An Update on the Serenity Ridge Prayer Wheels

First Set Expected to Be Installed by Summer Retreat

One of the 15 prayer wheels donated to Serenity Ridge.Those of you who visit Serenity Ridge for this summer's retreat with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and His Holiness the 34th Menri Trizin will see something new at the retreat center. A set of new prayer wheels will grace the path between Kunzang Khang and the gompa across from the Garuda House.

You may recall that 15 beautiful prayer wheels were donated to Serenity Ridge just before the Covid outbreak. Last year during our summer retreat we raised funds for the creation of three houses, each one to hold five of the prayer wheels.

Prayer wheels are usually metal cylinders mounted vertically on an axel so that they can easily spin. As the prayer wheel is spun, the blessings of the mantras inside them flow out and bless us, the land and all beings, similar to the action of prayer flags.

Our new prayer wheels are very special as they come from Menri Monastery in India. They have been filled with an extraordinary number of mantras, 800 pages in each wheel! Among the included prayers are the three heart mantras, the 100-syllable mantra, the principal mantra of Sherap Chamma, the long life mantra and praise of Tsewang Rigdzin, the Sigyal Drak Ngak mantra and others.

The prayer wheels are being installed at Serenity Ridge this summer. They will be housed in three sets of five, standing in line with the gompa entry doors and the tall prayer flag along the pathway between Kunzang Khang, the main building on campus, and the gompa. The first set is expected to be up by the summer retreat, with the others installed later in the summer.

You can see some of what is being planned with these wonderful drawings by sangha member John Massie.

There is much work to do, and inflation, along with the complexity of the installation, have increased costs considerably. We are deeply grateful to all those who have contributed to this project through the donation of their time, skill and funds. If you would like to help see this project to completion, consider a donation to our general fund. Please add the words "prayer wheels" to the Comments section.