Hand Carved 12" Hand Held Prayer Wheel

Hand Held Prayer Wheel

A prayer wheel is a cylindrical “wheel” on a spindle made from metal, wood, stone, leather or coarse cotton. Traditionally, the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum is written in Sanskrit on the outside of the wheel. Also sometimes depicted are Dakinis, Protectors and very often the eight auspicious symbols known as Ashtamangala. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on the lineage texts regarding prayer wheels, spinning such a wheel will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.

According to the lineage texts on prayer wheels, prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit(good karma) and to purify negativities(bad karma). In Buddhism, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have created a variety of skillful means to help bring practitioners ever closer to realizing enlightenment. The idea of spinning mantras relates to numerous practices whereby the practitioner visualizes mantras revolving around the nadis and especially around the meridian chakras such as the heart and crown. Therefore, prayer wheels are a visual aid for developing one's capacity for these types of visualizations. The spiritual method for those practicing with a prayer wheel is very specific(with slight variations according to different Buddhist sects). The practitioner most often spins the wheel clockwise, as the direction in which the mantras are written is that of the movement of the sun across the sky.

About this Ritual Item

This Hand Held Prayer Wheel is made of different metals like white metal, copper and brass and beautifully decorated with turquoise, coral and other stones and is finely hand carved with beautiful designs. This finely carved Hand Held Prayer Wheel is hand crafted by the master artisans of Patan, Nepal.