When I took this photo outside of a Buddhist temple in Vinegar Hill, I had no idea what significance these cloths held until I posted this photo on Flickr and someone left a comment saying they are Tibetan prayer flags.  Naturally that led me to looking it up on Wikipedia and now I know all about Buddhist prayer flags.  Textbooks may be a dying breed; you really can get any information on the beautiful thing that is the Internet.

What I love about Buddhism is that prayer is not directed toward gods or any specific divine figure.  These flags, in their varying colors, represent the five elements and are meant “to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom.”  The focus is on worldly qualities that any mortal figure can aspire to understand and acquire.

Buddhism also embraces change and acknowledges that life is an ongoing cycle.  This is something that is hard for most of us to recognize as we get stuck in the same routine of our life and become comfortable within it.  I know I certainly feel a little too cozy in my world sometimes.  And though it’s difficult, that’s when I usually dive off of a metaphorical to cliff to see what else is out there.  Oftentimes, it’s totally worth it.