The Practice of Lungta (Hoisting of Prayer Flags) 悬挂风马旗的修行

With many thanks to the patience of all Dharma friends, this is a summary of Geshe la’s teachings from last Saturday 9 April 2022 which we hope does sufficient justice to Geshe la’s scholarship and knowledge which he has generously shared and which he insisted, be accurately transcribed for the benefit of the many dear and precious Dharma friends who follow the Maha Tare Buddhist Centre’s posts. The teaching was on the practice of the hoisting of Prayer Flags or Lungta.

Geshe la began by extending a warm welcome to everyone to this season of Dharma talks – the first after the Lunar New Year. He sought everyone’s kind understanding that today’s lesson would be a single session lecture in that we will resume our Dharma talks (after today) only after Vesak Day (the 15^th day of the 4^th Lunar Month) which falls on 15 May 2022 this year – as many aware, the Lord Buddha’s three most important deeds were accompished during this month; he was born, attained enlightenment and passed into parinirvana, all within this month.

A) Why is this topic important?

Literally speaking, Lungta (Lung being wind, and Ta being horse) is a pan-Himalayan cultural concept denoting good fortune and success – Lungta is an intangible inner trait (one of five actually) that influences the wellbeing of a person, but is used as a description of the practice of hoisting of prayer flags. The five (5) aspects of a person’s well being can be identified as (i) Life Energy (命), (ii) Health (身), (iii) Power （权）(iv) Luck （运）and  (v) Life Essence (魂). Prayer Flags are in essence how one can increase the 4^th aspect, which is luck.

Geshe la first observed that many practising in our tradition as well as many who take an interest in rituals in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, believe in the efficacy of hoisting prayer flags. This is worthy of rejoicing because prayer flags or Lungta can assist the Offeror in generating auspicious conditions, dispelling obstacles, and bringing a whole host of other positive things to him or her and/or his or her intended beneficiaries.

Geshe la cautioned however, that whilst this practice has a deceptively simple name i.e. “hoisting prayer flags”, there are many matters of detail that are relevant and can make a difference to the efficacy of the practice. Perhaps more importantly, if done incorrectly, the practice can have reverse (adverse) effects on the Offeror’s aspects of (i)-(iii) and (v) above. It is one thing if the practice is having a neutral effect on the Offeror, but we must alert the devoted in order to avoid situations where we carry out such practices to our detriment.

B) Why is the practice of Lungta not as simple as it sounds?

The practice of Lungta is not as simple as it sounds because there are many factors that one has to consider in relation to this practice which was laid down in the sutras.

By way of introduction, it is believed in our tradition (through what is said in the sutras) that the practice of Lungta was introduced by Lord Buddha to the Devas in the Tavatimsa Heavens, where He had actually sojourned from this world system. His purpose then was to teach the Dharma to the Devas (“gods”, in common parlance) (including in particular, His late mother Queen Maya Devi who had been reborn there).

The Devas were then engaged in a war with the Asuras and had just been defeated. The Lord of Heaven (King of the Devas), Lord Indra, sought the Enlightened One’s advice as to how to best increase auspicious conditions for the Devas following this defeat.

The Blessed One advised a practice devoted to a particular meditational deity (a Bodhisattva by the name of Gyanchen Chyinmo), and recommended that this Her dharani (a dharani is, in common language, a long mantra) be written down or printed on prayer flags, and flown in high places. The practice would allow the blessings from that dharani would be carried by the wind and whoever is touched by those winds will have created for them, positive conditions for the Devas and their activities.

This is the practice we see today where mantras of various deities including but not limited to Manjushri (to increase wisdom), Chenresig (to increase compassion or to benefit from Chenresig’s compassion), Tara (usually to increase success in one’s career) and Vajrapani (to dispel obstacles with aid of the Buddha’s might/ power), are printed on these prayer flags, and those who are touched by the winds that have blown past the flags will be blessed with merits and more auspicious conditions, thereby assisting them with the conditions for success.

Coming back to why the practice of Lungta is not as simple as it sounds; there are many levels at which the details may not comply with what had been laid down in the sutras, and it is complex because the 5 animals and 5 colours are used to symbolise different things depending on whether one is speaking of it at the Outer Level, Inner Level, Secret Level or Most Secret levels. When practising Lungta, one has to take close note of, amongst other things: –

1. The accuracy of depiction of the 5 auspicious animals on the flags. The animals are: –
   • the Wind Horse (representing the element of Wind and the speedy fulfilment of wishes, the latter of which is represented by the Wish Fulfilling Jewel that it carries on its back, which is why it represents Luck),
   • the Snow Lion (representing the element of Earth and which is meant to be a Himalayan being from the highlands, and the king of all animals in that realm, representing might and courage),
   • the Dragon (representing the element of Water and which also represents Power),
   • the Garuda (representing the element of Fire and also the ability to take one to greater heights in terms of success i.e. “high flying” comes to mind) and
   • the Tiger (representing the element of Wood as it resides in the forest, or Health),
2. The correctness of the 5 colours on the flags (representing the 5 elements), including their hues and shades, in that they should be : –
   • Blue (representing Space),
   • White (representing Air),
   • Red (representing Fire),
   • Yellow (representing Earth)
   • Green (representing Water)
3. The order in which they are to appear when hung/ hoisted.
4. The days on which it may not be appropriate to hoist prayer flags.

Geshe elaborated upon these points as below.

(i) Depiction of the Auspicious Animals and Colours

In respect of points 1. and 2. above, problems occur in this modern day and age because as prayer flags or Lungta become increasingly commercialised, there are for-profit entities that print these flags for sale on the market. In Geshe la’s experience, many of these flags depart from what was originally prescribed in the sutras. Below are a number of examples: –

(a) The Wind Horse is depicted in a “trotting” position rather than a “galloping” position – this is at odds with what has been described in the sutras in that the Wind Horse should be “galloping” so as to allow speedy fulfilment of wishes.

(b) The Snow Lion is depicted not as a Himalayan Snow Lion but instead, as an African or Asian Lion – this again is not in compliance with the descriptions in the sutras as the Snow Lion is meant to be a Himalayan being from the hight altitudes, and therefore king of not just ordinarily animals but also those in other realms, representing might and courage.

(c) In addition, the animals are sometimes not placed in the right order – this is a matter of considerable importance. They should actually be positioned as follows and in the tradition laid down in the Divination College of Lhasa founded by His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama: –

Geshe la shared that many prayer flags sold commercially today show, amongst other errors, the Dragon placed at the top right hand corner – this is based on the commonly misunderstood assumption that the dragon is a being that takes flight– this is, with respect, not accurate. The Dragon is meant to take place at the bottom right hand corner, as illustrated above. See for example: –

The most authoritative printings including the most authoritative books on Tibetan Buddhist astrology, can be found in the printing house of the Potala Palace in Lhasa but the reality is that not everyone will be able to have access to them.

ii) Order in which flags are to appear when hung/ hoisted

in respect of point 3. above, there are a number of parameters that must be considered, and can depend on, amongst other things, the purpose which the offeror wishes for, and also on whether one is dealing with a Large Prayer Flag arrangement, or a Small Prayer Flag arrangement.

(a) For Large Prayer Flag arrangements which essentially involve a very tall flagpole, which one sees atop mountains in the Himalayas, at the foreground of the Main Prayer Hall of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries or in front of houses, the order of the colours should ordinarily be flown as follows, in a top to bottom order: –

i) Blue (representing Space)
ii) White (representing Air)
iii) Red (representing Fire)
iv) Yellow (representing Earth)
v) Green (representing Water)

(b) For Small Prayer Flag arrangements which involve the flags being hung across a string making it was way horizontally, they should adopt the same order but with Blue at the Eastern direction, and Green at the Western direction, ideally speaking and if at all practicable.

(c) The elemental sign and/or zodiac animal sign of the offeror who is intended to benefit from this practice, is also key to how the prayer flags should be hung/ hoisted, and that is where the standard order described above will be adjusted. This can be illustrated by a number of examples: –

i) By reference to the Elemental Sign of the Intended Beneficiary

It may be helpful to first say that every individual has got a primary elemental sign, that is one of the 5 elements of Wood (Green), Water (Blue), Fire (Red), Earth (Yellow), Metal (White).

If the head of the household has for example, Fire as his primary element, then the flag(s) being flown will be Red. If on the other hand, he has Water as his primary element, then the flags will be Blue.

In the temple or monastery context, the order ordinarily follows the primary elemental sign of the lineage guru of that monastery. One sees this in Tibetan settlements overseas (outside of Tibet) where the prayer flags flown will be by reference to the primary elemental sign of His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama, which is Green, as His Holiness’ primary elemental sign is Wood – government offices of the Tibetan Government in exile in Dharamsala will hoist Green flags.

Similarly, in Buddhist countries such as the Kingdom of Bhutan, the flags will follow the primary elemental sign of His Majesty the King of Bhutan.

ii) By reference to the Animal Zodiac Sign of the Intended Beneficiary

It is important to note, however, that the flags can also be done by reference to the Animal Zodiac sign of the Offeror (or the main intended beneficiary), with the colour associated with that person’s Animal Zodiac sign being the first colour to be hoisted.

By way of introduction, based on the Root Tantra of Manjushri’s tradition of Buddhist Astrology, the 12 Zodiac Animals are attributed different colours following colours as being beneficial for their respective animal zodiac signs in respect of their luck aspect: –

• Tiger, Dog, Horse (Metal) are White
• Pig, Rabbit, Sheep (Fire) are Red
• Rat, Dragon, Monkey (Wood) are Green
• Rooster, Ox, Snake (Water) are Blue

That is why His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama’s own residence in Dharamsala, India, one will observe flags that begin with the colour Red, instead of Green, as His Holiness’ was born in the year of the Pig, and Red is beneficial for His Holiness’ luck (运) aspect.

In that sense, illustrates why both Red and Green are equally efficacious for His Holiness’ benefit on the luck (运) aspect.

This principle assists one in identifying the colour of the prayer flag that is appropriate to you for your luck aspect, first identifying one’s own animal zodiac sign.

iii) By reference to the nature of the benefit that the Offeror seeks to obtain through the practice of Lungta.

The final consideration that may affect the order is the effect which the Offeror seeks to achieve. Geshe la, in his consultations, will give regard to the 5 different aspects of personal vitality, namely: –

• Life Energy (Length and quality of one’s life)
• Health (deals with a person’s state of health during his/her mortal life)
• Power or Authority (whether one’s life weight allows dominion over others – essential for a successful career)
• Luck (this refers to the variable component of auspicious conditions)
• Life Essence (this is what gives one contentment in life/ degree of “comfort in one’s own skin”)

In any consultation, Geshe la will consider the above comprehensively and prescribe the order accordingly.

iv) When the flags should hung/ hoisted (or not, as the case may be)

Finally, it is important to note that there are days when it is not auspicious to hoist prayer flags. In particular, even certain dates that are deemed auspicious for our Buddhist practices are not necessarily considered appropriate dates for the hoisting/ flying of Prayer Flags. Geshe la revealed that for every 10 days in the lunisolar calendar, there will be 1 or 2 days on which it is not appropriate to hoist/ fly Prayer Flags and to hoist flags on that day and leave the flags fluttering there for a prolonged period from that particular day, can reverse the fortunes of the offeror/ the intended beneficiaries. This is because there are days on which a certain category of the lords of the sites (土地神) who will emerge and it has been proven that hoisting prayer flags on such days will create more problems than benefitis to the Offeror/ the Intended Beneficiaries.

This is another reason why the devoted should always exercise caution when engaging in this practice, and to seek help if one is unsure.

Finally, Geshe la reminded everyone that the flags have to be consecrated first and there are certain prayers associated with the hoisting ritual which have to be properly performed in order for the ritual to be effective.

C) Conclusions

Geshe la concluded by expressing the hope that everyone had some helpful takeaways from the Class, and that everyone would pay greater heed when engaging in the practice of Lungta, in order to avoid any unintended (negative) effects.

Geshe la revealed an interesting anecdote that a lot of these principles concerning the art of divination descended from Indian, Chinese and Tibetan traditions was studied and consolidated by a great master named Dechen Sangye Gyantso, a learned scholar of the Divination College of Lhasa, who authored 4 authoritative books on the art of divination. He was also trained in Tibetan Medicine. It is in that tradition that Geshe la was himself trained in the art of Tibetan Buddhist Astrology, a metaphysical science that is complimentary to the Dharma and which continues to be deployed towards helping all beings in samsara even in this modern world, in the spirit of the Buddha’s infinite compassion to all sentient beings.

We thank you for your kind attention, and may all of you and your loved ones be well and happy.

The Maha Tare Team