When you travel to Tibet, you can see the great number of Buddhists Prayer Flags hung at the summits of mountains, passes of mountains, banks of rivers, sides of roads, roofs of monasteries, etc. But do you even know that these are not just some fancy accessories? Everything from the color to the word holds a meaning. Originated from Bon culture, the prayer flags, namely Longda in the Tibetan language, primarily carry our prayers via the wind to get them answered.
Well, you may be curious about the meaning of the Buddhist/Tibetan prayer flags. Here are 3 things you should know:
1. The Origin of the Tibetan Prayer Flags
The reason why those streamers are known as prayer flags is that there are numerous Buddhism sutras printed on them. In Buddhist believers’ eyes, the prayer flag waves for one time in the wind means reciting the sutra once, which is a way to show pilgrims’ wishes and seek blessings from Gods. Therefore, the prayer flag has become a link between Gods and men. According to Tibetan Buddhism, where there is the prayer flag, there are God and wishes.
2. Content and Meaning of the Prayer Flags
The main contents of the scriptures are the Indian Dharani mantra, the six-character Mantra (Om Mani Padme Hum), Sanskrit mantras, auspicious words, proverbs, prayer scriptures, etc. And some of the text on the prayer flags are purely selected from Buddhist tantra mantras, such as the White Parasol Mantra on the Great Prayer Flag.
For the well-known Six-Character Mantra, it does not have one particular meaning. It’s a combination of values like compassion, ethics, patience, diligence, renunciation, and wisdom. It is said that if you recite the mantra during meditation, it can cure pride, jealousy, ignorance, greed, and aggression.
3. Forms of Prayer Flags
In terms of their external forms, prayer flags can be roughly classified into three types. The first is a long rope hung with a five-color square cloth (blue, white, red, green and yellow) in accordance with the order, printed with the Buddha's teachings as well as patterns of birds and beasts, which are commonly seen on sparsely populated mountains. The second type of prayer flag is a three to five meters long strip of cloth with a single color, either white or red, printed with the Buddha's teachings. The cloth strip is often sewn on a thick and long flagstaff in front of the squares and monasteries, such as the square of Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. The third type of prayer flag is composed of five pieces of colorful streamers without lettering and a single color trimmed main banner square cloth, which are printed with Buddha's teachings and patterns of birds and animals. These prayer flags are often tied to willow branches and can be seen everywhere on the roofs of buildings in Lhasa's old town.
