Tibetan prayer flags

Tibetan prayer flags, or prayer flags, are pieces of cloth in 5 different colours with mantras, symbols and sutras printed on them, and are used to promote good fortune, compassion and harmony.

They date back to the pre-Buddhist period of Tibet, during the existence of the animist Bön tradition, and they referred to the elements present in nature.

When Buddhism came to Tibet through Padmasambhava, the different prayers and mantras were written down, as well as representations of the different Buddhist deities.

A mantra is a prayer of several syllables and sounds that corresponds to a specific aspect of enlightenment. In addition to being recited, a mantra can be written down and will produce the same positive effect as if it were pronounced.

Currently, the most commonly used are those that are hung horizontally and refer to Lung-Tha (the horse of the wind). They depict a horse, carrying on its back three flaming jewels that symbolize Buddha, Dharma and Shanga, all surrounded by mantras, sutras and prayers.

Thus, it is said that when the wind shakes the flags, the horse Lung-Tha distributes its benefits and good fortune to all living beings.

There are also vertical flags, called darchor, which are raised with the help of a pole.

Its 5 colors represent the 5 elements of nature and at the same time the 5 families of Buddha (which personify the five wisdoms necessary to free ourselves from the five poisons that impede our spiritual progress).

Their order and corresponding element is:
• Blue – Space
• White – Water
• Red – Fire
• Green – Wind / Air
• Yellow – Earth

They are found in the elevated parts of monasteries and stupas, on the summits or at the crossing points in the heights of the mountains of the Himalayas, or on the roofs and exterior windows of private houses. The important thing is that they are located in high places so that they do not touch the ground and in open spaces where the wind can shake them to spread the mantras and prayers.

When they wear out or break over time, they remind us that life is perishable and everything is reborn, transmutes and evolves. And they have to be changed as a symbol of the beginning of a new life cycle. If old flags are removed, they must be burned as a symbol of respect.

There are different auspicious dates throughout the year to renew the flags, but the main one is during the celebration of Losar, the Tibetan New Year (full moon of the month of February).

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(Source: Himalayan Paradise, shop in Barcelona:
https://himalayanparadise.es/es/blog/nuevas-entradas/banderas-oracion-tibetanas )