subject: Significance of Prayer Beads in Buddhism [print this page] Buddhism was found by Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later known by the name of Gautama Buddha. This religion is primarily based on the teachings of Buddha, which are commonly defined as "Dharma". Every year thousands of people come under the shelter of Buddhism with a hope of achieving the state of fulfillment and enlightenment in the form of "nirvana". According to the Buddhist belief, a person can only attain peace and spiritual enlightenment if he possesses a strong will power to fight with his inner desires. The principal aim of this religion is to inculcate discipline in people. In order to enhance the determination level, the Buddhist spiritual leaders or followers adopt the path of meditation.
Meditation is a popular practice that is believed to improve the concentration prowess as well as the disciplinary habits of the practitioner. But, it is an extremely difficult procedure that may take years of regular practice to reach a level of proficiency. To make the learning of this routine a little convenient for the people, the Buddhist monks introduced the use of prayer beads. Once a person starts using these beads it is believed that he has taken the path of God. Although, prayer beads are essentially used as a meditative tool, they also hold a much deeper significance and place in this religion.
The prayer beads are said to be originated in India as part of the Hindu religion. Hindus who embraced Buddhism as their discipline introduced the concept of these prayers beads to Buddhists which later on became an essential part of their religion. These beads symbolize bliss and kindness and their purpose is to defeat the evil values and affects, besides helping in meditation.
Customarily, an ideal strand of prayer beads must contain 108 beads, because this number shows the total count of our uncontrolled and sinful wishes that we must overcome to reach the zenith of enlightenment or nirvana. Generally, the beginners are recommended to start their meditational practice with the strands of 40 to 50 prayer beads. The number of prayer beads determines the spiritual understanding and attainment of the practitioner. Thus, only the monks of higher stature own large prayer bead strands.
Not only the number of beads but also the material used helps in defining the progression of the follower on the path of enlightenment. Usually, the prayer strands are made of semi-precious stone but only in case of holy monks these beads are made either from the wood of the divine Bodhi tree or from the bones of deceased lamas. Thus, these prayer beads are not only used as practice tools but also act as spiritual motivators.
