Prayer Wheel

Item number Ee4.63 a-d from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Tibetan prayer wheels are called mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།). This mani khorlo has a wooden handle and metal pin (part a). A metal and jade wheel (part b) with two tiers of inlaid glass sits over the pin, with a ball and chain that hangs to one side. Inside the wheel is a rolled paper (part d) with writing on it. At the top of the prayer wheel sits a metal conical top (part c) with metal decorations and two tiers of inlaid glass.

History Of Use

The handheld mani khorlo (མ་ཎི་འཁོར་ལོ།) or prayer wheel spins with the movement of the wrist, while the stone on the short chain sustains the momentum. The wrapped spindle is known as the “life tree.” In spinning the wheel, the practitioner reaps the same benefits of having read the countless prayers coiled inside, a useful means for illiterate Buddhists to attain merit. The wheel should be spun clockwise to coincide with the sun’s movement and the direction of the writing on the wheel to facilitate the release of the blessings into the world.