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A Japa mala or mala (Sanskrit: mālā, meaning garland) is a set of prayer beads popular in India and Tibet, commonly made from 108 beads. It is used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or name/s of a particular deity, a practice known in Sanskrit as japa. This is the repetition of a mantra over and over again, usually in cycles of auspicious numbers (in multiples of three), the most popular being 108. For this reason, Hindu malas (bead necklaces) developed, containing 108 beads and a head bead (sometimes referred to as the "meru", or 'guru' bead). Counting should always begin with a bead next to the guru bead. Hindu tradition holds that the correct way to use a mala is with the right hand, with the thumb flicking one bead to the next, and with the mala draped over the middle finger. Buddhist tradition directs us to use our left hand, using the thumb and index finger, and holding it close to the heart. The index finger represents ego, the greatest impediment to Self-Realization, so it is considered best avoided (as with the ego) when chanting on a mala. The devotee performing japa using his/her fingers counts each bead as he/she repeats the chosen mantra. Having reached 108 repetitions, if he/she wishes to continue another cycle of mantras, the devotee must turn the mala around without crossing the head bead( do not skip the guru) and repeat. Mantras are often repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. The mala is used so that one can think about the meaning of the mantra as it is chanted rather than thinking about counting the repetitions. One mantra is usually said for every bead, turning the thumb clockwise around each bead, though some traditions or practices may call for counterclockwise or specific finger usage. There is no right or wrong to practice japa with a mala, and once you begin to practice, usually one way or the other will feel more appropriate. A mantra practice takes us to the still-point and allows for an immersion into the Infinite. There are many opinions about wearing malas during our daily life, some believing that the power of the prayers or mantras become energized in the stone and when you wear the mala, you are wearing your prayers. Hindu tradition asks us to keep our malas under wraps; either store it in a special bag that you carry or keep it around your neck but under your clothing. Malas made with semi-precious gemstones or crystals have an enhanced ability to absorb and hold the energy of the prayers and can become powerful touchstones to wear against the body throughout the day to serve as a reminder of our Divine nature. They also have the ability to take us into a relaxed and quiet place no matter what is happening around us at the time.

   There are numerous explanations why there are 108 beads, with the number 108 bearing special religious significance in a number of Hindu and Buddhist traditions. In Hindu tradition it is said that there are 108 dieties and recitation of these names is almost always accompanied by counting on a mala with 108 beads. Krishna dances with 108 Gopis (cow-herding Goddesses) and Shiva Nataraja dances his cosmic dance in 108 poses. In Buddhist traditions, the number of sins one must overcome to reach enlightenment is 108, and correspondingly, many Buddhist temples have 108 steps leading up to the temple.  Some even say that the devotee concentrates on about 100 of the mantras and the extra 8 are for the Universe. In Dharmic metaphysical numerology it is believed that 108 signifies a very specific energy. '1' represents the Bindu, which is a sanskrit term meaning drop.  The Bindu chakra is the center where the Bindu fluid is produced, a fluid that can become the sweet nectar of immortality and the spot where we are able to merge into Bliss. '1' also represents the solidarity or state of self. '0' represents the shunyata, a sanskrit word meaning the stillness, the emptiness or the void. This is the place where we experience enlightenment. '8' relates to the ananata, a sanskrit word meaning without end or the Infinite. '8' sideways represents infinity. A numerological explanation for the symbolism of 108 beads on a mala might be that the one, or the self, can use the manta practice to move into the stillness, the void, to discover the Infinite, the Source of all creation, the God/Goddess state of enlightenment and Divine Grace. Lastly, there are 9 planets and 12 constellations in the Vedic traditions.

   In the context of the Vedas, the term 'mantra', as in Hindu Upanishadic and Yogic thought, is a collection of sounds that are manifestations of ultimate reality, in the sense of sound symbolism postulating that the vocal sounds of the mantra have inherent meaning independent of the understanding of the person uttering them. Nevertheless, such understanding of what a mantra may symbolize or how it may function differs throughout the various traditions and also depends on the context in which it is written or sounded. In some instances there are multiple layers of symbolism associated with each sound, many of which are specific to particular schools of thought. Mantras were originally conceived in the great Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. Within practically all Hindu scriptures, the writing is formed in painstakingly crafted two line "shlokas" and most mantras follow this pattern, although mantras are often found in single line or even single word combinations. The most basic mantra is Aum, which in Hinduism is known as the "pranava mantra," the source of all mantras. The philosophy behind this is the Hindu idea of nama-rupa (name-form), which supposes that all things, ideas or entities in existence, within the phenomenological cosmos, have name and form of some sort. The most basic name and form is the primordial vibration of Aum, as it is the first manifested nama-rupa of Brahman, the unmanifest reality/unreality. Essentially, before existence and beyond existence is only One reality, Brahman, and the first manifestation of Brahman in existence is Aum. For this reason, Aum is considered to be the most fundamental and powerful mantra, and thus is prefixed and suffixed to all Hindu prayers. While some mantras may invoke individual Gods or principles, the most fundamental mantras, like 'Aum,' the 'Shanti Mantra,' the 'Gayatri Mantra' and others all ultimately focus on the One reality. In the Hindu tantras the universe is sound. The supreme (para) brings forth existence through the Word (Shabda). Creation consists of vibrations at various frequencies and amplitudes giving rise to the phenomena of the world. The purest vibrations are the varna, the imperishable letters which are revealed to us, imperfectly as the audible sounds and visible forms.

Varnas are the atoms of sound. A complex symbolic association was built up between letters and the elements, gods, signs of the zodiac, parts of the body -- letters became rich in these associations. In effect, each letter became a mantra and the language of the Vedas and Sanskrit corresponds profoundly to the nature of things. Thus the Vedas come to represent reality itself. The seed syllable Aum represents the underlying unity of reality, which is Brahman.

   The practice of repeating a mantra with a mala is a powerful tool to assist us moving into the still, quiet place within us that is the seat of our soul, and the place we can journey time and time again to find the enlightened part of ourselves. The very act of repeating holy names or sacred sounds over and over again by counting with a mala takes us out of our mind as we focus to repeat the mantra over and over again.  By moving away from the practice of allowing the mind to wander, and focusing instead on chanting the names of the Divine, we put all of our attention there, and our entire being can melt into that awareness. - Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu -  Jai Ma !!!