Tibet Mani Banners At Tibet Spirit Store.

At Tibet Spirit Store, owned and operated by Tibetans helping Tibet families.

Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), Om Mani Padme Hung, out loud or silently to oneself, invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion. Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect -- it is often carved into stones, like the one pictured above, and placed where people can see them. 

Spinning the written form of the mantra around in a Mani wheel (or prayer wheel) is also believed to give the same benefit as saying the mantra, and Mani wheels, small hand wheels and large wheels with millions of copies of the mantra inside, are found everywhere in the lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.