Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-10
EVENING NEWS,
"Wednesday, December 10. 1890.
PRAYING MACHINES.
PRAYER WHEELS IN TIBER.-a SIX
sYLLABLED FORMULA.

me most common prayer used Ia
Iioet Is 4 mere fOrmulary, the con-
slant REPETITION Of which is One OF
the most amazing instances of the
tyranny OF superstition 10 be found
in any part of the world, says Sir
Monier Williams. TX consists of III,
six-syllahled sentenc-: s'Om mani
paine Hum" ''0mi the Jewel in
the lotus, Humi" This prayer, OF
mystical sentence, is supposed to
have been composed by Padma pani
| Avalokteisvara) ard TO have refer
ence 10 his own manifestations as
tue patron saint Of Tibet. 1t is
sometimes called the Mani or
'jewel' prayer; and, If brevity is a
valuable quality, its excellence is
unGeniable. since it consisis @,
merely two Slnskrit words between
two mystical, untransiatable au-
spicious q CALCULATIONS, ON and Hum.
Whatever I've its origin and mean
ing, no Other prayers used by human
beings in any quarter of the globe
Is repeated 80 often. Every Tibet
an believes it to be paDacea for all
evil, q compendium of all knowl.
edge, treasury of all wisdom, a
summary Of all religion. If YOU
ask Northern Buddhists to give
you the reason for this belief. very
;e9 are able to give an intelligibie
reply. But the oftener this mystic
al formula is repeated, the shorter,
it is said, will be an individuals
course tgatD through some of the
six gates or courses OF being, every
one Of which involves misery or
evil. Or it may be that by repeat
ing 1t he will be able to escape
some Of the six exissences altogeth-
er.
Strange, indeed. as II mar appear
to Us, it is impossible to shake the
faith OF Lamistic Buddhist in the
absolutely infaliible efficacy of his
six favJrite mystic sylIabies. He
repeats them, not at ali as IL he we:e
praying in q Christian sense, but a.
If lie were farmer intent on plant
ing the very best seed in the most
productive soil ami watering it in
cessantly according TO the most sci
entific principle OF irrigation. a |
bountiful harvest is absolutely cer-
tain to reward his efforts.
Ii need not, therefore, surprise us
il these six syllables are murmured |
morning, noon and night, by every |
man, woman aud child, wherever |
the Lamistic hierarchy has EXTEND
ed. And, If not repeated by the
voice, an incessant stream OF repeti- |
tion-an incessant 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 in
scTibed in cylinders, which, when
made to revoive, either by educated
monks or illiterate laymen, have the
same efficacy as if they were actu-
ally said or repeated. The revolu-
lions are credited as so much prayer
merit, or, TO speak more scientifical-
ly, a. so much prayer-force, accum-
ulated and stored up for the benefit
Of the person who survives them.
The cylinder is generally made Of
metal, the prayer being engraved
1n the outside, as well as written on
taper aud inserted inside. IL Is held
IN the right hand and whirlei round,
ike chiid's toy, by means of n
handle in a particular direction
with the sun II made to revOiveI
he other way, its rotations will be,
vet down to the debtor rather than
o the creditor side OF the owners
account.
1t sometimes happens that. qrar-
-els arise from rival claims fn re-
,ard to the use of the payer cylin- d
iers. In illustration OF this an anus
ng story is told by the French mis- 1
ionaries:
"0Ee day when tsey happened to
'e PASSING 4 prayer-machilA set upI
lear a monastery, they Hw twOI
s1mas engaged IN a violent quar-
el; aud, rs it sppe AIRED. all on ac-
cunt of their z-al for their prayers. Z
he fact was that one Lama lad q
ONE, and, having set the barrel in .
notion for his own benefit, was re-
ring modestly and compiacently TO :
is own abode, when happening TO =
lrn his head to enjoy the specta- g
les OF the wheels piors revolutions.
e saw the other Lama stop it and 8
t it whirling again FOR himself. In d
ignant, OF course, at this unwar-
suted interference with his own u
evotions, he ran back, and in his y
Irn, llrt p stop to his rivals piety, q
I'D both Of them continued this .
ind of demonstration for some time, y
II at last losing patience they pro- a
,eded to menaces, and then to s
lows when an old Lama came out q
a neichb0ring cell and brought U
lie difficulty to a peaceful termina-
on by himself twirling the prayer "
lrrel for the benefit of both par p
esq II