Buddhist prayer beads | Meaning and how to use them for mantras or mindfulness 

Thanks, @Powerful MK, I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😀🙏🏻

Yes, I agree. I find it helpful to have something tactile to keep my attention on the mantra I'm using or on counting breaths. :)

Also it doesn't matter what materials their made of, they used to be made of seeds and they only were made into a necklace in China 😉

Thank you, Stan, I'm so happy to hear that you're connecting your new spiritual practice with the one you were raised in. And thank you, I'll share your comment with my teachers. 🥰🙏

@@ClaireVillarreal ❤️

Friend, you should really come back to Catholicism. It is the Church established by the Lord Christ who is the true God. Noone comes to the Father except through Him.

I also grew up Catholic. My grandmother is Irish. I found Buddhism years ago but have drifted around looking into other things and have now returned to Buddhism.

Thanks, Laura, I'm glad you enjoyed it. 💜🙏

You're most welcome. 🙏

You're most welcome, Clive. 🙏

Keith, I'm so glad to hear that! Good luck with your practice -- and please drop me another comment if you have questions going forward. :)

Thanks so much, Jody! I'm still trying to learn from that t-shirt. 😜 And I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying that mantra! It's a great go-to practice.

Thank you, MM, I'm so glad this was helpful -- and I'm looking forward to "seeing" you at the Jung Center workshops! 🤩

Thank you 🙏💜

Thanks, Zaiga, I'll check out carnelian. 🙏😊

Thank you so much, Dr. Blaney! Since this reply is so slow (😜), how has your mantra practice been going?

The rosary is a great aid for contemplative practice, too! When you use beads with your saying ("I am peaceful, I am calm"), did you coordinate it with the breath? How did you put it together with the beads? (I'm curious about how different people use their beads.)

Actually I didn't think about incorporating my breath. That's a very good idea!

As I m a Christian (peace the prince of peace. Jesus To fill my heart.).( Love The most important thing because if I can do everything But don't love what's the point).( Grace to forgive myself and others For their failures and shortcomings), That I will pray with a guru bead as my heart. I hope if anyone reads this comment that needs it there will be less than weekly and the name of Jesus The most shy I pray if your path is laid in your jam or If he's leading you on this path be encouraged if you're not on this path The best hopes and wishes to you Truly be blessed

Great question, @rin! If it's not important to count the mantras, you could just set the beads down while you've got your hands in that position. Or you can also just hold the mala with a couple of fingers of one hand and modify the prayer hands position a bit. The most important thing is what you're doing with your heart/mind, so see which option is least distracting for you. 🙏

Hi, @charliepug3637, the decision to wear a mala or not is very personal. Some people like to have one on hand so it's easy to say some mantras anytime... but honestly, you can say mantras whether or not you're using beads! 😜 I hope you're getting benefit from your practice and feeling more confident about how to use your malas. 🙏💜

Hi, Noahxig, I'm so glad that this video was helpful to you. Your question about mantras is a good one: what language are they in, and is there one specifically for overcoming anger? The best reply to this question really would be a short video, so if I have a chance I'll create that, but the quick answer is: The mantras in this video are in Sanskrit (as are all the mantras in Tibetan Buddhism). They're pronounced Tibetan-style and written in Tibetan characters, but they're from Sanskrit. 😊 As for the second part of your question, compassion is traditionally considered an antidote to anger (feeling into the pain of the person or group you're angry with, recognizing your common humanity/being-ness, and wishing them well). And OM MANI PADME HUNG is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the buddha of compassion. 💜 So if you recite that mantra with the intent of tapping into universal compassion and your own innate ability to connect with sublime compassion, you might get a lot of benefit from that. Please let me know how it goes! As for your question about chakra-mudra cards, I've never heard of them, lol, so I can't offer any advice about them! Good luck learning to use them in your spiritual practice, though. 🙏

m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-02jPdwVgO4U.html (How to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo)

Hi, Dr. Blaney, that's a great question! I've never heard an answer to it specifically, but what I do know is that as you use a mala, the blessings of the practices you do "charge it up." No lama has said that exact thing, but there are special customs about how to treat the mala (e.g., don't put it on the ground, keep it clean, the same things you'd do to show respect to texts). And if you're doing intensive practices with a mala, ideally you'd keep it on your shrine and not wear it in public or let other people handle it. I hope you're off to a good start on your relationship with your new mala. :)

@@ClaireVillarreal yes, thanks so much for your kind and helpful reply. :D

Hi, Anthony, I know there are some very powerful Christian prayers that are similar to mantras, and the rosary is pretty similar to a mala (Buddhist prayer beads)! So I hope you find a spiritual practice that helps you tune into that universal energy of awakened compassion. 🙏💜

Hi, @Rita Biswas, here's my personal answer: Because the Green Tara mantra is pretty short, I like using my sandalwood mala with small-ish beads because it's easy to click through them quickly. 😜 That's not an "official" answer, but I think the best mala for a practice is the one that's comfortable for you to use. I've never heard of a particular type of stone or wood being associated with Green Tara practice (the way quartz crystals are associated with Vajrasattva). I hope that's helpful. 🙏

Hi, "Nunya," a lot of people are in your situation! A lot of sanghas (Buddhist communities) these days are offering teachings and practices online. The dharma center I'm a member of, Dawn Mountain, just started a teaching series that's entirely broadcast online and available on RU-vid, plus they have a lot of other online offerings. You can check them out at dawnmountain.org. I think that especially for Tibetan Buddhism, it's important eventually to connect with people, though that doesn't have to be in person. And lots of people want a teacher, but fewer realize how important it is to have sangha connection, too. So if you can find an organization that offers ways to connect online live with fellow students, like Dawn Mountain does, I personally think that's optimal. Good luck with your search! Please feel free to continue this conversation by email (claire@clairevillarreal.com); I have friends and colleagues in addition to my Dawn Mountain family who teach in the Tibetan tradition that I can recommend.

or for padma family practice in general? Or does is it always associated with deep coral red

@@jays2924 Thanks for your comment! At the end of the day, so much of mantra practice is evoking the feeling-tone or heart resonance you're going for in your practice, so my opinion as a non-expert on gemstones and malas is that if there's a type of bead that evokes the quality of heart/mind you're cultivating in a practice, you could try using it and see how it works for you. I know clear quartz beads are often used for Vajrasattva practice, sometimes bone for protector practice, and lapis lazuli is associated with Medicine Buddha. My friend Shannon has a channel called Crystal Wisdom with Shannon Marie, and you could do a deeper dive on the qualities of various gemstones there. You could also check out sites like dharmacrafts.com that offer different materials of malas with an explanation of their properties. I hope that's helpful! 🙏

@@ClaireVillarreal thank you for your comment, wish me luck, i hope to receive the Amitabha empowerment soon

@@jays2924 good luck! Amitabha carries so many blessings. 💜

Hi, Richard, that's a great question! The mala gets "charged up," as I understand it, through being used for practice. Of course, if you have someone who can bless it for you, that's great, too -- but if you're saying, for instance, Tara mantras on it, then Tara will bless it. 💚🙏

@@ClaireVillarreal Dear Claire,thank you very much for answering my question,it's greatly appreciated. Namo Buddhaya.

Hi, @luzseverson, sorry for the slow reply! Most malas actually have 108 or 111 beads -- but if you're not going to use it to count mantras (some folks will say a million or more mantras), then you can really use any number you'd like. I really enjoy making my own malas and using beautiful beads, so yes, for sure, you can make your own. I have two thoughts about when to use mantras: It's helpful to set aside some regular time to say your chosen mantra(s) and focus just on that. First thing in the morning is one recommended time, as is last thing at night or even as you're lying in bed. It's a great way to fall asleep. :) Once you've used a mantra enough, you can say it any time you're feeling stressed out, anxious, angry, etc. It's a wonderful technique to transform negative mental states and call on the energy of a buddha or other sacred being, which is ultimately the luminosity of your own mind, to help get a bigger perspective. The app I'd recommend is Insight Timer. They have thousands of free tracks featuring different mantras, some with music, some just voices, etc. I recommend bookmarking the tracks you like so you can easily come back to them. I hope that's helpful! Please let me know how your experiments with mantras and mala-making go. 🙏💜

Well, there are some practices where you'd only want to do 21 repetitions of a mantra, for instance. So you'd use a spacer bead to know where to start counting a smaller number. There might be other reasons I'm not aware of, too. ;)

Hi, Garooda OP, thanks for your feedback. :) You're welcome to ask questions here in chat, since they might help someone else, too. Or you can write me at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

@@ClaireVillarreal Well ok my name is siddharth. My birthdate is 16-5-1992. As my life path number is 33. Anyways i dont know are you aware of life path number 33 or not but i was born on buddha pornima in india, thats why my name is siddharth. my questions are recently i have been following to tibetian buddhishm like going through the chants like "OM muni muni maha muni shakyamuni soha" as shakyamuni is my god. and chanting this over mala's . are there any specific ways of prayers which needs to be done by me like i offer water and flower in morning. and what are the prayers that needs to be done in morning and before night. thankyou :)

​@@NumerlogyMaster Hi, Siddharth (auspicious name). 🙏 It's a great question, and the short answer is: It's wonderful to make a water (and flower) offering every morning. Tibetans use different kinds of offering bowls, usually seven of them, to offer water each morning as a way to cultivate generosity. You'd then collect the water and toss it out each night, preferably onto plants or outdoors so the blessings in the water can be shared with living beings. Buddhists traditionally recite the refuge prayer three times each morning. You can use a simple version like, "I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha" or, from the Sanskrit, "namo buddhaya, namo dharmaya, namo sanghaya." In my tradition (the Longchen Nyingthig lineage of the Nyingma school), there's also a prayer we sing before practice and which would be wonderful to do each morning. It's called "Great Blazing Bliss" ("Dechen Barwa"), and you can find it on p. 4 of this booklet from Dawn Mountain, my sangha: bit.ly/3ro3NJY If you're looking for a sangha with a lot of online offerings, I recommend them. (Though, obviously, I'm biased. 😜) I hope that's helpful! Please let me know if you have other questions.

Hi, Siddharth, I replied earlier, but I just realized that comment isn't showing up. 🤔 So I apologize for what's now a very slow reply! But your name and story are so auspicious! And in Tibetan Buddhism, offering water in the morning (usually in seven bowls, poured as you cultivate generosity) is very traditional and a great way to start the day. Something else that's common to Buddhists of all traditions is reciting the refuge prayer three times in the morning: "Namo buddhaya, namo dharmaya, namo sanghaya" or any of the many (many) translations or variations on that prayer. Also, something the Dalai Lama has recommended doing at night is reviewing your day and noticing what you did that was helpful and what was harmful. You can dedicate the merit of your helpful acts (of body, speech, or mind) to your enlightenment in order to benefit all beings and resolve not to do the harmful acts again. I hope that's helpful! 💜

@@ClaireVillarreal First of all im sorry for late reply as i was out of town - Thankyou for your time and giving your inputs on this. Are you aware of tibetian astrology as astrology in tibet is very important.

Hi, @ancienttimes2474, here's a link to a nice PDF with OM MANI PADME HUM and a short explanation: www.chenrezigproject.org/wordpress1/dharmanotes/ommanipadmehum.pdf Here's a blog post about the Amitabha mantra: www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/amitabha And Tara's mantra: www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-buddhism/green-tara-mantra.html I hope those are helpful! In Tibetan culture, there are certain practices that are more powerful on certain days of the month, but I've never heard of recommendations for specific days of the week. If you find info on that, please share it here! 💜🙏

Hi, Aine, I started with practicing in the Thai forest tradition and studying Tibetan Buddhism. These days my practice is focused in Tibetan Buddhism, too: the Longchen Nyingthig lineage of the Nyingma school, to be precise. 😜

Hi, Ellen, to geek out a little bit: the "HUM/HUNG" of the final syllable can be said either way. It's the transliteration of a sound they have in Sanskrit but that Tibetan and English both don't really have. Different lamas say it different ways, and the tradition is to say it however you received it when you got teachings on it. Short answer: both ways are right. 😁🙏

@@ClaireVillarreal awesome thanks for geeking!

Hi, Marc, I'm actually not sure -- but I'm sure they're older than Buddhism! There are similar beads used in similar ways found all over the world, so I wouldn't be surprised if the use of mala-type beads predates writing and history.

@@ClaireVillarreal Yes ,that's what they are called ,mala beads . It's cool to learn new things still at 53,HalleluYAH !

@@marcdemell5976 yay for lifelong learning! 😜🎉

@@ClaireVillarreal HalleluYAH ,Indeed.

Anthony, it's important to recognize the responses you have to these different practices and respect your limits. Of course, OM MANI PADME HUM is wonderful and soothing, and according to a Buddhist understanding, there are no real demons. Just our own emotions running out of control. If the guru can help with that, then wonderful! If it freaks out your ordinary mind to practice with the guru, then maybe the Blessed Virgin Mary will be more helpful to you. They're not different, at the end of the day. 💜

Hi, Gilbert, if you're just using the mantra as a way to focus your mind, then there's no requirement for how many you complete. You could spend a certain amount of time (e.g., 15 minutes) or just recite mantras until you feel settled. Same if you're using the mala to count breaths. The most important thing is to practice in the way that's best for you. Happy meditating! 💜🙏

@@ClaireVillarreal Thank you 🙏

Yes, that one is wonderful, too. 🙏💜

Reply pls.

Great question -- and the answer is definitely yes! There are plenty of non-veg Buddhists around the world and in traditionally Buddhist cultures (like Tibet and Thailand), so you're in good company. You can cultivate compassion and wisdom no matter what you eat. 💜

Yes, in Lumbini. I apologize if I misspoke in the video.

Ooh, great mantra. 💜

Huh, that's an interesting question. If anything, short malas tend to have 21 or 27 beads, in my experience -- which is limited when it comes to mala numbers! 😜