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The Mala holds spiritual powers of healing. Harness these powers with your very
own Mala bracelet or necklace. Wear it always for its healing properties
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Mala is Hindi (from Sanskrit) for "a string of beads" or "a garland." It
had not entered the English language (at least in the US) by 1971, but
has now arrived. Alternate names for the fad: Power beads, Energy beads.
A special form of bead use is employed with strands of beads that are
both sacred and perform the function of counting (usually prayers). The
generic term for these is prayer strands.
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, so it is appropriate that
it is the first to have developed prayer strands. The japamala
(muttering chaplet is first mentioned in the Atharvaveda of about 800
BC. It has 108 beads
The Chinese Buddhist Su-zhu also has 108 beads, divided into four parts
of 27 beads by beads of a different color, size, etc. The tassels at the
ends are to allow one to keep track of how many cycles of prayers one
has said.
The Tibetan trengwa ("String of beads") is an elaboration on the
Buddhist prayer strand. During the Qing dynasty in China (1644-1910) all
officials and offices and their wives and children had to wear court
chains (left) modeled on Tibetan trengwa. The large, flat bead on the
end was added as a counterweight to go down the back of the neck.
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Stone beads are my passion, and since my first visit to the far east this passion
grew to a point where I find my self creating for hours and hours with
all kinds of precious and semi-precious stones. Here I am trying to show
some of the items I created over the years and give you the visitor, the
opportunity to see some of the "off bit" jewelry that can be created with
love and craftsmanship. Over more you can buy any item on the show
by sending me an email from the link shown on the item's page.
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