Tibetan prayer wheels (called Mani wheels by the Tibetans) are for spreading spiritual blessings and well being.

Rolls of thin paper imprinted with many copies of the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, are wound around an axle within a protective container. Larger decorative versions of the mantra syllables are also carved on the outside cover of the wheel.

Reading from left to right the syllables are pronounced:
Om(ohm) Ma(mah) Ni(nee) Pad(pahd) Me(may) Hum(hum).

The mantra Om Mani Padme Hum invokes the spiritual power and blessings of the Buddha Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. According to tradition, spinning the prayer wheel will have much the same reward as orally reciting the Om Mani Padme Hum prayer.

The spinning of prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom, merit or good karma and to purify negativities such as bad karma.

Prayer wheels are always spun clockwise. Each revolution is as valuable as reading the inscription, and this means that the more Om Mani Padme Hum mantras that are inside a prayer wheel then the more powerful it is– The Vajra’s prayer wheel has 100,000 prayers inside!

The wheel must not be spun too fast; it should be turned smoothly with the motivation and spirit of compassion and with a mind that aspires to full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.