the.com/prayer flag
weatherproof faith that lets the wind do all the praying for you
means A small rectangular cloth printed with prayers, mantras, or sacred images, strung outdoors so that the wind carries its blessings across the landscape.
from From English "prayer" (via Latin precari, "to beg, entreat") plus "flag." The object itself is Tibetan, where the cloths are called lung ta, literally "wind horse" — the wind being the steed that gallops the printed prayers out into the world. The tradition is rooted in Bon, the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet, and was later woven into Tibetan Buddhism; the five classic colors stand for the elements (blue sky, white air, red fire, green water, yellow earth). "Prayer flag" is simply the plain English name Western observers gave them.
- five colors
- blue, white, red, green, yellow for the elements
- by design
- meant to fade, not be replaced when worn
- never ground
- letting one touch earth is disrespectful
- order matters
- colors strung wrong scramble the blessing
- wind horse
- central image carries prayers across the world
tibetan prayer flags — colored flags strung across himalayan peaks in tibet, nepal, and bhutan for over 1000 years
darjeeling monasteries — himalayan monasteries in west bengal, india displaying prayer flags with sanskrit mantras