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Prayer beads were first used in Hinduism, and they are known in Hinduism as japa mala. Prayer beads are also used in Christianity, both by Catholics to say the rosary, and also by Eastern Christians. Bahai's also sometimes use prayer beads to recite 95 times per day. In Buddhism prayer beads are often used, often called the Buddhist rosary, and the number of prayer beads varies with different forms of Buddhism. A strand of prayer beads is called a mala, and the word mala literally means garland or strand.
In Hinduism, where prayer beads began, a mala contains 108 beads. This number, 108, is significant for many reasons. 108 is mathmatically significant because it is divisible by its function. Hindu deities also have 108 names, and these names are often recited during religious ceremonies. Krishna is also said to have danced with 108 "gopis", cow-herd girls, and later to have married 16,108 wives.
Buddhist prayer beads often have 108 beads as well, and the number 108 is significant in Tibetan Buddhism because there are 108 sins. Tibetan Buddhists often use prayer beads with 111 beads, calculating 100 beads as one mala, with 11 beads left over for errors. In China and Japan Buddhist practitioners also use malas with 27 beads. Malas with 27 beads, or wrist malas, are typically used for prostration. Prostration is where the practitioner works out the strains in the mind and the things that the mind tries to hold onto, anger, greed, jealousy, and so forth.
Typically prayer beads were made from Rudraksha seeds and Tulsi stem. In Buddhism prayer beads are often also made from Bodhi seeds because it is believed that the Bodhisattva first reached enlightenment underneath a Bodhi tree. Prayer beads are often also made from sandalwood, jade, turquoise, plastic, and other materials.
Prayer beads are used by passing one's finger over each bead in the mala, and saying a prayer or a mantra as your finger passes each bead. The power of Buddhist prayer beads is awakened through prayer and meditation. As you use prayer beads during meditation and think over the words as you say or think them, then each bead becomes significant to you in your heart. Prayer beads are a tool in making you feel closer in your mind to your deity. You should look at your mala with love and let it remind you of the commitment you have made to renounce those things in your life which bind you. Prayer beads are not powerful unless you use them and connect them to your mantras or prayers.
After you begin using prayer beads, treat them as you would any sacred object. Don't place your prayer beads on the floor, and keep them in a safe place. Prayer bead bags are often used to store prayer beads in a safe place, and a bag will also prevent tangling or kinking of the string used for your prayer bead mala.
Prayer beads should not be passed around after they are used for meditation. Do not allow anyone else to handle your prayer beads after you have used them in prayer or meditation, because this will make the prayer beads less significant for your meditation practice.
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Prayer Beads, A Summary
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