Mala's and Mantras
Happy Holidays! Hope your holidays are wonderful. So I have been on this path to search for truth and spirituality for a while now.
A while ago I had found a book about Mala beads, what they are, how they help etc. I wanted to share my journey, my findings and hopefully it will help others. If you have any questions or want to get a Mala for yourself, let me know! I will attach pictures of my 2 Mala's. I decided to stick to one type of stone with each Mala but my next one will be a combination of stones.
What is a Mala?
A Mala is a string of beads in a necklace form with a tassel at the end. Similar to rosary beads but more beads and no crucifix. Rosary beads have 58 beads plus a cross and a medallion, Mala's have 108 beads plus 1 larger Sumeru bead or Guru bead. Many Mala's use semi-precious stones. You can have it made with charms if you want. But it's said a Mala finds its owner, it selects you not you selecting it. It draws your attention to it.
It is also important to note that a Mala needs to have knots between one bead and the other. When a Mala necklace has taught you all it has to teach you, a new mala may find you or capture your attention or you may lose it or be drawn to give it to someone. If you are just starting out or if you already have a Mala, this post might find you to guide you to create a mala for yourself since I make Mala's to people specifications or you might be drawn to learn to make your own Mala.
Rudraksha word is related to Hindu Religion. Rudraksha tree and seed both are called Rudraksha. Rosary made out of Rudraksha Beads in the auspicious numbers like (108 1, 54 1, 27 1) is called Rudraksha Mala. The 1 bead is called as Sumeru (it is not crossed while chanting) which is considered a boundary for returning in reverse direction for further counting. Mala is used for wearing as well as for the purpose of Japa (Chanting Mantra for Spiritual attainments).
Mantras? You can use any mantra that feels right to you. It can be Om which is a mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts. I personally use: Om Nama Shivaya Shreem Ram Ramaya Nama, which is Attain happiness, wealth, pleasure and success in all aspects of life.
So your Mantra is your intention. You recite your mantra one time for each bead, which is 108 plus your guru in the morning and in the evening. Why? That is 108 times you are positively focusing your attention on your intention, and not allowing the mind or ego tell you it's not possible. That's a very brief, simplified explanation. You should really read more about the practice to have a deeper understanding. I'm relatively new to the practice and not an expert on the topic, but I know it makes me feel much better. I have heard miraculous things happening.
Why 108? There are as many supposed reasons as there are beads on the Mala. Some of these sound way far fetched if you ask me but a few make sense. The first one is the one I was first taught and what resonated with me and caused me to be intrigued and practice with a mantra and using a Mala. Here are 29 beliefs I found on Quora on why 108 beads on Mala’s......
1. 1, 0, and 8: Some say that 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.
2. 8 extra beads: In doing a practice of counting the number of repetitions of the mala, 100 are counted as completed. The remaining are said to cover errors or omissions. The 8 are also said to be an offering to God and Guru.
3. River Ganga: The sacred River Ganga spans a longitude of 12 degrees (79 to 91), and a latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 times 9 equals 108.
4. First man in space: The first manned space flight lasted 108 minutes, and was on April 12, 1961 by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut.
5. Sun and Earth: The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.
6. 9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.
7. Moon and Earth: The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.
8. Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108.
9. Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.
10. Harshad number: 108 is a Harshad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad is from Sanskrit, and means "great joy").
11. Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.
12. Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
13. Breath: Tantra estimates the average number of breaths per day at 21,600, of which 10,800 are solar energy, and 10,800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108 by 100 is 10,800. Multiplying 2 x 10,800 equals 21,600.
14. Pranayama: If one is able to be so calm in meditation as to have only 108 breaths in a day, enlightenment will come.
15. Chinese: The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each. Chinese astrology says that there are 108 sacred stars.
16. Upanishads: Some say there are 108 Upanishads, texts of the wisdom of the ancient sages.
17. Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 times 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.
18. Pentagon: The angle formed by two adjacent lines in a pentagon equals 108 degrees.
19. Marmas: Marmas or marmasthanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.
20. Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
21. Chemistry: Interestingly, there are about 115 elements known on the periodic table of the elements. Most of those, around or higher than the number 100 only exist in the laboratory, and some for only thousandths of a second. The number that naturally exist on Earth is around 100.
22. Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.
23. Silver and the moon: In astrology, the metal silver is said to represent the moon. The atomic weight of silver is 108.
24. Numerical scale: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 ... 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.
25. Smaller divisions: The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.
26. Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.
27. Jain: In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.
28. Sikh: The Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.
29. Buddhism: Some Buddhists carve 108 small Buddhas on a walnut for good luck. Some ring a bell 108 times to celebrate a new year. There are said to be 108 virtues to cultivate and 108 defilements to avoid.
It seems like so many refer to 9x12 and when there is so much regarding those numbers, I tend to believe there might be something in that 9x12 theory somewhere. But as I said, I would tell you what I was told when I was starting out. I was told the first one, 1, 0, and 8: Some say that 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity. To me, that made sense. It might not be the initial reason behind the 108 beads but it resonates with me. That's what you want to look for. What feels right to you? No matter what you choose, there is no wrong in what feels right for you. They are all correct if ultimately it brings you to a peaceful and loving practice. There are many many paths to God or source or whatever you call it, not just one. They are all right and all lead to the destination.
