A necklace of small shell discs was assembled over years and represented countless revolutions of that persons 'Mani' wheel.

A 'Mani' is what we call a prayer wheel. The ubiquitous Vajrayana Buddhist utensil found all over Tibet. The unique concept is a curious combination of 'shamanism' in concert with Buddhist dogma. The mani is a portable prayer mill filled with thousands of mantra printed on a long strip of paper and wound into a tight spool held inside a cylindrical container. The familiar mantra of Avalokiteshvara, 'Om Mani Padme Hum' is distributed as the wheel is turned sending out a blessing and positive wish for all beings.

When the Mani wheel was rotated clockwise the idea is that the mantras inside are launched into the universe as a wish for the benefit of mankind. Much like the use of Buddhist 108 bead malla but amplified by the addition of thousands of prayers.

What a terrific concept!