The Power of Modern Prayer Wheels

By His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya

In old Tibet, everywhere you looked, you saw people, particularly older people, spinning
prayer wheels from morning to night, while reciting the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra (a
Tibetan prayer composed of Sanskrit power words) to relieve the misery of all beings.
The major goal of my life has been to preserve both Tibetan Buddhist religion and culture.
Prayer wheels have always been an integral part of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practice and
culture. Although born and raised in Tibet, today I am a resident of the United States and
surrounded by students with expertise in computer technologies that I never imagined in
Tibet.
The primary goal of the traditional Tibetan prayer wheel practice is to relieve the miseries
of all beings. With the completion of the Tibetan prayer wheels at Sakya Monastery, we
have combined the best of Tibetan spiritual practices and the best of computer technology
to create a new state-of-the-art in modern spiritual technology, or what my student Chuck
Pettis succinctly calls Tibet-tech.
The largest prayer wheel In Tibet, the Om Mani Dunkhor, once held 100 million Mani
mantras. The Tibet-Tech prayer wheels, dwarf that, and contain more mantras than any
other prayer wheel ever created. By releasing 1,349,580,000,000 mantras with each
revolution, the Tibet-Tech prayer wheels are capable of radiating an incalculable amount
of merit, peace, kindness, and relief from suffering to all beings.
Mindfully turning a prayer wheel with 1.3 trillion mantras produces the same merit and
benefits as having recited 1.3 trillion mantras. This is accomplished through the clockwise
turning of the prayer wheel which activates and releases the power of the mantras inside.
At one mantra recitation per second, it would take approximately 42,776 years to recite 1.3
trillion mantras. But with just one spin, a Tibet-Tech prayer wheel (100 revolutions per
spin) releases 27,000 mantras for each of the five billion human beings on the planet. If
placed end-to-end, these mantras would stretch from the Earth to the Moon and back
607,500 times!
In order to fully appreciate the power of these prayer wheels, it is important to understand
the power of mantras. The word mantra comes from Sanskrit linguistic roots whose literal
meaning is protection of the mind. In Tibetan culture, mantras are interpreted as spiritual
syllables which when empowered by enlightened beings, deliver benefit to sentient
beings.
Many Buddhists recite Om Mani Padme Hum, the six-syllable mantra of loving kindness
and compassion for Chenrezi, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Although difficult to
accomplish, some very diligent people have been able to recite 100,000,000 Om Mani
Padme Hums in one lifetime. Benefiting from that merit, they demonstrate achievement
and calmness, gain the power to help and heal others, and have no concern about death.
Some even get a new set of teeth when they are 80-90 years old. I personally know
people who have done this.
In Tibetan Buddhism reciting mantras is one of the most effective ways in which a person
can actively create a peaceful, relaxed, and happy state of mind. Spiritually, mantras
manifest and catalyze the enlightened mind through sacred sound and the invocation of
Deities, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dakinis and other spiritual beings. The power of the
prayer wheel comes from the incalculable compassion of all the myriads of these spiritual
beings who want to guide everyone to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Benefits of Prayer Wheels

The practice of the prayer wheel has many magical benefits. According to tradition, the
prayer wheel was brought to Earth from the realm of nagas (dragonlike beings who live in
oceans) by the great Bodhisattva Nagarjuna because he was told by Avalokiteshvara in a
vision that the benefits to living beings will be enormous. Nagarjuna gave the prayer
wheel practice to the Lion-Faced Dakini, who in turn gave it to Padmasambhava, who
brought it to Tibet.
Sakyamuni Buddha said that turning a prayer wheel once is better than having done years
of retreat, intensive spiritual practice. He said, Turning the Dharma wheel is better than
1

listening, reflecting and meditating for eons .

Amitabha Buddha said, Anyone who recites the six syllables while turning the Dharma
wheel at the same time is equal in fortune to the Thousand Buddhas. Padmasambhava
said, even those lacking perseverance in their practice, who pass the time passively, will
be able to attain mystic powers. Those with perseverance for reciting the mantra and
turning the wheel will undoubtedly attain the tenth level.

Use of the prayer wheel is one of the easiest ways to purify past negative karma,
nonvirtuous actions, defilements, and obstacles that prevent us from realizing our true self
and understanding the true nature of reality. Buddha said, One benefit is that the karma
and disturbing thought obscurations that have been accumulated for beginningless
3

rebirths are purified without effort . Other prayer wheel benefits:

Transforming ones own body, speech and mind into the Body, Speech and Mind of a
Buddha. Ones own body becomes like a holy place.
Transforming ones home and property into a very peaceful, pleasant, holy, and
precious Potala pure land or high heavenly realm.
Saving all the beings in the area around prayer wheels from rebirth in the lower
realms (e.g., animal incarnation).
Purifying our body, speech and mind.
Accumulating extensive merit for oneself and all beings in the area.
Preventing harm from spirits and negative beings.
Healing sicknesses and protecting from contagious diseases and epidemics.
Even this list of benefits do not fully describe the benefits of spinning a prayer wheel.
Proper Visualizations While Spinning a Prayer Wheel
Spinning a prayer wheel is not a mindless exercise. Spinning the prayer wheel should be
done with the proper intentions. The prayer wheel practice should be visualized as a
manifestation of the Body, Speech and Mind of the Buddha. With our hands (Body) we
spin and move the prayer wheel. With our speech, we recite one of the mantras in the
prayer wheel (e.g. Om Mani Padme Hum). And with our mind, we engage in visualizations
or recitations, using our motivation and intention to bless all beings and bring peace to our
surroundings and the entire world.
1

Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism by Lorne Ladner,
Wisdom Publications, 2000, 42.
2

Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism by Lorne Ladner,
Wisdom Publications, 2000, viii.
3

Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism by Lorne Ladner,
Wisdom Publications, 2000, 45.

Visualizations and contemplations that can be done while spinning a prayer wheel include:
Reciting Om Mani Padme Hum while spinning the prayer wheel. This strengthens
our mind and brings the optimal intention to the spiritual practice and increases the
benefits to all sentient beings.
Focusing your thoughts on loving-kindness, equanimity, and the benefit of others, not
oneself.
Visualizing beams of light, bright like the sun, radiating out from the prayer wheel in
all directions. The light beams destroy the negative karma and sufferings of not
just humans, but all beings, including animals, hungry ghosts, hell beings,
demigods and gods. All the negativity is absorbed into the prayer wheel and
destroyed.
Focusing on a problem, like a war or tragedy, and spinning the prayer wheel to try
and relieve the suffering of the people being harmed and hurt.
Dedicating the merit of ones prayer wheel practice to purify the underlying cause of
someones illness in order to promote healing.

The Buddha once said that undedicated merit is like a drop of water on a stone; it soon
evaporates and disappears. Dedicated merit is like adding a drop of water to the ocean; it
will persist for as long as the ocean exists. After turning the prayer wheel, it is beneficial to
dedicate the merit of this spiritual practice for the liberation of sentient beings, the arousal
of Bodhicitta (love and compassion for all beings), and the long lives and works of ones
teachers (Lamas).
How the Tibet-Tech Prayer Wheel Was Constructed
Prayer wheels were traditionally filled with mantras that were very carefully block-printed
on paper and wound up inside the prayer wheel. Because a prayer wheel becomes more
powerful with more mantras inside it, Lamas such as Lama Zopa Rinpoche have put
mantras on microfilm to increase the number of mantras contained in a prayer wheel. The
Tibet-Tech prayer wheels are the first to use DVDs to store mantras inside a prayer wheel.
The idea for these modern prayer wheels came from Chuck Pettis, Sakya Monastery
President who explains in his own words, as follows, H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
(Dagchen Rinpoche) and H.E. Dagmo Kusho Sakya (Dagmo Kusho) recommended that I
use prayer wheels in my daily practice. They gave me two prayer wheels as gifts. One
was electric and revolves continuously on my shrine. I hold the other prayer wheel in my
hand and spin it while I do my daily mantras. When I started spinning the prayer wheels,
my wife immediately noticed an increase in the spiritual feeling around our altar. One day,
while meditating, the question arose in my mind, How many mantras could be put in a
prayer wheel? The result is the Tibet-Tech prayer wheel.

Chuck Pettis company, Earth Sanctuary, managed the construction of the Tibet-Tech
prayer wheels. He will now explain the technical details of how the prayer wheels were
constructed,
At the beginning of the project, Dagmo Kusho and I (Chuck Pettis) contacted Head
Lama Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche of the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center, who has
created over 1,600 prayer wheels. Tarthang Tulku was kind enough to provide us
with a very helpful article entitled, Prayer Wheels of the Nyingma Centers.
The Tibet-Tech prayer wheels are the first to use DVDs to store mantras inside a

prayer wheel. Each of the eight mantras contained in the Tibet-Tech prayer wheel
were placed into an evenly spaced 10 by 5000 cell Microsoft Excel worksheet matrix,
which was printed to an Adobe Acrobat-6.0 PDF file containing 50,000 mantras. One
thousand of these PDF files were compressed in to single zip file containing 50
million mantras. For each of the eight mantras, as many of the zipped files as
possible were copied to a DVD. Then 16 copies of each DVD were made for each
single Prayer Wheel so that a total of 128 DVDs are contained in each prayer wheel.
The construction of these unique spiritual devices builds on traditional prayer wheel
design techniques by incorporating modern computer technology. In the center is a
sandalwood life-tree obelisk painted by Yeshi Tulku with the three mantra syllables,
Om Ah Hum, symbolizing the Body, Speed, and Mind of the Buddha. Stacked on and
around this obelisk are 128 DVDs, comprised of eight sets of 16 DVDs on which are
stored eight mantras (see explanation of the mantras and their benefits below).
Dagchen Rinpoche selected the mantras, Yeshi Tulku word processed the mantras
into text, and Dagmo Kusho and Dagchen Rinpoche proofread the mantras. Then,
Tom Ashbrook, a Sakya Monastery board member, arranged the mantras into pages
that were again double-checked and proofed. Finally, Tom Ashbrook stored and
compressed the mantras onto DVDs in PDF format that were then duplicated on a
Disc Makers ReflexPro7 DVD+RW.
The DVD duplicator uses lasers to read and write mantras onto an opaque reflective
layer in 0.4-micron pits in a spiral track. Although that is a technically accurate
description of the DVD-RW process, explains Tom Ashbrook, while producing the
DVDs it looked to me like the mantras were being written by light onto a rainbow onto
the DVD. Labels, applied to each DVD, include the name of the mantra, the mantra
itself it Tibetan script, the number of mantras on the DVD, and the Sakya Monastery
seal. Below and above the stack of DVDs are the Earth Wheel and Sky Wheel
symbols, etched onto brass as drawn by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and depicted in the
book, Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan
Buddhism by Lorne Ladner (Wisdom Publications, 2000).
All the design and creation of the prayer wheel enclosure was done by artist and
metal craftsman Mike Sweeney with some engineering assistance from Charlie
Pettis (Chuck Pettis father). The DVDs are enclosed by a copper and brass cylinder
housing. This sits on top of a cubical section that includes a bearing and
mechanisms to count each revolution of the prayer wheel. The prayer wheel is
turned by putting ones hand on one of the four arms at the bottom of the cylinder and
spinning the prayer wheel clockwise. The wooden balls at the end of the arms are
made from Jarra wood of the Australian Eucalyptus family, a wood selected for long
life in the outdoors. Om Mani Padme Hum was hand drawn by Yeshi Tulku in Indian
Ranjana script and then embossed into the outer copper casing.
The entire prayer wheel is sealed with silicone, to ensure the inside remains dry, and
held tight, by a specially machined top ornament that matches the one on Dagmo
Kushos personal prayer wheel. The Sakya Monastery seal is etched on brass and
mounted to the front of the prayer wheel beside the counter. On the back is the Earth
Sanctuary logo, the location of Sakya Monasterys retreat center, the Tara Meditation
Center.
After the prayer wheels were assembled, on May 13, 2004, they were blessed and
consecrated by myself (Dagchen Rinpoche) with the assistance of Dagmo Kusho and
Yeshi Tulku. The blessing ceremony had three parts. The first part was a praise of the
mantras, then the prayer wheels were consecrated. Finally, a Dedication of Merit prayer

was recited to benefit all sentient beings and to work for a more peaceful world. As long as
the Universe exists, these mantras will remain potent.
The first set of three Tibet-Tech prayer wheels will be installed at Sakya Monasterys
retreat center, the Tara Meditation Center at Earth Sanctuary. The prayer wheels will be
mounted on stone columns and located next to the Dolmen, the Cottonwood Stone Circle,
and the Fen Stone Circle, where they can be turned by retreatants and visitors to gain
great merit, benefit all living beings, and help bring peace to Earth.
Tibet-Tech prayer wheels are also available for purchase. For information, contact Chuck
Pettis of Earth Sanctuary (www.earthsanctuary.org) at 425-637-8777 or
cpettis@earthsanctuary.org.
Mantras in the Tibet-Tech Prayer Wheel
The mantras in the Tibet-Tech Prayer Wheel represent the foundational teachings of
Buddha. These mantras are the actual spoken words of Sakyamuni Buddha and have
never been changed. The mantras incorporate the power of Buddhas sound and the
power of meaning, as each mantra represents profound truths and teachings.
Each prayer wheel includes 16 DVDs of each of eight magical and powerful mantras (128
DVDs total). The mantras are stacked from the bottom up, starting with 16 DVDs of the
A-li mantra; 16 DVDs of the Ka-li mantra, and so on up to the eighth mantra, the
100-syllable Vajrasattva mantra.
Mantra
Mantras per DVD DVDs per Wheel Mantra per Wheel
1-A-li
21,750,000,000
16
348,000,000,000
2-Ka-li
7,000,000,000
16
112,000,000,000
3-Ta-ra
12,650,000,000
16
202,400,000,000
4-Ma-ni
14,400,000,000
16
230,400,000,000
5-Long-life
13,400,000,000
16
214,400,000,000
6-Se-dhe
9,800,000,000
16
156,800,000,000
7-Ye-dhr-ma
5,250,000,000
16
84,000,000,000
8-Vajrasattva
98,750,000
16
1,580,000,000
Totals
84,348,750,000
128
1,349,580,000,000

Mantra
1-A-li

Tibetan Script & English

AA II UU RiRi LiLi E Ai O Au Am Ah
2-Ka-li

Benefits
The vibrational
foundation of
all mantras.

Purifies speech
Ka Kha and cleanses
Ga Gha Nga Tsa Tsha Dza Dzha Nya; Tra Thra Dra
the mind.
Dhra Nra Ta Tha Da Dha Na; Pa Pha Ba Bha Ma Ya Ra
La Wa Sha Kha Sa Ha Cha

Provides
immediate help
for suffering.

3-Ta-ra

Om Tara Tuttare Ture Soha

4-Ma-ni

Om Mani Padme Hum

Promotes
loving kindness
and
compassion,
while relieving
suffering of all
beings.
Promotes
long-life.

5-Long-life

Om Amarana Tsibin Tiye Soha

Grants divine
powers and
realizations.

6-Se-dhe

Om Ah Hum Bendza Guru Padma Siddhi Hum

7-Ye-dhr-ma
Ye Dharama Hetu Prabhava Hetun Teshan Tathagato
Hyavadat Tekhan Tsayo Nirodha Evam Bhadi Maha
Shramana

Consecration
and
stabilization.

8 -Vajrasattva
Purification.
Om Bendza Sato Samaya Manupalaya Bendza Sato
Tenopa Tita Dridho Me Bhawa Suto Kayo Me Bhawa
Anurakto Me Bhawa Supo Kayo Me Bhawa Sarwa
Siddhim Me Trayatsa Sarwa Karma Sutsa Me Tsittam
Shreyam Kuru Hung HA HA HA HA HOH Bhagawan
Sarwa Tatagata Bendza Mame Muntsa Bendzi Bhawa
Maha Samaya Sato AH

1. A-li Mantra:

AA II UU RiRi LiLi E Ai O Au Am Ah
A-li , meaning vowels, refers to the 16 Sanskrit vowels that are the original basic
sounds, the vibrational foundation of all mantras and the first words as taught by

Lord Sakyamuni Buddha.

2. Ka-Li Mantra:

Ka Kha Ga Gha Nga Tsa Tsha Dza Dzha Nya

Tra Thra Dra Dhra Nra Ta Tha Da Dha Na
Pa Pha Ba Bha Ma Ya Ra La Wa Sha Kha Sa Ha Cha
Ka-li, meaning consonants, refers to the 34 Sanskrit consonants that are thought
of as the Gods spoken language or the Voice of God. Hence, this mantra purifies
your speech.
In Tibet, when yogis and yoginis began a long retreat, they would first wash their
face and then recite many A-li Ka-li (Ali-Kali) mantras to cleanse their minds before
starting their retreat. In fact, the combination and sequence of mantras within the
Tibet-Tech prayer wheel allows you to gain the benefits of a significant spiritual
retreat if you spin the prayer with that intention in mind.
3. Ta-ra Mantra

Om Tara Tuttare Ture Soha

Tara is the main Mother of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. She represents the
manifestation of Buddhas actions and activity. She helps everyone, right now and
fast!
Om represents Tara's holy body, speech and mind. Tare liberates us from
suffering and the control of delusion and karma. Tuttare liberates us from fears and
dangers. Ture liberates us from ignorance. Soha means "may the meaning of the
mantra take root in my mind" and so be it.
4. Ma-ni Mantra

Om Mani Padme Hum

Each of the six syllables in this mantra Om, Ma, Ni, Pad, Me, Hum represent
one of the six realms: the hell realm, the hungry ghost Realm, the animal realm, the
human realm, the demigod realm and the god realm. This Mani mantra is the
most widely used of all Buddhist mantras. Its meaning is vast and deep. In brief,

Om Mani Padme Hum is the mantra of Chenrezi, the Bodhisattva of loving

kindness and compassion.
This mantra is also found on the outer copper casing of the prayer wheel in the
ancient Indian Ranjana script:

5. Long-Life Amitayus Mantra

Om Amarana Tsibin Tiye Soha

Amitayus is the Buddha of longevity and long-life.
6. Se-dhy Mantra

Om Ah Hum Bendza Guru Padma Siddhi Hum I invoke you, Vajra Guru,
Padmasambhava; by your blessing may you grant us ordinary and supreme
realization.
This mantra is dedicated to Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche and
the second Buddha. This mantra invokes Padmasambhava to bless us, protect us,
remove obstacles, and grant us divine powers and realizations.
7. Ye-dhr-ma Mantra

Ye Dharama Hetu Prabhava Hetun Teshan Tathagato Hyavadat Tekhan Tsayo

Nirodha Evam Bhadi Maha Shramana
The Ye-dhr-ma mantra is the mantra of consecration, stabilization, and emptiness.
8. Vajrasattva 100-Syllable Mantra

Om Bendza Sato Samaya Manupalaya Bendza Sato Tenopa Tita Dridho Me

Bhawa Suto Kayo Me Bhawa Anurakto Me Bhawa Supo Kayo Me Bhawa Sarwa

Siddhim Me Trayatsa Sarwa Karma Sutsa Me Tsittam Shreyam Kuru Hung HA HA

HA HA HOH Bhagawan Sarwa Tatagata Bendza Mame Muntsa Bendzi Bhawa
Maha Samaya Sato AH
The 100-syllable mantra is the Vajrasattva mantra. Its key benefits are purification
and compassion.
##

H.H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya is a Head Lama of the Sakya sect and Sakya
Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Seattle. Dagchen Rinpoche was raised and
trained as a religious leader in old Tibet. The Sakya leaders hold a position third
only to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in rank. Dagchen Rinpoche is also one of the
few elder non-sectarian (re-me) lineage holders living today. He is currently
working on completion of his four-volume biography documenting his life in old
Tibet and his life in the West.
The Tibet-Tech prayer wheels are available for sale through Earth Sanctuary
(www.earthsanctuary.org). For information, contact Chuck Pettis at 425-637-8777
or via email at cpettis@earthsanctuary.org.
Recommended book: Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in
Tibetan Buddhism by Lorne Ladner, Wisdom Publications, 2000.