When it comes to the value of malas, Padmasambhava (as quoted by such modern-day masters as Gyatrul Rinpoche and Zurmang Rinpoche) outlines three levels. The most valuable malas, according to him, would be made from such precious materials as gold, silver, diamond and coral—due to their worldly worth, we would also feel very special about them (although walking around with a diamond mala, as Zurmang Rinpoche jokingly points out, might not be the safest option for most of us). Medium-grade rosaries are made from seeds of beneficial plants, and the least valuable rosaries (that are still perfectly good for practice) would be made from wood, clay, stone, or medicinal substances.
If one wants to choose a mala based on the activity one seeks to perform through one’s practice, a different logic is applied. Malas made of conch shells, crystal, seeds or most types of wood are appropriate for pacifying practices. Beads made from yellow and gold-coloured materials, along with apricot stones are good for expanding, or enriching. Coral, rubies, carnelian, red agate, mahogany and so on are used for magnetising, and finally, lava stone, rudraksha, bone and steel are meant for wrathful activities. Bone malas, although inexpensive and very easily accessible in Himalayan stores, are said to be exclusively meant for wrathful practices, which would normally already imply a certain level of Vajrayāna mastery already.
Certain materials are also mentioned to have the power to multiply the power of one’s mantras; among those, bodhi seeds are praised most highly, with silver, copper, rudraksha, rubies, pearls and some other materials described as having similar, though less strong, properties.
In terms of the malas most commonly used by lamas and common practitioners alike, some of the most popular materials for modern-day rosaries include the following.
Bodhi seeds. Contrary to a common misconception, these have no connection to the bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) that the Buddha sat down under prior to attaining enlightenment. The bodhi seeds used for making malas are primarily divided into two big categories: “Indian bodhi” (often sold in Bodhgaya and other places of Buddhist pilgrimage) and “Nepali bodhi”. While Indian bodhi seeds can be inexpensively purchased in India and abroad and are perfectly good for making malas, it appears that most texts praising the benefits of bodhi malas are referring to the Nepali variety (Ziziphus budhensis), originally planted in a specific region of Nepal by Padmasambhava himself. Due to their popularity, the price for these seeds skyrocketed in the recent years and is kept high by the demand in the Chinese market. The smaller the bead, the more expensive it is, to the point where a mala with 8-9mm beads can sometimes cost up 800-1000 US dollars.
Some sellers occasionally try to pass a much cheaper type of seed, known in Nepal as raktu, for proper bodhi seeds. While somewhat similar in terms of their look, raktu seeds are extremely cheap (to the point where a whole mala can cost about 1 US dollar) and not very durable; when they dry down, a bead can easily be cracked by applying a little bit of pressure. Raktu malas often have an actual Nepali bodhi seed as the guru bead.
Lotus. In the Chinese market, these seeds are also known as “moon and stars”: they can be distinguished by a number of smaller dots (representing stars) and a small hole (representing the moon). In terms of botany, these have no connection to the actual lotus plant (or any other flower resembling lotuses, such as water lily) and are the polished seeds of rattan (Daemonorops jenkinsiana).
These seeds are relatively popular in the Kagyu tradition — the Sixteenth Karmapa used to give “moon and stars” malas as gifts on occasion — and are either dyed reddish brown or left white/beige. One should note that these seeds can also be imitated using plastic. Real rattan seeds would gradually get darker through use, while the plastic imitation would retain its original color.
Sandalwood. There are two types of sandalwood primarily used for creating malas: the aromatic white sandalwood (Santalum album), known in India as safed chandan, and the non-aromatic red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus), known as rakta chandan or lal chandan. Both are used to make beautiful malas, but it is white sandalwood in particular that is popular for making debate malas commonly used in the Gelug tradition. It is because of this connection that His Holiness the Dalai Lama can often be seen using a white sandalwood rosary.
Rudraksha. Although often associated with Shiva worship and the Hindu tradition in general, rudraksha beads of different varieties (and with a different number of “faces”, or sides) are also used in Buddhism, especially in the Nyingma tradition. Some Nyingma lineages even recommend them as the primary material to use for three-year retreats—most likely because the main practices to be performed in such retreats have to do with advanced Vajrayāna techniques. That being said, such malas are not common amongst beginners and are not usually used for peaceful mantras.
Stones and minerals. Multiple types of precious, semi-precious and common stones are used for making malas. One should note these stone-based malas typically a bit heavier than malas made from seeds or wood—if the beads are large (8mm and above), the sheer weight of the mala is likely to damage the string much faster than with wood-based malas. If that happens, the mala simply needs to be restrung, ideally (as the teachings state) within 1 day.
Being the most common mineral on earth, quartz in particular is often used for making relatively inexpensive malas, including those made from transparent crystal; in India, these rosaries are known as sphatik, also commonly used by Hindu practitioners. Citrine, amethyst, rose quartz and other varieties of the same mineral are frequently used as well, along with lab-dyed and lab-grown quartz of different types. Lab-dyed quartz stones (painted and then heated so that the paint can enter the small cracks) are also frequently passed for other minerals, including peridot and jade.
Two mineral-based materials to be careful with—often serving as ornaments in the Tibetan folk culture—are turquoise and coral. With turquoise, one has to be very careful with finding genuine stones, as most modern turquoise malas are made from imitation stones (including dyed howlite and magnesite), since the reserves of genuine unadulterated turquoise in the world are dwindling. Real coral is similarly extremely expensive; one large red bead made from sea coral can cost as much as 1000 US dollars, so if a full “coral” mala is affordable, it is definitely made from other stones or imitation materials.
Two more stone-like substances that are popular in the Buddhist world are pearls (available in various colours, including pink and black) and amber. Buddhist monastics in India and Nepal are often seen using amber malas, desirable for their yellow color that is seen as auspicious for Mañjuśrī practice; however, checking whether the amber is real can be a bit tricky unless a mala is purchased with an authenticity certificate from the Baltic countries where most of the amber in this world is still found. A cheaper, younger form of amber known as copal can also sometimes be used, but even that is often imitated using tree resins or simply plastic.
At the end of the day, the material of the mala one uses depends on one’s personal inclinations; while some materials are historically praised above others, it also crucial that one’s mala sits comfortably in the hand and brings one joy. Having met many high teachers from the different Buddhist traditions of Tibet—Rinpoches, tulkus, khenpos and geshes—I have seen them use a wide variety of malas, from humble plastic to beautiful natural amber, with almost everything in between. The most common materials have always been Nepali bodhi, rudraksha, and white sandalwood.
In his book on mala creation and use, Zurmang Rinpoche also mentions that the following types of malas are to be avoided:
Malas forcibly taken from other practitioners.
Malas previously offered to the Buddha, or previously used as ornaments for Buddhist statues.
Malas that have less or more than 108 main counter beads.
Malas with damaged beads—unless one can replace them.
Blessing a mala
While many practitioners like to have their mala blessed by a lama, one is ideally also supposed to keep personally blessing one’s mala on a regular basis. Elaborate meditation practices are occasionally used for that purpose, but Lama Zopa Rinpoche would commonly advise students to simply recite the blessing mantra (OM RUCHIRA MANI PRAVARTAYA HUM PHAT) and then blow on the mala. More elaborate meditations for the same purpose are taught in different Vajrayāna cycles and would be performed by those who have an empowerment into a specific Vajrayāna system.
Secrecy and the number of malas
Some texts mention that one’s primary mala is to be kept away from other people’s eyes and only used in private daily practice or in retreat. For this reason, some Vajrayāna masters always cover their hand with a shawl while performing their recitations in public (during pujas or while giving an empowerment). Additionally, seasoned Himalayan practitioners would often have two malas: one for private practice and retreats, and another one to be used in public—for example, when circumambulating the Boudhanath stupa or the stupa in Bodhgaya.
Some practitioners would also have separate malas dedicated to different practices, as was the habit of the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
The perfect balance between “one and many” is to be found individually, but any mala we have is meant to be treated as a spiritual tool and not something to show off lightly. A mala is also not to be put into other people’s hands, not to be passed around, and not to be played around with—which makes it very different from the Greek worry beads known as komboloi.
Using a mala
Once a mala is chosen and blessed, one starts actually using it for counting mantras or prayers.
In the absolute majority of practices, a mala, as taught by Guru Rinpoche and later generations of masters, is to be held in the left hand. Using one’s thumb, one moves the beads towards oneself, as if drawing forth blessings and positive energy.
Exceptions are only made for certain dispelling practices, such as reciting the mantra of the Lion-Faced Dakini for warding off negative influences: in that case, the mala might be held in the right hand and the beads might be pushed away. However, the left-hand rule remains true for 99% of most recitation practices performed in the Indo-Tibetan tradition: if you ever observe practitioners who are circumambulating the Boudhanath stupa while doing their recitations, the only ones using their right hand would be Westerners that are still finding their way around the Vajrayāna tradition.
Depending on the specific activity one is performing, the beads, while being held in the left hand, could be placed over one’s index finger (corresponding to peaceful activities), middle finger (enriching), ring finger (magnetising) or pinky (wrathful activities). The general position, in which the mala is held between one’s thumb and the index finger, is said to be acceptable for all activities and all practices.
As was mentioned earlier, when one reaches the guru bead, one flips the mala and starts going back, instead of stepping over the head bead. One full mala is always counted as a 100 repetitions; the additional 8 (on a mala without dividers) or 11 (when dividers are used) are not counted, representing an attempt to make up for one’s mistakes during recitation. Thus, ten full malas are recorded as a 1000 repetitions, not 1080. Additionally, when sneezing, yawning, or coughing, one is meant to move back a few beads each time, making sure the generated energy of mantras is maintained properly.
One warning that is sometimes voiced by the lamas is making sure each bead is indeed accompanied by one repetition. When getting excited, beginner practitioners occasionally start going through their beads at a pace that is much higher than the pace of their actual recitation; I’ve personally seen people go through a full mala while performing barely just a few repetitions of their mantra! While the enthusiasm is understandable, the use of a mala is in itself a wonderful exercise in mindfulness, vigilance and carefulness— three mental factors that play a crucial role in strengthening our inner balance and ethical behaviour.
Conclusion
The number 108 is mysterious in its origins and often merely symbolic in its meaning, representing Dharmic auspiciousness—but the practice of training the mind we can perform with the use of our malas is very real.
A popular Tibetan folk song says “It is better to sing a song with kindness than to recite om mani padme hum with an ugly heart”—but if the recitations are helping us strengthen the beautiful qualities of our heart-mind, a mala becomes a true tool of personal and collective liberation.
Just like with Chenrezig crystal mala, our own malas can also represent a never-ending flow of loving kindness that we are extending to ourselves and to all sentient beings, knowing validly that eventually we will be able to make the overall tapestry of interdependence more auspicious for everyone involved.
