Wheel of Great Compassion : The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism

by Ladner, Lorne; Rinpoche, Lama Zopa

• ISBN13: 9780861711741
• ISBN10: 0861711742
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-01
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Summary

The Wheel of Great Compassion is the first book to provide Western readers with a complete understanding of the prayer wheel--an ancient and mystical practice that has long been popular with Buddhists throughout Tibet and Mongolia for its ability to bless the environment, promote healing, increase compassion, and assist practitioners on their journeys to enlightenment.

This book offers a clear description of prayer wheel practice, its meaning and benefits, and its role as an essential ritual and symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. It contains a general introduction to the prayer wheel, photographs and illustrations, six commentaries by Tibetan lamas (including Lama Zopa Rinpoche), and instructions for both prayer wheel construction and proper use.

Author Biography

Lorne Ladner is a psychologist working in private practice and in community mental health. He is the author of The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology and founding director of the Guhyasamaja Center near Washington D.C. He has been involved in teaching about and the construction of prayer wheels since 1991. He lives in Manassas, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	xv
Acknowledgments	xxi
Part One: Prayer Wheel Practice, Symbolism, and Lineage
Practice: Seeing with Eyes of Compassion	3	(12)
Symbolism: The Radiant Dharma Wheel	15	(8)
Lineage: An Ancient and Mystical Inheritance	23	(12)
Part Two: Tibetan Commentaries on the Prayer Wheel
An Oral Discourse	35	(6)
Benefits of the Six-Syllable Prayer Wheel	41	(12)
Practice and Benefits of the Prayer Wheel	53	(10)
Benefits of the Lotus Wheel	63	(14)
A Short Treatise on Prayer Wheels	77	(4)
Dedication of Merits from Building and Turning Prayer Wheels	81	(4)
Part Three: Diagrams, Pictures, and Instructions	85	(24)
Part Four: A Method for Mediating with the Prayer Wheel	109	(8)
Notes	117	(12)
Bibliography	129