Dasein 2000 Sherpa style. Pix.

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
ff3a4a1e.jpg.orig.jpg

Here is Gelbu hanging prayer flags at Muktinath. Although Dasein is not part of the Buddhist culture it is a time for prayer and Sherpas usually hang prayer flags and have their own system of celebrating the religious holiday.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (18,000+ posts)
 
There are prayers written on each flag. When the wind blows and the flags wave the prayer goes up. It is a long lasting form of a prayer. The prayer keeps on working as long as the flags fly. They usually fly until they deteriorate so badly they either fall down or are taken down.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Archives (18,000+ posts)
 
Ummmm, not to be too indelicate, but if IIRC, most of the kamis are illiterate. Who writes the prayers on the flags? Do they pay a priest or something? In Japan, when people want to have blessings done for a new building, etc, they hire Buddhist priests. I saw an interesting video of bell making in Japan. The priests throw prayers written on slips of paper by the parishoners into the hot iron so that the prayers become part of the bell.

Tom
 
Back
Top