The practice of making and turning prayer wheels is an ancient one. It was brought from India to Tibet by a number of great Lineage Masters. Today, it is still recognized as one of the most powerful methods for accumulating vast amounts of merit and for purifying heavy obscurations and negative karma for oneself and all sentient beings.
Prayer wheels can be made to be turned by hand or by wind, heat, water, or electrical power. The traditional commentaries describe many different benefits that arise from making and turning prayer wheels correctly. They say that spinning a prayer wheel clockwise creates karma similar to having recited all of the mantras and prayers contained within that wheel. Many prayer wheels contain millions, billions, or even trillions of mantras. Commentaries teach about using prayer wheels to purify karma; to meditate on love and compassion; to create vast stores of positive merit; to heal oneself and others; to bless the earth, water or wind so as to benefit all the beings living nearby; to bless one’s home; to meditate on deity yoga; and to progress swiftly on the path to enlightenment for all sentient beings. More detailed information on the benefits of prayer wheels can be found here.
The tantra Unceasing Dharma Wheel explains: “make this great wheel extremely carefully without mistakes,” and other commentaries say similar things. Therefore, if you’re going to make prayer wheels, it is essential to do so in accordance with the tradition from which they derive.
The following instructions were given to us directly by Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche, and Venerable Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche. These instructions uphold the teachings of the great lineage masters of the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelugpa traditions of Tibet and Mongolia. Therefore, observing them carefully is absolutely essential to ensure the prayer wheel’s effectiveness. While the process is fairly simple, one should pause to take note of the details and then proceed.
Life Tree & Life Tree Mantras
At the center of each prayer wheel is what’s called a ‘life tree’ (sog shing in Tibetan)—a central, circulating axle around which the mantras are wrapped. The need for a life tree at the center is not unique to prayer wheels. Buddhist stupas and metal statues (which are hollow in the center) also have a life tree at their core. The life tree is sometimes said to represent the bodhi tree under which the historical Buddha attained enlightenment. In the Vajrayana tradition, the life tree represents the central channel of the Buddha or other enlightened being. The life tree is the center of the sacred space you create inside the prayer wheel, which in turn blesses the environment and beings around it. It is thus advised to bless this central axis with mantras. Commentaries state that there are specific mantras that should either be written on the life tree itself or printed on paper or cloth and then wrapped around it before other mantras are added. If the life tree is large enough, then you can write the mantras on the life tree itself. In the case of smaller wheels, where the life tree is too small to inscribe mantras directly, the mantras should instead be written on paper or cloth and wrapped around the life tree. We are sharing images of the life tree mantras on this website in both Tibetan and English. Choose either version of the life tree mantras, print it to a suitable size, and then wrap it around the life tree of your prayer wheel. It is important to note that the life tree (sog shing) must be designed so that it spins along with the life tree mantras and the main mantras. The life tree and life tree mantras must not be static or unmoving and must always come before the main mantras. In the following video, Micha Strauss shows us how to make a prayer wheel using two reels of nanofilm:
Earth Wheel & Sky Wheel
In continuing the process of creating a sacred space inside the wheel where the mantras live, commentaries advise placing an “earth wheel” at the base, oriented upward. This is a mandala-like design with a lotus in the center. Guru Rinpoche is known as the “lotus born” (Padmasambhava in Sanskrit) because he arose from a lotus. In both thangka paintings and statuary, enlightened beings are often shown sitting or standing on a lotus. Here, mantras that fill the prayer wheel are considered manifestations of the deity, and thus they rest on a lotus. The symbolism of the lotus is often associated with something pure, clean, and beautiful arising from the mud, just as enlightened beings arise from within the samsaric context of ignorance and affliction through the transformative power of wisdom and compassion. The lotus here and the prayer wheel itself are related to such a transformation for the builders of prayer wheels and for all who use or come into contact with them. Again, we are sharing an image of the earth wheel, which can be found here. Print the earth wheel to the correct size and place it at the bottom of the prayer wheel, facing upward. The mantras and prayers you wrap around the life tree will rest on top of this earth wheel.
Similarly, you should place a “sky wheel” inside the prayer wheel at the top, facing down. Both the earth wheel and the sky wheel are mandala-like, based on a lotus design, and have mantra syllables on them. The sky wheel is also about creating a sacred space, like a mandala, in which the deities, in the form of mantras, will abide. The version we share here was drawn by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and is based on the traditional guidelines.
Main Mantras
The next step is to wind the main mantras onto the prayer wheel (e.g. Mani mantra, Vajra Guru mantra, Green Tara mantra).* Each of the teachers we consulted gave differing preferences on mantra combinations and it is important to follow the instructions of a qualified teacher that you trust on this topic. Information on specific mantra combinations and each teacher’s advice can be found on our FAQ page.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised prayer wheel makers to include the Four Dharmakaya Relic mantras (Stainless Pinnacle Deity, Secret Relic, Zung of the Exalted Completely Pure Stainless Light, and 100,000 Ornaments of Enlightenment) as they are the highest Buddha relics of the dharmakaya. (For information about the benefits of the Four Dharmakaya relic mantras, please visit the FPMT website.)
All of the mantras must be upright and face outward. Methods for winding the mantras vary. Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa noted that the traditional method is to wind the mantras counterclockwise. In the case of the Vajra Guru mantra, this means attaching the Hūṃ to the life tree and then winding the mantras around it to face outward. However, Khensur Rinpoche also noted that the Panchen Lama instructed attaching the Oṃ to the life tree and wind the mantras clockwise, facing outward. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, having first read and translated the Panchen Lama’s text, generally followed this clockwise approach. H.E. Garchen Rinpoche pointed out the parallel between how mantras are visualized at the heart of deities when one is reciting their mantras and how they are placed inside of prayer wheels; they are seen as standing upright around a central seed syllable, arranged in a clockwise manner. This is true for the mantras of Avalokitesvara, Tara Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, Medicine Buddha, and many others. Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaches that one should visualize light rays emitting from the prayer wheel and radiating from the heart of the deity, compassionately relieving the suffering of beings and lovingly leading them to temporary well-being and to the ultimate state of enlightenment. The meaning of the mantras being upright and arranged clockwise is similar here. Khensur Rinpoche emphasized that both clockwise and counterclockwise approaches are permissible. To wind the mantras clockwise, attach the first letters of the first mantra (which is often an ‘Om…’ when it comes to mantras) and then spin the wheel clockwise to wind the mantras onto the life tree.
Your prayer wheel is complete! How wonderful! Now is time to rejoice and dedicate the merit to all sentient beings!
*Note: Once the life tree mantras are added, you can then begin wrapping the main mantras (e.g. the Mani or Vajra Guru). However, in some cases you will have to put both the earth wheel and sky wheel in before adding the main mantra. This is especially true if the whole prayer wheel is already constructed, which would make it difficult to place these wheels inside after the main mantras are placed.
Citations
Ladner, L. (2000). The wheel of great compassion : the practice of the prayer wheel in Tibetan Buddhism (Thubten Zopa, Trans.). Wisdom Publications.
Lundberg, C. (Director). (2013). For the Benefit of all Beings – The Extraordinary Life of His Eminence Garchen Triptul Rinpoche [Film]. Garuda Sky Productions.
Rinpoche, G. (2003-2004). Winter Retreat at Garchen Buddhist Institute [Dharma Talk].
Rinpoche, G. (2016). Garchen Dharma Institute.
Drikung Dharma Surya Center (n.d.). Construction of the Prayer Wheel Pagoda. Retrieved September 12, 2025, from https://drikungdharmasurya.org/construction-of-temple-prayer-wheel-pagoda/
Rinpoche, T. (04/08/2025). [Dharma Talk]