Project Description
A common meditative ritual in Tibetan Buddhism is to recite a mantra, or prayer, to a certain deity. Tibetan Buddhists believe that by reciting the mantra, they are purifying their spirit of negative energies and generating good merit, or good karma. Prayer wheels can be found in and near Tibetan Buddhist temples today and range from sizes as tall as a building to as small as the handheld one displayed here. The Tibetan name for the Prayer Wheel is ma-ni ‘khor-lo, “mani wheel,” named after the mantra that it is typically written on the scroll inside “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Handheld wheels are used to multiply the power of chanting the mantra by spinning a copy of the mantra written on a rolled scroll of paper within the inner chamber of the wheel. The wheel is turned clockwise by way of a metal weight attached to the end of a chain hanging off the side, so as to allow the mantra to move how it is read (left to right). The wheel shape represents the cycle of reincarnation, while the act of spinning imitates how the sun moves across the sky. Engraved along the outside of the wheel are the Eight Auspicious Symbols of good luck: the Conch Shell, the Lotus Flower, the Wheel of Dharma, the Parasol, the Endless Knot, the Golden Fish, the Victory Banner, and the Treasure Vase.
– Savanah Yahl, ARH 263: Intro. to Museum Work, Berea College Class of 2026