Prayer Flags

Nepal ~ Chomolungma ~ Religion ~ Prayer Flags

By Miss Walden 2014

Nepal has no beaches, only mountains.

Nepal is landlocked. Surrounded by two big neighbours: India and China.

Nepal is the home of the Himalayas and of Chomolungma (Mt Everest).

Nepal

Nepal

Nepal

New Zealand

NepalNepal is very

similar to New

Zealand

Nepal is also very

different to New

Zealand

Chomolungma

Chomolungma is a Tibetan name that literally means “Holy Mother”.

Chomolungma is as important to the

Tibetan/Sherpa people as Papatūānuku

is to Maori.

Chomolungma

ReligionNepal has many different religions

and many different cultural groups.

Some of Nepal's population is made

up of Tibeto-Nepalese, people

whose ancestors entered Nepal over

the mountains from Tibet in the

north.

Religion

Boudhanath - Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu Valley

Prayer Flags● Prayer flags are hung often to lift the spirit of beings

in the environment where they are raised.

● Prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion,

strength, and wisdom.

● Prayer flags do not carry prayers to gods.

● Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown

by the wind to spread good will and compassion.

● All beings that are touched by the wind are uplifted

and a little happier.

● I was told they offer safe passage to travellers.

Prayer Flags

Prayer Flags● Ropes of prayer flags can be strung horizontally between two

trees (the higher the better).● Sometimes they are strung at an angle (with the wind horse

always pointing uphill).● When raising prayer flags proper motivation is important. If

you are doing it for yourself the benefits will be small. If you put them up with the attitude “I hope everyone will benefit and find happiness from these” then the virtue generated by such motivation greatly increases the power of the prayers.

● Tibetan tradition considers prayer flags to be holy. Which means they should be treated respectfully. They should not be placed on the ground, on clothing or put in the rubbish.

● When disposing of old prayer flags the traditional way is to burn them so that the smoke may carry their blessings to the heavens. But when I was in Nepal I was told many people leave the flags up until they disintegrate in the elements.

Prayer Flags-Lung ta

Prayer Flags-Lung ta

Prayer Flags-Darchor

Attribution/Links:Slide 1: http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Incantations/dp/B00000JB12/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1334632225&sr=1-3

Slide 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal

Slide 3: Big Map from: http://gudungisengblog.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/world-map-unlabeled.html

Small Map from: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/np.htm

Slide 4: Photos taken by me.

Slide 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest

Slide 6: The view of ‘looking up’ at the base of Chomolungma aka Mt Everest. - Photo taken by my Mum.

Slide 7: You can read up about People and Culture here - By Everest Treks

http://www.everesttreks.co.nz/wawcs0133253/People-and-culture.html

Slide 8: Learn more about Boudhanath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudhanath). A stupa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupa) is a mound-

like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism) relics. Photo taken by my Dad.

Slide 9: There are thousands of photos in google image search. - A Mantra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra) is kind of like a repeated

sound or chant.

Slide 10: Prayer Flag Activity (http://www.bodhikids.org/prayer-flag-activity/).There are a few different designs and close ups if you search

in google images.

Slide 11: Prayer Flags. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag)

Slide 12: Prayer Flags in Kathmandu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathmandu) and Lukla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukla). Photos taken

by my Dad and I.

Slide 13: Prayer Flags in The Upper Khumbu (L) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khumbu), Namche (R)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namche_Bazaar) and Base Camp (B) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest_Base_Camp). Photos taken by my

Mum & Dad.

Slide 14: Prayer Flags (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag). Photos taken by my Mum and I.