What happens every time you spin a prayer wheel?

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche spinning one of our handcrafted prayer wheels during teachings.

Many people are drawn to prayer wheels by their beauty — the warm wood, the spinning motion, the quiet rhythm. But what is actually happening each time the wheel turns?

H.E. Garchen Rinpoche, one of the most beloved Tibetan Buddhist masters alive today, has answered this question many times. His answer is always the same — and it is extraordinary.

Three virtues in one single spin

Rinpoche teaches that spinning a prayer wheel accomplishes the virtues of body, speech and mind simultaneously — something that normally requires dedicated meditation practice.

The virtue of body comes from the physical act of spinning. The virtue of speech comes from the mantras inside — each rotation is equivalent to reciting every mantra contained within the wheel. The virtue of mind comes from the focus and intention you bring to the spinning — keeping the mind undistracted and resting in compassion for all beings.

As Rinpoche has said: "It combines the virtues of body, speech, and mind into one, and is easy to do but very meaningful. Thus, there is nothing more important than spinning a prayer wheel. This is my heart advice."

What is inside our HEGR prayer wheel?

Each spin of our HEGR prayer wheel — crafted in Rinpoche's own design — activates:

• 10 billion Om Mani Padme Hum mantras printed on nanofilm

• 8 million Green Tara mantras printed on microfilm

Every single rotation. For every being.

Who is this practice for?

Rinpoche is clear — this practice is for everyone, especially those with busy lives who struggle to find time for formal practice.

As he taught in 2017: "These days people in samsara aren't able to accomplish any Dharma practice at all — they don't have the time. For those that are unable to engage in any practice, the way to accomplish the virtues of body, speech and mind all at once is through spinning the prayer wheel."

And it is not necessary to have a large prayer wheel. Rinpoche specifically recommends a small, lightweight, medium sized wheel — one that fits perfectly in the hand and can be spun continuously for long periods without fatigue. This is exactly why the HEGR prayer wheel is the size it is.

For all beings — not just ourselves

Perhaps the most beautiful teaching Rinpoche gives about prayer wheels is this — "the mantras do not only benefit the person spinning. They radiate outward like light, blessing all beings in the area. Every insect, every animal, every person nearby receives the benefit of those billions of mantras spinning in the air."

As Rinpoche teaches: "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."

This is why our motto has always been — and always will be:

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