Category Archives: Mala Beads

Mala Beads, Ritual Item, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Culture

Rudraksha Meaning: It Is Not a Stone. It Is a Seed.

Posted on by Daniel Van

Rudraksha Meaning: It Is Not a Stone. It Is a Seed. A rudraksha is a dried seed from the Elaeocarpus ganitrus tree, not a gemstone. Worn for centuries across Hindu and Buddhist traditions as prayer beads, it is valued for its texture, its origin story, and the focus it brings to mantra practice. Here is […]

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Mala Beads, Tibetan Culture

Is It Disrespectful to Wear Mala Beads? No. But Here’s What You Need to Know

Posted on by Daniel Van
A hand gently holding a strand of traditional wooden Mala beads wrapped around the wrist, with dappled sunlight and green plants in the background.

No, it’s not disrespectful to wear mala beads. What’s disrespectful is treating them like costume jewelry when they’re not. Your mala was made by someone who sat at a workbench and threaded 108 beads by hand. They chamfered each bead hole so the edges wouldn’t cut the cord. They tied the guru bead by hand, […]

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