Prayer Wheel (Mani Wheel, Chokor)

Tibetan prayer wheels are devices consisting of a spinning cylinder containing copies of the sacred mantra Om Mani Padme Hum (mantra of Chenrezig), written in ancient Tibetan script. It is believed that repeating this mantra accumulates spiritual merit. The prayer wheel functions as an amplifier of sorts, endlessly repeating the mantra as it turns. Small prayer wheels are carried in the hand; a weighted cord aids in turning. Wheels are also hung or placed where they will rotate in the wind or water- some monasteries have enormous stone wheels for the purpose. Some are disks or plates, somewhat like a record album, designed to be viewed from above. Modern takes include “digital prayer wheels,” wherein the phrase is written to a computer’s spinning hard drive disks!

Prayer Wheel