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Lama Zopa Rinpoche loved prayer wheels what ever the size, small hand held ones, table top ones and the large prayer wheels that stand over two meters tall.
As well as being a quick method to liberate sentient beings and lead them to enlightenment Rinpoche said “A prayer wheel makes the place very holy and precious, like a pure land.”
This project began with the making of four prayer wheels for our Center. We fitted them around a column which is in the middle of the entrance area of the center. People coming into the center can turn the wheels whilst circumbulating the stupa. Since then we have slowly been making more of these prayer wheels, usually in Saka Dawa and offering them to other FPMT Dharma Centers in Spain.
The process of making these prayer wheels begins In Nepal where they have an age old tradition of skilled metal workers who craft copper plates with the compasión mantra embossed in to the metal in the “Ranjana" script. Here in Spain we make a metal support to easily hang the prayer wheel on a wall or on a pilar. The support is aligned and balanced with bearings above and below so the wheel spins easily and for a long time despite being quite heavy once it is filled with prayers.
The power of the prayer wheel is found inside, in the mantras it contains. To be precise it is in the number of mantras, the bigger the number the more powerful the prayer wheel.
Surprisingly an aging analog technology more commonly seen in old spy movies “microfilm” is perfect for achieving a high number of mantras in prayer wheels. You can read the printed mantras (all be it through a microscope) and the thin film allows for kilometers of microfilm and thousands of millions of mantras to be wound on to the wheel. We import the rolls of microfilm from the United States where fortunately one of these old machines that produces microfilm still exists.
There is a science to making prayer wheels with earth and sky wheels placed at the bottom and the top of the wheel with their specific mantras having to line up perfectly with the letter “Om” on each wheel facing one another.
The central shaft of the wheel has the “Tree of life” mantras and the syllables “Om, Ah, Hum”.
The microfilm is wound on to the central shaft with the mantras upright and facing outwards with “Om” turning first. A microscope is needed to check the position of the mantras on each roll of film and it is important that they are not wound on too tight or too loose.
Our resident lama the Venerable Geshe Lamsang starts the process and also performs a consecration ceremony to bless the prayer wheel.
The fist level of microfilm is the base for the next level and so on and so forth, so it is crucial that it is wound on flat and level. We like to carry out the filling process in the period of Saka Dawa (the dates when we celebrate Buddha Shakyamuni´s birth, enlightenment and passing) as the merits are multiplied.
Some of the students who come to the center help with the winding on of microfilm. These prayer wheels contain more than 2 km of microfilm so there is a lot of winding to be done!
In the Tibetan language prayer wheel is “mani korlo” or “mani wheel” as the vast majority of mantras in a prayer wheel are manis another name for the compassion mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum”.
In these prayer wheels there are over 1.5 billion (U.S) mantras of Om Mani Padme Hum
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has given teachings explaining the meaning of the six syllable mantra which contains the essence of the entire path to enlightenment and the amazing benefits reciting this mantra or turning a prayer wheel has.
“Turning a prayer wheel containing 100 million Om Mani Padme Hum mantras accumulates the same merit as having recited 100 million Om Mani Padme Hums.” - Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Another mantra Rinpoche likes to include in holy objects are the “Four Dharmakaya relic mantras” which are: The most precious heart mantra of stainless beam, the most precious mantra of secret relic, the most precious mantra of ornament of enlightenment and the very precious root mantra of stainless pinnacle.
Since Lama Zopa Rinpoché showed the aspect of passing away we now include a third mantra at the very top, Lama Zopa Rinpoche´s holy name mantra “Om Ah Guru Vajradhra Muni Shasana Khasanti Tsawa Siddhi Hum Hum”.
Once all the mantras are wound on, following Rinpoche´s advice on making prayer wheels we offer the five colors which represent the five buddha families and the five elements.
A fine cloth is offered to the mantras as well as an offering of gold. We take the copper from Nepal to be gold plated (dipped in gold).
The prayer wheel is then sealed and at the top of the wheel we place a jewel shaped ornament which represents the three jewels of refuge, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Making these prayer wheels is something we really enjoy doing and what is even more enjoyable is offering them to other centers. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said: “Prayer wheels are my hobby!” For us it is an honor to be able to continue the hobby and vision of Rinpoche.
OM MANI PADME HUM
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