Mala Making Merriment

More on the Global Mala Project....

Thank you so much to Yisrael Bisman from Dharma Mala's and all our volunteers who showed up last night to string beads. Our plan was to make 108 wrist malas that will be gifts to the first 108 people who come down to Riverfront Park for the Spokane leg of the worldwide Global Mala Project. In 2.5 hours 11 of us made about 40 so we may have another beading session - if you are interested in helping out let me know.

In the meantime, I thought I'd get you a little information about what a mala is.

The true origins of the use of a circle or string of beads to count prayers and as a device for meditation are lost to history, although most scholars agree that the earliest use of prayer beads comes from India in the 8th century B.C.E. The word mala in Sanskrit translates roughly as 'garland' and is associated with both the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. The tradition of using beads in religious devotion can be traced from there, first spreading to Asia and then through the Middle East and to Medieval Europe. Some Native Americans used beaded belts and bracelets (known as wampum) as a form of money, a device for memory, as diplomatic or ceremonial tools, and to pass on cultural knowledge, rituals and tradition - however they are not known to have used them as a daily devotional tool like the mala or rosary.

Prayer beads are now a near-universal spiritual item, and have variations in most of the world's major religions - from the Christian rosary to the Arabic tasbih. Malas have even briefly entered mainstream consciousness in the form of power beads worn on the wrist by everyone from celebrities to teenage girls. This ancient ritual tool has been used by countless people through the ages to help them attain meditative states, relieve stress and worry and provide a concrete tool for counting one's prayers or recitations in their spiritual practice.

The appeal of malas is easy to understand - pick up any strand of fine beads and roll them through your fingers. The effect is almost instantly noticeable. You feel the smooth surfaces begin to glide and roll, almost by themselves, and as you begin to explore the strand, your mind calms, your breathing slows, and you focus on the simple act of moving from bead to bead. When this simple act is combined with a short prayerful recitation and the intent and focus of a spiritual practice, their true power is revealed.

The traditional form of the mala comes with 108 beads which is occasionally broken into 4 groups of 27 by 3 additional beads (this is more common with Tibetan Buddhist malas) and almost always are terminated by a larger bead with a tassel which is known as the "guru" bead.

Yisrael makes custom made malas, he will hopefully be displaying some of his malas on the 23rd!