Tibetan Prayer Flags.

Tibetan Prayer Flags in Tibet are called Lung Ta (wind horse), which is both literal of the image, and symbolic of the action of the flags. A typical prayer flag has at its central images a horse bearing threee flaming jewels on its back. Around the hourse are 20-odd mantras - powerful ritual utterances - each dedicated to a particular diety.The idea is that by hanging these tibetan prayer flags in high places such as from the top of stupas and across mountain paths, the Wind Horse will carry the blessings depicted on the flags to all beings.To me there are few things more beautiful than colorful tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the wind-sometimes waving gently, sometimes raging, a dance of shadow andlight. Tehre is perhaps no simpleer wayto creat god merit in this troubled world f ours than to put prayer flags up for the benefit of other living begs. Prayer flags are not just pretty pieces of colored cloth with funny writing on them. The ancient Buddhist prayers, mantras and powerful symbols displayed on them produce a spiritual vibration that is acivated and carried by the wind across the countryside. All beings that are touched by the wind are uplifted and a little happier. The silent prayer are blessings spoken on the breath of nature. Just as a drop of water acan permeate the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind extend to fill all of space.
The tibetan prayer flag tradition have a long continuous history dating back to ancient tibet, China, Persia and Nepal. The tradition has now reached the west and is rapidly gaining popularity. The meanings behind tibetan prayer flag text and symbol, indeed behind the whole idea of prayer flags, are based on the most profound concepts of Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy.
The Tibetan word for prayer flag is Dar cho. "Dar" means to increase lfie, fortune, health and wealth. "Cho" means all sentient beings. Tibetan Prayer flags are simple devices that, coupled with the natural energy of the wind, quietly harmonize the environment, impartially increasing happiness and good fortune amont all living beings.
History of Tibtean Prayer Flags
Acording to some lamas prayer flags date back thoursnd of years to the Bon tradition of prebuddhist Tibet. Shamanistic Bonpo presits used primary colored plain cloth flags in healing ceremonies. Each color corresponded to a different primary element - earth, water, fire, air and space - the fundamental building bolcks of both our physical bodies and of our enviroment. According to Eastern medicine health and harmony are produced through the balance of the5 elements. Properly arranging colored flags around a sick patient harmonized the elements in his body helping to produce a state of physical and menta health.
Colored prayer flags were also used to help appease the local gods and spirits of the mountains, valleys, lakes and streams. These elemental beings, wehn provoked were thought to cause natural disasters and disease. Balancing the outer elements and propitiating the elemental spirits with rituals and offerings was the Bonpo way of pacifying nature and invoking the blessings of the gods.
It is not known whether or not the Bonpos ever wrote words on their flags. The preBuddhist religions of Tibet were oral traditions; writing was apparently limited to government bookkeeping. On the other hand the very word, 'bonpo,' means ' one who recites magical formulas" Even if no writing was added to the plain strips of cloth it is likely that the Bonpos painted sacred symbols on them. Some symbols seen on Buddhist prayer flags today undoubtedly have Bonpo origins, their meaning now enhanced with the deep significance of Vajrayana Buddhist philosophy.
From the first millennium AD Buddhism gradually assimilated into the tibetan way of life reaching great zeal in the ninth centruy when the religious King of Tibet invited the powerful Indian meditation master, Guru Padmasambhava, to come and control the forces then impeding the spread of Buddhism. Guru Rinpoche, as he is popularly known, bound the local Tibetan spirits by oath and transformed them into forces compatible with the spread of Buddhism. Some to ther prayer seen on flags today were composed by Guru Rinpoche to pacify the spirits that couse disease and natural disasters.
Originally the writing and images on prayer flags were painted by hand, one at a time. Woodblocks, carefully carved in image relief, were introduced form China in the 15 th century. This invention made it possible to reproduce identical prints of the same design. traditional designs could then be easily passed down from genetration to generation.
Famouse Buddhist masters created most prayer flag designs. Lay craftsmen make copies of the design but would never think of actually creating a new design. There are relatively few basic designs no real innovations to the printing process have occurred in the past 500 years. Most prayer flags imported to the West today are woodblock rpinted. Some shops are now starting to produce prints made from zinc faced blocks that can be etched photographically resulting in finer detail than the hand carved woodblock. Natural stone ground pigments have been replaced by printing inks, usually having a kerosene base. Most of the companies in the west prefer to use silkscreen printing techniques as wood carving is a time consuming skill requiring lengthy apprenticeship.
When the Chinese took over Tibet they destroyed much of everthing having to do with Tibetan culture and religion. Prayer flags were discouraged but not entirely eliminated. We will never know how many traditional designs hve been lost forever since the turmoil of China's cultural revolution. Because cloth and paper prins deteriorate so quicly the best way to preserve the ancient designs is by saving the woodblocks. Woodblocks, often weighing several pounds, were too heavy for the refugees to lug over the Himalayas and woodblocks no doubt made wounderful firewood for Chinese troops.Most of the traditional prayer flags today are made in Nepal and India by tibetan refugees or by Nepali Buddists from the Tibetan border regions.