How to clean my mala?

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AmidaB
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How to clean my mala?

Post by AmidaB »

Tashi delek to all of you!
I would like to practice a different yidam with my currently used mala. It seems that the material and colour is more suitable for my aspired practice than for the previous one.
Can I practice a different deity with the same mala? Do I need to 'clean' the mala before I begin the new practice? Is there a method at all for this purpose or I need to buy a new one?
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
pemachophel
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Re: How to clean my mala?

Post by pemachophel »

Yes, you can use the same mala. No need to "clean" it or anything. All the Deities have th same widom mind -- the wisdom mind of your Root Guru. So no problem switching from one to another. When I was a young student, we often said 5-6 different Deity mantras in quick succession in a single session. Our Teacher wanted us to be able to switch from one to the next quickly and without hesitation or attachment.

If your mala somehow became polluted, you could purify it by waving it through smoke from a drib-sang or nolk-sang. Drib-sang is a sang done specifically to cleanse drib or obscurations. Nol-sang is a sang done specifically to purify nol or pollution/contamination. There are different liturgies for each but, generally, the same substances can be used for both. If you go to Bodha in KTM, you will see a big incense pot on the north side of the stupa. Many people will wave their malas through this smoke as a way to purify and bless their malas.

If you don't already know how, you might want to learn how to consecrate a mala. Some people consecrate their mala every morning. Others only after restringing it or starting a new, intensive practice. Consecrating the mala multiplies the effects of any mantra said with that mala.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
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AmidaB
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Re: How to clean my mala?

Post by AmidaB »

pemachophel wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 3:56 pm Yes, you can use the same mala. No need to "clean" it or anything. All the Deities have th same widom mind -- the wisdom mind of your Root Guru. So no problem switching from one to another. When I was a young student, we often said 5-6 different Deity mantras in quick succession in a single session. Our Teacher wanted us to be able to switch from one to the next quickly and without hesitation or attachment.

If your mala somehow became polluted, you could purify it by waving it through smoke from a drib-sang or nolk-sang. Drib-sang is a sang done specifically to cleanse drib or obscurations. Nol-sang is a sang done specifically to purify nol or pollution/contamination. There are different liturgies for each but, generally, the same substances can be used for both. If you go to Bodha in KTM, you will see a big incense pot on the north side of the stupa. Many people will wave their malas through this smoke as a way to purify and bless their malas.

If you don't already know how, you might want to learn how to consecrate a mala. Some people consecrate their mala every morning. Others only after restringing it or starting a new, intensive practice. Consecrating the mala multiplies the effects of any mantra said with that mala.
Thank you very much. :anjali:
Giovanni
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Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:07 am

Re: How to clean my mala?

Post by Giovanni »

What can be a good idea if your Mala is wood or bone is to occasional oil it by rubbing each bead with a little light vegetable oil.
Not to purify it but to prolong it life.
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