HISTORY

Beads are among mankind’s oldest cultural artifacts and seemed to have had magical or spiritual associations rather than being purely items of adornment. Prayer beads are universal, dating back to the pre-Christian era and found throughout the world’s religious faiths. Most sources agree that the first appearance of prayer beads was in India as early as 500 B.C. From that nexus, prayer beads spread along trade routes, such as the Silk Road, to the Middle East, China and Japan. Prayer beads are variously named: malas in the Hindu and many Asian traditions, Misbah in Muslim and Sufi traditions, Tazbi in Persia and Worry Beads in Turkey and Greece. In the Catholic faith, the beads were carved to resemble roses, hence the word rosary.

The first prayer beads (Sanskrit: mala, meaning “garland”) grew out of the Vedic tradition in India and were the prototype for prayer beads in later world cultures. The Vedic tradition had a great reverence for sound in which both the language and the Sanskrit alphabet were regarded as sacred. Sound (Vak) generates the forces of creation through its cosmic vibrations, which came to be represented by the varnamala, the garland of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. Out of sound, therefore, comes being. Thus sound, in the Vedic tradition, is associated with the goddess or feminine principle, which later evolved into the anthropomorphic form of Sarasvati, so named for the river by which the Vedic practitioners sang their hymns. Among her attributes is a mala, representing the mantric sounds of the Sanskrit letters and the wisdom and power inherent in them. Chanting sacred sounds is the means to achieve union with absolute being.

Malas did not appear in the Buddhist tradition until sometime after the rise of the Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) in Asia. The first citation of the use of prayer beads occurs in the Soapberry Tree Sutra (Chinese: Mahuanzi; Japanese: Mokugenji). In this sutra, King Vaidurya of the kingdom of Nanda is beset with great conflicts: enemy attacks, diseases, etc. He begs the Buddha to give him a simple practice to help bring ease to his mind and to pacify the external discord. The Buddha tells him to string 108 seeds from the Soapberry tree (Sapindus saponaria) and recite the threefold refuge prayer: taking refuge in the Buddha as example, in the Dharma, the body of truth, and in the Sangha, the community of practitioners.

The Mahayana tradition initiated the concept of the bodhisattva, embodied forms of compassionate energy, who alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings. With the development of the Mahayana tradition came a proliferation of meditational deities and an emphasis on devotional practices not found in the earlier monastic Theravadin tradition. The mala was the main tool to focus ones devotional energy and aspirations, as garlands of sacred sounds were offered again and again. The mala was seen to become imbued with spiritual energy as a result of these recitations.

THE MEANING OF 108

Malas typically have 108 beads (or 111 if marker beads are used). Hand malas often consist of multiples of 9 – 18 or 27 beads being commonly used. The number 108 has myriad connotations. It is connected with ancient numerology and astronomy in which it is seen as a multiple of 9 x 12 – the 9 planets and the 12 houses of the zodiac and also of 4 x 27 – the 4 phases of the moon and the 27 lunar “mansions” or constellations. In numerology, 9 is a magic number. Any number multiplied by 9 will result in a number where the sum of its digits is 9, e.g. 1+8=9; 2+7=9. In the Vedic tradition, 108 was central in the construction of the fire altar. And in the Buddhist tradition, there are 108 kleshas or afflicted mental states that are obstacles to fully awakened compassionate mind. The recitation of mantras on a mala is a means to overcome these confused mental blockages. In the Tibetan tradition there are 108 volumes to the Kangyur – the entire Buddhist canon. The bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan: Chenrezig), has 108 different forms and names. From a more worldly point of view, some say that the 8 beads insure that a cycle of at least 100 are accumulated correctly.

The use of 100 beads in a mala had an unlikely connection to espionage by the British in the mid-1800s. Both Russia and Britain were vying for influence over Central Asia and geographical intelligence needed to be gathered. Two British agents fluent in Tibetan walked from Ladakh to Lhasa. Their compass and maps were concealed in a prayer wheel. Altitude was measured by the changing boiling points of water. And distance was recorded by counting steps. An agent trained himself to make 2000 steps per mile which he counted on a 100 bead mala. This data later proved to be remarkably accurate.
Counters, two strings each with discs of 10 usually terminating in a Vajra (Tibetan: dorje; the masculine symbol of skillful means) and a Bell (Tibetan: ghanta: the feminine principle of emptiness) seem to have originated with the Tibetans. On the Vajra string, a disc is moved down for each full round of mantras completed. The Bell discs record 1000s. For larger numbers sometimes a third or fourth counter is added to a mala.

CHOOSING A MALA

Choice of a mala can be based simply upon a personal preference for a particular color or type of stone, wood or seed. The type of meditation practice being performed, though, is often the basis for selection. The durability of wooden or seed malas makes them the primary choice for prostration practice, since stone is subject to breakage. Choice is very commonly based upon its association with the qualities and iconography of a particular meditational deity. As choice of a mala is contemplated, a brief explanation of the Buddhist view that informs the iconography may be of interest.

The figures of various buddhas and deities do not stand for external beings, but rather represent aspects of transmuted ego. Ego, in the Buddhist sense of the word, is the pervasive confusion or ignorance that grasps upon and uses these energies in a self-centered way and causes great suffering for ourselves and others. The point of mediation practice is to relinquish the grip of ego though a process of identification with a particular principle of awakened compassionate energy, which is inherent in each of us and is symbolized by the various deities.

This iconography in Tibetan Buddhism is inspired by the mandala principle of the five Buddha families: vajra, ratna, padma, karma, and buddha. According to these teachings, these five basic energies pervade everything. Each energy is associated with an ordinary emotion that can be transmuted into an aspect of awakened mind. The buddha families are also associated with colors, elements, directions, seasons, that is, with any aspect of the phenomenal world. The great contemporary meditation master, Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche said that what wisdom sees is the mandala of the buddhas.

In the mandala principle vajra is blue and located in the east, ratna is yellow and in the south, padma is red and in the west, karma is green and in the north and buddha is white and located in the center. In some Tibetan teachings, however, the colors of vajra and buddha are reversed.

Vajra is associated with the element water and the emotion of anger. Anger, like turbulent water, clouds vision and understanding. When the energy of anger is released from the grip of ego, it is transmuted into brilliance and lucidity, the Mirrorlike Wisdom. Like the winter and the dawn, the quality of this energy is sharp and crystalline. The particular symbol of this buddha family is the vajra, the thunderbolt of indestructible wakefulness. The Buddha of the East is Akshobhya, the “unshakable.” He is blue in color. One hand is in the earth-touching mudra echoing the gesture of the historical Buddha when he achieved complete awakening – “the earth is my witness.” Any blue stone, but particularly lapis, is associated with this energy.

Ratna energy when constricted by neurosis manifests as pride or arrogance and when it is unhindered manifests as the Wisdom of Equanimity. Ratna is connected with the earth element. The energy of ratna is one of self-existing richness and abundance. Because one is rich already, one’s energy can be expansive and generous. The ratna family is symbolized by a jewel, the wish-fulfilling gem that fulfills all desires. Ratnasambhava is the Buddha of the ratna family. He is the “jewel born.” Any of the yellow/orange tones of stone: tiger-eye, carnelian, amber and gold, express this energy.

Padma is associated with the spring, fire and passion. When the energy of passion is liberated it expresses itself into the aspect of compassion known as Discriminating Wisdom. It is a wisdom that sees everything so clearly that no confusion arises about what to accept or reject. The symbol of padma is the lotus, and red Amitabha is the Buddha. Rose quartz, rhodonite, carnelian all reflect the padma quality.

The karma family is connected to the wind and the summer season. Jealousy and paranoia are the primary karma family neuroses. Unencumbered karma energy expresses itself as All Accomplishing Wisdom. This family is symbolized either by a sword or a double-vajra, (visvavajra), both of which denote the fulfillment of all actions. The Buddha of this family is Amoghasiddha, green in color with hands in the gesture of fearlessness. Green stones, aventurine, malachite, turquoise (considered “green” in Tibet) and jade, all convey the quality of the karma family.

Buddha is the element space that includes and pervades all the other energies. The energy manifests neurotically as ignorance, a deliberate ignoring of reality. This energy when transmuted becomes All-Pervasive Wisdom symbolized by the wheel of dharma. Vairocana, the “radiant,” is the pure origin of consciousness. He is white and resides in the center of the mandala. Pearls, mother of pearl and crystal manifest the clear and pure nature of space.

The five buddhas(the dhyani buddhas) are the lords of the mandala from which all other buddhas and bodhisattvas evolve. The action of these buddha families manifest in the phenomenal world as space and the four karmas or four compassionate actions: pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and destroying. These are the four ways to overcome the blindness of ignorance, to wake up, and to be able to act in a way that is both appropriate and beneficial.

The rich symbology of the mandala principle and how compassionate energy manifests is expressed in every iconographic detail of the various bodhisattvas and meditational deities. By tuning into the qualities of these energies through visualizations and recitation of mantras, these qualities are discovered within oneself. Choice of a mala can, therefore, be made as a means to further tune in to the quality expressed in a given practice or an aspect of oneself to be enhanced. For example, crystal, pearl or mother of pearl is an obvious choice for the practice of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), the bodhisattva of compassion. His is perhaps the best known of all mantras: the six-syllable Om mani padme hum. This mantra is written on prayer wheels and prayer flags, chiseled onto stones, and murmured by countless tongues. Avalokiteshvara is considered to be the protector of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, the embodiment and emanation of this compassionate energy. In the common four-armed form of Avalokiteshvara, he is white. Two hands are in the anjali or supplicating mudra, one hand holds a lotus and the other holds a mala described variously as either pearl or crystal.

CARE AND USE OF A MALA

From a traditional point of view, a mala is a highly sacred item and should be treated with great respect. Some of the traditional guidelines for care and use of a mala include:

1. The mala should be held in the left hand, and the thumb is a “vajra hook” that hooks spiritual power and blessings in towards you.
2. A mala should not be considered an ornament, nor should it be played or fiddled with. It is strictly an article for spiritual practice.
3. Always keep it in a high place or on your shrine. Never place it on the ground.
4. A mala should be protected from damage or contamination. Mala bags are a good modern day approach to protecting a mala.
5. Some sources say that the guru or meru bead, should not be crossed over. Rather, the mala should be flipped over before proceeding with counting.