Mala Etiquette

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Simon E.
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Simon E. »

Sorry but one of us is completely confused. :shrug:

I will assume that it is me for the sake of the thread, and step off.

As far as I am concerned Mantrik answered the query some hours ago anyway.
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

weitsicht wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:52 pm

Just thought this thread may have been of Lounge-like Exchange of preferences. Old coffee it appears to be though. Still it was worth a try.
Thanks Mantrik.
Oh, well, I don't mind admitting I own quite a few and use fewer than I own and occasionally pass them on.
Of course we get attached to them, find them attractive and appealing, tactile etc.
Over the years I've found that I do return to just two or three I use most often, and it certainly feels that those I have used for many hundreds of thousands of mantras have a special quality.

Malas are used in healing and I have no doubt at all, picking up on what Simon said, of the value of receiving or inheriting a mala from a virtuous Lama or practitioner.

Although I know how to bless a mala, I ask my teachers to bless them also.

It's the classic Dharma Wheel advice, but the best source of advice about which mala to use will come from the Guru who gives you the practice for which it is to be used.

In the absence of that, Malcolm gave the best advice here, which I can only repeat, and that is to get a bodhiseed mala made from seeds which are as near as possible to their natural state. The Lamas I've asked say it is suitable for any practice........but then I don't know many Lamas! lol :)
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Virgo »

Mantrik wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:38 pm
In the absence of that, Malcolm gave the best advice here, which I can only repeat, and that is to get a bodhiseed mala made from seeds which are as near as possible to their natural state. The Lamas I've asked say it is suitable for any practice........but then I don't know many Lamas! lol :)
That's right. I only use bodhiseed. Although one has some turquoise in it.

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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by weitsicht »

I am a bit concerned about the heat caused on interpretative attempts of what I could have meant with this post (or not).
You never know what's going on in other people's head (looking closely you not even know about your own)...

Well then, what was the reason for me to open the post
1) to get into Exchange with other practicioners about how they do things and why. Because I do most of the practise on my own and because I see things other People do in joint practises but don't ask them about it
2) I get a sensitivity for outer, inner and secret conditions conducive for or hampering the depth of open awareness experience. I start paying respect in particuliar to the latter and also watch myself opening up to some mythical possibilities. So yes, I am clearly asking myself about how much reverence should I pay to the mala?

As a dzogchen practicioner, reciting Mantras with the use of a mala help me to unite Body (the tactile Sensation of the mala), Speech (speaking out), and mind. I guess that many dzogchen practicioners allow some vajrayana elements to blend in. So do I through Guru Yoga.

This being said, I chose to post in the Bodhisattvacarya section in particuliar because I value other peoples' habits and opinions independently from my own. Inasmuch as I see a value in contraditory ideas.
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

weitsicht wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:09 pm I am a bit concerned about the heat caused on interpretative attempts of what I could have meant with this post (or not).
You never know what's going on in other people's head (looking closely you not even know about your own)...

Well then, what was the reason for me to open the post
1) to get into Exchange with other practicioners about how they do things and why. Because I do most of the practise on my own and because I see things other People do in joint practises but don't ask them about it
2) I get a sensitivity for outer, inner and secret conditions conducive for or hampering the depth of open awareness experience. I start paying respect in particuliar to the latter and also watch myself opening up to some mythical possibilities. So yes, I am clearly asking myself about how much reverence should I pay to the mala?

As a dzogchen practicioner, reciting Mantras with the use of a mala help me to unite Body (the tactile Sensation of the mala), Speech (speaking out), and mind. I guess that many dzogchen practicioners allow some vajrayana elements to blend in. So do I through Guru Yoga.

This being said, I chose to post in the Bodhisattvacarya section in particuliar because I value other peoples' habits and opinions independently from my own. Inasmuch as I see a value in contraditory ideas.
Dzogchen is actually very close-knit to Vajrayana. As you can see with the Tantra text as posted by Mantrik, there are many injunctions on how to work with a mala, and that a Mala is not just an ordinary tool (magic talisman or whatever!) as people try to suggest here! But rather a Mandala, deity etc (at least in Vajrayana)! The text is very clear! Even more when it's a Dzogchen Tantra! Some didn't read the text maybe?

In Vajrayana in general, it's a downfall to trivialize one's practice! And unless one is not a Vajrayana practitioner, this is what I see some people doing here!

This kind of instruction is to be received from a competent teacher, that can work with one's circumstances, one teacher may even bend/pass over the rules if he/she sees fit!This is quite common as Mantrik exemplifies! This is what happened to Mantrik! But as a serious practitioner, one should do the best possible to practice correctly! This is a factual responsibility! O there might be a danger to degenerate one's practice and Vajrayana in general! People might just go on changing and bending everything in Vajrayana just to suit their likes and dislikes!

Doing things properly and with sincerity will advance realizations and siddhis! If not, there is the possibility of using Vajrasattva in order to purify adversity due to errors and negligence in practice! Some Sadhanas even include this at the end!

As for me, I don't think I'm contradicting my quote in any way! I don't have many malas from different materials for each practice, or a bodhiseed mala (I'm looking for one actually). And I'm no way anxious about it! But if I'm doing something incorrectly, I have the aspiration to correct it and do everything as good as I can! Until I can do it, I use Vajrasattva!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
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Simon E.
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Simon E. »

!
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”

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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by pemachophel »

Nyedrag, :good:
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Tenma »

Can one just use their fingers instead? I already made a habit of going from left thumb to right thumb, then back to left continuing on right thumb and then up to the right middle finger. That's one mala(4 mantras per finger, but one if it's long like Vajrasattva 100 or a dharani) and then I go back. Is this alright?
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

I'm confused. :)
To clarify my mind:
Chanting mantras does not require a mala.
If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus.
The number of beads matters only if you are counting, obviously, and most are 108 or related to that, 54, or 27.
The material matters if it helps or impedes smooth practice. It also matters if you attach a spiritual significance to it.
I quoted some advice about different materials being suggested as matching certain practices.
I quoted Malcolm, as he stated that there was scriptural authority, suggesting that bodhiseed is acceptable for all purposes.
Finally, there is advice on how to use the mala for chanting, and that varies too.
You can also use the mala for divination, blessing, when offering a mandala etc.
I hope the original question was answered in there somewhere. :)
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Simon E. »

Tenma wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:12 pm Can one just use their fingers instead? I already made a habit of going from left thumb to right thumb, then back to left continuing on right thumb and then up to the right middle finger. That's one mala(4 mantras per finger, but one if it's long like Vajrasattva 100 or a dharani) and then I go back. Is this alright?
[/quote

Many teachers will tell you that it's fine... :thumbsup:

These are skillful means, not ends in themselves.

After a while these things become internalised. The outer form becomes less important.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”

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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:33 pm I'm confused. :)
To clarify my mind:
Chanting mantras does not require a mala.
According to Malcolm, in order to accumulate a mantra, you'll need a mala!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:45 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:33 pm I'm confused. :)
To clarify my mind:
Chanting mantras does not require a mala.
According to Malcolm, in order to accumulate a mantra, you'll need a mala!
Yes, that is what I wrote, so I don't get your point.

Not needed to chant a mantra, but needed if you want to count accumulations, for example for Ngondro.
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Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath

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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:33 pm
If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus.
This is not what you wrote at all, sorry!Well, because according to him, they are not just useful or needed as you point out, in order to accumulate or just get focus! They are actually needed and don't even accumulate without a proper mala! But even here a teacher might bend this rule if necessary, as they have done to you, obviously!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:04 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:33 pm
If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus.
This is not what you wrote at all, sorry!Well, because according to him, they are not just useful or needed as you point out, in order to accumulate or just get focus! They are actually needed and don't even accumulate without a proper mala! But even here a teacher might bend this rule if necessary, as they have done to you, obviously!
If I chant a mantra I always need a mala? I have seen no such advice from Malcolm. Please link to it.

Your words do not make sense in English and you clearly misunderstood what I wrote, so I assume your first language is not English.

Nevertheless , aggression and ad hom issues pollute your posting. Goodbye.
http://www.khyung.com ཁྲོཾ

Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath

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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:13 pm
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:04 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:33 pm
If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus.
This is not what you wrote at all, sorry!Well, because according to him, they are not just useful or needed as you point out, in order to accumulate or just get focus! They are actually needed and don't even accumulate without a proper mala! But even here a teacher might bend this rule if necessary, as they have done to you, obviously!
If I chant a mantra I always need a mala? I have seen no such advice from Malcolm. Please link to it.

Your words do not make sense in English and you clearly misunderstood what I wrote, so I assume your first language is not English.

Nevertheless , aggression and ad hom issues pollute your posting. Goodbye.
Sorry. I wrote the word "accumulation" in a wrong place! You said: "If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus. ". But according to Malcolm, a mala when doing accumulation is not just "useful" or even "helpful", they are in fact needed! Please read all Malcolm's posts on this page, especially the last one:viewtopic.php?t=24204&start=140

And yes, English is not my first language!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:25 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:13 pm
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:04 pm

This is not what you wrote at all, sorry!Well, because according to him, they are not just useful or needed as you point out, in order to accumulate or just get focus! They are actually needed and don't even accumulate without a proper mala! But even here a teacher might bend this rule if necessary, as they have done to you, obviously!
If I chant a mantra I always need a mala? I have seen no such advice from Malcolm. Please link to it.

Your words do not make sense in English and you clearly misunderstood what I wrote, so I assume your first language is not English.

Nevertheless , aggression and ad hom issues pollute your posting. Goodbye.
Sorry. I wrote the word "accumulation" in a wrong place! You said: "If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus. ". But according to Malcolm, a mala when doing accumulation is not just "useful" or even "helpful", they are in fact needed! Please read all Malcolm's posts on this page, especially the last one:viewtopic.php?t=24204&start=140

And yes, English is not my first language!
In English, 'useful' does not contradict 'necessary'.
You also misunderstood my first statement. People chant mantras for all sorts of purposes within sadhanas and in other practice. Accumulation is only one such purpose.
Shouting (use of exclamation mark) on a forum is unnecessary.
Accusing someone you do not know of having teachers who bend the rules is pretty insulting to their teachers.......I share one of mine with Malcolm, btw. You are close to raising straw man arguments, and I can't be assed to reply.
Last edited by Mantrik on Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath

Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

No, they are not entirely secondary. If they were, imperatives such as not displaying images and paintings, and samaya articles such as the vajra, bell, māla and so on, would not have been proclaimed by masters in the past. We may live in the time of the five degenerations, but that does not mean we have to be degenerates with respect to how to properly observe samayas.
Malcolm on viewtopic.php?t=24204&start=140#p366661
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:35 pm
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:25 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:13 pm

If I chant a mantra I always need a mala? I have seen no such advice from Malcolm. Please link to it.

Your words do not make sense in English and you clearly misunderstood what I wrote, so I assume your first language is not English.

Nevertheless , aggression and ad hom issues pollute your posting. Goodbye.
Sorry. I wrote the word "accumulation" in a wrong place! You said: "If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus. ". But according to Malcolm, a mala when doing accumulation is not just "useful" or even "helpful", they are in fact needed! Please read all Malcolm's posts on this page, especially the last one:viewtopic.php?t=24204&start=140

And yes, English is not my first language!
In English, 'useful' does not contradict 'necessary'.
You also misunderstood my first statement. People chant mantras for all sorts of purposes within sadhanas. Accumulation is only one of them.
Shouting (use of exclamation mark) on a forum is unnecessary. Accusing someone you do not know of having teachers who bend the rules is pretty insulting to their teachers.......I share one of mine with Malcolm, btw.
I'm not shouting here, my intention was to highlight which of your assertions I was doing a reference!

Language can be a tricky stuff! Indeed I was not so sure about this specific linguistic nuance!

If you read one of my posts answering the PO directly, I just criticise this notion that people can do whatever they like with their practice and Vajrayana as some people try to suggest in this thread! In no way, I was criticizing or attacking your teachers. My intention was to imply that some teachers might do their best according to a given circumstance, adapting to what a student may need in that given case, which I assumed was yours. Sorry if this sounded rude!
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Nyedrag Yeshe »

It is the responsibility of the practitioner to obtain the proper items for a given practice. There are dependent originations at play when a correctly made mala is used, counted with the left hand, etc, that cannot be duplicated with a digital counter and so on.
Malcolm again on : viewtopic.php?f=40&t=24204#p365750
“Whatever has to happen, let it happen!”
“Whatever the situation is, it’s fine!”
“I really don’t need anything!
~Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211)
ओं पद्मोष्णीष विमले हूँ फट । ओं हनुफशभरहृदय स्वाहा॥
འ༔ ཨ༔ ཧ༔ ཤ༔ ས༔ མ༔ ཀརྨ་པ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Re: Mala Etiquette

Post by Mantrik »

Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:46 pm
Mantrik wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:35 pm
Nyedrag Yeshe wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:25 pm

Sorry. I wrote the word "accumulation" in a wrong place! You said: "If you need to count mantras as you are accumulating a specific number, then a mala is useful. It also helps you keep focus. ". But according to Malcolm, a mala when doing accumulation is not just "useful" or even "helpful", they are in fact needed! Please read all Malcolm's posts on this page, especially the last one:viewtopic.php?t=24204&start=140

And yes, English is not my first language!
In English, 'useful' does not contradict 'necessary'.
You also misunderstood my first statement. People chant mantras for all sorts of purposes within sadhanas. Accumulation is only one of them.
Shouting (use of exclamation mark) on a forum is unnecessary. Accusing someone you do not know of having teachers who bend the rules is pretty insulting to their teachers.......I share one of mine with Malcolm, btw.
I'm not shouting here, my intention was to highlight which of your assertions I was doing a reference!

Language can be a tricky stuff! Indeed I was not so sure about this specific linguistic nuance!

If you read one of my posts answering the PO directly, I just criticise this notion that people can do whatever they like with their practice and Vajrayana as some people try to suggest in this thread! In no way, I was criticizing or attacking your teachers. My intention was to imply that some teachers might do their best according to a given circumstance, adapting to what a student may need in that given case, which I assumed was yours. Sorry if this sounded rude!
I think I may be misinterpreting your tone; perhaps I am mistaking Brazilian enthusiasm for aggression. My apologies also. I will remember the cultural context better in future. :)
http://www.khyung.com ཁྲོཾ

Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath

Micchāmi Dukkaḍaṃ (मिच्छामि दुक्कडम्)
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