our home.
Life gets very busy, and we get caught up in that busyness. Taking time to just sit, or stand, with a prayer wheel, and spin it, sending out that prayer/mantra, takes as little as minute, but in that minute you have stopped, taken time out, done something for yourself and all around you, done something of benefit, done something positive. And that single minute could change your day. In fact, imagine doing something positive every single morning, setting up the energy of your day? What a difference that can make.
However, the one thing for us all to be aware of, is that it is our own vibe that is having the biggest impact. That’s why, you may notice, we have some lighthearted books in the store, ones to make you think about life, mindfulness, awareness, inspiration. When we are able to raise our own mood, to feel happier, that is the vibe that we bring into the home.
Yes, life can get really heavy sometimes, for us all. But, as Robyn herself discovered a couple of weeks ago, and will share here: "I cannot change what is happening. But I can choose my attitude to it all." With that changing of attitude, the entire energy of worry lifted, and she felt positive again.
Worrying does not change anything, it simply robs you of the joy in the moment. If you want to change the worry to something positive, maybe make your own prayer wheel, and write on pieces of paper what it is you would pray for.
Or have a prayer tin at home, or a prayer jar. Put all your prayers on that tin or jar. Get your children involved.
Take the negative, and do something positive. Be pro-active, not re-active. There are so many ways we can bring peace into our life.
Remember, even if we cannot change what is happening, we can choose our attitude!
Sources:
** www.tibettech.com
*** www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_wheel