mala use

[toujour_333]

does anyone else use a mala during meditation? i do and i believe that its helped me get into a deeper mode of meditation. i start by using a few chants, of course counting them with the mala beads, then i just sit in silence and either do the metta bhavana or another meditation.

so does anyone else use malas in a simular way or can anyone else suggest other ways of using it? i really love my mala, but i do know that my mala doesnt make me a buddhist, which was one thing that i used struggle with when i first got it.

how many people out there use malas and do u only wear it during meditation or do u wear it all day? i personally wear mine all day b/c its long and it moves with me and that tends to make me more mindful of the things that i am doing so i dont break it.

is there any special material that a mala should be made out of or not made out of? mine is tigers eye with a figure of buddha instead of a tassel. ive heard that H.H. the Dali Lama has a mala made from tigers eye, but i didnt find that out until after i bought it.

just a few questions for u guys. i really appreciate all the advice that all of you guys have given me over the past few months. cannot begin to describe how much all of you have helped me on my path. thank you all.

be well in peace

[Vajradhara]

Namaste toujour,


thank you for the post.

remember, there are many traditions which use something like a mala, both the Catholics and Muslims use a chain of beads to keep count of prayers and so forth... so, there is nothing unique to the Buddhist practice of mala use in this regard.

i use a mala in many of my daily practices. generally speaking, i use them during mantra recitation rather than during periods of Vipassana or Samatha. i've slacked off on my mantra recitation the past few months, however, so i've not been using them as much as i have previously.

with regards to material... there are some different schools of thought on it... by and large, however, i suspect that it is a matter of personal preference. i have two malas available to me, one made from Lotus seeds and one from the seeds of the Bodhi tree. i typically use the one from the Bodhi tree as they are larger and it seems to be a more sturdy construction... this is probably just my perception though.

generally speaking, i wear my mala all the time because you never can tell if you are going to have to use it. i've not been wearing it recently as it is sitting on my alter silently reminding me that i'm not being as diligent as i could be with my meditation practice. some of my shirts have permenant marks from wearing my mala underneath them.

be well and strive mindfully in your practice.

metta,

~v

[toujour_333]

thanks you for the response Vajradhara. i have been neglecting my meditation practice as well recently. but, the way i see it, i shouldnt try to force myself to meditate b/c that will only cause a negative connotation to meditation and thats the last thing i want. i actually looked at some of the lotus seed and bodhi seed malas before i chose the one i did. the beads on mine are smaller than i would like, but im happy just having it. thank u again for the comment.

be well in peace

[Vajradhara]

Namaste toujour,

thank you for the post.

Originally Posted by toujour_333

thanks you for the response Vajradhara. i have been neglecting my meditation practice as well recently. but, the way i see it, i shouldnt try to force myself to meditate b/c that will only cause a negative connotation to meditation and thats the last thing i want.

indeed, and it can be rather difficult to overcome should it develop. one of the ways which i've used to help with that is sort of twofold; i try to let go of the idea of meditating for a certain amount of time... though i am academically aware of the time needed, this has proved to be somewhat of an obstacle in some cases for me... however, what really helped was putting that into practice, i.e. shorter sessions of about 10 minutes each. it got to the point where i didn't want to get up from the cushion

i actually looked at some of the lotus seed and bodhi seed malas before i chose the one i did. the beads on mine are smaller than i would like, but im happy just having it. thank u again for the comment.

be well in peace

i agree. in retrospect, i would have chosen a different one as both of mine are, currently, in some disarray.. the Bodhi seeds are dry and cracked from my use and the lotus seeds are too fragile for retreat use and so forth...

i'm thinking of getting an onyx 108 bead mala to replace my normal one.. i've just felt sort of bad about the money that i'm spending.... i try to rationalize it by saying that i'm buying from Tibetans in Diaspora.. but still

metta,

~v

[toujour_333]

lol. im glad that i got a stone mala b/c i wont have to worry too much about things like that. ive found many on ebay.com, so that may be a good place for u to look. however, helping out tibetians is always a great thing to do. thanks for the advice about my meditation practice. actually, life is so funny. i was talking this morning about how i need to meditate but i havent really gotten around to it b/c ive been a lot more calm than normal, so it seems as if i didnt need to (although i know that wasnt true) but then laster tonight i had a very stressful night and it made me realize how precious my meditation time was, even if i felt at the time as if i didnt need it. its amazing how things work out, isnt it. thanks again.

be well in peace

[samabudhi]

I'm not sure about this, but I have a suspicion stolen Tibetan malas are being sold by Chinese on eBay for fiddlesticks. Totally unsupported of course, just wouldn't want to support a crime.

[toujour_333]

the mala that i bought on ebay was from a man in england that makes them simply for the pleasure of it. he only charges for the materials and the shipping and they are great quality and absolutely beautiful. mine is 8mm tigers eye beads, a jasper sameru, and a bronze figure of buddha as a tassel and i paid about $21-$23 for it, thats including shipping. plus, the man who makes it apparently meditates and fasts before he begins to make it and then cleanses the room before he sits down to make the mala. however, i do agree, i wouldnt want to support a crime. i did see many old malas on there that i was kinda suspicious of and there are many people from china selling malas on ebay, however i dont want to assume anything that isnt true, so all that i can say is the things that i have seen on ebay. but, thanks for the information samabudhi.

be well in peace