Have you ever wondered about the tradition of Tibetan prayer flags?...I had never really given it thought until my husband began studying Tibetan buddhism...
Coincidentally, we began raising pole flags in our backyard...each year...on the third day of Losar...Tibetan New Year...we replace the worn flags from the previous year with new ones...in a small ceremony...with the idea that all sentient beings will benefit...from the awesome power of the auspicious symbols and sacred texts...carefully printed on the flags...being released into the universe...imprinted on the wind...waving over and over...sending their energies farther and farther...generating peace and good wishes for all...
We buy our flags from our friend Timothy Clark...he owns Radiant Heart Studios...and is an expert at designing and printing flags...he readily shares his special knowledge and understanding of this ancient tradition...
To me there are few things more beautiful than colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind—sometimes waving gently, sometimes raging; a dance of shadow and light. There is perhaps no simpler way to create good merit in this troubled world of ours than to put prayer flags up for the benefit of other living beings. Prayer flags are not just pretty pieces of colored cloth with funny writing on them. The ancient Buddhist prayers, mantras and powerful symbols displayed on them produce a spiritual vibration that is activated and carried by the wind across the countryside. All beings that are touched by the wind are uplifted and a little happier. The silent prayers are blessings spoken on the breath of nature. Just as a drop of water can permeate the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind extend to fill all of space. —Timothy Clark
It is from this same viewpoint that I affixed my new license plates on my car yesterday...I'm sure this may sound odd to many who are reading this...and if you remember my earlier post...the one in which I wrote about finding the "one word" and ordering these custom plates...you will remember too that each plate contains this word..."eunoia"...a word that has a singular meaning..."beautiful thoughts"...
As I fastened the plate to the rear bumper...rain was falling gently around me...a breeze was rustling through the leaves of the surrounding trees...it was cool...as if the weather might finally be moving permanently toward Fall...and even though I was standing in a parking lot at the DMV, it felt like a sacred space...an opening in the fabric of time and the universe...
With each turn of the screwdriver, I felt the flow of beautiful thoughts moving out in all directions...I imagined all of the many beings I will drive by...in all of the years to come that I will own this vehicle...the many beings who will feel beautiful thoughts emanating from this one word...spreading peace and good wishes for all...
And as I tightened the very last screw, a small voice whispered across the breeze "this makes up for that decision not to buy a Prius"...
