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Prayer beads?

misterCopemisterCope PA, USA Veteran
I've recently accidentally acquired some prayer beads. They are pretty, they make a pleasant little rattle, and they even smell nice (sandalwood). But I don't really know what to do with them.

I've read up on how to hold them and the method for counting them. I know that Christians, Muslims, and other fine folks use them to count prayers, but I'm not praying. I guess I could count breathes using them.

My questions are: does anyone here use them? If so, in what way?

I will note that cats are obviously smarter than humans as they knew exactly what to do with the beads without any instruction -- which was smell them, flick them around, try to eat them, ignore them.
lobstercvaluekarmabluesoceancaldera207

Comments

  • I use them. Not very often at the moment. Another way of focusing the awareness. I am assuming you have 108 beads? Maybe less if a mala? Would recommend slightly audible mantra, unless you particularly want to impress the cat - unlikely.

    http://yinyana.tumblr.com/post/57234975984/buddhist-mantra-faqs
    As for particular mantra . . . find something that resonates . . . and away you go :om:
    misterCopecvalue
  • TheEccentricTheEccentric Hampshire, UK Veteran
    Mala beads aren't really prayer beads if you ask me as they are used to coint mantra recitations which aren't really prayers imo.

    I use mine to count recitations of Om Mani Padme Hum, Dorje Shugden's mantra and Green Tara's.
    misterCopecvalue
  • misterCopemisterCope PA, USA Veteran
    Hmm. Yeah, it's a mala, (male, insists autocorrect [It's a boy!]) with 108 beads. I guess that what I really don't know about is the subject of mantras. Thanks for the link, @lobster!
  • I use 108 beads every morning. For each bead, I recite Namo Amitabha Budha 10 times. If I get distracted and let a thought to get in, I must repeat the 10 recitations for this bead. Sometimes, I manage to get to the count # 8 or 9 but then I let a thought come in, so I must reset the counting back to 1 for this bead. Because I fail a lot and must restart my counting each time, it takes me an average of 45 minutes to go through 108 beads. But I am making progress every day. Hopefully, one day I won't have to recount any bead.
    misterCopekarmablues
  • misterCopemisterCope PA, USA Veteran
    "-Isn't this just some form of 'Buddhist cult' brainwashing?
    -Yes.
    -What if I pronounce them wrong?
    -You will turn into a pumpkin."

    :lol:
    Kundocvalueysmael
  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran
    I use my mala beads for mantra chanting - usually Om Mani Pedme Hum or the Green Tara Mantra.

    In metta,
    Raven
    misterCopecvalue
  • i do my mantra chants with my 108 mala beads Om Mani Padmi Hum
    misterCopeKundo
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