Buddhism: Meditation And The Tibetan Prayer Wheel

Good morning/afternoon Mr Emlyn Jones and class. Today I will be reinforcing my hypothesis about two Buddhist rituals. In particular meditation and the Tibetan Prayer Wheel.

My hypothesis states that "Buddhist rituals are important to the believer. Rituals such as meditation and the Tibetan Prayer Wheel provide a clear meaning and purpose. These rituals require the person participating to gesture, wear particular items and sit down and focus on their breathing."

First I will give you a bit of background information on Buddhism. Buddhism was first founded by Siddhartha Gotama, also known as Buddha who lived and taught in India some two and a half thousand years ago. Since then about 300 million people around the world have become involved
One way that you can do this is like we learned in the Buddhist temple, to try and count your breaths as you breath out. Once again if your practice this your mind will get distracted less and notice more about the object of this mindfulness...breathing.

Lastly, the skill of mindfulness can be practiced in everyday activities such as eating, washing the dishes and cleaning your room. As the skill of mindfulness increases one will commit themselves to the present moment and participate more fully in everything they do. One Buddhist master who had conquered the skill of mindfulness said simply "when I eat, I eat and when I sleep, I sleep". The ultimate goal of these 3 different ways to increase mindfulness is to begin to realise for oneself the Buddhist truths of no-self, suffering and
The prayer wheel is a hollow metal cylinder which is often beautifully embossed mounted on a rigid handle and containing a tightly wound scroll printed with mantra. It it mainly used by the Buddhists of Tibet Nepal. It is also know as the wheel of law (Dharma) set in motion by the buddha. The prayer wheel is just as effective as reading out prayers. The wheel is also used for illiterate members of the Lay Buddhist community, since they are able to read the prayer by spinning wheel. The prayer wheel comes in many sizes from small, medium and large. The small wheel is turned by hand. The medium wheel is found in monasteries or temples and the large wheel is spun continuously by a water mill. The cylinder inscription are often written in Sanskrit or is sometimes written in Tibetan. The outer part on the wheel is removable so that you are able to change the script. The upper most part is also formed in the shape of a lotus bud. The most common text that is written on the animal skin or paper is Om mani padme hum. It has been said that prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and merit or good karma and to purify good karma. It is a visual aid for developing ones capacity for these types of tantric visualisations. To activate the wheel you spin it clockwise in which before, during and after the wheel is spun you must focus on the mind and repeat Om mani padme hum. This will increase merit earned by the wheels use. The more Om mani