The origin and meaning of prayer beads in Buddhism
(Baonghean.vn) - Like bells and wooden clappers, prayer beads are just one of the countless means of Buddhist practice. In Buddhism, all forms of ritual objects or artifacts are means. However, they are not created without reason. Of course, each form of an object has its own special symbolic meaning.
The origin and quantity of rosaries
Hindus who worship the god Shiva use a type of seed called rudrāka to string together into prayer beads. Legend says that once, the god gazed upon the world and saw the unspeakable suffering of all living beings, so he was moved to tears. These tears sprouted into trees that produced deep red seeds.
People used those beads to make rosaries for prayer, in remembrance of the compassionate heart of the god Shiva. Those beads are the diamond beads that we still use to make rosaries today.
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However, in Buddhist scriptures, the origin of prayer beads and the practice of counting beads while reciting Buddha's name is mostly based on the Buddha's teachings to King Paluli, as recorded in the Sutta of Muxuanzi.
The Sutta of the Buddha states: "Once, the Buddha and his disciples were traveling in the Grdhrakùta mountain in the Rajagrha kingdom. The king of Rajagrha, whose name was Balala, sent messengers to the Buddha to ask for the Buddha's special compassion and to give them essential teachings so that they could easily practice and be free from all suffering in future lives."
The Buddha instructed his messenger to tell the king that if he wished to overcome the obstacles of afflictions and karmic retribution, he should string together a rosary of 108 beads made from the seeds of the Terminalia catappa tree and always carry it with him. Whether walking, sitting, or lying down, he should always concentrate wholeheartedly, without distraction, reciting the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, one bead at a time. He should continue this process, moving from one bead to the next, such as ten beads, twenty beads, a hundred beads, a thousand beads, up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of beads.
In a rosary, there is a bead called the Sumeru or Meru bead, often referred to as the Meru bead or the Amitabha bead. This is the 109th bead, marking the end of the circle. According to ritual, when counting the rosary beads, one must not go past this bead; once reaching this bead, one must count back.
If one can complete two hundred thousand repetitions without mental distraction or deluded thoughts, then upon relinquishing this body, one will be reborn in the third realm of the Flaming Heaven. There, one will naturally experience constant peace and happiness. If one can complete another one million repetitions, one will completely sever one hundred and eight karmic ties, thus attaining the fruit of Stream-Enterer (reversing the cycle of birth and death), progressing towards Nirvana, eradicating the root of afflictions, and achieving the supreme fruit."
The rosary in Buddhism originated from this. Monks often carry rosaries with them as a precious treasure, an important tool to support them on their path of studying Buddhist teachings.
The meaning of prayer beads
Based on the symbolic meanings it represents according to Buddhist beliefs, the symbolic meaning of a rosary with a different number of beads also varies.
- The string of 108 beads symbolizes the attainment of 108 Samadhi practices that eliminate 108 afflictions.
- The string of 54 beads symbolizes the 54 stages of a Bodhisattva's spiritual practice, namely the Ten Faiths, Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Dedications, Ten Grounds, and the Four Virtuous Roots.
- The string of 42 beads symbolizes the 42 stages of a Bodhisattva's spiritual practice, namely the Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, Ten Dedications, Ten Grounds, and Enlightenment, and Supreme Enlightenment.
- The string of 27 beads symbolizes the 27 stages of the Hinayana practice of the Four Fruits of Enlightenment, namely the 18 stages of the Four Fruits of Enlightenment followed by the 9 stages of the Fourth Fruit of Arhatship.
- The string of 21 beads symbolizes the 21 stages, namely the Ten Stages of Enlightenment, the Ten Paramitas, and the attainment of Buddhahood.
- The string of 14 beads symbolizes the 14 Fearless Practices of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
- The string of 1,080 beads represents the 10 realms, each realm having 108 beads, so the total is 1,080.
Many people believe that the 36-bead and 18-bead rosaries do not symbolize any particular Buddhist numerology, and that they are analogous to the 108-bead rosary. They argue that, for convenience, the 108-bead rosary is divided into three 36-bead rosaries or six 18-bead strings, without any deeper symbolic meaning.
