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Beijing Tour Guides Take You On A Beijing City Tour To Find Excellent Tibetan Prayer Wheels

09.29.2009 · Posted in Arts and Entertainment Article

Inscribed with sacred texts from the teaching of Buddhism and usually decorated with Tibetan art patterns, prayer wheels are a rotating device designed to aid Buddhists in their effort to achieve a state of enlightenment and spread spiritual blessing to the world. An effective meditation tool even for non-Buddhists, they are said to bring a round of good karma and merit to people with a full-circle revolution of their wheels. Their presence in Tibet is ubiquitous: large items are placed in and around monasteries for monks and passerby to touch and spin, and small items are held by men and women alike to help them pray in private. In Beijing, find a Beijing tour guide to take you on a Beijing city tour to shop for unique, exquisite prayer wheels in the amazing local shops.nn[I:15:T]A commonly seen item in most Tibetan shops, small, hand-held prayer wheels is also one of the most popular. Though such wheels are usually used by Buddhists to aid their meditation, they are also regarded as a incredibly unique, beautiful Tibetan artwork. With mesmerizing, mysterious Tibetan art patterns, exquisitely made items are often decorated with dazzling, multi-color metal pieces and stones that are incredibly expensive.nnAlmost all prayer wheels have a basic physical composition: a cylindrical body, an axle placed above a handle, and a bell attached to the body with a chain or a rope. Buddhists often put over one scrolls of thin paper printed with mantras inside the body. Since one turning of the wheel represents reciting all the mantras in a wheel once, the more scrolls placed inside a wheel, the more effective the spinning can be. Though a number of materials are used to make prayer wheels, most items consist of a body made of metal and a handle made of wood, stone, or leather.nnAccording to Tibetan Buddhism, spinning a prayer wheel one can gain good karma, merit, wisdom, and compassion, and clear oneself of bad karma and negative energy. To achieve this purpose, common people can simply spin a wheel as many times as possible. But for Buddhists of certain sects, there is a rule to follow regarding how one should use it to help visualize energy movement. In most circumstances, a prayer wheel is spun clockwise, following the movement of sun in the sky. When meditating, one can imagine the rotating of the wheel as the rotating of energy inside one’s body, usually around the different chakra points.nn”Om Mani Padme Hum“, a six syllable Sanskrit line said to have been given to the world by Avalokatishvara, or the bodhisattva of compassion, is the most often used phrase on prayer wheels and the scroll of paper placed inside them. Buddhists believe Avalokatishvara offered this mantra to human beings to help them find their correct ways toward enlightenment.nnPrayer wheels play an important role in Tibetans’ life. People traveling to Tibet often see old people walking on the street with a prayer wheel held in their hands or stuck in their belts. Around a Tibetan temple, pilgrim and monks can be seen spinning large prayer wheels placed outside the temple again and again. The bright and shiny surfaces of these wheel attest to the fact that they have been touched and spun for millions of times by countless people.nnPrayer wheels are thought to have their origin in the Han area of China. According to a historical record written in China’s Song dynasty, a monk called Fu invented a revolving octagonal bookcase during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Some experts believe this device was introduced to Tibet during the Song dynasty and later evolved into prayer wheel. Still others believe, the phrase, “turning the wheel of Dharma“, a teaching of Buddhism, is what gives birth to the concept of prayer wheel.nnThere are many types of prayer wheels in use by Tibetans and people around the world. They include: Mani wheel, water wheel, fire wheel, stationery wheel, Samurai wheel, electric Dharma wheel, digital wheel, and most recently, Internet-operated wheel.nnSome of the fantastic local shops in Beijing offer unique Tibetan prayer wheels in different designs. Go on a Beijing tour with a personal shopper to discover these wonderful products.

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