The Prayer Flag Tradition Prayer flags are not just pretty pieces of colored cloth with funny

writing on them. The ancient Buddhist prayers, mantras and powerful symbols displayed on them produce a spiritual vibration that is activated and carried by the wind across the countryside. All beings that are touched by the wind are uplifted and a little happier. The silent prayers are blessings spoken on the breath of nature. ust as a drop of water can permeate the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind e!tend to fill all of space. The prayer flag tradition has a long continuous history dating back to ancient Tibet, "hina, Persia and #ndia. The tradition has now reached the $est and is rapidly gaining popularity. The meanings behind prayer flag te!ts and symbols, indeed behind the whole idea of prayer flags, are based on the most profound concepts of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. The Tibetan word for prayer flag is %ar "ho. &%ar' means to increase life, fortune, health and wealth. &"ho' means all sentient beings. Prayer flags are simple devices that, coupled with the natural energy of the wind, (uietly harmoni)e the environment, impartially increasing happiness and good fortune among all living beings. *istory From the first millennium A% Buddhism gradually assimilated into the Tibetan way of life reaching great )eal in the ninth century when the religious +ing of Tibet invited the powerful #ndian meditation master, ,uru Padmasambhava, to come and control the forces then impeding the spread of Buddhism. ,uru -inpoche, as he is popularly known, bound the local Tibetan spirits by oath and transformed them into forces compatible with the spread of Buddhism. .ome to the prayers seen on flags today were composed by ,uru -inpoche to pacify the spirits that cause disease and natural disasters. /riginally the writing and images on prayer flags were painted by hand, one at a time. $oodblocks, carefully carved in mirror image relief, were introduced from "hina in the 01th century. This invention made it possible to reproduce identical prints of the same design. Traditional designs could then be easily passed down from generation to generation. Te!ts 2arly in the 3th "entury the Tibetan +ing .ong Tsen ,ompo sent his minister to #ndia to learn .anskrit and writing. The Tibetan script we see today on prayer flags was modeled after an #ndian script used at that time. Te!ts seen on prayer flags can be broadly categori)ed as mantra, sutra and prayers. A mantra is a power4laden syllable or series of syllables or sounds with the capacity of influencing certain energy dimensions. The vibration of mantra can control the invisible energies and occult forces that govern e!istence. "ontinuous repetition of mantras is practiced as a form of meditation in many Buddhist schools. 5antras are almost always in .anskrit 6 the ancient language of *induism and Buddhism. They range in length from a single &seed syllable' like /5 to long mantras such as the &*undred4syllable mantra of 7ajrasattva.' They are not really translatable8 their inner meanings are beyond words. Probably the oldest Buddhist mantra and still the most widespread among Tibetans is the si!4syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. /5 5A9# PA%52 *:9,; Printed on prayer flags the mantra sends blessings of compassion to the si! worldly realms. .utras are prose te!ts based on the discourses directly derived from .hakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha who taught in #ndia <1== years ago. 5any sutras have long, medium and short versions. Prayer flags use the medium or short versions. /ne short form of sutra often seen on prayer flag is the dharani. "losely related to mantras, dharanis contain magical formulas comprised of syllables with symbolic content. They can convey the essence of a teaching or a particular state of mind. The 7ictory Banner >,yaltsen .emo? contains many lines of dharani. Praise to the <0 Taras, the @ong @ife Flag and the $hite :mbrella are also e!amples of prayer flags using .utras. .ymbols #n an article this si)e it is impossible to ade(uately e!plain the meanings of all the symbols used on Tibetan prayer flags. .ymbols by definition have meanings larger than their mere appearance. #n the case of sacred Buddhist symbols the meanings are often hinting at vast notions beyond words. @ong treatises have been written on the meanings of such symbols. @isted below are brief meaning of some of the more common symbols.

The $ind *orse >@ung4ta? carrying the &$ish Fulfilling ewel of 2nlightenment' is the most prevalent symbol used on prayer flags. #t represents good fortune8 the uplifting life force energies and opportunities that makes things go well. $hen oneAs lung4ta is low obstacles constantly arise. $hen lung4ta is high good opportunities abound. -aising $ind *orse prayer flags is one of the best ways to raise oneAs lung4 ta energy. The 2ight Auspicious .ymbols >Tashi Targye? is one of the most popular symbol groupings among Tibetans and also one of the oldest, being mentioned in the Pali and .anskrit canonical te!ts of #ndian Buddhism. These 2ight .ymbols of ,ood Fortune areB The Parasol4 which protects from all evil The ,olden Fish 6 representing happiness and beings saved from the sea of suffering The Treasure 7ase 6 sign of fulfillment of spiritual and material wishes The @otus4 symbol of purity and spiritual unfoldment The "onch .hell 6 proclaims the teachings of the enlightened ones The 2ndless +not4 symboli)ing meditative mind and infinite knowledge of the Buddha The7ictory Banner 6 symboli)es the victory of wisdom over ignorance and the overcoming of obstacles The %harma $heel 6 symbol of spiritual and universal law The 7ajra >TibetanB dorje? is the symbol of indestructibility. #n Buddhism it represents true reality, the being or essence of everything e!isting. This pure emptiness is unborn, imperishable and unceasing. The Four %ignities 4 These four animalsB the ,aruda, the .ky %ragon, the .now @ion and the Tiger are seen in the corners of many Tibetan prayer flags 6 often accompanying the $ind *orse. They represent the (ualities and attitudes necessarily developed on the spiritual path to enlightenment. These are (ualities such as awareness, vast vision, confidence, joy, humility and power. The .even Precious Possessions of a 5onarch 6 Precious $heel Precious ewel Precious Cueen Precious 5inister Precious 2lephant Precious *orse Precious ,eneral These seven objects collectively symboli)e secular power. They give the ruler knowledge, resources and power. #n the Buddhist interpretation a comparison is drawn between the outward rule of the secular king and the spiritual power of a practitioner. To the spiritual practitioner the .even ewels represent boundless wisdom, ine!haustible spiritual resources and invincible power over all inner and outer obstacles. The :nion of /pposites >mithun gyulgyal? is an interesting group of symbols. These mythological beings are joined rival pairs of animals created to symboli)e harmony. A snow lion and a garuda, normally mortal enemies, were combined to form an animial with a snow lionAs body and a garudaAs head and wings. @ikewise a fish was put together with an otter and a crocodile4like chu4srin was married to a conch shell. These composed creatures are often put on 7ictory Banners for the reconciliation of disharmony and disagreement. %eities and 2nlightened Beings 6 %eities in 7ajrayana Buddhism are not gods as such but representations of the aspects of 2nlightened 5ind. Their postures, hand gestures, implements and ornaments symboli)e various (ualities of the particular aspect. The three main aspects of enlightened mind are compassion, wisdom and power, represented respectively by Avalokiteshvara, 5anjushri and 7ajrapani. There are other images depicted on prayer flags that look very similar to the transcendental deities. These are actually enlightened human beings such as .hakyamuni Buddha, ,uru Padmasambhava, and 5ilarepa.

The 2lements 7ajrayana Buddhism divides the phenomenal and psycho4cosmic world into five basic energies. #n our physical world these manifest as earth, water, fire, air and space. /ur own bodies and everything else in the physical world is composed of these five basic elements. /n a spiritual level these basic energies correspond to the 1 Buddha Families and the 1 $isdoms. Prayer flags reflect this comprehensive system through color8 each of the 1 colors relates to an element and an aspect of enlightened mind. #t should be noted that there are two systems used so there is sometimes confusion about which color corresponds to which element. The order of the colors in prayer flag displays remains the same in both the systems. The color order is alwaysB yellow, green, red, white and blue.#n a vertical displays the yellow goes at the bottom and the blue at the top. For a hori)ontal display the order can go either from right to left or from left to right. According to the 9yingma .chool >Ancient /nes? the color element correspondence isB Blue 6 space $hite 6 air >sometimes referred to wind or cloud? -ed 6 fire ,reen 6 water Dellow 6 earth . "ategories of Prayer Flags Prayer flag types can be divided into about two4do)en categories8 half a do)en of which comprise a large majority of the flags we see today. $ind *orse >@ung4 ta? flags are by far the most common prayer flag, so much so that many people think that the word lung4ta means prayer flag. Their purpose is to raise the good fortune energy of the beings in the vicinity of the prayer flag. The wind horse, usually in pictorial form, always occupies the center of this flag. The outside corners of the flag is always guarded by the four great animals 6 the garuda, dragon, tiger and snow lion 6 either in pictorial form or in written word. The te!ts on the flags differ8 usually a collection of various mantras or a short sutra. The 7ictory Banner .utra >,yaltsen .emo? is the most popular. 7ictorious Banners are used to overcome obstacles and disturbances. .hakyamuni Buddha gave the 7ictory Banner .utra to #ndra, king of the god realm. #ndra was instructed to repeat this sutra when going into battle in order to protect his troops and to assure victory over the demigods. The sutra has many protective dharanis to overcome obstacles, enemies, malicious forces, diseases and disturbances. 7ictory Banner flags display this sutra along with symbols such as the wind horse, the 2ight Auspicious .ymbols, the .even Possessions of a 5onarch and the :nion of /pposites. /ften there are special mantras added to increase harmony, health, wealth and good fortune. *ealth and @ongevity Flags usually have a short version of the BuddhaAs @ong @ife .utra along with prayers and mantras for health and long life. Amitayus, the Buddha of @imitless @ife is often in the center of the flag. Two other long life %eities, $hite Tara >peace and health? and 7ijaya >victorious protection? are sometimes included. The $ish Fulfilling Prayer >.ampa @hundrup? is a powerful protection prayer written by ,uru Padmasambhava. #t is said to be especially relevant to our modern age and is good for raising oneAs fortune, protecting against war, famine, and natural disasters, as well as overcoming obstacles and (uickly attaining ones wishes. These flags often have ,uru -inpoche in the center and repetitions of his powerful mantra /5 A* *:9, 7A -A ,:-: PA%5A .#%%*# *:9,.

:se the article to answer the (uestions 0. $hat are prayer flags used forE

<. %efine mantra. *ow can it be used in a prayer flagE

F. %efine sutra. *ow can it be used in a prayer flagE

G. $hat is the $ind *orse prayerE $hy is it the most popularE

1. $hy are prayer flags a good representation of BuddhismE >"onnect to the video you watched?

H. Pick one symbol and describe it. $hy did you choose itE