Monday, November 15, 2010

Tibetan Prayer Wheel



[warmup] 
1. Read this paragraph on the Tibetan prayer wheel and watch the video. 

2. Post a comment answering the following questions:
-What is a tibetan prayer wheel?
-Can you see any connections between what you know about buddhism and the Tibetan practice of using a prayer wheel?

This is a giant prayer wheel located at the top of a hill beside a temple in the "old town" of Zhongdian city, or "Shangri-La." Tibetan buddhists believe that each time a prayer moves, it floats up into heaven. Therefore, in addition to moving prayers by whispering or chanting them, Tibetans also hang them up on prayer flags that send the prayer to heaven with each gust of wind, write them down and store them inside prayer wheels that they can spin in their hands, carve them onto prayer beads that they can run through their fingers, or, in this case, inscribe them on a tower-size prayer wheel that spins by the casual effort of two dozen monks, or the full strength of five.


[guiding questions]
1. What do each of the steps of the eightfold path mean (right knowledge, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)?
2. How buddhist believe these steps work together to help end suffering?
3. How can these steps be applied to everyday life?





18 comments:

  1. The praywheel is something that Tibetan Buddhist believe to be able to send prayers into the heavens. I can't see any connection between them other than it could be used as a way to connect with Buddha or relaxation.

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  2. A tibetan prayer wheel, or in this case prayer tower, is a wheel that is filled with prayers, or have prayers inscribed in them. Each time you pray, you get something like brownie points, and the more brownie points the more likely you are to get something good in the next life. So, this is pretty much a cheat, instead of chanting it over and over again, you can easily twirl one in you hands and get hundreds of prayers done in seconds.
    The connection, I guess, is that the more prayers you get done the more likely you'll become something awesome in the next life. Other than that, i guess the art are similar to temples, or sacred statues.

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  3. 1. A wheel that holds peoples prayers inscribed on the outside.
    2. by moving prayers they have a better chance of being seen

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  4. I think it's really cool, that people turn the wheel so the prayer will go up to heaven. Because its just another way of praying..

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  5. It is a wheel where evertime it spins they believe that a prayer is sent to heaven
    i don't see any connections

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  6. 1. It is a wheel that people turn and it sends your prayers to heaven
    2. Nope, I don't see any connections. I'm sure there are some but I don't see them.

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  7. The connection is that monks move the wheel constantly which is a part of buddhism. Praying to the god is important. The praywheel is at the top of the mountain and it moves after your prayer and "goes up to the heavens".

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  8. They send their prayers to the heavens with the praywheel. i dont see any connection to Buddhist.

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  9. I think a pray wheel is something the buddhist use to answer there prayers or listen to there prayers something they pray on.
    -Janee + Shaquila

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  10. The prayer wheel is one of the many methods Buddhists use to send prayers to heaven. The prayer is inscribed onto a cylinder which is then rotated in a clockwise direction. It is believed that every time to wheel turns, the prayer ascends to the heavens.
    -Robin

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  11. Ariana Warren

    1. A wheel that holds peoples prayers inscribed on the outside.
    2. nope i don't see any.

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  12. The prayer wheel is thought to send prayers to heaven. I'm having trouble describing the connection.

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  13. -What is a tibetan prayer wheel?

    It is a giant sphere thing that spins and they use it to send prayers to heaven.

    -Can you see any connections between what you know about buddhism and the Tibetan practice of using a prayer wheel?

    I don't see any connections

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  14. 1. A place people put their prayers. and when they move the prayer thing it means the prayers are in heaven.
    2. Their are no connections

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  15. The Tibetan prayer wheel is a huge spinning tower that people hang their prayers and they get sent to Heaven. ryan and isacc

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  16. Its a wheel on top of a mountain that turns with prayers inscribed on them to send them to god.

    That the people who follow buddhism pray to their god and by using the wheel can connect better .

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  17. -What is a tibetan prayer wheel?
    It's like a wheel where people go to say their prayers.

    -Can you see any connections between what you know about buddhism and the Tibetan practice of using a prayer wheel?
    That if you believe in buddhism, you will go to the prayer wheel, to send your prayers to the heavens.

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  18. The Tibetan prayer wheel is like a wheel where people can go and say their prayers.

    It depends on how you see the connections between what you know about Buddhism and the Tibetan practice of using a prayer wheel.

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