Japamala
Sign in to saveA japamala, ', or simply mala' (; , meaning 'garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It is used for counting recitations (japa) of mantras, prayers or other sacred phrases. It is also worn to ward off evil, to count repetitions within some other form of sadhana (spiritual practice) such as prostrations before a holy icon. They are also used as symbols of religious identification.
Key facts
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- Different types of Japa mala (prayer beads) selling in Varanasi, India.jpg
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- Different types of japamala (prayer beads) selling in Varanasi, India
- Chinese.san
- mālā (माला)
- Chinese.c
- 佛珠
- Chinese.l
- "Buddha pearls"
- Chinese.p
- Fózhū
- Chinese.w
- Fo2-chu1
- Chinese.gr
- Forju
- Chinese.j
- Fat6-zyu1
- Chinese.y
- faht-jyū
- Chinese.tl
- Hu̍t-tsu
- Chinese.kanji
- 念珠, 数珠
- Chinese.romaji
- nenju ("reciting beads"), juzu ("counting beads")
via Wikipedia infobox
~28 min read
Encyclopedic overview
25 sectionsContents
- History
- Origin
- Early attestations
- China
- Materials
- Hinduism
- Mahayana Buddhism
- Tibetan Buddhism
- Nepal
- Japanese Buddhism
- Theravada Buddhism
- Number of beads
- Additional beads
- Counting markers and cords
- Inline marker beads
- Beads on separate cords
- Religious usage
- Carrying and storing
- Method of use
- Aesthetic usage
- See also
- References
- Works cited
- Further reading
- External links
A japamala, ', or simply mala' (; , meaning 'garland') is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. It is used for counting recitations (japa) of mantras, prayers or other sacred phrases. It is also worn to ward off evil, to count repetitions within some other form of sadhana (spiritual practice) such as prostrations before a holy icon. They are also used as symbols of religious identification.
The main body of a mala usually consists of 108 beads of roughly the same size and material as each other, although smaller versions, often factors of 108 such as 54 or 27, exist. A distinctive 109th "guru bead" or mother bead, which is not counted, is very common.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Japamala” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.