Buddhist with Mala
Kathmandu Nepal 1991
All rights reserved
"A
Japa mala or
mala (Sanskrit:
माला;
mālā, meaning
garland[1]) (Tib.
threngwa[2]) is a set of
beads commonly used by
Hindus and
Buddhists. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a
mantra or the name or names of a
deity. This
practice is known in
Sanskrit as
japa. Malas are typically made with 18, 27, 54 or 108 beads.
In
Tibetan Buddhism, traditionally malas of 108 beads are used. Some practitioners use malas of 21 or 28 beads for doing
prostrations. Doing one 108-bead mala counts as the 108 worldly sins in Buddhist doctrine.
Malas are mainly used to count mantras. These mantras can be recited
for different purposes linked to working with mind. The material used to
make the beads can vary according to the purpose of the mantras used.
Some beads can be used for all purposes and all kinds of mantras. These
beads can be made from the wood of the Bodhi tree (
Ficus religiosa), or from 'Bodhi seeds', which come from the
Rudraksha (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) and not the Bodhi tree. Another general-purpose mala is made from
rattan seeds (Calamus Arecaceae),
the beads themselves called 'Moon and Stars' by Tibetans, and variously
called 'lotus root', 'lotus seed' and 'linden nut' by various
retailers. The bead itself is very hard and dense, ivory coloured (which
gradually turns a deep golden brown with long use), and has small holes
(moons) and tiny black dots (stars) covering its surface."
In 1991 I bought a number of these in Nepalese antique shops. Each unique made to the taste of the Buddhist. To me they seem to exude a spirituality and I am not a believer in "stone properties" etc.
