Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [46]
* * *
PRAYER FLAGS Kunzang Dorji
Prayer flags are ubiquitous in Bhutan, found fluttering on mountain passes, ridges, mountain meadows, rooftops, dzong and temple courtyards and in front of houses.
The prayer flags are in five colours – blue, green, red, yellow and white – symbolising the elements of water, wood, fire, earth and iron, respectively. They also stand for the five dhyani or meditation Buddhas; the five wisdoms; the five directions; and the five mental attributes or emotions.
They may all look similar, but prayer flags have several important variations. Some prayer flags are hung from strings near holy places, especially passes, but most traditional Bhutanese prayer flags are mounted on vertical poles. The text for the flag is carved into wooden blocks and then printed on the cloth in repeating patterns. Each of the four varieties of prayer flag has a specific function, but they all serve the same basic purpose – to invoke the blessings and protection from the deities for conscious beings, living or dead.
Goendhar
The smallest prayer flags, goendhars, are those mounted on the rooftops of Buddhist homes. These white banners have small blue, green, red and yellow ribbons attached to their edges. They invoke the blessings and patronage of Yeshe Goenpo (Mahakala), the main protective deity of the country, to ensure the family’s welfare and prosperity. A purification ceremony is performed and the goendhar is erected once a house has been completed. The flags are replaced annually during a ceremony that honours the family’s personal local deities.
Lungdhar
The lungdhar (wind flag) is erected on hillsides or ridges and can be for good luck, protection from an illness, the achievement of a personal goal, or the acquisition of wisdom. These flags are printed with the Wind Horse, or Lungta, which carries a wish-fulfilling jewel on its back.
The name and age of the person is printed on the flag along with the text pertaining to the exact need. Astrological charts are used to determine the direction, colour and location of the flag, and a consecration ceremony is performed when it is erected.
Manidhar
The manidhar is erected on behalf of a deceased person, and features prayers to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenresig. When a family member dies, such flags are commissioned to cleanse the sins of the deceased. The mani prayer banner takes its name from the mantra ‘om mani peme hum’ (‘hail to the jewel in the lotus’), which is the special sacred mantra of Chenresig. These prayer flags are generally erected in batches of 108 and invoke Chenresig’s blessing and immeasurable compassion for the deceased.
Both the lungdhar and the manidhar flags are placed at strategic high points from which a river can be seen. In this way, the belief is that the prayers will waft with the wind to the river, and be carried by the river on its long and winding journey.
Lhadhar
The largest flag in the country is the lhadhar (god flag). These huge flags can be seen outside dzongs and other important places and represent victory over the forces of evil. There is normally no text on these flags; they are like a giant version of the goendhar. The only difference, apart from size, is at the top, where the lhadhar is capped by a colourful silk parasol. You must be formally dressed in traditional Bhutanese attire for Bhutanese and in appropriate dress for foreigners to enter any place where a lhadhar stands.
Pole
At the top of the pole is a redi, a wood carving of a traditional knife. It is joined to the flagpole by a khorlo, a wooden wheel. The redi represents the god of wisdom, Jampelyang, and the khorlo represents the lotus, which is associated with the birth of Guru Rinpoche.
* * *
Eight-Fold Path
The Fourth Noble Truth, True Paths, set out by the Buddha refers to the correct