Prayer Wheels and Weird Science

First, the prayer wheels. From Chagdud Gonpa comes word that they are installing twelve Medicine Buddha prayer wheels all over South America. The first one, shown here, was installed in Merida, Venezuela. You can get involved with the project by clicking here, and if you like to construct prayer wheels, I suggest you do it this way, rather than my way:

Now, the weird science. To get to this stage has probably taken well over USD $1,000, what with getting this to make that, getting that to make this, and of course, the cost of bandages. This is my Arts and Crafts-influenced, solid oak, mortise and tenon prayer wheel frame, with the solid steel pipe. It has a long way to go (to put it mildly).

In honor of my California days, the pipe is going to the automotive paint shop to be bead blasted and prepped, then hit with coats of Candy Apple red. Then it'll be pinstriped, and detailed with all the good stuff.

After that, we will blueprint the motor, and I guess maybe put air shocks in so we can sled the thing on Saturday nights. The way we figure it, this thing will run 60 billion mantras without going redline, and we plan to be strong competitors at the Prayer Wheel 500.

I will post photos of my progress, but I warn you -- this is one of those things that takes years and years. It sits in the shop, where it is "studied," and "engineered," and of course used as an enduring excuse to get this to make that, and that to make this... and don't forget the bandages.

Hmmm.. maybe I should send a donation to Chagdud Gonpa. Might see a prayer wheel actually get built that way.