The Legend Story of the First Prayer Wheel (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

The Legend Story of the First Prayer Wheel /
Prayer for World Peace and Welfare
Hanu Pha Sha Bhara He Ye Svaha

The Legend Story of the First Prayer Wheel
As it was told: "To Bodhisattva Naga King, those who see or hear about the Dharma wheel, talk about it, even think about it or touch it, will soon be separated from the sufferings of the three lower realms."

The first prayer wheel was created by Dipankara Buddha, the first Buddha of this eon, and was given to the Nagas as a gift. Later on, the Nagas offered the prayer wheel to Bodhisattva Nagarjuna. From then on, prayer wheels have spread widely in this world in all kinds of forms, big and small.

About this Mani Wheel
This prayer wheel contains billions of mantras of Buddhas, Deities and Dharma Protectors to bring blessings to the surrounding environment in which it is built, to those who built it, and to those who visit and venerate it.

Included are those mantras of Buddha Sakyamuni, Buddha Amitabha, Buddha Amitayus, Medicine Buddha, Buddha Vairochana, Buddha Akshobhya, Avalokitesvara, Manjushri, Vajrasattva, Vajrapani, Chakrasamara, Green Tara, White Tara, Namgyalma (Ushnishavijaya), Vajrayogini, Dzambhala, Mahakala, Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), Milarepa, Jiglen Sumgon, Achi Chokyi Drolma, Interdependent of Origination, Great Cloud of Blessings, and Derge Kangyur – the translated words of the Buddha.

This prayer wheel with the mantras is a field of enormous merit which benefits all beings by preventing disease, obstacles and war, and by promoting harmony, prosperity, longevity, good health and peace.

How to Benefit All Sentient Beings
Just touching and spinning the prayer wheel with a motivation to benefit all beings without exception will bring great purification of negative karma and obscurations, and accumulate inconceivable merits.

Many mantras contained in the prayer wheel radiate outside with each rotation, make offerings to the Buddhas and shower a rain of love upon all beings in the six realms, thus melting their self-grasping and increasing their love, compassion and bodhiema. The mantra accomplishes uninterrupted offering to the Buddha, uninterrupted purifications of obscurations in sentient beings, and uninterrupted attainment of siddhis.

By spinning the prayer wheel, you practice virtues of body, speech and mind simultaneously - physical virtues by holding and spinning the wheel, verbal virtues as you send out the mantras, and mental virtues as you sustain mindful awareness and are not distracted as you spin the wheel.

May anyone who sees, hears, touches, talks, or thinks about this Mani prayer wheel have the fortune to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings!

8th Kyabjé Garchen Triptrud Rinoche

Prayer for World Peace and Welfare
The three jewels and three roots,

Trustworthy source of refuge, and in particular the lord of snow,

Avalokiteśhvara, Jetsün Tara and Guru Padmasambhava,
I supplicate you; please follow your previous pledges!

Bestow blessings that this aspiration prayer may be fulfilled most perfectly!

Due to the degeneration of times when thoughts and deeds of beings are perverted and the inner and outer elements have lost their balance, men and cattle are seized by epidemic disease previously unheard of.

Introducing rāhus, nāgas, powerful demons and dark forces, blight, frost and hail, bad harvest warfare and so forth.

[unreadable] rainfall heat mighty and droughts in the world, destruction by the elements such as earthquakes and the threat of fire.

And in particular barrage offenses causing harm to the teachings are rampant. May all types of harm and injury around the world be swiftly pacified and overcome!

May precious and supreme Bodhieitta spontaneously arise in the mindstreams of all beings, human and non-human, and may they be free from destructive thoughts and deed!

May all be endowed with a loving mind for one another and may well-being, glory and prosperity prevail throughout the world! May the Buddha's teachings spread far and wide and ever last!

By the truthful power of the three roots, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, by any root of virtue existing in samsara and nirvana and by the power of our perfectly pure, highest intention, may the fruition of our supplication and aspiration be attained!

This prayer was composed by Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche for the peace and welfare of Tibet. In order to suit present times, Lama Thubsten Nima changed certain wording, such as the reference to the whole world instead of only Tibet. Translated by Ina Bieler in December 2007, Garchen Buddhist Institute.