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Mala
Beads
Mala beads consist of a string of
108 beads, with one bead considered the “summit
bead,” which is
called a sumeru.
The Mala beads are a tool that can
be used for keeping your mind on the practice of meditation.
Mala beads are typically made out of different materials, including
tulsi (basil) wood,
stone, sandalwood, rudraksh seeds, bone, or crystal. Each type of bead
material has its own properties, which make subtle difference in its affect
on the subconscious mind of the meditating person.
Meditation,
after all, is an exacting and tricky practice, since the mind can be
somewhat like a naughty little kid. The
mind is naturally inclined to wandering off during the meditation practice,
causing the practicing person to lose concentration.
Additionally, if your energy is low while you try to meditate, you
can even fall asleep! Conversely,
if your energy is too high, you are prone to fantasizing, daydreaming and
other distractions, which become barriers to the meditation practice.
It is at precisely these times that mala beads provide the assistance
you require; a sort of anchor to your meditations.
The
mala beads are used by moving them in rhythm with the breath and the mantra
of the meditating practitioner. This
ensures that both sleep and distraction are prevented, due to the action
upon the beads.
Mala
beads can be used in a number of ways.
One of the most common ways to use the mala beads is to hang the
string between the thumb and the ring finger.
Using the middle finger, the mala beads are rotated by one bead
towards oneself, with each breath and repetition of the mantra.
Another method for mala beads means
that they hang on the middle finger, with the use of the thumb for rotating
the mala, in the same way as the first method, one bead at a time. In
all methods for mala beads, the index finger is not used, and never touches
the mala beads. The dangling mala may coil on the floor, as the practicing
hand rests on the right knee, or in front of the heart at the center of the
chest.
The
practice of mala begins at the sumeru and continues its way around the loop
until the summit has been reached once more.
The sumeru must never be passed over.
Therefore, if it is intended that more than one round of mala beads
be performed, the string must be turned around, so that the meditator can
proceed once more, but in the reverse direction.
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