I am not Buddhist, though my Christianity has been greatly enriched by Buddhism. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path dove tail with my own spiritual practices. I am a sensory person and spiritual externals, like a rosary, the Buddhist prayer flags in my patio, candles and incense, for example, help me center myself. My friends Bob and Chris recently returned from Tibet and I was very moved by their photos of prayer wheels. I have never seen an installation of prayer wheels but in many communities I guess they are common parts of the environment.
If you don't know, a prayer wheel is a cylindrical 'wheel' or wheels (Tibetan: 'khor) on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or even coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit externally on the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and very often the 8 auspicious symbols Ashtamangala. Inside this cylinder, written on paper or skin, are esoteric texts, usually invocations (dharani or mantra), the most common being that of Avalokitesvara. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.
Imagine my delight when I went to the local park with my grandson Zach and his mom when they recently visited. Right in front of me was a large plastic prayer wheel installation although I know I am reading that into what the park planner thought was a toy. I'm always hunting for sacred ordinary in my daily rounds.
I don't want to buy a prayer wheel for home, but I would like to make one that invokes peace and harmony. After a Google search, I found one tutorial about making one from an Altoid tin, but that wasn't what I had in mind.
My search did turn up an Annie Dillard 1974 book "Tickets For a Prayer Wheel" which I'll look for at the library.
I'm wondering if there are cylinder toys that could be adapted for home or yard, or toot-a-toot-toots. (That's what my kids called toilet paper and paper towel empty cardboard cylinders.)
Do any of you have any ideas you could share?
I don't mean to minimize the Buddhist meaning of prayer wheels. Below is a YouTube video showing a street installation in Khatmandu.
