For example, Yogi believe that perfect breath control (Pranayama) involves taking just 108 breaths in the 24 hour cycle, and that this is a precursor to enlightenment.
In the Chinese fictional classic, The Water Margin: Outlaws of the Marsh, there are 108 bandits who feature in the story. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is never without his mala of 108 beads that he wears on his left wrist.In Japan, as the New Year breaks, the bells of Buddhist temple are tolled 108 times, and buddhists believe there are 108 virtues we should cultivate, and 108 sins or mortal desires that we must avoid.
As a result, believers use strings of beads (mala) to count the mantras (sacred utterances) as they are recited. When a mala is used in this way it is referred to as ojuzu (数珠), or counting beads. Mala can also be used to request the assistance of divine power, in which case the request is repeated with every bead counted, and the mala is then referred to as onenju, (念珠) or thought beads.
Mala can be made of many materials ranging from the increasingly rare wenge wood, to jade. However, most traditional mala are made from simple wooden beads separated into sections by colored markers with an embellishment such as a vajra (thunderbolt, the Buddhist symbol of irresistible power) at the knot or tassel.
To the best of my knowledge, one is no more effective than the other! Whether you want a mala for its power to sooth, to request help with your training, to wear as jewelry, or just to own a beautiful talisman, both genders and all age groups will appreciate this selection that we have hand picked from the artist’s studio. |
