Prayer flag, prayer flags

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Prayer flag, prayer flags

***** Location: Japan, Tibet
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation



A prayer flag is a colorful panel of rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas. They are used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. Prayer flags are believed to have originated with Bön, which predated Buddhism in Tibet. In Bön, shamanistic Bonpo used primary-colored plain flags in healing ceremonies. They are unknown in other branches of Buddhism.
Traditionally they are woodblock-printed with texts and images.

The Indian Buddhist Sutras, written on cloth in India, were transmitted to other regions of the world. These sutras, written on banners, were the origin of prayer flags.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Prayer flags can be associated with a lot of things, that is the personal and cultural bias of each individual born into a certain cultural environment.

The World Kigo Database tries to explain the different cultural aspects of items that YOU (each one of you) find worthy to write a haiku about.

We should be proud of our different cultures and happy to explain it to our haiku friends worldwide. That is at least my effort with the database.
Please contribute your cultural heritage through haiku !

Gabi Greve

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Worldwide use


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Tibetan Prayer Flags

The flags are made in colors representing the five elements of the universe:

Blue is the sky
White is for the clouds
Red is fire
Green is water
Yellow is the earth


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. . Japanese Prayer Flags in Five Colors
(goshiki ban 五色幡) 　　 　
ban　幡（ばん）doo 幢, hata 旗, dooban 幢幡（どうばん）



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Things found on the way





holding out
in the winter sky -
last cherry leaf


This leaf reminds me that things happen in nature
without our "willing" it.
When it is time, it will fall, no sooner, no later.

It is my teacher on the path of life and death.
It is my prayer flag.


. Gabi Greve, Winter 2009



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HAIKU


prayer flags -
in thin air
trembling lips in worship

Gabi Greve
McLeoud Ganj, Indian Himalayas, 1979

. Himalaya Mountains, India 　


. . . . .


moving wind
moving flag
moving mind


Zen Koan and
Prayer Flags in Bhutan



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prayer flags
the old pine swayes
unmoved

Trees and Prayer Flags in Japan

Gabi Greve


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first snow . . .
Tibetan prayer flags flapping
in the wind

richard kay
Australia


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Tibetan Plateau
faded prayer flags flutter
in the autumn wind

Chen-ou Liu
Canada


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see happiness
in prayer flags...
snow on the mountain

Shared by Pat Geyer
Joys of Japan, February 2012



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Related words

***** Faith and Prayer

. WKD - LIST of haiku topics and Keywords 　

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The word FLAG (hata) just like that is not a kigo.

There are many different kinds of flags, some toys,
some important like the "national flag".

They can be used at any time of the year.


. Tomobata matsuri 伴旗祭 (ともばたまつり)
Tomobata Flag Festival .
April 17 and 18


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Tibet and Daruma


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