Prayer Flags
“Better than a thousand hollow words
Is one word that brings peace”
>From “The Thousands”, The Dhammapada The Sayings of The Buddha
One of my favorite spiritual traditions is the use of prayer flags in Tibetan Buddhism. Prayer flags are often hung along mountain ridges and peaks in the Himalayas with the intent of blessing the country side.
“Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to ‘gods,’ a common misconception, rather the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all. As wind passes over the surface of the flags which are sensitive to the slightest movement of the wind, the air is purified and sanctified by the Mantras. The prayers of a flag become a permanent part of the universe as the images fade from exposure to the elements. Just as life moves on and is replaced by new life, Tibetans renew their hopes for the world by continually mounting new flags alongside the old. This act symbolizes a welcoming of life changes and an acknowledgment that all beings are part of a greater ongoing cycle.”
A few years back, a movie was released called “What the Bleep Do We Know” which presented many new and exciting concepts linking Quantum Physics and spirituality. And while the movie was overloaded with incredible information, there was one section which stood out to almost everyone I spoke with. That section was an exploration of the impact of exposing various words to frozen water and examining how differently the water, in the form of ice crystals, reacted. From the book, “The Hidden Messages In Water” by Masaru Emoto, “We found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant complex and colorful snowflake patters. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.” If you have time, I highly recommend seeing these pictures for yourself, they’re beautiful.
As the movie points out, if thoughts can do that to water, imagine what our thoughts can do to us.
While the above examples show the impact by and to the elements wind and water, we can see samples of this around us everyday. Like water, the most obvious example is to watch how your body reacts to various circumstances in life. During a stressful day at the office we may find that our muscles are tight and constricted. When we are happy, laughing and acting silly with good friends, our bodies are relaxed and content. During an argument with a loved one we may feel exceedingly tense and nauseous. Our states of mind and our bodily actions and reactions are inherently linked together. Have you ever tried to hold a yoga pose when you were angry or extremely agitated? More than likely, until your mind calmed down, you had a difficult time holding your balance in that pose for any significant length of time.
Similar to sending prayers though the wind, have you ever had the experience of smiling at an infant and watching their face light up and smile back to you in complete innocence? Or exchanging a genuine smile with no hidden context with an absolute stranger you pass on the sidewalk? Silently passing along a message of good will and compassion just with a look of the eyes and a smile. Two beings of light, passing one another on the path of life and inwardly wishing one another “safe journeys”.
Recently I was in an airport when I came across some very happy little boxes of sour candy in a gift store. On the side of the box were a collection of 12 “Happy Tips”. These tips included such things as: “Compliment three people everyday”, “Always smile” and “It’s more important to be happy than to be right”.
Now while the (anonymous) maker of this fine candy could have come up with some slick or sexy marketing campaign, they instead took a sweeter path (pun intended) with an intent of bringing more sweetness to the world. They selflessly, and probably with little effort on their part, created a mechanism for spreading more light into the world.
We often don’t believe we can make a difference unless we can create dramatic changes in the world. What we fail to realize is sometimes just a little smile with another human being can create a dramatic change in their day, in their universe.
The packaging also stated that it would “add sparkle to my day”. This they got right… It’s some of the sweetest (and most sour) candy I’ve ever tasted. And I smile each time I put one in my mouth.
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