Om Mane Padme Hum through prayer wheels!

Om Mane Padme Hum through antique prayer wheels at the Swayambhunath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. Also, images of Hindu deities... Did you know Nepal is the only largely-Hindu country in the world?

A statue has vermillion and sandalwood paste or haldi (turmeric) smeared on it.

Tibetan prayer (called Mani wheels by the Tibetans) are cylindrical devices for spreading spiritual blessings and well being. Rolls of thin paper, imprinted with many copies of the mantra (prayer) Om Mani Padme Hum, are wound around an axle in a protective container, and spun around and around.

Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying this mantra, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. As the practitioner turns the wheel, it is best to focus the mind and repeat the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. Not only does this increase the merit earned by the wheel's use but it is a mind stabilization technique that trains the mind while the body is in motion. The idea is said to have originated as a play on the phrase "turn the wheel of the dharma," a classical metaphor for Buddha's teaching activity.

Source: Suppi-lu-liuma

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