Mani Dui and Mani Stone Inscription

A Brief Introduction to Mani Dui

In Tibet, you can find piles of stones here and there. That is called Mani Dui. Mani Dui are heaps of white stones in square or round shapes. Mani Dui are always found on tops of mountains, at the mouths of mountains, at the road crossings or ferry crossings, at the lakeside and in the temples or graveyards. They are used for praying and thus becoming the patron saint of the local people.

History of Mani Dui in Tibet

In the pristine Tibetan Bonism, it is believed that everything in the world has a soul. They worship white objects and of course including those white stones. Therefore, Mani Dui are originally the natural white stones.

After the Buddhism was introduced into Tibet, the Mani Dui were developed-they were no more just the simple white stones. The Tibetans inscribed Buddhism scriptures or engraved Buddhist statues on the surface of the highly spiritual white stones, thus making the stones more spiritual. In this way, those Mani Dui can protect and bless Tibetans themselves.

Mani Stones

Mani Dui are piled up with Mani stones. These stones are different in size and various in shape with the large ones like a hill and the small ones that can be held in a hand. They are in a natural state in the shapes of round or square. Except that the majority of the stones are white, the textures of the stones are also distinct from one another, ranging from the limestone, siliceous rock to the white marble and so on. People place the Mani stones where they hold the circumambulation ritual or where they always pass by. Some people even place the Mani stones at home as the holy article or bring these stones to the distant places of pilgrimage. Mani stones are also inlayed on the walls. People even build the special halls to enshrine the Mani stones.

Folk Custom about the Mani Dui

According to the Tibetan customs, whenever the local people pass the Mani Dui, they will walk around the Madi Dui, mumbling in their mouths to pray for the blessings from the deities and to get rid of disease. Then they will add another Mani stone onto the Mani Dui. Even if there is no stone nearby, they will add an animal's skull or corn or the hair of a goat, and sometimes even the hair of themselves onto the Mani Dui. In this way, the scale of the Mani Dui gets bigger and bigger as people successively pass them.

Mani Stone Inscriptions

The inscriptions engraved on the Mani stones are always related to the Tibetan Buddhism. These inscriptions range from Buddhism scriptures (mostly the mantras) and some auspicious words, to the statues of Buddhas or deities and patterns of some animals or demons, which are very rich.

The great demand for Mani stones leads to the prosperity of the art of Mani stone inscriptions and the abundance of the Mani stone craftsmen. These craftsmen make their livings on this craftsmanship. Each time they engrave a Mani stone, they will pray to the deity. "Practice makes perfect." Their craftsmanship has been improved in the long run of their work and each craftsman has formed their own characters and styles, thus making the culture of Mani stone inscriptions more colorful and splendid.