In Tibet, Prayer Wheels have been made for many centuries in a wide range of sizes and styles - from hand-held and table-top wheels, all the way up to giant eight or twelve foot Prayer Wheels with diameters of five to six feet. Often built around Buddhist Stupas and Monasteries, there may be long rows of prayer wheels which people will spin as they walk clockwise around the building, reciting what is considered to be one of the most profound and beneficial mantras;
In the translation of a text by the Fourth Panchen Lama, Amitabha Buddha says "Anyone who recites the six syllables while turning the dharma wheel at the same time is equal in fortune to the Thousand Buddhas." In the same text Shakyamuni Buddha says that "turning the prayer wheel once is better than having done one, seven, or nine years of retreat" The prayer wheel is a very powerful merit field; one accumulates extensive merit and purifies obstacles.
It has been well known for over a thousand years by the great Buddhist yogis and teachers as well as the Tibetan people that the prayer wheel practice is an extremely quick, simple and profound method for developing compassion and wisdom. Buddhist teachers and the ancient texts expound the profound benefits of the Prayer Wheel for its ability to quickly harmonize the environment, increase compassion, encourage a peaceful state of mind, and assist practitioners on their journeys to enlightenment.
It is suggested that one recite the six-syllable mantra -- Om Mani Padme Hum -- while turning the prayer wheel. The Tibetan commentaries state that the benefits of doing so are immeasurable. This is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion, and it is recited continually by many Tibetans. One also finds it carved on rocks, written on prayer flags, embossed on jewelry, and inside of most prayer wheels. Among Tibetans it is commonly known as the mani mantra, and thus prayer wheels are often referred to among Tibetans as mani wheels.
Ladakh is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also known as the "Land of High Passes". Ladakh is the highest plateau of state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It spans the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River valley. Ladakh district was a district of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India until 1 July 1979 when it was divided into Leh district and Kargil district. Each of these districts is governed by a Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, which is based on the pattern of the Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council. These councils were created as a compromise solution to the demands of Ladakhi people to make Leh a union territory.
The economy of Ladakh rests on three pillars: the Indian Army, tourism, and civilian government in the form of jobs and extensive subsidies. Agriculture, the mainstay only one generation ago, is no longer a major portion of the economy, although most families still own and work their land.
For centuries, Ladakh enjoyed a stable and self-reliant agricultural economy based on growing barley, wheat and peas and keeping livestock, especially yaks, cows, dzos (a yak-cow cross breed), sheep and goats. At altitudes of 3,000 to 4,300 m (10,000 to 14,000 ft), the growing season is only a few months long every year, similar to the northern countries of the world. Animals are scarce and water is in short supply. The Ladakhis developed a small-scale farming system adapted to this unique environment. The land is irrigated by a system of channels which funnel water from the ice and snow of the mountains. The principal crops are barley and wheat. Rice was previously a luxury in the Ladakhi diet, but, subsidised by the government, has now become a cheap staple.
Source: Wikipedia and tibetan prayer wheels website.
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