ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ

Om Mani Padme Hum

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"Om mani padme hum" is a traditional Tibetan mantra that can be spoken, chanted, sung, or whispered silently to oneself. It is used to practice mindfulness and compassion, and the mantra's full meaning is vast and intricate (see link). Tibetan prayer flags often contain this mantra, along with traditional prayers and images. The flags are hung up, allowing the wind to blow through them. The prayers and mantras travel the world, carried by the wind, spreading good and compassion everywhere they go.

 

Throughout our journey, we constantly encountered Tibetan prayer flags. In Nepal, every small village and monastery we hiked through had prayer flags on display. When we began the Kora in Tibet, prayer flags garnished the landscape. As the wind blew through these flags, we were filled with reverence. These flags were a reminder of the lessons of compassion and peace found in Buddhism, and of the innate beauty that exists in other cultures. 

 

Additionally, we carried our own prayer flags throughout our journey. These flags were not made in Nepal or Tibet, but back in the United States to honor our loved ones who battled cancer. Our flags represented either the memory of a life lived, or a celebration of a life continuing. In Tibet, on the shores of the holy Lake Manasarovar, we strung up our own prayer flags. They fluttered in the wind, and the prayers, celebrations, and memories of our loved ones began their journey around the world.