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How to use your Tibetan Buddhist Mala
Recite one mantra; move your thumb and forefinger along
the next bead of the strand; then repeat.
The Tibetan Buddhist mala, or beaded rosary, aids the
practitioner in counting
mantra recitations while also
helping one to focus concentration and awareness. As one
works the mala's beads with one's fingers, recites the
mantra and visualizes the deity, one is at once involving
the body, speech and mind.
Some Mala Basics
The mala is held with gentleness and respect, generally
in the left hand. One bead is counted for each recitation
of the mantra, beginning with the first bead after the
"guru" bead- the larger, more decorative bead
at the mala's end. The first bead is held between the index
finger and thumb, and with each count the thumb pulls another
bead in place over the index finger.
After completing a full circuit of the mala, the practitioner
flips the mala around 180 degrees (this takes practice
to accomplish) and continues as before, in reverse order.
One aims to avoid passing over the "guru" bead,
as doing so is symbolically like stepping over one's teacher.
Choosing a Mala
Discover the benefits &
healing properties of our Tibetan Buddhist malas.
A mala of 108 beads is used for general purposes by most
practicing Tibetan Buddhists. Beads of bodhi
seed generally are considered auspicious for any practice
or mantra, and red sandalwood or lotus
seeds also are widely recommended for universal use.
A variation of the standard 108-bead mala is the wrist
mala of 27 beads - four circuits total 108 mantra
repetitions.
Besides the multi-purpose malas described above, there
are other types of malas that are deemed auspicious for
various purposes.
Mantras can be recited for four different purposes: to
appease, to increase, to overcome, or to tame by forceful
means.
The beads used to count
mantras intended to appease should
be of crystal, pearl or mother
of pearl, and should at least be clear or white in color.
A rosary for this purpose should have 100 such beads. Mantras
counted on these beads serve to clear away obstacles, such
as illness and other calamities, and purify one of unwholesomeness.
The beads used with mantras intended to increase should
be of gold, silver, copper or lotus
seeds, and a rosary is made of 108 of them. The mantras
counted on these serve to increase life span, knowledge
and merit.
The beads used with mantras which are intended to overcome
are made from a compound of ground sandal
wood, saffron and other fragrant substances. There
are 25 beads on this rosary. The mantras counted on them
are meant to tame others, but the motivation for doing
so should be a pure wish to help other sentient beings
and not to benefit oneself.
The beads used to recite mantras aiming at subduing beings
through forceful means should be made from raksha seeds
or human bones in a string of 60. Again, as the purpose
should be absolutely altruistic, the only person capable
of performing such a feat is a Bodhisattva motivated by
great compassion for a being who can be tamed through no
other means, for example extremely malicious spirits, or
general afflictions, visualized as a dense black ball.
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