The word “mala” just means “garland”. And so, a mala is a string (or garland) of beads which have been
used for meditation, chanting, & other spiritual practice for thousands of years. It is only recently that they have become very fashionable accessories. And many people are wearing malas without realizing their symbolic significance or how to properly use them.
Malas have their roots in Hinduism, and seem to date back to the followers of Shiva, who used Rudraksha (“Rudra” – Shiva /”Aksha” – Eye) beads for divine protection, use in prayer, & specifically for making their malas. Eventually, the mala was adopted by Buddhist’s, and tradition says that the Buddha recommended the mala practice as a path to enlightenment for ordinary people. In fact, there is a quote attributed to the Buddha, from the Buddhist scriptures, which says:
“If you want to eliminate earthly desires and to put an end to suffering, make a circular string of 108 beads from the Bodhi tree.”
Now, I’m not going to go into all the symbolism behind the number of beads, the way it is made, etc… However, I will mention that a traditional mala is a garland of 108 beads & one more bead which is called the Guru or Sumeru Bead. Today there are many smaller malas, which vary in their number of beads; however they are always a number which is able to be counted up to 108.
Now today it seems that almost every faith has adopted the use of prayer beads for spiritual practice: We already mentioned it’s adoption by the Buddha, well many centuries later the practice was adopted by Catholics (who call their garlands rosaries — 59 beads); & then a few hundred years later became adopted by Muslims (who refer to them as Misbaha, Tasbih or Sibha — usually 99 or 33 beads ). And there are many other types of beads used by many other faiths as well.
But, no matter what it is called, the number of beads it has, or how it is held & used, the purpose for using any string of beads is the same – they’re a tool for counting recitations of a mantra, one’s breath, prayers, a name of God, etc… and this tool helps to focus & concentrate one’s mind during the practice.
They are most often utilized in mantra meditations; however you will find some mindfulness practitioners using them in order to count & stay focused on their breathes. (Click here to learn What is a Mantra or here to learn some specific & well-known mantras)
HOW TO USE YOUR MALA:
There are different beliefs about what hand should hold your mala (Hindu’s say right hand, some Buddhists say left hand), what fingers should touch your mala (Hindu’s believe your index finger should never touch the mala as this is the finger you use to point accusations & judgements at people.), how it should be used, etc… But, I tell you what ever hand you feel most comfortable holding the mala with is fine. It’s the intention behind the way you say your mantra, prayer, etc… which is most important.
You should start with the bead right after the Guru bead and then rotate the garland by pulling the beads back towards you after each breath, mantra, prayer, etc… until you go all the way around and come back to the Guru bead. Once you come back to that Guru you can end your session as that would have been one complete recitation of our mala. However, if you wanted to continue you may but you NEVER CROSS OVER THE GURU BEAD. Once you get to the guru bead if you want to say another recitation of your mala you would turn it around & go back the other way. In this manner we are always returning to our guru/teacher or teaching. We don’t cross over because we are not better or superior to our guru, but we want to always be returning back to our guru or his teaching.
It might helpful for me to show this on a video & I hope to have that recorded soon.
HOW A MALA CAN ENHANCE YOUR MEDITATION
1. HELPS YOU STAY GROUNDED: Holding onto your mala while meditating can help someone just starting their practice to stay grounded & centered. It can help one t stay focused & concentrated on their mantra, breath, prayers, etc…
2. IT CAN HELP KEEP YOUR MEDITATION CONSISTENT: If you meditate with a mala your meditations will take relatively the same amount of time every sitting. Since however long it takes you to recite your mantra, prayers, etc… on a full mala will nearly always be consistent. Therefore, you will come to know how long you are sitting each time and if you know you want to work your way up to 20-30 minutes in a session you will know exactly how many time you need to recite your mala.
3. YOU MALA WILL BECOME A REMINDER FOR YOU TO PRACTICE: Some people wear their malas on their wrists or necks; and there’s different beliefs on whether this should be done or not. Some say a mala you wear should not be prayed with, some say wearing your malas denigrates the sacredness of this spiritual tool; but for those who do wear them and enjoy wearing it your mala will become a daily reminder for you to work and your practice & spiritual development. Just think about if you wore it as a reminder, then every time you had extra time; i.e. waiting for bus, riding a train, sitting in a doctors office, waiting for food, etc.. no longer would this time be wasted since now you have you mala with you and can utilize the time to work on your practice. On top of that the more you use your mala the more spiritual energy you impart to it.
So use it often & no matter what just keep up your meditation practice. If you do your lives will be totally transformed.
May your days always be filled with love, happiness, & peace,
Anthony Profeta
