Malas, meaning garland in Sanskrit (Māḷa), are strings of prayer beads (108) commonly used in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. They are used for spiritual practice known in Sanskrit as Japa meaning “to recite”. They are similar to other forms of prayer beads used around the world in various religions commonly known as “rosaries”.
Mala jewellery are lovely pieces of jewellery in the form of necklaces or bracelets. Traditionally used in India as a form of a counter for accounts and tracking the days their uses have changed over time. Today they are used as a fashion accessory as well as in yoga, meditation and religious practices.
Beads are used when chanting or doing breath work, they help you to keep track of your mantra/meditation process. When using Mala beads, each one will pass through your fingers as you chant aloud or in your mind.
A Mantra is group or words, sounds or syllable that are repeated to aid concentration in meditation. Some mantras are ancient Sanskrit words that are believed to have spiritual energy but no literal meaning.
The History of Malas
Malas first originated in India millennia ago. It is believed that the first malas were strung from rudraksha seeds and worn by the ancient Vedic Sages in around 1000 BCE. They had strong spiritual significance to the Vedic Sages, who believed that these seeds came from Lord Shiva himself.
Lord Shiva
According to Vedic beliefs, Lord Shiva went into a deep trance – meditating for the well-being of all living creatures of the earth and when he finished and opened his eyes – tears fell to the earth. These tears were in the form of seeds which grew to trees, later being called the Rudraksha tree. Rudra means “Lord Shiva” and Aksha means “teardrops”, making Rudraksha “Tears of Lord Shiva”.
It is believed that these tiny seeds emit positive vibrations and work to heal the Heart Chakra
Modern Malas
More recently it has become common for non-religious individuals to wear Mala beads as a fashion accessory with the beads having differing significance without and religious affiliations.
Yoga or Meditation
Many uses are:
- Yoga Practice
- Chant or count a mantra
- Grounding whilst meditating
- Balancing of the chakra with the gemstones used.
- Worry beads for anxiety.
- Setting positive affirmations
- Manifesting goals and intentions.
- Self love.
Beads used in Malas
Why 108 beads?
The number 108 is a very auspicious number. There are multiple opinions as to why there are 108 beads on the Mala necklace:
In astrology there are 12 houses and 9 planets which when multiplied equals 108. This number also connects the Sun, Moon and Earth. The distance of Earth from the Sun is about 108 times the diameter of the Sun (107.6 times to be more exact).
In Yoga there are instances throughout the year when those practising celebrate Sun Salutations. This Yoga tradition is performed to welcome change such as seasons, a new year or during a time of adversity for reflection and to bring peace and harmony.
Also:
- There are thought to be 108 nadi (energy lines) leading to the heart chakra.
- There are said to be 108 stages to the human journey.
- Enlightenment is thought to be accessible if a person inhales and exhales each day 108 times.
- In the Sanskrit language there are 108 characters in the alphabet (54 female and 54 male).
- The beads represent 108 worries, worldly desires, vexations or human passions (also known as defilements or Kleshas). So, when you recite the name of a Buddha, you can eliminate one defilement, so one cycle will rid you of all vexations.
The 108 defilements are as follows:
- Abuse – of substance or person or animal
- Aggression – the action of attacking without provocation
- Anger – a very strong feeling of displeasure or outrage at something or someone
- Arrogance – exaggerated experience of ones own importance
- Baseness – lack of moral principles
- Belittlement – to make someone feel less important than yourself
- Blasphemy – speaking badly about sacred or religious things
- Calculating – to be calculating in ones actions towards another.
- Callousness – insensitive and cruel towards others
- Capriciousness – impulsive and unpredictable
- Censoriousness – to find wrongs in everything
- Conceit – excessive pride in oneself
- Contempt – a disregarding Of something or someone
- Cruelty – behaviour that cause physics or mental harm to others animal or human
- Cursing – to cause offence usually associated with anger
- Deception – to mislead or misguide someone
- Delusion – maintaining belief in something despite that of rational argument and proof
- Denial – the refusal of the truth
- Derision – ridicule or mockery
- Desire – strong feeling of wanting or wishing
- Deviousness – to be deceitful and underhanded
- Dipsomania – interment bouts of alcoholism
- Discontent – dissatisfaction with ones circumstances
- Discord – lack of harmony with others
- Disrespectful – showing a lack of courtesy to others and possessions
- Dissatisfaction – the lack of satisfaction
- Dogmatism – the tendency to lay down principles as truth, without evidence or opinions of others.
- Effrontery – impertinent behaviour
- Egotism – excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself
- Envy – a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck
- Excessiveness – going beyond what is necessary or needed
- Faithlessness – betrayal or disloyalty of moral or religious principles
- Falseness – the quality of not be open and truthful
- Fame – a state of being known and admired by many
- Gambling – the act of risking for a greater reward
- Garrulity – excessive talkativeness
- Gluttony – overindulgence, excess of food, luxury or wealth
- Greed – greed of money, possessions
- Grudgingly – in a reluctant or resentful manner
- Hard heartedly – lacking in sympathy or compassion
- Hatred – an intense dislike
- Haughtiness – arrogantly superior
- Headiness – intoxication or inhibiting of the senses
- High handedness – showing no sign of regard to the rights of others
- Hostility – unfriendly or opposing tactics
- Humiliation – to shame and humiliate others.
- Hurtfulness – to cause pain or injury especially psychological
- Hypocrisy – the claiming of higher standards than upholding
- Ignorance – lack of knowledge or information
- Imperiousness – domineering in a haughty manner, dictatorial and overbearing
- Imposture – pretending to be someone or something other than yourself
- Inattentiveness – without paying attention or particular notice
- Indifference – lack of interest concern or sympathy
- Ingratitude – a disagreeable lack of thanks
- Insidiousness – intending entrapment of harmful rumours or misinformation
- Instability – tendencies towards unpredictable behaviour
- Intolerance – unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behaviour that differ from one’s own
- Impudence – being rude and disrespectful
- Impulsive – actions done suddenly and without forethought
- Irresponsibility – lack of a proper sense of care or responsibility
- Jealousy – of others
- Lechery – excessive or offensive sexual desire; lustfulness
- Lying – to oneself or others
- Lust – lust for the flesh, money, fame
- Manipulation – to manipulate ones dealings with others
- Masochism – to derive sexual gratification from one’s own pain or humiliation
- Melancholy – a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause
- Mendacity – untruthfulness
- Mercilessness – having or showing no mercy, pity
- Negativity – criticism or pessimism over something
- Obsession – the continual preoccupation of idea or thought
- Obstinacy – a stubbornness within ones mind
- Oppression – prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority
- Ostentatiousness – pretentious show in an attempt to impress others
- Pessimism – a tendency to see the worst aspect of things
- Power – the ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others and there actions.
- Prejudice – preconceived opinion not based on experience or reason
- Presumption – arrogant and disrespectful to the limits of what is permitted appropriate
- Pretence – to make something that is not the case appear true
- Pride – satisfaction in ones own achievement and successes
- Prodigality – excessive or wasteful spending
- Quarrelsomeness – the continuous argument of everything
- Rage – uncontrollable violent anger
- Rapacity – aggressive greed
- Ridicule – to subject someone to contemptuous language or behaviour
- Sadism – inflicting pain and suffering on oneself or others
- Sarcasm – the use of irony to mock
- Seduction – temptation in attractiveness by means of a lesser form of manipulation
- Sexual Misconduct – with oneself and others partners our spouses
- Shamelessness – behaviour marked by a bold defiance of the lack of shame
- Show-off – to boastfully display ones abilities
- Spitefulness – desire to inflict injury or harm someone either physical or mental
- Stinginess – unwilling to share with others
- Stubbornness – sticking to one’s views, attitude or position on something or someone
- Terrorise – to inflict mental of physical pain to animal or person
- Torment – a continuation of something that causes suffering mentally
- Tyranny – cruel and oppressive rule or control
- Uncomprehending – the inability to grasp something even after logically argument
- Uncompromising – unwillingness to make concessions for others
- Unfriendliness – a state of being hostile towards others
- Unyieldingness – inflexible in ones views or opinions
- Vanity – excessive pride in ones appearance or achievements
- Vindictiveness – to hold strong feelings of revenge towards someone
- Violence – to cause or inflict violence of any form.
- Voluptuousness – being lush and abundant to the pleasure senses
- Wrathful – characterised by excess rage or anger
Type of Bead
Different spiritual practices and religious traditions historically have used beads of a specific material. In India, malas are primarily made from sandalwood, tulasi, and rudraksha seeds. In Nepal and Tibet, most malas are made from bodhi seeds, lotus seeds, and bone. Today malas have began to incorporate semiprecious beads – adding to the mala the vibrational energies of the crystals.
Rudraksha Seeds 
Gemstones 
Lotus Seed
Marker Beads
Marker beads are additional beads that are placed a certain intervals along the mala. They are there to bring you back into your meditation if you thought stray. They are usually larger of different to the 108 beads making up the necklace. The counting beads are tied in patterns of 108 (Mantra), Tibetan (108 + 3 markers at intervals of 27) or Zen (108 + 4 markers at of intervals of 7, 21, 87, 101). There are Mantra (with markers at 21,54 and 87,) necklaces, Tibetan(with 3 markers after bead numbers 27,54 and 81) and Zen (with markers at 7,14,66 and 80). A necklace with no markers is just known as a Mala. In our Zen necklaces we use a Buddha shaped bead made from Haematite.
The Guru Bead
In the centre of the garland at the half way point is the Guru (or meru (meaning ‘mountain’) bead. It can be a gemstone bead, or a specific style of bead, then with a tassel hanging off it. The guru bead is named that for a reason. It symbolises your Teacher, your Guru, the Divine, or God – whatever you hold sacred – as well as your intention. It is the sacred in your mala – the energy to guide, teach and support you.
The Tassel
The threads of the mala come together into one and travel through the guru bead and then finish and tie off in the tassel which represents our connection to the Divine and to each other. Oneness. The tassel is also said to represent our desire to touch enlightenment.
The tassel symbolises eternity and is usually pointed towards you when you begin meditating with the Mala necklace. Alternatively, the tassel can symbolise a lotus blossom, which is a symbol of enlightenment.
The Knots
Traditional Malas are hand knotted in between each bead. This signifies that your mantra cycle has finished and it is time to move on to the next bead.
Mala Bracelets
Mala bracelets are made of 18 or 54 beads. A full 108 bead Mala necklace can be twisted around the wrist to form a bracelet. When performing a mantra then you would go around the bracelet more than once until you have performed the 108 counts.