Praying with Buddhist Beads

In the Mahayana Zen tradition, the terms that share the meaning of the words mala and rosary—a "garden" or "garland of roses."The entrance to the circle of Buddha beads is marked by a large tassel or ribbon and one guru or meru bead, a reminder to the yogi of the importance of having a spiritual master. In Sanskrit, gu means "dark" and ru "light." The guru leads you out of spiritual darkness and towards the state of enlightenment, or the Light. This is particularly apt with regards to Buddhism, where the Buddha is worshipped not really as a god but honored as a teacher.

Accent Beads

The sequence of regular counting beads may be interrupted with accent beads of another material, perhaps at bead numbers 21 and 27. The jyuzu features four, equally spaced, smaller beads representing the four virtues of the Buddha's life. There are also two larger mother and father beads, both symbolizing the Buddha. Cylindrical, jar-shaped beads act as receptacles for storing the powerful benefits accrued through chanting the mantras, and in some traditions signify a state of knowledge or emptiness. A Tibetan mala, or trengwa, may be adorned with ghaus prayer boxes and looks more ornate than its yoga precursor. "Eternal knots" symbolically represent the interconnectedness of all things.

Wrist Beads

Shorter "quarter" malas of 27 beads were traditionally created for use with prostrate methods of prayer, as a mala should never touch the ground. In Tibetan Buddhism, cycles of 108 prostrations are performed with bracelet mala beads in a practice known as ngondro, which acknowledges the sanctity of the three "jewels" of Buddhism—the Buddha himself, the teachings of dharma, and sangha, or community of practitioners. This practice seeks to purify the human soul from the negative influence of karma, the universal law of cause and effect, which states that performing bad actions inevitably results in the perpetuation of suffering. Mala bracelets are made of different types of beads and can come in many different sizes.

Buddhist Mantras

Buddhism often employs an immense number of mantra repetitions to transport the mind beyond the physical act of counting to an original pure and empty state, devoid of distraction. As mala cords fray and break with use, they are invariably restrung or can be sacrificed as a symbol of impermanence. Such physical wear-and-tear serves as a reminder of the Buddha's teachings on life's transience and the need to learn non-attachment to all physical possessions.

Here are the most popular Buddhist mantras:

• Om Mani Padme Hum • Om muni muni mahamuni shakyamuniye svaha

• OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA

• Om Vajrapani Hum

• Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze Maha BeKanze Radza Samudgate Soha

• OM AMI DEWA HRIH