Prayer beads

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prayer beads are traditionally used to keep count of the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions by adherents of religion. Since the beads can be fingered in an automatic manner, they allow one to keep track of how many prayers have been said with a minimal amount of conscious effort, which in turn allows greater attention to be paid to the prayers themselves.

There are three widely accepted uses for prayer beads:

Repetition of the same devotion a set (usually large) number of times. This is the earliest form of prayer beads (the Japa Mala) and the earliest Christian form (the prayer rope). This is also the type in use by the Bahá'í Faith
Repetition of several different prayers in some pattern, possibly interspersed with or accompanied by meditations.
Meditation on a series of spiritual themes, e.g. Islam.

1 Bahá'í Faith
2 Buddhism
3 Christianity
4 Hinduism
5 Islam
6 Sikhism
7 Nazorean Gnostics
8 Non-denominational
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

Bahá'í Faith

Bahá'ís recite the phrase "Alláhu Abhá", a form of the Greatest Name, 95 times per day, sometimes using prayer beads. Baha'i prayer beads often are made from wood, stone , glass beads or pearls.

There are two main types of Baha'i prayer beads. One consists of 95 beads, often with the first 19 distinguished by size, color or some other means, and will often have five additional beads that are strung below. The other main type has 19 beads strung with the addition of five beads below. This counts Alláhu Abhá 95 times (19*5).

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Buddhism

Main article: Buddhist prayer beads

Prayer beads, or Japa Malas, are also used in many forms of Mahayana Buddhism, often with a lesser number of beads (usually a divisor of 108). In Pure Land Buddhism, for instance, 27 bead rosaries are common. In China such rosaries are named "Shu-Zhu" ("Counting Beads"); in Japan, "Juzu". These shorter rosaries are sometimes called 'prostration rosaries', because they are easier to hold when enumerating repeated prostrations. In Tibetan Buddhism, often larger malas are used of for example 111 beads: when counting, they calculate one mala as 100 mantras, and the 11 additional beads are taken as extra to compensate for errors.

Christianity

The Desert Fathers (third to fifth century) used knotted ropes to count prayers, typically the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"). The invention is attributed to St Anthony or his associate St Pachomius in the fourth century.

Roman Catholics and Anglicans use the Rosary as prayer beads. The Rosary (its name comes from the Latin "rosarium," meaning "rose garden"), is an important and traditional devotion of the Roman Catholic Church, combining prayer and meditation in sequences (called "decades") of an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be to the Father, as well as a number of other prayers (such as the Apostle's Creed and the Hail Holy Queen) at the beginning and end. Traditionally a complete Rosary involved the completion of fifteen decades, but John Paul II added an additional five.

Roman Catholics also use prayer beads to pray chaplets.

Eastern Christians use loops of knotted wool (or occasionally of beads), called chotki or komboschinia to pray the Jesus Prayer. Although among the Orthodox, their use is mainly restricted to monks and bishops, being less common among laity or secular clergy. Among Russian Old Believers, a prayer rope made of leather, called lestovka, is more common, although this type is no longer commonly used now by the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The rosary is conferred upon the Greek Orthodox monk as a part of his investiture with the mandyas or full monastic habit, as the second step in the monastic life, and is called his 'spiritual sword'." [1]

In the mid-1980s Anglican prayer beads or "Christian prayer beads" were developed in the Episcopal Church. They have since been adopted by some Protestants. The set consists of 33 beads (representing the 33 years of the life of Christ) arranged in four groupings of symbolic significance. Many Anglo-Catholics use the Catholic rosary in addition to or instead of Anglican prayer beads.

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Pearls of Life

The contemporary Pearls of Life, invented by Martin Lönnebo, Bishop Emeritus of the Linköping Diocese of the Swedish Lutheran Church, is a set of 18 beads, some round and some elongated, arranged in an irregular pattern. Each one has its own significance as a stimulus and reminder for meditation, although they can also be used for repetitive prayer.

Hinduism

Main article: Japa mala

The earliest use of prayer beads can be traced to Hinduism, where they are called Japa Mala. Japa is the repeating of the name of a deity or a mantra. Mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā) means 'garland' or 'wreath'.^[1]

Japa mala are used for repetition of a mantra, for other forms of sadhana (spiritual exercise), and as an aid to meditation. The most common mala have 108 beads.^[2] The most common materials used for making the beads are Rudraksha seeds (used by Shaivites) and Tulsi stem (used by Vaishnavites).

Islam

Main article: Misbaha

In Islam, prayer beads are referred to as Misbaha, and contain 99 beads, corresponding to the 99 Names of Allah. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would cycle through them 3 times to equal 99. Use of the misbaha to count prayers and recitations is an evolution of Muhammad's practice of using the fingers of his right hand to keep track. While in pretty wide use today, some adherents of Wahhabism shun them as an intolerable innovation, preferring to stick to the exact method believed to have been used by the Prophet.

They are most commonly made of wooden beads, but also of olive seeds, ivory, amber, pearls or plastic.

Sikhism

Sikhs use a Mala with 108 beads. they also use prayer string made of wool with 99 knots rather than beads.

Nazorean Gnostics

The ancient Gnostic term for prayer beads was "Humarta", or "Humria" in the plural. It meant not only prayer bead, but also amulet, charm, joint, knot, stone, and spirit of an amulet. The Gnostic Mala (humarta) has 101 beads: "The Mystery of the mala (prayer beads) is to say one and to hear a hundred and one." (Secret Teachings of the Angelic Kings, 42)

These 101 beads are separated into three sections of 33 beads each, with two divider beads between them. The two divider beads represent Yeshu and Maria, the two male and female aspects of the Gnostic Redeemer. The 33 beads represent the thirty-two and one mysterious paths spoken of by Yeshu in the Pistis Sophia. These are the 33 degrees of Nazirutha. The mantra of the eastern branch of Gnosis (Bonpo) is OM MA TRI MU YE SA LE DU. One mantra of the western Gnosis is HI OR-YA DIR-KA KUSH-TA AI which means the Living Gods, Buddhas (Orya), Dharma (Dirka) and Sangha (Kushta). This Aramaic mantra can also be interpreted to mean: "Our Life, Light, Way and Truth."^[3]

Non-denominational

Non-denominational prayer beads borrow from many traditions without adhering solely to any one religion or creed. They are neutral in nature so that, as a spiritual practice, they can fit into an already existing belief set as easily as they can stand on their own.

By selecting symbols and choosing the ways in which to work with them, non-denominational prayer beads can be personalized.

Non-denominational prayer beads can act as a focusing tool in prayer or meditation, adding a tactile element to those practices. They can be used as an anchor for affirmations and even projects (like writing projects.) When used with repetitive phrases they can provide comfort and ease the grieving process.

In his book, Simply Pray, Erik Walker Wikstrom offers a modern prayer practice that can be customized to meet individual spiritual needs. Using a set of 28 beads as a frame of reference, the practice includes centering and entering-in prayers, breath prayers and prayers of Naming, Knowing, Listening and Loving.