Bodhi seed malas

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Reibeam
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Reibeam »

Tsultrim T. wrote:Magnus and Rroman, the picture in the link you posted and the type of bead you described are exactly what is commonly known by Tibetan Lamas as the only authentic "Bodhi seed" mala. I have helped many 3 year retreatants shop for supplies pre-retreat and this as well as the aforementioned 6 face rudraksha bead malas were the only acceptable malas for the retreat. This was both for Dudjom Tersar and Palyul. So for all intents and purposes, the term "Bodhi seed" should refer to the one pictured and this is the main reason why all the other styles mentioned in the article are super cheap throughout Asia while the "Bodhi seed" version continues to increase in price. Also in my experience the smaller the better is preferred and considered superior, however especially for men it is harder to use to there is a point where too small actually hurts one hand in daily use.

Also WeiHan in general as stated coral is excellent for certain practices as are other stone malas, for example lapis, quartz crystal, carnelian, jade, amber, and other natural substances like sandalwood, aloes-wood, rosewood, and bone just to list a few. It really depends on the type of practice and one's Guru's instructions.
I have a friend who got a lapis mala from this place.....its very nice

http://custommalashop.com/

Do you know a reliable good source for rudraksha or bone malas? The internet is a freaky place when it comes to bone items (especially when they are advertised as "lama skull worry beads"). besides how is one supposed to know that each bead came from a different skull.........might just be better easier to find a real Bodhi seed mala
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Tsultrim T.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Tsultrim T. »

Reibeam wrote:
I have a friend who got a lapis mala from this place.....its very nice

http://custommalashop.com/

Do you know a reliable good source for rudraksha or bone malas? The internet is a freaky place when it comes to bone items (especially when they are advertised as "lama skull worry beads"). besides how is one supposed to know that each bead came from a different skull.........might just be better easier to find a real Bodhi seed mala
I would inquire with Rroman, he could probably source rudraksha from Nepal and the best bet for authentic bone malas is Bhutanese lamas, I believe he has a source for those also....
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Reibeam
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Reibeam »

Tsultrim T. wrote:
Reibeam wrote:
I have a friend who got a lapis mala from this place.....its very nice

http://custommalashop.com/

Do you know a reliable good source for rudraksha or bone malas? The internet is a freaky place when it comes to bone items (especially when they are advertised as "lama skull worry beads"). besides how is one supposed to know that each bead came from a different skull.........might just be better easier to find a real Bodhi seed mala
I would inquire with Rroman, he could probably source rudraksha from Nepal and the best bet for authentic bone malas is Bhutanese lamas, I believe he has a source for those also....

Yeah, I will. I am already getting a few things from him. He has access to some great stuff and is an awesome person. Thanks
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metamorph
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by metamorph »

In have read about bodhi seeds sold at Ebay and other sources, but so far, they have not shown any true pictures of the seeds. Some claimed to have bought bodhi seeds but their descriptions are more about fig seeds - very tiny and they seem to germinate very quickly.

I have been collecting bodhi tree seeds below a very old and huge Bodhi trees and they are actually dark brown or almost black hard seeds around 8mm - 10mm and definitely not like those tiny seeds sold. When I cut them apart, there is actually a solid white kernel inside. Germinating these seed needs lot of patience as it might take many months before they start sprouting.

Attached is a picture of some of the seeds I collected.
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These are the true bodhi seed collected below a very old and huge bodhi tree
These are the true bodhi seed collected below a very old and huge bodhi tree
bodhi seeds2sm.jpg (42.99 KiB) Viewed 5360 times
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metamorph
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by metamorph »

Authentic "Bodhi seed" mala are hard to come by because they are mostly from very old and matured Bodhi trees, and such trees can only be found in the compounds of very old temples. Therefore, they are not easy to find and hence their escalating high price.

Where malas are concerned it is the intent, purpose and faith that matters most. Therefore, just select something you like or comfortable with, and within your means. Everything else is in your MIND.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Jesse »

Mine is made from onyx stones, and tigers eye stones. It's very pretty.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by MiphamFan »

Tsultrim T. wrote:
Reibeam wrote:
I have a friend who got a lapis mala from this place.....its very nice

http://custommalashop.com/

Do you know a reliable good source for rudraksha or bone malas? The internet is a freaky place when it comes to bone items (especially when they are advertised as "lama skull worry beads"). besides how is one supposed to know that each bead came from a different skull.........might just be better easier to find a real Bodhi seed mala
I would inquire with Rroman, he could probably source rudraksha from Nepal and the best bet for authentic bone malas is Bhutanese lamas, I believe he has a source for those also....

Are the ones listed here authentic?

As you say, the smaller ones seem to be more expensive. I don't want to get one that is too small though, I bought a raktu seed one because I thought it was bodhiseed and have a hard time using it.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by MiphamFan »

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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by pemachophel »

Yes, ok.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by MiphamFan »

pemachophel wrote:Yes, ok.
Thanks!

Now the question is if these sellers are reliable...
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yan kong
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by yan kong »

I've gotten most of my malas from these fine folks http://www.destinationom.com . They are local to me (I'm in Vancouver and they're on Salt Spring island) and I have a good degree of trust in them.
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Quay
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Quay »

metamorph wrote:Authentic "Bodhi seed" mala are hard to come by because they are mostly from very old and matured Bodhi trees, and such trees can only be found in the compounds of very old temples. Therefore, they are not easy to find and hence their escalating high price....
There is also the fact of the current Buddhist "fad" in China where many items especially having anything to do with Tibet are in vogue right now. Demand from middle class Chinese is driving up the prices of genuine bodhi seed males to ridiculous levels. Naturally Nepali merchants will sell as high as they can get. There are some places selling resin versions of them, too.
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yan kong
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by yan kong »

Is there an official word on where the spacers/divider beads go? I notice the mala is often split into 4 equal sections but I was looking to put the spacers at 21 for things that are chanted to that number.
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pemachophel
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by pemachophel »

Depending on your Teacher's instructions and your lineage, you can put spacers at 21 beads, no problem. You can also do four equal sections (with three sets of spacers). You can also do five sections (with four sets of spacers). Spacers can either be single beads or three beads together, in which case the two outer beads match flanking a different inner bead. The way I've been taught, one should not have more than 12 spacer beads total.
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metamorph
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by metamorph »

metamorph wrote:In have read about bodhi seeds sold at Ebay and other sources, but so far, they have not shown any true pictures of the seeds. Some claimed to have bought bodhi seeds but their descriptions are more about fig seeds - very tiny and they seem to germinate very quickly.

I have been collecting bodhi tree seeds below a very old and huge Bodhi trees and they are actually dark brown or almost black hard seeds around 8mm - 10mm and definitely not like those tiny seeds sold. When I cut them apart, there is actually a solid white kernel inside. Germinating these seed needs lot of patience as it might take many months before they start sprouting.

Attached is a picture of some of the seeds I collected.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A RUDE AWAKENING

Those seeds that I picked from below a huge old bodhi tree turn out to be a shocking disappointment to me. They are not bodhi seeds! They are palm seeds!

I found some sprouting seeds beneath the same tree and thought that it would save me lots of time and trouble germinating them myself. I transferred them into a pot of soil and waited anxiously to see them grow. Those seeds I collected from beneath the old bodhi tree turned out to be "palm seeds", not bodhi seeds. The results are shown in the attached picture

It took me some time to figure out how those palm seeds were found beneath the bodhi tree. Finally I found the answer.

There are some palm trees in the vicinity of the old bodhi trees. Some birds like palm seeds very much and they usually them swallow them whole. At night these birds would find a shady and leafy tree to roost or spend the night. The old and shady bodhi tree is a nice place for birds to roost at night. The seeds of the palm fruits eaten by the birds are not fully digested and are passed out as droppings. So, there are lots of "palm seeds" under the bodhi tree.

The question remains, "What exactly are authentic bodhi seeds?". My search for the truth continued.

I contacted the National Park for their advice and received the following advice:

" Ficus religiosa fruit (refer to NParks Flora&Fauna Web - https://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/Spe ... px?id=2915) is fig that is about 1 – 1.5cm diameter. Each fig contains many small seeds. During figging season, figs can be found on mature Ficus religiosa, and they will slowly ripen on the tree".

Bodhi seeds are tiny seeds in the fig fruits. The now question is; Are the beads of those so called "authentic Bodhi seed malas" really bodhi seeds???
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Stages of Germinating Bodhi Seeds 50%.jpg
Stages of Germinating Bodhi Seeds 50%.jpg (28.13 KiB) Viewed 4973 times
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Queequeg »

metamorph wrote: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A RUDE AWAKENING

Those seeds that I picked from below a huge old bodhi tree turn out to be a shocking disappointment to me. They are not bodhi seeds!
Somehow that statement seems like it might be applicable in many other contexts...
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
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metamorph
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by metamorph »

My search for the "authentic ficus religiosa seeds" has come to a fruitful end.

I searched the web without much success. I contacted the NPark which gave me a better idea about religiosa fruit and seeds. Then I called a Hindhu temple which is known to have an old bodhi (peepal) tree in its compound and was told that the religiosa seeds are sacred and that they do not allow people to have them, not even their own devotees. That seemed to be the end of my relentless search for the Truth. However I was determined not to give up too easily.

One day, I went back to the huge old tree Bodhi tree where I found those "palm seeds", and was pleasantly surprised to see small fruits scattered around the area below the tree. Those are indeed the real ficus religiosa fruits. and the seeds are definitely too small to be used as malas bead. The picture below shows what I had collected.
Authentic Bodhi Fruit & Seeds M.jpg
Authentic Bodhi Fruit & Seeds M.jpg (43.77 KiB) Viewed 4741 times
I have also found the answer to the question - What exactly are the beads of those expensive 'Authentic Bodhi Seed Malas'?
The beads of those so-called "Authentic Bodhi Seed Malas" are actually seeds from "Buddha chitta tree. Buddha chitta tree is believed to be found in very few parts of Nepal.

Please refer to the following link for more details about the Buddha chitta tree. https://karmayogishop.com/pages/about-b ... a-products
However, there is still some confusion about Buddha Chitta and Rudrasha Beads.
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Buddha Chitta & Rudraksha Beads 2 M.jpg
Buddha Chitta & Rudraksha Beads 2 M.jpg (15.42 KiB) Viewed 4741 times
MiphamFan
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by MiphamFan »

I bought a 13mm bodhiseed mala, it's huge!

Now I understand why the smaller malas are expensive. But I'm not going to carry my mala around a lot so I think it should be fine. The smaller malas are almost exponentially more expensive the smaller you go. And they are not that "small", just smaller than the huge but cheaper ones. 11mm is bigger than many seed-based malas already.

If you can read Chinese you might get better deals on Taobao.com than on English sites.
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by treehuggingoctopus »

Has anyone tried buying anything from these chaps:

http://bodhimala.com/index.php/bodhi-mala

?

The malas look nice, the prices are very good, but...
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Mantrik
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Re: Bodhi seed malas

Post by Mantrik »

treehuggingoctopus wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2017 11:45 am Has anyone tried buying anything from these chaps:

http://bodhimala.com/index.php/bodhi-mala

?

The malas look nice, the prices are very good, but...
Bump. A belated reply but this was the source quoted earlier in the thread for beads which seem authentic, so I'd be inlcined to trust them.

Someone else asked about bone malas............I'd say for human bone malas, Tiger Tiger are honest sellers, and Garuda Trading also, if they have stock.

https://tiger-tiger.com/product-categor ... ala-beads/

http://www.garudashop.com/SearchResults ... apala+mala
http://www.khyung.com ཁྲོཾ

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