at
Murudeshwara; Shiva is frequently depicted wearing a pair of
rudraksha malas in
Shaiva Hindu iconography Common materials are wood from the
sandalwood tree, along with the seeds of various trees, and precious or semiprecious stones. Strings may be made from practically any fibre, traditionally silk or wool or cotton though synthetic monofilaments or cords such as nylon can now be found and are favoured for their low cost and good wear resistance. Elastic cords, such as
milliner's elastic, may be used and have the advantage that they can stretch to fit over the wearer's hand if worn on the wrist whereas other material may not wrap a sufficient number of times to prevent the mala from slipping off. Beads may also be joined by metal chains.
Hinduism Beads made from the
fruitstones of the
rudraksha tree (
Elaeocarpus ganitrus) are considered sacred by
Saivas, devotees of
Siva, and its use is taught in the
Rudrakshajabala Upanishad. Beads made from the wood of the
tulsi plant are used and revered by
Vaishnavas, followers of Vishnu.
Mahayana Buddhism A very popular type of mala among
Mahayana Buddhists are those made of
bodhi seeds, which are actually made from various species belonging to
Arecaceae and
Fabaceae rather than of the seeds of the
bodhi tree. The most common bead types in China and
Tibet are: • "Phoenix eye" beads, made from
Ziziphus abyssinica or
Ziziphus jujuba • "Moon and Stars" beads, made from
Calamus jenkinsianus • "Bodhi root" beads, made from
Corypha umbraculifera • "King Kong" beads (i.e. Rudraksha), made from
Elaeocarpus angustifolius Tibetan Buddhism Various types of malas (Tibetan: trengwa) are used in Tibetan Buddhism, including "Bodhi seed" (commonly made from seeds of a
Ziziphus tree), wood (such as
sandalwood), bone and
precious stones. Tibetan Buddhists generally consider malas made from precious stones as the best kind. Some popular stones are
agate,
sapphire or
lapis lazuli. Semiprecious stones such as
carnelian and
amethyst may be used, as well. Some common general-purpose malas in Tibetan Buddhism are made from
rattan seeds (especially
Calamus jenkinsianus). These beads are called "moon and stars" by Tibetans, and variously called "lotus root", "lotus seed" and "linden nut" by various retailers (though it does not come from any
Nelumbo plants). The bead itself is very hard and dense, ivory-coloured (which gradually turns a deep golden brown with long use), and has small holes (moons) and tiny black dots (stars) covering its surface. Tibetan Buddhists also teach that certain types of malas can enhance specific practices or bring specific benefits. For example: • malas made of wood (sandalwood or bodhi tree wood), bodhi seeds, various jewels, or ivory are all purpose malas and are said to be good for all kinds of mantras and practices •
crystal, pearl,
conch,
nacre, wood, seeds, or other clear or white in colour beads may be used to count mantras used for peaceful
deity yoga practices and for purification practices. For these types of practices, white colored beads and a white colored thread is preferred. • beads made of precious metals like gold or silver may be used for increasing practices, such as increasing lifespan, knowledge, or
merit; For these types of practices, yellow colors and colored thread are preferred. •
Red Coral is for magnetizing / power practices, and red color is used for the threads. The colour red is also associated with the
Padma family of buddhas (who are highly revered in Tibet). •
Rudraksha, bone, iron, steel and
turquoise is preferred for subjugating malicious spirits or for the tantric transformation of powerful afflictions like anger (this is sometimes called "wrathful practice"). For these types of practices, black is the preferred colour. One type of wooden mala bead has a shallow trench engraved around their equator into which tiny pieces of red coral and
turquoise are affixed. Due to the cost of already harvested or fossilized red coral and its
conservation status, as well as the cost of turquoise, plastic or glass may be used instead.
Nepal In
Nepal, mala beads are made from the natural seeds of
Ziziphus budhensis, a plant in the family
Rhamnaceae endemic to the
Temal region of
Kavrepalanchok in
Bagmati Province. The Government of Nepal's Ministry of Forestry has established a committee and begun to distribute seedlings of these plant so as to uplift the economic status of the people living in this area.
Japanese Buddhism style nenju style nenju In
Buddhism in Japan, Buddhist prayer beads are known as or , where the "o" is the
honorific o-. Different Buddhist sects in Japan have different shaped prayer beads, and use them differently. Most Japanese Buddhist malas are made out of various types of wood, such as
rosewood,
plumwood, and
lignum vitae. For example, the
Shingon and
Tendai generally use longer prayer beads (108 beads) with counter strands on both ends for recording multiple rounds of recitation (Tendai malas have 2 recorder bead strands, Shingon malas have four). These recorder strands usually end in decorative tassels. During devotional services, the beads may be rubbed together with both hands to create a soft grinding noise, which is considered to have a purifying and reverential effect. A notable feature of Tendai school's prayer beads is the use of flat beads called "soroban beads" for the main beads (while most of the other sects use spherical beads). For the Shingon school, they use a red string as the main string for the 108 beads and white tassels for the counter beads.
Nichiren schools generally use long 108 bead nenjus with five counter strands with ornamental
tassels. The
Japanese Zen schools use long 108 bead nenjus without counter / recorder bead strands. Meanwhile, in
Jōdo Shinshū (True Pure Land), prayer beads are typically shorter and held draped over both hands and are not ground together, as this is forbidden.
Jōdo-shū is somewhat unusual because of the use of a double-ringed prayer beads, called , which are used for counting
nenbutsu recitations (i.e. recitation of the name of
Amitabha Buddha): one ring contains single beads used to count a single recitation while the other ring is used to count full revolutions of the first ring. Additionally, other beads hang from the strings, which can count full revolutions of the second ring (flat beads), or full revolutions of the first string of beads. In all, it is possible to count up to 120,000 recitations using these beads. The design is credited to a follower of
Hōnen named Awanosuke.
Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhists in
Myanmar use prayer beads called
seik badi ( ), shortened to
badi. 108 beads are strung on a garland, with the beads typically made of fragrant wood like sandalwood, and series of brightly coloured strings at the end of the garland. It is commonly used in
samatha meditation, to keep track of the number of
mantras chanted during meditation. Mantra recitation with malas is also common in the various forms of
Southern Esoteric Buddhism, a class of esoteric traditions within Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism. == Number of beads ==