Mala (prayer beads)
The Mala ( Sanskrit माला MALA f.) Is a in the Hindu and Buddhist common rosary . It can have different sizes and lengths and usually consists of 108 individual pearls and an additional larger pearl called the “Guru Pearl”, “ Sumeru Pearl” or “Bindu Pearl”. The pearl ribbon, usually decorated with tassels, converges in it. Usually they are made from natural products ( nuts , palm wood - pearls ), in Buddhism they are also made from bodhi tree wood beads, since Buddha Shakyamuni achieved enlightenment under a bodhi tree . Bones or horn beads are used in various ways to remind us of the transience of all being.
use
The mala is worn wrapped around the neck or around the wrist.
It is used to count the repetitions when reciting a mantra . Each pearl stands for a repetition and is usually rotated clockwise with the thumb while reciting. However, there are also different traditions that prescribe other hand techniques.
The count always starts with one of the two pearls directly next to the Guru pearl. After 108 repetitions you will reach the guru pearl again, which is not counted. Then the chain is turned over and you count again in the opposite direction.
Meaning in Hinduism
Each of these elements represents a name of the god to whom the devout Hindu brings his concern. Particularly pious Hindus know all 108 names and attributes of the worshiped deity by heart; for the others there are books to buy in which the prayer names of the most important deities can be read. These are, for example, the names of Shiva , Ganesha , Vishnu or the names of the goddess Kali . Mostly, worshipers of Vishnu use malas made from the wood of the tulsi plant , while worshipers of Shiva and Kali use rudrakshas, the dried, supposedly particularly healing fruits of the rudraksha tree.
The Hindu god Vishnu and his avatars (especially Vamana ) in medieval depictions often hold a prayer chain as a fourth attribute instead of the lotus ( padma ) next to the club ( gada ), the throwing disc ( chakra ) and the snail horn ( shankha ) in one of their hands .
Meaning in Buddhism
In Buddhism, the 108 pearls embody the 108 volumes of the collected teachings of the Buddha. His worship comes first, since only Buddhahood represents liberation from suffering ( dukkha ). That is why one turns to these discourses in a special way.
Further spread
In Europe, the Mala became popular in a special form worn by the Sannyasins , the followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh . A capsule with the image of the guru was added to the traditional 108 pearls. The chain was put on new members in a ceremony.
literature
- Lois Sherr Dubin: Prayer Beads. In: Lois Sherr Dubin: The History of Beads. From 100,000 BC to the present. Revised and Expanded Edition. Abrams Publishing, New York 2009, ISBN 978-0-8109-5174-7 , pp. 79-92.
- Gray Henry, Susannah Marriott: Beads of Faith. Pathways to Meditation and Spirituality Using Rosaries, Prayer Beads and Sacred Words. Fons Vitae Publishing, Louisville KY 2008, ISBN 978-1-887752-95-4 .
