Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-12-04
COM MANI PADME HUM
Praying and Prayer-Wheets in Tibet.

BY Sir &oner Williams
1he most common prayer used asi Tibet
is mere fGrmulary, the constant repeti-
tion of which is one OF the most amazing
instances of the tyranny of superstition to
be found in any part of the world It
consists of the six-syllabled sentence.
''Om mani padme Hum" ''0mt the jewel
In the lotust Hunt This prayer or rather
mystical sentence, is supposed to have
been composed by Ralma-p PAM (Avalokites-
vara) and to have reference to his .sR
manifestation as the patron saint of Tibet.
1t is sometimes called the Mani or Jewell
prayer; and, If brevity is valuable quail
ity, Its exc Hence is undeniable, since it
consists of merel y two Sanskrit words, be-
tween two mystical, untranslatable auspie-
lOus calculations, Om and Hum.
Whatever be its origin and meaning, no
other prayer used by human being in any
quarter of the globe is repeated so often.
Every Tibetan believes it to be panacea
for all evil, compendium of all knowl-
edge, treasury of all wisdom, a summary
of all religion. If you ask northern Bud
dhists to give you the reason for this be-
lief, very few are able to give an intelligi
BILE reply. But the oftener this mystical
formula is repeated, the shorter, it is said,
will be an individuals course (gati J
through some. of the six gate Or courses of
being, every one of which involves misery
or evil. Or itmay be that by repeating it
he will be able to escape some of the six
existences altogether
Strange indeed as it may appear, to US,
it is impossible to shake the faith of a
Lamistic Buddhist in the absolutely in
falllble efficacy of his six favorite myth
syllabies. He repeats them not at all as
it he were praying in Christian sense, but
as If he were farmer intent ON planting
the very best seed In the most productive
soil and watering it necessarily according
to the most scientific principle of irriga-
ton. A bountiful harvest is absolutely
certain to reward his efforts.
1t need not therefore. surprise us If these
SIX syllables are murmured morning, noon
and night, by every man, woman and
child, wherever the Lamistic hierarchy
be extended. And, if not repeated by
the voice, and incessant stream Of repeti-
tlOn-an lncessant scattering of the six
mystic seeds-is kept going by the hand.
The words are written or printed on roll
within roll of paper and inscribed in
cylinders, which, when made to revolve,
either by educated monks or illiterate
laymen, have the same efficacy as if they
were actually said or repeated. The rev.
olutions are credited as so much PRAYER
merit, or, to speak more scientifically, as
so much prayer-force, accumulated and
stored up for the benefit of the person who
revolves them.
The cylinder is generally made of metal,
the prayer being engraved on the outside,
as well as written on paper and inserted in
side. 1t is held In the right hand and
whirled round, like child s top, by means
of a handle in particular direction with
the sum. If made to revolve the other
way, its rotations will be set down to the
debtor rather than the creditor side of the
owner account.
1t sometimes happens that quarrels arise
from rival claims In regard to the use of
the prayer cylinders. In illustration of
this an amusing story is told by the
French missionaries
Zone day when they happened to be
passing a praying-machine, set up near
monastery, they saw two Lamas engaged
In violent quarrel; and, as it appeared,
all on account of their zeal for their
prayers. The fact was that one Lama had
come, and, having set the barrel in mo-
ton for his own benefit, was retiring mod
estly and complacently to his own abode,
when happening to turn his head to enjoy
the spectacle of the wheels pious revolu-
lions, he saw the other Lama stop it and
set it whirling again for himself Indig-
nant, of course, at the unwarrantable in
reference with his own devotion, he ran