What is the relation between Himalayan Bike Trip and that Colour Flag?
Dear Freakers ! This flag is not just means for a show-offing . Its a Prayer Tag !! A prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. Prayer flags are believed to have originated with Bon. In Bon, shamanistic Bonpo used primary-colored plain flags in Tibet. Traditional prayer flags include woodblock-printed text and images.
Traditionally, prayer flags come in sets of five: one in each of five colors. The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The five colors represent the five elements and the Five Pure Lights. Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes and sadhana. Blue symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.
1. Each colour of the flag symbolises an element
White symbolises air, red is fire. Green is water, yellow is earth, and blue is wind. They also represent directions – North, South, East, West and Center.
2. ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ has a very deep meaning
OM(ohm) MA(mah) NI(nee) PAD(pahd) ME(may) HUM(hum)
This mantra does not have one particular meaning. It’s a combination of values like compassion, ethics, patience, diligence, renunciation and wisdom. It is said that if you recite the mantra during meditation, it can cure pride, jealousy, ignorance, greed and aggression.
3. Buddhist prayer flags should never be still
The reason why they are put high above the roof is so that they flutter in the wind. It is said that they emit positive spiritual vibrations and that the prayers are carried by the wind like silent prayers.
4. It’s a good omen to receive Bhutan prayer flags as a gift
Getting prayer flags as a gift from someone and not buying them is how you should acquire a prayer flag.
5. Colour fading from the flags is considered auspicious
This means that the prayers were carried by the breeze – fading colours are a sign of it.
I’m in Bhutan now. I got my Prayer Flag Today. And I’m promises to keep my 4th point as well. While I buying, The shopKeeper says Never Put this Flag inside the Cover for a long or inside the Car. Let it fly always…
Anyway Its very happy to be in This ‘Land Of Thunder Dragons’.