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Prayer
Flags and Moon
Boudha Stupa, Kathmandu
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The Tibetan people have a custom of hanging brightly
colored banners of cloth covered with prayers and mantras in the wind.
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blue
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space
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white
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water
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red
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fire
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green
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air
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yellow
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earth
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It is thought that the wind carries the prayers
to all corners of the world bringing blessings of good will and abundance
to all it touches. The colors of the flags depict the five basic elements:
The hanging of prayer flags is considered
a great act of generosity, and will bring great good fortune. Just imagine
how many people the wind will eventually touch. The flags are not hemmed
so that when the threads unravel onto the earth, the creatures who have
their life in the soil are also blessed.
One must be careful not to hang the flags
on inauspicious days. According to tradition this will not bring benefit.
Auspicious days, on the other hand, will increase the benefit of your
act of generosity. You will find a list of these at the bottom of this
page.
Our flags are strung together on
sturdy twine. A beautiful line drawing of the Goddess Tara is surrounded
by the 21 Praises of Tara in Tibetan script. Green Tara's special
gifts are protection and abundance and White Tara's special gifts are
the removing of obstacles to our long life and the bestowing of good
health.
Om
Tare!! Om Tare!!
Sets of
Tara Prayer Flags from Kathmandu
These
prayer flags are made by a team in Kathmandu. A crippled Tibetan
nun carves some of the blocks and Pabitra and her Nepali family
prints and sews the cloth. Both are very poor but they still
have managed to adopt orphans abandoned at the Boudha Stupa.
Traditional
Ink Block Prints Made in Kathmandu
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Set of 10 Prayer Flags
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Mini
6 "x 5"
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Green
Tara
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$
5
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| White
Tara |
$
5
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Volume Discount -- six
10-flag sets for $25
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Mini
6 "x 5"
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Green
Tara |
$25
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| White
Tara |
$25
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Set of 25 Prayer Flags
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Small
10"x 10"
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Small,
Green Tara only
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$10
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Medium
12"x 15"
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Green
Tara
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$14
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| White
Tara |
$14
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Large
15"x 18"
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Green
Tara
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$18
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| White
Tara |
$18
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 Set
of Five Tara Prayer Flags, Silk Screened in HawaiiOur
Silk Screened Tara Prayer Flags are made by a yogi in Hawaii
who supports a small Tibetan Temple and Stupa with the sale
of these flags.
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7"
x 14"
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Green
Tara |
$15
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 Set
of Five Ganesha Prayer Flags
Ganesha, the one who removes obstacles graces these unusual
Prayer Flags. Made by our Yogi Neighbor on Maui, they are silk
screened and sewn on cord, ready for hanging.
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String of 5 in Wisdom Colors
9" x 10"
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$15 |
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String of 5 in White
9" x 10"
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$15 |
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Auspicious
and Inauspicious Days For Hanging Prayer Flags
The Tibetans believe that the merit
to be gained by the hanging of Prayer Flags can be inhibited, even
reversed by hanging them on days that are considered inauspicious.
This is determined by some complicated astrological acrobatics. We
asked our Tara Dhatu Representative in Kathmandu, Andrea Abinanti,
to help us figure out the auspicious and inauspicious dates for the
rest of this Tibetan calendar year.
Auspicious
dates mean that the merit to be gained is multiplied by the force
of the astrological connection. These
are calculated by the lunar cycle...... The 8th lunar day celebrates
Tara, the 10th is called Guru Rinpoche Day, the 15th is Full Moon,
the 25th is Dakini Day (Vajrayogini) and the 30th is Protector Day.
These days often do not match our western calendar's progression.
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Inauspicious
Days
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2006
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June: 2, 9, 18, 20, 28
July: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 17, 25
August: 1, 2, 4, 10, 12, 13, 22, 24, 27
September: 8, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
October: 1, 2, 5, 16, 18, 23 November: 5, 6, 10,12, 15, 27, 29
December: 8, 13, 15, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30 |
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2007
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| January: 4, 9, 17, 20, 31
February: 1, 6, 8, 10, 12 |
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Auspicious
Days
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Tara Days
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2006
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July 3
August 2
September 1 and 30
October 30
November 28
December 28 |
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2007
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| January 26 |
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Guru Rinpoche Days
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2006
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July 6
August 4
September 3
October 2
November 1 (no actual Tibetan date in this month for the 10th)
November 30
December 29 |
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2007
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| January 28 |
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Vajrayogini Days
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2006
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June 21
July 20
August 18
September 17
October 16
November 15
December 15 |
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2007
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January 13
February 12 |
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Full Moon
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2006
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July 11
August 9
September 7
October 7
November 5
December 4 |
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2007
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January 3
February 2 |
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Dharmapala 'Protector' Days
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2006
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June 24
July 24
August 22
September 21
October 20
November 19
December 19 |
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2007
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January 18
February 16 |
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OTHER SPECIAL BUDDHIST
DATES
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2006
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| July 6 -- His Holiness
the Dalai Lama's birthday.
July 11 -- Universal Prayer Day
July 29 -- The day Buddha Shakyamuni
turned the wheel of the Dharma in
Saranath, giving his first teaching.
October 2 -- Gandhi Jayanti, the birthday
of Gandhi.
November 12 -- Buddha Shakyamuni's Descent
from the 33rd Heaven after
teaching his mother and other gods.
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2007
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| Feb. 18 -- Losar
(The Tibetan New Year) |
For details about auspicious and inauspicious
days to hang prayer flags, please consult the Snow
Lion page.
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