Set of Japa mala, made from Tulasi wood, with head bead in foreground.

A Japa mala or mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā, meaning garland^[1]) is a set of prayer beads popular in India and Tibet, commonly made from 108 beads. Prayer beads are traditionally used to keep count of the repetitions of Prayers chants or devotions by adherents of Religion. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European A bead is a small decorative object that is pierced for threading or stringing It is used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or name/s of a particular deity, a practice known in Sanskrit as japa. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always For Sadhana the actress see Sadhana (actress Sadhana (Sanskrit sādhanam) is a Sanskrit term for "a means of accomplishing something" Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Japa ( Sanskrit: जप is a Spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a Mantra or name of God.

Usage

Mantras are often repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. The mala is used so that one can think about the meaning of the mantra as it is chanted rather than thinking about counting the repetitions. One mantra is usually said for every bead, turning the thumb clockwise around each bead, though some traditions or practices may call for counterclockwise or specific finger usage. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds 'like the Clock 's hands' from the top to the right then down and then to the left and back to the top When arriving at the head bead, one turns the mala around and then goes back in the same direction. This makes using the mala easier as the beads will not be so tight on the string when you use them.

If more than 108 repetitions are to be done, then sometimes in Tibetan traditions grains of rice are counted out before the chanting begins and one grain is placed in a bowl for each 108 repetitions. Each time a full mala of repetitions has been completed, one grain of rice is removed from the bowl. Often, practitioners add extra counters to their malas, usually in strings of ten. These may be positioned differently depending on the tradition; for example some traditions place these strings after every 10th bead. This is an alternative way to keep track of large numbers, sometimes going into the hundreds of thousands, and even millions.

The 109th bead on a mala is called the sumeru, bindu, stupa, or guru bead. Sumeru ( Sanskrit) or Sineru ( Pāli) is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Bindu is a Sanskrit term meaning "point" or "dot" A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others Counting should always begin with a bead next to the sumeru. In the Hindu, Vedic tradition, if more than one mala of repetitions is to be done, one changes directions when reaching the sumeru rather than crossing it. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical The oral tradition of the Vedas ( Śrauta) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic Mantras Such traditions The sumeru thus becomes the static point on the mala.

There are numerous explanations why there are 108 beads, with the number 108 bearing special religious significance in a number of Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

In Hinduism

Hindu tradition holds that the correct way to use a mala is with the right hand, with the thumb flicking one bead to the next, and with the mala draped over the middle finger. The index finger represents ego, the greatest impediment to Self-Realization, so it is considered best avoided (as with the ego) when chanting on a mala. Jñāna (also spelled Gñāna; Devanagari ज्ञान is the Sanskrit term for Knowledge or Philosophy.

Regional Variations

In Northeast India, particularly those in the Shakta traditions in Bengal and Assam, the mala is often draped on the ring finger of the right hand, with beads moved by the middle finger with aid of the thumb and avoiding the use of the index finger. Shaktism ( Sanskrit: Śāktaṃ sa शाक्तं lit "doctrine of power" or "doctrine of the Goddess") is a denomination of However, draping the mala over the middle finger and using the thumb to move the beads is also acceptable in these regions.

In Buddhism

Main article: Buddhist prayer beads

Malas are also used in many forms of Mahayana Buddhism, often with a lesser number of beads (usually a divisor of 108). Buddhist Prayer beads are traditional devotional tools of prayer used in various forms of Buddhism. Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In Pure Land Buddhism, for instance, 27 bead malas are common. Pure Land Buddhism ( Jìngtǔzōng; 浄土教 Jōdokyō; Korean: ko-Hang 정토종 jeongtojong; Vietnamese: 浄土宗 vi In China such malas are named "Shu-Zhu" (数珠）; in Japan, "Juzu". China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. These shorter malas are sometimes called 'prostration rosaries', because they are easier to hold when enumerating repeated prostrations. In Buddhism, a prostration (Pali panipāta, Skt namas-kara, Ch In Tibetan Buddhism malas are also 108 beads: one mala counts as 100 mantras, and the 8 extra are meant to be dedicated to all sentient beings (the practice as a whole is dedicated at its end as well). Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including

Materials

A wide variety of materials are used to make mala beads. In Hinduism, Vaishnavas generally use the Japamaala of Tulsi beads. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and Ocimum tenuiflorum (also known as Ocimum sanctum, Tulsi, Tulasī (तुलसी‌ in Sanskrit and Hindi, ( The Shaivites use that of Rudraksha beads. Shaivism, also spelled "Saivism" names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Rudraksha (Sanskrit rudrākṣa) ("Rudra-eyed" is the name of the dark berries of Elaeocarpus ganitrus, used to make prayer beads (Sanskrit Aghori practitioners typically use fragments of human skull for their malas. The Aghori are a Hindu sect believed to have split off from the Kapalika order (which dates from 1000 AD) in the fourteenth century

Some Tibetan Buddhist traditions call for the use of bone (animal, most commonly yak) or sometimes human, the bones of past Lamas being the most valuable. Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Others use wood or seeds from the Bodhi tree or seeds of the Lotus plant. The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree ( Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily Semi-precious stones such as carnelian and amethyst may be used, as well. Carnelian, sometimes spelled cornelian, is a red or reddish-brown variant of Chalcedony. Amethyst is a violet variety of Quartz often used as an Ornamental stone in Jewelry. The most common and least expensive material is sandalwood. for the film industry in India see Cinema of Karnataka Sandalwood is the name for several fragrant Woods and their Essential In Hindu Tantra as well as Buddhist Tantra or Vajrayana, materials and colors of the beads can relate to a specific practice. Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and

Notes

1. ^ Apte 1965, p.  758.

References

• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965), written at Delhi, The Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (Fourth revised and enlarged ed. ), Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, ISBN 81-208-0567-4

See also

• Japa (spiritual discipline)
• Rosary beads
• Prayer Beads
• Hare Krishna Mantra
• Mahayana Buddhism
• Kombolói
• Tasbeeh
• Kora (pilgrimage)

External links

• General Buddhist use of mala
• How to Chant using Japa beads - Hare Krishna
• Japa Group - discussing all aspects of chanting Hare Krsna Japa
• Japa Room - A friendly and constructive way to improve your Japa online in an audio/visual chatroom environment
• Japa Yoga - Sivananda Swami
• More On Japa, by Ramana Maharshi