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Prayer wheel or mani wheel (Tibetan: མ་ཎི་ཆོས་འཁོར་, Wylie: mani-chos-'khor) is a cylindrical wheel on a spindle around which is rolled paper (or in modern times microfilm<ref>https://fpmt.org/media/resources/microfilm-for-stupas-and-prayer-wheels</ref>) with mantras, usually the [[mani mantra]], written or printed on it.  
'''Prayer wheel''' or '''mani wheel''' (Tib. མ་ཎི་ཆོས་འཁོར་, [[Wyl.]] ''mani chos 'khor'') a cylindrical wheel on a spindle around which is rolled paper (or in modern times microfilm<ref>https://fpmt.org/media/resources/microfilm-for-stupas-and-prayer-wheels</ref>) with [[mantra]]s, usually the [[mani mantra]], written or printed on it.  
It is said that by turning the prayer wheel, you accumulate the same amount of merit as reciting the amount of mantras contained in it.<ref>https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Benefits-of-Prayer-Wheels-.pdf</ref>
 
Whereas [[Karma Chakme]]'s prayer wheel held 7,200 mani mantras<ref>https://bodhiactivity.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/the-merits-of-turning-the-prayer-wheel.pdf</ref>, modern hand-held prayer wheels with microfilm inside can hold more than a 100 million!
It is said that by turning the prayer wheel, you accumulate the same amount of [[merit]] as reciting the amount of mantras contained in it.<ref>https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Benefits-of-Prayer-Wheels-.pdf</ref> Whereas [[Karma Chakme]]'s prayer wheel held 7,200 mani mantras<ref>https://bodhiactivity.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/the-merits-of-turning-the-prayer-wheel.pdf</ref>, modern hand-held prayer wheels with microfilm inside can hold more than a 100 million!


==Commentaries==
==Commentaries==
It is said:
It is said:
:Buddha Amitābha explained the benefits of the six syllables
:Buddha [[Amitabha]] explained the benefits of the six syllables<ref>i.e. the mani mantra</ref>
:in order to benefit sentient beings living in dark times.
:in order to benefit [[sentient beings]] living in dark times.
:Someone who spins a prayer wheel
:Someone who spins a prayer wheel
:while simultaneously reciting the six syllables
:while simultaneously reciting the six syllables
:has fortune equal to one thousand buddhas.<ref>https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Benefits-of-Prayer-Wheels-.pdf</ref>
:has fortune equal to one thousand buddhas.<ref>https://www.dudjominternationalfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Benefits-of-Prayer-Wheels-.pdf</ref>


Garchen Rinpoche said:
[[Garchen Rinpoche]] said:
:There are some practitioners who have a strong aspiration to engage in practice and although they really want to practice, due to some karmas they have accumulated in the past, they have not the opportunity to practice and they are under the power of someone else and so they cannot practice.
:There are some practitioners who have a strong aspiration to engage in practice and although they really want to practise, due to some [[karma]]s they have accumulated in the past, they have not the opportunity to practise and they are under the power of someone else and so they cannot practise.


:For them it becomes very important to look for skillful means to engage in practices. For example, if you spin a prayer wheel which is very easy to spin, all the virtues of body speech and mind are contained.  There is a physical virtue, a virtue of speech and a virtue of mind when you spin the prayer wheel.<ref>https://prayerwheelshop.com/2015/07/27/he-garchen-rinpoche-teachings-on-the-benefits-of-prayer-wheels/</ref>
:For them it becomes very important to look for skillful means to engage in practices. For example, if you spin a prayer wheel which is very easy to spin, all the virtues of body, speech and mind are contained. There is a physical virtue, a virtue of speech and a virtue of mind when you spin the prayer wheel.<ref>https://prayerwheelshop.com/2015/07/27/he-garchen-rinpoche-teachings-on-the-benefits-of-prayer-wheels/</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 20: Line 20:


==Further Reading==
==Further Reading==
Lorne Ladner, ''The Wheel of Great Compassion - The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism'', (Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2000)
*Lorne Ladner, ''The Wheel of Great Compassion - The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism'', (Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2000)


==External Links==
==External Links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S2Z37vYhKU The Benefits of Spinning a Prayer Wheel] by Garchen Rinpoche
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S2Z37vYhKU The Benefits of Spinning a Prayer Wheel] by Garchen Rinpoche
*[https://buddhaweekly.com/wheel-dharma-prayer-wheels-may-ideal-buddhist-practice-busy-people-benefits-self-sentient-beings-teachers-say/ Mani Wheel of Dharma: Why spinning prayer wheels may be the ideal Buddhist practice for busy people; benefits to self and sentient beings]
*[https://buddhaweekly.com/wheel-dharma-prayer-wheels-may-ideal-buddhist-practice-busy-people-benefits-self-sentient-beings-teachers-say/ Mani Wheel of Dharma: Why spinning prayer wheels may be the ideal Buddhist practice for busy people; benefits to self and sentient beings]
[[Category: Prayers and Practices]]

Revision as of 10:32, 29 November 2023

Prayer wheel or mani wheel (Tib. མ་ཎི་ཆོས་འཁོར་, Wyl. mani chos 'khor) — a cylindrical wheel on a spindle around which is rolled paper (or in modern times microfilm[1]) with mantras, usually the mani mantra, written or printed on it.

It is said that by turning the prayer wheel, you accumulate the same amount of merit as reciting the amount of mantras contained in it.[2] Whereas Karma Chakme's prayer wheel held 7,200 mani mantras[3], modern hand-held prayer wheels with microfilm inside can hold more than a 100 million!

Commentaries

It is said:

Buddha Amitabha explained the benefits of the six syllables[4]
in order to benefit sentient beings living in dark times.
Someone who spins a prayer wheel
while simultaneously reciting the six syllables
has fortune equal to one thousand buddhas.[5]

Garchen Rinpoche said:

There are some practitioners who have a strong aspiration to engage in practice and although they really want to practise, due to some karmas they have accumulated in the past, they have not the opportunity to practise and they are under the power of someone else and so they cannot practise.
For them it becomes very important to look for skillful means to engage in practices. For example, if you spin a prayer wheel which is very easy to spin, all the virtues of body, speech and mind are contained. There is a physical virtue, a virtue of speech and a virtue of mind when you spin the prayer wheel.[6]

Notes

Further Reading

  • Lorne Ladner, The Wheel of Great Compassion - The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism, (Somerville: Wisdom Publications, 2000)

External Links