Question about mala

[Guest guest]

Namaste!

 

First I am sure someone is going to notice that I have a different

spelling of my name. I did some research after recieving a few personal

emails about it and then of course something came from Amma that sealed

it so there you have it. *L*

 

I hope everyone had a very safe and wonderful New Year celebration and I

wish everyone on the list many blessings for the new year for peace,

love and joy abundently in your lives.

 

Ok now my question. When I first saw Amma in 2000 in NYC I bought a

very pretty Mala for myself. Just recently the string broke. I put the

mala in my shrine (I have a wall shrine) for safe keeping. The other day

I spent the morning taking the beads off the string in hopes to restring

them. My plan was to find more red string and as I tie each bead say a

mantra. Then it hit me maybe I shouldnt do this and should take them

down to the beach to become part of Mother Earth. I just love these

beads so very much and they are my favorite mala honestly. I had done

some reading this past fall on how a mala should only be used for one

mantra and never for another one so I am wondering.

 

I would love any advice or ideas you all would have for me.

 

Om Shanti,

 

Sharrdha

Mommy to 5

Milford, CT

[Guest guest]

Just re-string them. You didn't mention what kind of beads they

were. If they're wood or rudraksha, in which you'd be oiling them

occasionally, I pick a nylon string so that it doesn't wear out or

stretch.

 

Ideally, a mala would have a particular focus, but it's more important

where you mind and heart are, than chanting only one mantra on it.

There are those that get a bunch of malas, with each having a

different "meaning", but this is a common mistake amongst worldly

newbies with too much money on their hands. Ideally, a mala you wear

shouldn't be the one you chant with and vice-verse, although some like

to wear their chanting mala so they always have it handy. I have a

36+1 bead large rudraksha mala that I use for wearing around the

house, and only chant with it to re-energize it or if I'm too lazy to

get my chanting mala. I made it from a 108 bead mala that I took

apart, gently cleaning and oiling the beads with mustard oil. I used

metal spacers from the craft store and put the beads face-to-face,

tail-to-tail, rather than all the same direction. There's good

prices for malas at tibetanspirit.com

 

Malas can always be re-consecrated, which should be done on a regular

or semi-regular basis anyways. If people are interested, I'll post

what little I know and what I've done. I'll need to find where I read

on how to make a tassel (I don't bother with 'em) I had gotten a

rudraksha mala and had Amma bless it when I first got a mantra years

ago, but I didn't really use it for a few years, and it seemed to take

on new life after I re-consecrated it, which basically is using it as

a murthi and doing puja to it with the 5 elements.

tom

 

> My plan was to find more red string and as I tie each bead say a

> mantra. Then it hit me maybe I shouldnt do this and should take them

> down to the beach to become part of Mother Earth. I just love these

> beads so very much and they are my favorite mala honestly. I had done

> some reading this past fall on how a mala should only be used for one

> mantra and never for another one so I am wondering.

>

> I would love any advice or ideas you all would have for me.

>

> Om Shanti,

>

> Sharrdha

> Mommy to 5

> Milford, CT

[Guest guest]

I am a bit behind since my dh went back to work after a very long

vacation with us. The children and I are working back into our routine.

 

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the great ideas, stories

and suggestions that were emailed to me abou my broken mala. I have

decided to not restring it. I am going to wait for the snow to melt

here and place it in my ancestor garden. Where this idea came from only

Amma knows but it feels right. I have a garden on the side of my home

that I have planted for Kali but also have planted for loved ones I

have lost. So my beads will go there when the ground thaws.

 

As for the question of what kind of beads I had. I have never been sure.

I think they might be rosewood but again I am not sure. They were the

only string like them that day. Very tiny dark red/brown beads that I

have only seen on another necklace that my husband just bought me for

our anniversarry which was made by monks and is rosewood beads.

 

Again many thanks to you all.

 

In Her Love,

Sharrdha