Wheel of Great Compassion: The Practice of the Prayer Wheel in Tibetan Buddhism

by Lorne Ladner (Editor), Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (Foreword by)

Overview

The Wheel of Great Compassion is the first book to provide Western readers with a complete understanding of the prayer wheel—an ancient and mystical practice that has long been popular with Buddhists throughout Tibet and Mongolia for its ability to bless the environment, promote healing, increase compassion, and assist practitioners on their journeys to enlightenment.

This book offers a clear description of prayer wheel practice, its meaning and benefits, and its role as an essential ritual and symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. It contains a general introduction to the prayer wheel, photographs and illustrations, six commentaries by Tibetan lamas (including Lama Zopa Rinpoche), and instructions for both prayer wheel construction and proper use.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861711741
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	12/01/2000
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.12(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lorne Ladner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in the suburbs of Washington DC, where he also directs and teaches at the Guhyasamaja Buddhist Center. Dr. Ladner has produced a training video on Mindful Therapy and provides workshops on the psychology of positive emotions, the integration of meditation and sychotherapy, and on Buddhist psychology. He is the author of The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology (HarperOne 2004).

Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche is the Spiritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a worldwide network of Buddhist centers, monasteries, and affiliated projects, including Wisdom Publications. Rinpoche was born in 1946 in the village of Thami in the Solo Khumbu region of Nepal near Mount Everest. His books include Transforming Problems into Happiness, How to Be Happy, and Ultimate Healing. He lives in Aptos, California.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Preface	xv
	Acknowledgments	xxi
Part 1	Prayer Wheel Practice, Symbolism, and Lineage
	Practice: Seeing with Eyes of Compassion	3
	Symbolism: The Radiant Dharma Wheel	15
	Lineage: An Ancient and Mystical Inheritance	23
Part 2	Tibetan Commentaries on the Prayer Wheel
	An Oral Discourse	35
	Benefits of the Six-Syllable Prayer Wheel	41
	Practice and Benefits of the Prayer Wheel	53
	Benefits of the Lotus Wheel	63
	A Short Treatise on Prayer Wheels	77
	Dedication of Merits from Building and Turning Prayer Wheels	81
Part 3	Diagrams, Pictures, and Instructions	85
Part 4	A Method for Meditating with the Prayer Wheel	109
	Notes	117
	Bibliography	129

Editorial Reviews

"Prayer wheels are as ubiquitous an element of Tibetan Buddhist practice as are the repetitions of the mani mantra. Yet, especially in the West, little has been previously known of their history and proper use. In this jewel of a book, and at the urging of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lorne Ladner has brought together important textual sources, a Lama Zopa discourse, and his own personal experience to describe the symbolism, proper construction, ritual, and benefits of prayer wheel practice. Thus, Wheel of Great Compassion is a marvelous-and necessary-addition to the library of any serious practitioner and to anyone interested in the heretofore unknown particulars of mani practice."

Prof. Jan Willis

"This new book fills a gap in the literature on Tibetan ritual and practice... Excellent instructions and texts are given for meditation; useful charts, photos, and diagrams complement the text. Good for public and academic libaries; all readership levels."

CHOICE

"Lama Zopa Rinpoche once told Lorne Ladner the story of how, as a child, he had wondered why so many older people spun prayer wheels and how this had set him off on a search for texts on the practice. There being so few texts available, he was delighted eventually to be lent a text by another lama, and to discover the benefits of this practice. Ladner found he caught Zopa's enthusiasm and agreed to help him spread the word. The resulting book is a delightful introduction to the mani wheel including a non-scholarly introductory essay, translated commentarial texts, colour and black-and-white photographs, practical construction instructions and the main method of practice. The careful production of the book is commendable, especially the thoughtful inclusion of photocopiable mantras and Tibetan-style practice sheets at the end."

DharmaLife

"Instructive... Ladner presents a useful overview of this practice and several pertinent texts by renowned Tibetan teachers including Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche and the Fourth Panchen Lama. There are also diagrams, photos, and a description of the proper method for constructing and filling a prayer wheel with mantras."

Spirituality & Health