Hindu/Buddhist Mala

 
 
Hindu/Buddhist Mala
Enlarge Hindu/Buddhist Mala

Nearly two-thirds of the world's population meditates or prays with beads, and the Hindu or Buddhist mala is the great mother of rosaries. From India and the Himalayan kingdoms, it traveled east to China and Japan. It also traveled west to Africa and Europe, where it evolved into the Islamic subha, the Christian rosary, the Eastern Orthodox prayer rope, and the secular worry beads used throughout Greece and the Middle East.

Common to many strands is the number nine. Greatest of the single-digit numerals, nine is symbolic of completion. Where the numbers do not add up to nine, they are often divisible by three, symbolic of the trinities in Hinduism (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva), Christianity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), and the three central concepts of Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha).

33-bead Orthodox Chotki

Hindu/Buddhist Mala

108-bead mala of picture jasper with turquoise howlite and red bamboo coral marker beads; finished with poppy jasper guru bead and turquoise tassel. Picture jasper beads are 8mm in diameter; bamboo coral marker beads are 10mm in diameter and are strung seven places from the guru bead; turquoise howlite saucers are 12mm in diameter and are spaced fourteen places from the red bamboo coral beads (i.e., 21 places from the guru bead). Length approximately 20 in. (50.8 cm). (Photo: Laura Brittain)

Dharma Beads: Making and Using Your Own Buddhist Malas
Joanna Arettam (2000) Journey Editions; Tuttle Publishing

 

Dharma Beads: Making and Using Your Own Buddhist Malas

Dharma Beads: Making and Using Your Own Buddhist Malas

Joanna Arettam (2000) Journey Editions; Tuttle Publishing

The practice of meditating with Buddhist malas has been a tradition for thousands of years. With so many people searching for spiritual expression and Buddhism being so popular, its no wonder that a rosary from a 2500 year-old religion has become the hottest trend in contemporary culture. Dharma Beads looks beyond just the hip aspect of wearing Buddhist malas and presents a thoughtful presentation of authentic Tibetan mala traditions and customs. Whatever your spiritual tradition, you can use malas to help you create and maintain a state of quiet reflection: a cloister of the mind.

In this book you'll find fully illustrated easy-to-follow instructions to make three 27-bead malas, a brief history of the use of beads for meditation and prayer around the world, the story of the development of malas in Buddhist tradition, simple suggestions for beginning a spiritual practice using your malas, and color photographs from around the world.