Beauty in transience

Within just a few days I’ve read about Tibetan prayer flags and Brazilian santos bracelets and I think they’re both lovely.

D6 – Prayer Flags Special by Purple Cloud

A prayer flag is a colorful panel or rectangular cloth often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside or for other purposes. Traditionally they are woodblock-printed with texts and images.

Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.

As the Buddhist spiritual approach is non theistic, the elements of Tantric iconography do not stand for external beings, but represent aspects of enlightened mind i.e. compassion, perfect action, fearlessness, etc.

The prayers of a flag are released and become a permanent part of the universe as the images fade from exposure to the elements. Just as life moves on and is replaced by new life, Tibetans renew their hopes for the world by continually mounting new flags alongside the old. This act symbolizes a welcoming of life changes and an acknowledgment that all beings are part of a greater ongoing cycle.

The santos bracelets have a similar though theistic concept:

Originally from Brazil, the bracelet – made of cherry wood or plastic – features a different Saint on each square. But unlike other wrist candy, this one’s got ‘meaning’ (or so we hear). Over time, the pictures of the Saints fall off, leaving just one man standing…well, that Survivor’s your patron Saint. It all sounds kinda ridiculous to us, but times are tough…we’ll take any divine intervention we can!

I really dig the universality of releasing ideas and energy into the universe. When I die I’d like to be buried as a whole body under a tree or plant, so that my atoms once again become part of the circle of growth and life.