prayer malas

fee

Hi everyone

I was wondering what the significance of prayer malas was - what are they used for? Is it similar to the Catholic prayer beads - counting off prayers?

I think they are beautiful and would love to get one, but it seems a bit sacreligious getting it if I have no idea what it's for.

Thanks

Simonthepilgrim

Exactly like a Catholic rosary.

The traditional mala has 108 beads.

As a bit of 'trivia', you might like to know that 100 bead malas were used to count paces while the British were secretly mapping the North-West Frontier, surveying instruments being banned by the local rulers under pain of death. My eldest brother has one such, brought back by our father from his time as a officer of the Raj.

There is lots of stuff on the Net about the 'proper' use of the mala. Personally, I use mine regularly, especially at times like waiting for a 'bus or at the doctor's or in a police cell (LOL) I use the simple mantra OM MANE PADME HUM because I've known it all my life. After each 108, I spend time with the mantra GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA.

Ven. Palzang will, I am sure, have more to share with us about using beads.

fee

Thanks for that Simon.

So if I got one, I could just repeat the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra while I count the beads out - for each bead, a mantra?

Can you tell me what Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bhodi Svaha means?

Come on Palzang....we want to hear more

YogaMama

fee, I am glad you asked this question. I was wondering the same thing.

fee

YogaMama, I've just been looking at them on a web page - some of them are very expensive, and very beautiful. There are some affordable ones, which I will have to get, but they are also lovely.
I had no idea that the different types (ie: turquoise, coral, bone, sandalwood etc) all had different purposes/meanings. Very interesting.

The web page is for a shop here in Cornwall, so I think I might pop in sometime and see them soon.
Spend more money....!

Jason

Gate gate
Pāragate
Pārasamgate
Bodhi svāhā

Gone gone
Gone beyond
Altogether gone beyond
Enlightenment, how wonderful!

(Approximate pronunciation: gah-tay gah-tay pah-ra-gah-tay pah-ra-sahm-gah-tay bo-dee swah-hah)

It is from the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra:

The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom
In Sanskrit: Bhagavati prajnaparamitahrdaya
In Tibetan: Bcom Idan 'das ma shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa'I snying po
In English: The Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Bhagavati

"Thus have I once heard:

The Blessed One was staying in Rajagrha at Vulture Peak along with a great community of monks and great community of bodhisattvas, and at that time, the Blessed One fully entered the meditative concentration on the varieties of phenomena called the Appearance of the Profound. At that very time as well, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, beheld the practice itself of the profound perfection of wisdom, and he even saw the five aggregates as empty of inherent nature. Thereupon, through the Buddha's inspiration, the venerable Sariputra spoke to holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and said, "Any noble son who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom should train in what way?"

When this had been said, holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, spoke to venerable Sariputra and said, "Sariputra, any noble sons or daughters who wish to practice the perfection of wisdom should see this way: they should see insightfully, correctly, and repeatedly that even the five aggregates are empty of inherent nature. Form is empty, emptiness is form, Emptiness is not other than form, form is also not other than emptiness. Likewise, sensation, discrimination, conditioning, and awareness are empty. In this way, Sariputra, all things are emptiness; they are without defining characteristics; they are not born, they do not cease, they are not defiled, they are not undefiled. They have no increase, they have no decrease.

"Therefore, Sariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no discrimination, no conditioning, and no awareness. There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. There is no form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no texture, no phenomenon. There is no eye-element and so on up to no mind-element and also up to no element of mental awareness. There is no ignorance and no elimination of ignorance and so on up to no aging and death and no elimination of aging and death. Likewise, there is no suffering, origin, cessation, or path; there is no wisdom, no attainment, and even no non-attainment.

"Therefore, Sariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no obtainments, they abide relying on the perfection of wisdom. Having no defilements in their minds, they have no fear, and passing completely beyond error, they reach nirvana. Likewise, all the Buddhas abiding in the three times clearly and completely awaken to unexcelled, authentic, and complete awakening in dependence upon the perfection of wisdom.

"Therefore, one should know that the mantra of the perfection of wisdom - the mantra of great knowledge, the precious mantra, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, the mantra that quells all suffering - is true because it is not deceptive. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed:

tadyatha - gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Sariputra, a bodhisattva, a great being, should train in the profound perfection of wisdom in that way."

Thereupon, the Blessed One arose for that meditative concentration, and he commended holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being. "Excellent!" he said. "Excellent! Excellent! Noble child, it is just so. Noble child, it is just so. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom in the manner that you have revealed - the Tathagatas rejoice!" This is what the Blessed One said.

Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra, the holy Avalokitsevara, the bodhisattva, the great being, and that entire assembly along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, all rejoiced and highly praised what the Blessed One had said."

fee

Wow, thanks Elohim.

Now, where did that come from? What I mean is, is it from a book, such as the Christian Bible or Islamic Koran? Does Buddhism have something like this? If so, it must make difficult reading as I found I had to read your post a couple of times to get the meaning - or am I just slow on the uptake??

Maybe it's just the foreign words that make it more difficult for me to absorb it in one reading?

Would it be okay for a lowly newbie like myself to try that mantra?

buddhafoot

Are these just used for concentration or something?

-bf

Jason

There are books upon books of the Buddha's teachings. The Pali Canon alone has an enormous amount of suttas. The Tipitaka (which is what the Pali Canon is sometimes called, it means three baskets) is broken into three Pitakas. The first is the Vinyana Pitaka (Rules for monastics). The next is the Sutta Pitaka (Collection of suttas). Each book in the Sutta Pitaka that is translated into English contains many, many suttas. There is the Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya, and Khuddaka Nikaya. Last but not least there is the Abhidhamma Pitaka (The collection of texts in which the underlying doctrinal principles presented in the Sutta Pitaka are reworked and reorganized into a systematic framework that can be applied to an investigation into the nature of mind and matter). That's just the Pali Canon. There are also other teachings called Sutras (Sanskrit instead of Pali, but same thing. I am less familiar with the Sutras than I am with the Suttas so forgive me here). I am not sure if all of the various Sutras are collected into one group (although there is the Tripitaka, which is the Sanskrit version of the Tipitaka besides the individual Sutras). I generally know them individually i.e. Lotus Sutra, Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Platform Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra, Infinite Life Sutra, Vimalakirti-nirdese Sutra, Sutra in 42 Sections, etc. There is no 'one book' perse. The serious study of teaching can be difficult. It requires a lot of reading, re-reading, and yet more reading. (Makes you have more respect for the monks who had/have to memorize all of these in Pali/Sanskrit/Chinese/Tibetan huh?)

Don't ever feel slow. These teachings are new to most people and there are a fair amount of new words and concepts to tackle at the beginning. After you become more used to them, however, it gets much easier.

And yes, try any mantra as much as you please! Some people believe they are endowed with power from their meanings, as well as the number of people using them (all the positive intentions and such), while others find them good for concentration (like watching the breath in meditation). I myself do not use them often. I generally watch my breath, but I do on occasion repeat 'buddho' or 'samma araham' silently when I need more focus. Play around with reciting them and see if they help. If they do continue to use them. If not there are many other methods you can try.

Nirvana

Brigid in Frizzer's Malas Thread wrote:

Frizzer. And although that's a pretty good pic, it doesn't do them justice because in real life they're much lighter in colour and more transparent. The way they look in the sunlight is just stunning. They have a beautiful weight to them and when I wear them it feels like they're keeping me awake and aware.

Here's Brigid telling us all about Frizzer's Malas. The pictures look good to me, but I'd choose a Marian blue.

http://www.newbuddhist.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2316

_________________

"BE KIND" - the religion of ShangriLa--from the movie, "Lost Horizon"

Could it all be that simple? Could we remember to be all-kind for the space of a whole day?

Frizzer

Hi Nirvana, thanks for linking across to that thread for me, you saved me from doing it!

As for the mantra that Fee mentioned - as Elohim said, it's the final line of the Scripture Of Great Wisdom which is the key text in the tradition that I (attempt to) follow.
In the translated version that we use it equates to :

"O Buddha, going, going, going on beyond, and always going on beyond. Always becoming Buddha. Hail! Hail! Hail!"

In Japanese I believe it's pronounced

"Gar-tuh, Gar-tuh, Hara-gar-tuh, Hara-so-gar-tuh, Bodhi so-wa-ka"

I read somwehere (I can't remember where) that the final line of the sutra encompasses all the wisdom of the entire text. Therefore when chanting you'd only need to recite the final line.

As for malas - I wear my 54 bead one on my wrist as a reminder to be mindful. When driving around it's always there to remind me not to get stressed out with other drivers! I also sometimes use it at the start of my meditation to quiet my mind.

If anyone would like me to make a mala for them just let me know. I only charge what it costs me to make them plus the postage. I'm not in it to make any money, I see it as a service to the Sangha that have helped support and inspire me in my practice.

Adrian
:om:

gerald_ford

Frizzer wrote:

In Japanese I believe it's pronounced

"Gar-tuh, Gar-tuh, Hara-gar-tuh, Hara-so-gar-tuh, Bodhi so-wa-ka"

Close. it's actually gya-tei, gya-tei, hara-so-gya-tei bodi so-wa-ka. That's the romanization found in Shingon texts. I think in other Japanees sects, they romanize it slightly different.

Speaking of Japanese, Japanese refer to malas as juzu or nenju. They're simply seen as tools for mindfulness. There's no ritual in Japanese Buddhism like counting of beads found in Catholicism. I believein Tibetan Buddhism, they do some kind of purification of their malas, but rubbing them vigorously together between the palms of their hands. Someone else could speak to that better.

Japanese o-nenju come in a variety of sizes. I have a small wrist one I wear now and then. I usually chant with a medium sized one my father-in-law in Japan sent me made of jade. That one gets draped over both hands while I chant this or that.

I also have a really large one whose beads are made from the nut of a certain tree in Japan. That one is kind of overkill compared to most nenju/malas I've seen. I save it only for formal situations I guess.

KungaTashi

Frizzer wrote:

If anyone would like me to make a mala for them just let me know. I only charge what it costs me to make them plus the postage. I'm not in it to make any money, I see it as a service to the Sangha that have helped support and inspire me in my practice.

Adrian
:om:

I may have to take you up on this.... How do I go about "ordering" one from you?

Frizzer

gerald_ford wrote:

Close. it's actually gya-tei, gya-tei, hara-so-gya-tei bodi so-wa-ka. That's the romanization found in Shingon texts. I think in other Japanees sects, they romanize it slightly different.

Thanks for correcting that Gerald, you're right, I just listened to it being chanted in Japanese and I'd mis-heard the gya-tei bits!


LFA - just send me a PM with some details as to what you'd like and then I'll work out how much it would be to make. :thumbsup:

inthedharma

Me too Frizzer...........Not sure what beads I want yet........I already have an Amethyst one that I strung myself but I also know that it is not a traditional stone for a Mala.

Please let me know how to go about ordering one from you....

Frizzer

No problem ITD, PM me with some ideas of what you'd like and I'll see what I can do.

federica

I have a question regarding the recitation of Mantras:
In another current thread, Palzang is requesting that others voluntarily chant a number of mantras, the totals of which shall be added up to gain meritorious results for a specific objective....

my question relates to speed of recitation...

Now: I have always recited my mantras at, say, four beats to the bar....

Two beats seems a little slow....

Da..
da-de..
da..
de..
dum....

but four beats seems to do it....

da, da-de, da-de-dum....

......But eight seems too fast for my comfort...

diddly-diddly-diddly-dum....


However, the other day, I was listening to a CD of Tibetan monks chanting mantras to Chenrezig, and the speed at which they recited the six-syllable Seed mantra was astonishing.....!![

di-di-di-di-di-d'm - !!

So:

At what speed do YOU recite your Mantras? So the words are discernible?
is there an accepted speed, and an unacceptable one? If Recitations are, through specified devotional rerquirements, required to be in the thousands, is this why the speed is so fast?

I am puzzled.

Answers please, in 4 beats to the bar.....

Thanks!!/SIZE]

Simonthepilgrim

I've never thought much about the rhythm of my repetitions, Fede, probably because I have an a-musical brain! When I use OM MANE PADME HUM while walking, the words give the pace. If I am alone, by the river or in the woods, I tend to 'chant', a sort of low, buzzing sound deep in my throat/chest and to emphasise the silence before and after.

I never managed to find a rhythm for the Aves of the rosary, although the Jesus Prayer has comforted more than a few walks. Allahu akbar is another 'mantra' that sometimes fits the situation, although I come back to base every time, with a pause every hundred or so to recite GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA. As I reflect on it now, that mantra is more or less in quickstep time, a dance.

buddhafoot

I tend to say my mantras in a 4/4 meter - while sometimes ending what could be a chorus in a 5/4 or 6/4 meter while adding a 3 part harmony and then a blazing guitar solo about 3/4's the way through.

-bf

fofoo

Simonthepilgrim wrote:

I've never thought much about the rhythm of my repetitions, Fede, probably because I have an a-musical brain! When I use OM MANE PADME HUM while walking, the words give the pace. If I am alone, by the river or in the woods, I tend to 'chant', a sort of low, buzzing sound deep in my throat/chest and to emphasise the silence before and after.

I never managed to find a rhythm for the Aves of the rosary, although the Jesus Prayer has comforted more than a few walks. Allahu akbar is another 'mantra' that sometimes fits the situation, although I come back to base every time, with a pause every hundred or so to recite GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA. As I reflect on it now, that mantra is more or less in quickstep time, a dance.

Simon, that is at least one thing were the protestants and ex-protestants are in advantage: We have Johann Sebastian Bach! Actually, music or melody can be very powerful in transmitting a prayer or mantra, i stumbled across a site where the dhammapada is spoken in Pali, it really sounds like being sung.

Palzang

While we do sometimes "sing" mantras in unison in a group, when I'm doing them alone I do them very rapidly. For instance, I can do a mala of OM MANI PEDME HUNG in about a minute.

Palzang

Brigid

This was a good question and I was thinking about it too. I naturally put a rhythm and melody to my chanting Om Mani Pay May Hung. Couldn't help it. I have a bit of OCD. But I was wondering about speed because I was doing them slowly and it's good to know that I can speed up.

I love coming upon a thread that addresses exactly a question going on in my own head. It's so fun!

federica

Well, I guess in a way that answers my question.... "Do as you feel...."

But then I read elsewhere that the correct pronunciation is vital, or else the mantra will not be effective....or even that, if they are recited 'un-mindfully' and garbled, that their effectiveness is similarly lessened.... These dictums (or should that be dictae?) have always not sat well with me.... whomsoever has proposed them....

I guess it comes down to "Intention is All"...

Thanks to you all for your inputs.
It kind of confirms what I have always felt... Do whatever you can, as well as you can.... like the three little monks and their prayers (and crossing the water on foot to check on the wording/pronunciation, thereby proving to their superior Lama/abbot the futility of his entrenched beliefs) I too can safely continue to do as I find most suitable and comfortable, and just do it as well as I can.



Edit note.... "comfrotable"...?!

Palzang

Sorry, I meant more like 10 minutes. Anyway, speed comes with practice. The more you do a mantra, the faster you get. It's just natural. Back when I was doing a lot of Vajrakilaya practice, which is a fairly short mantra also, I would accumulate lots of them in a very short time. If you're seriously accumulating mantra to accomplish a given practice, you really have to go fast or you'll be there forever. And you can still do it quite clearly while still going fast. I mean, that's why they call it "practice", isn't it?

Palzang

federica

Goodness, I'm glad you corrected! I tried my mala with just my name, and I couldn't do it in under three...!

Well, providing my intention is good, and my motivation sincere, given that we have a total to make up, I can get going with reckless abandon!

VoidWhereProhibited

Quote from Gerald Ford:

Speaking of Japanese, Japanese refer to malas as juzu or nenju. They're simply seen as tools for mindfulness. There's no ritual in Japanese Buddhism like counting of beads found in Catholicism. I believein Tibetan Buddhism, they do some kind of purification of their malas, but rubbing them vigorously together between the palms of their hands. Someone else could speak to that better.

I don`t think that is correct, Gerald. In Japan within Shingon Buddhism juzu are indeed used to count mantras and they are also rubbed similary to how you describe the Tibetan practice.