Question for those who carry a mala in daily life

[Adamantine]

From the aforementioned book:

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[Adamantine]

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[Adamantine]

There’s much more so these are teasers:

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[Simon E.]

The methodology re mantra recitation is common to many traditions and teachers.

The 'etiquette' around the mala not so much.
I have received teachings from a number of sources and they did not mention it.
So I will continue to deploy seemly commonsense in the area. While respecting those who do otherwise.

( Cue outbreak of disbelief that not all teachers emphasise the peripheral matters to the same degree).

[Adamantine]

Well current marketing of dharma in the West via center gift
shops, online stores and so on, often involves the selling of fancy fashionable looking malas...clearly part adornment.. which wouldn’t mix so well with some of these pith
instructions for serious mantrikas.

[Simon E.]

Well current marketing of dharma in the West via center gift
shops, online stores and so on, often involves the selling of fancy fashionable looking malas...clearly part adornment.. which wouldn’t mix so well with some of these pith
instructions for serious mantrikas.

Well there you go. I would never describe myself as a serious mantrika. I have met a few of them.

[_R_]

The 'really?' was in response to the idea that someone felt that they would go mad if they did not have their mala upon their person.


Really?

I get it. Mala starts to feel like your shadow if you use it long enough. I guess it's almost like you would stop wearing your underwear suddenly. I think it would make you somewhat uncomfortable at first. Right?

[Simon E.]

I have been using my mala for nearly 40 years. I would hate to lose it. I like to know where it is.
But my concern stops there.
I will admit to being more fond of it than I am fond of my underwear. But I seldom venture out without my Marks and Spencer boxers.

[Adamantine]

Well current marketing of dharma in the West via center gift
shops, online stores and so on, often involves the selling of fancy fashionable looking malas...clearly part adornment.. which wouldn’t mix so well with some of these pith
instructions for serious mantrikas.

Some photo examples for good measure. Malas as jewlery is the new black. It just happens to be contrary to Vajrayana etiquette.

[Grigoris]

Some photo examples for good measure. Malas as jewlery is the new black. It just happens to be contrary to Vajrayana etiquette.

Malas as fashion wear started in the 60's.

[Lingpupa]

The text photographed by Adamantine underlines what seems to me to be common sense, though I'll admit to having taken a long time to get to this point, namely: have at least two malas. One serious, one knockabout.

I've had my "serious" mala for about 45 years. Not only have I counted a lot of stuff with it, but it's been blessed by my own personal teachers, as well as by Karmapa XVI, the late Kalu Rinpoche and several others including CHNNR. Once, many years ago, it was on my wrist and broke, spilling all the beads over the road (Carlyle Road, outside the Buddhist centre in Edgbaston). Amazingly I found every single one, and took that as an auspicious sign that if my practice seemed to fall apart one day I'd be able to get it together again!

But I don't want that to happen again, so nowadays it lives in a pouch on the table in my lhakhang, and a simpler one, not blessed by anyone special, goes around with me, most often in my pocket, useful for rounds of manis or GR mantras etc. when out for a walk or on the train.

On another aspect, aren't there two reasons for not being willing to have a mala on "open carry". Good reason is not to show off. Bad reason is not having the confidence to be seen as a Buddhist. But if that is us, only we know what our motivation is.

[Adamantine]

Some photo examples for good measure. Malas as jewlery is the new black. It just happens to be contrary to Vajrayana etiquette.

Malas as fashion wear started in the 60's.

Indeed, and that was before my time so I can’t have any certainty... however I believe the role of Dharma center gift stores in promoting malas-as-accessories as a fundraising tactic is a more recent phenomenon... in the ‘60’s it was the hippies who were following the beatnicks in associating Eastern traditions with rejection of Western values, in particular commercialism.. and yet commercialism (or better put the spectacle which Guy Debord perfectly describes) absorbed the trappings of these traditions so adeptly...
And nowadays some of the emissaries of these same Eastern traditions seem like they’re often more adept at commercialism than the rest of us.

This book is a good history lesson in the development of these trends, from the ‘60s on..

[Simon E.]

A quotation comes to mind, which I think is accurate, but unfortunately I can't recall it's source..Maybe Gore Vidal?
"Hippies, whose rejection of money is equalled only by their love of what it buys".

[javier.espinoza.t]

Some photo examples for good measure. Malas as jewlery is the new black. It just happens to be contrary to Vajrayana etiquette.

Malas as fashion wear started in the 60's.

for that spiritual look.

[Mantrik]

A quotation comes to mind, which I think is accurate, but unfortunately I can't recall it's source..Maybe Gore Vidal?
"Hippies, whose rejection of money is equalled only by their love of what it buys".

In my experience, especially true when the money was a Govt benefit. Spending their dole money brought special glee. Things don't change - a certain 'spiritual' cult has a property portfolio worth millions built on benefits - monky business.

I was a bit young to trot off to India in the 1960's and don't recall having a mala, but definitely had an Afghan coat (which stank to high heaven as it was a souvenir from WW2 which my father brought back - a heady combination of uncured hide and mothballs, to which patchouli was added).
Come to think of it I didn't see anyone with a mala in the 1960's - maybe Hendrix? Far too busy seeking out the elusive free love, man.

[Adamantine]

A quotation comes to mind, which I think is accurate, but unfortunately I can't recall it's source..Maybe Gore Vidal?
"Hippies, whose rejection of money is equalled only by their love of what it buys".

In my experience, especially true when the money was a Govt benefit. Spending their dole money brought special glee. Things don't change - a certain 'spiritual' cult has a property portfolio worth millions built on benefits - monky business.

I was a bit young to trot off to India in the 1960's and don't recall having a mala, but definitely had an Afghan coat (which stank to high heaven as it was a souvenir from WW2 which my father brought back - a heady combination of uncured hide and mothballs, to which patchouli was added).
Come to think of it I didn't see anyone with a mala in the 1960's - maybe Hendrix? Far too busy seeking out the elusive free love, man.

It probably wasn’t as prominent at all as it is now..so wasn’t
precisely a fashion yet.. it certainly existed to an extent...
many would wear them who didn’t even use mantras.. Anyway
if you moved in certain circles I’m sure you’d have seen more than a few.. like this ‘60s (and 70’s) influencer Mr. Ram Das.. look he’s got two on hand:

[Simon E.]

A quotation comes to mind, which I think is accurate, but unfortunately I can't recall it's source..Maybe Gore Vidal?
"Hippies, whose rejection of money is equalled only by their love of what it buys".

In my experience, especially true when the money was a Govt benefit. Spending their dole money brought special glee. Things don't change - a certain 'spiritual' cult has a property portfolio worth millions built on benefits - monky business.

I was a bit young to trot off to India in the 1960's and don't recall having a mala, but definitely had an Afghan coat (which stank to high heaven as it was a souvenir from WW2 which my father brought back - a heady combination of uncured hide and mothballs, to which patchouli was added).
Come to think of it I didn't see anyone with a mala in the 1960's - maybe Hendrix? Far too busy seeking out the elusive free love, man.

I think I mentioned to you that we lived in Glastonbury for a couple of years. Fridays were known as 'Freaky' Fridays because the local hippie population of 'spiritual seekers' (cough) received their benefits on Thursday then wandered around for a day or two with glazed eyes and a fixed grin..

[javier.espinoza.t]

The text photographed by Adamantine underlines what seems to me to be common sense, though I'll admit to having taken a long time to get to this point, namely: have at least two malas. One serious, one knockabout.

I've had my "serious" mala for about 45 years. Not only have I counted a lot of stuff with it, but it's been blessed by my own personal teachers, as well as by Karmapa XVI, the late Kalu Rinpoche and several others including CHNNR. Once, many years ago, it was on my wrist and broke, spilling all the beads over the road (Carlyle Road, outside the Buddhist centre in Edgbaston). Amazingly I found every single one, and took that as an auspicious sign that if my practice seemed to fall apart one day I'd be able to get it together again!

But I don't want that to happen again, so nowadays it lives in a pouch on the table in my lhakhang, and a simpler one, not blessed by anyone special, goes around with me, most often in my pocket, useful for rounds of manis or GR mantras etc. when out for a walk or on the train.

On another aspect, aren't there two reasons for not being willing to have a mala on "open carry". Good reason is not to show off. Bad reason is not having the confidence to be seen as a Buddhist. But if that is us, only we know what our motivation is.

yeah, i interpret the same, that's cool.

what you say is true, i often don't tell anyone i'm buddhist and alike. should i be more open?

[Lingpupa]

On another aspect, aren't there two reasons for not being willing to have a mala on "open carry". Good reason is not to show off. Bad reason is not having the confidence to be seen as a Buddhist. But if that is us, only we know what our motivation is.

what you say is true, i often don't tell anyone i'm buddhist and alike. should i be more open?

It's up to you, obviously, but I'd encourage you to try it. In Nepal, around Baudha, people everywhere walk around or (sit in the shop waiting for customers) with their mala in hand, the beads slipping through their fingers. I think you'll find there is far less reaction than you might expect. Try going around the shopping centre counting manis, and I'd bet nobody will look twice. Is your profile picture accurate? It doesn't look as if you have enough hair for a topknot, but in my experience even that only generates the occasional sideways glance. (I haven't tried it with a bone in there, though I'm envious of a female chöd practitioner, from whom I've taken teachings, who has a rather pretty trident she always wears in her topknot!)

Back in the seventies I had a dharma-bro, a posh and highly respectable lawyer. His teacher, Akong R, suggested he should go round the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham (England, for clarity) spinning a prayer wheel and reciting manis out loud. I'm not actually sure if he ever did, but it would doubtless have been good for him!

[Simon E.]

One of many points of difference between Tibetan Dharma folk and western converts.
Another being that if they see you with a mala or other signs of practice Tibetans will ask in a friendly way who your teacher is.
Try that on some Buddhist forums and the reaction will be like you have asked for a look at their bank statement...
We have made it another expression of our individuality..