Prayer Wheels

Prayer wheels are used mainly in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. They are used as an aide in meditation and to accumulate wisdom and merit, or good karma, while purifying negative bad karma.
The wheels are generally spun clockwise while the devotee mentally or audibly recites the "Om Mani Padme Hum" mantra, which is written on the outside of the cylinder s well as many times on paper or other materials inside.

Wikipedia says:
"Intoning the mani mantra with mindfullness and the "Bodhicitta" motivation dramatically enhances the effects of the prayer wheel. However, it is said that even turning it while distracted has benefits and merits and it states in the lineage text that even insects that cross a prayer wheel's shadow will get some benefit. Each revolution is as meritorious as reading the inscription aloud as many times as it is written on the scroll, and this means that the more Om Mani Padme Hum mantras that are inside a prayer wheel then the more powerful it is. The wheel must not be spun too fast or frantically, but held upright (if a hand-held wheel) and turned smoothly with the motivation and spirit of compassion and bodhichitta (the noble mind that aspires to full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings). The benefits attributed to the practice of turning the wheel are vast. Not only does it help wisdom, compassion and bodhichitta arise in the practitioner, it also enhances siddhis (spiritual powers such as clairvoyance, precognition, reading others thoughts, etc...). The practitioner should also repeat the mantra as many times as possible during the turning of the wheel, stabilizing a calm meditative mind."

Prayer Wheels for Sale, Kathmandu, Nepal

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18 in. x 24 in.
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