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I just realized that a bunch of photos that I love never made it to flickr. Time to rectify that situation.
I really miss these guys...
Taken in Nepal in 2006. We were in Kathmandu for a few days before flying into the Himalaya to climb Ama Dablam, near mount Everest. The prayer flags are intense, millions of them fly over the monasteries and gompas around the city.
At least one guy (the one on the far right) appears to have been distracted :) - lempkin
Kabatas, Istanbul, Turkiye - June 2010
Men listening to the sermon before(or after) the Friday prayer.
no crop.
My brother-in-law desperately needs your thoughts and prayers. Here's the first part of the story. Brian was able to come home over the weekend, but then developed an antibiotic-resistant bladder infection. Yesterday, while my sister was inserting a catheter, Brian started convulsing. She called 911 and he was taken to the hospital. The doctors think that maybe she nicked his bladder or something and the bacteria is now in his bloodstream. This morning, they put him on vancomycin, which is a "last resort" type of antibiotic. They're also testing him for MRSA, which is a staph infection. Scary stuff. I'm just hoping and praying that the vancomycin starts to clear the bacteria out of his blood and that he heals quickly. Thank you for all the continued prayers.
Prayer Flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. Tibetan Buddhists for centuries have planted these flags outside their homes and places of spiritual practice for the wind to carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside. Prayer flags are said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity. Dharma prints bear traditional Buddhist symbols, protectors and enlightened beings. As the Buddhist spiritual approach is non-theistic, the elements of Tantric iconography do not stand for external beings, but represent aspects of enlightened mind i.e. compassion, perfect action, fearlessness, etc. Displayed with respect, Dharma prints impart a feeling of harmony and bring to mind the precious teachings.
The prayer flag tradition is ancient, dating back thousands of years in India and to the shamanistic Bon tradition of pre-Buddhist Tibet. Bonpo priests used solid colored cloth flags, perhaps with their magical symbols, to balance the elements both internally and externally. The 5 colors of prayer flags represent the 5 basic elements: yellow-earth, green–water, red-fire, white-air, blue-space. Balancing these elements externally brings harmony to the environment. Balancing the elements internally brings health to the body and the mind.
Buddhists added their own texts to increase the power of the flags. There are ancient symbols, prayers and mantras for generating compassion, health, wish fulfillment, and for overcoming diseases, natural disasters and other obstacles. In this present dark-age disharmony reigns and the elements are way out of balance. The earth needs healing like never before. Prayer flags moving in the wind generate a natural positive energy. Acting on a spiritual level the emanating vibrations protect from harm and bring harmony to everything touched by the wind.
A little girl standing against the rows of wooden prayer plaques hung by worshippers outside the Meiji Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. The tree overhead provided dappled lighting.
Prayer flags, called as “lung ta” and “Darchor”, are inscribed with Buddhist incantations, symbols and dictums. Traditionally they are composed of five colours: yellow, green, red, white and blue each signifying five elements earth, water, fire, wind and sky respectively.
In Darjeeling and Sikkim they are sometimes uttered as lungdar or dharju.
Prayer flags can be of two different types: one is mounted on a vertical pole or bamboo and another is fluttered on a hilltop/roof top with the help of ropes.
Both the words “Lung ta” and "Darchor" are said to be Tibetan in origin, the former meaning wild horse while latter translating to good fortune of all sentient being. Besides Tibetans the use of prayer flags are also common amongst other communities like Tamang, Sherpa, Lepcha, Dukpa, Yolmo, Bhutia. etc.