How to spin a prayer wheel — H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's guidance

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche spinning one of our handcrafted world peace prayer wheels during teachings at the Garchen Buddhist Institute

Many people who receive a prayer wheel for the first time ask the same question — am I doing this correctly? Here is what H.E. Garchen Rinpoche himself teaches.

Choose the right size

Rinpoche is clear on this: "The size of the prayer wheel is ideally moderate — if it is too large, it is sometimes inconvenient to turn, and if it is too small, it is like playing with a toy, which is not quite appropriate."

This is exactly the thinking behind the HEGR prayer wheel — medium sized, perfectly balanced, light enough to spin continuously without fatigue.

Why hand spinning matters

Rinpoche teaches that a hand spun prayer wheel is superior to an electric one — because spinning by hand simultaneously accomplishes the virtues of body, speech and mind at once:

The virtue of body — holding and turning the wheel.

The virtue of speech — the mantras inside radiating outward to all beings.The virtue of mind — keeping the mind undistracted and focused.

As Rinpoche says: "The benefit of a hand-spun prayer wheel is that it simultaneously allows the body, speech, and mind to perform virtuous acts and keeps the mind from being distracted."

Watch how the wheel turns

Here is a teaching that surprises many people — the way the wheel spins in your hand is a direct reflection of your mind.

Rinpoche teaches: "If distracted, the wheel will turn crookedly, and the mind will wander, so the merit and benefit will not be as great. If our mind wanders or becomes dissipated, the prayer wheel in our hand will also become messy."

In other words — the prayer wheel is a mirror of your mind. When it spins smoothly and steadily, your mind is present. When it wobbles, your mind has wandered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIW0x2uM9TA

how to spin a prayer wheel - technical advice

The visualization — a washing machine for the mind

Rinpoche gives one of his most vivid and memorable teachings on the inner visualization:

"Visualizing the mantra garland rotating around the seed syllable is like a washing machine for the mind. When doing laundry, the washing machine rotates and the clothes are cleaned. Similarly, when the mind follows the mantra garland and focuses on mantra recitation, it is the self-clinging mind that is washed or purified."

As you spin the wheel with your hand, visualize the mantra garland rotating inside your heart — spinning like a washing machine, washing away self-clinging and negative thoughts. And from the Sydney 2014 teachings: imagine countless Avalokiteshvaras emerging from the prayer wheel as light, merging with all sentient beings, blessing and liberating them.

The meaning of the top of the prayer wheel

Rinpoche's HEGR design has a specific and deeply meaningful shape at the top — and Rinpoche himself explains why:

"I designed the top cover of the prayer wheel in the shape of a mother's breast when feeding a young child — because all beings born from the womb in the three realms are born from a mother. This represents the connection of love between the child and the mother."

Every time you hold the prayer wheel, that shape is a reminder — to remember the kindness of all mother sentient beings, and to let that remembrance melt the ice of self-clinging through the warmth of compassion.

The highest practice

Rinpoche teaches: "The superior practice is to rest within meditation of the view — an understanding of the non-duality of self and other — while spinning the prayer wheel. If we spin the prayer wheel with the thought to benefit all sentient beings, then we will perfectly abide single-pointedly within two-fold bodhicitta. Spinning the prayer wheel for even a single moment has such vast benefit."

Why we craft these wheels

Every HEGR prayer wheel we craft carries 10 billion Mani mantras and 8 million Green Tara mantras inside — so that every single spin sends that blessing outward like rainfall, pervading all sentient beings' mind streams.

As Rinpoche says: "Why do I always spin the prayer wheel in my hand? The main purpose is to be able to benefit other sentient beings. That is why I do these things."

That is why we craft them too. 🙏

To craft as many prayer wheels as we can, while we still can.

For the benefit of all beings.

Would you like to bring one of Rinpoche's designed prayer wheels into your practice?

Visit our shop: www.holylandprayerwheels.com/prayerwheel-shop