087
Mala ("Recitation Beads")
Ritual or devotional object
Wood, silver, bone, leather, brass, semi-precious stones including coral
20.0 inches
Indeterminate region
Indeterminate date
Indeterminate style
Every Tibetan owns a set of recitation beads which are used to keep count of the number of times an invocation is repeated. Tibetans chant a mantra for each of the 108 wooden beads. They then mark the completion of every 108 repitition cycle with the silver beads on the leather attachments. Essentially, the beads serve as a counting device during meditations. However, recitation beads may also serve as an abacus for routine, everyday calculations.
Brian Zaharack
Museum #: 96.033
Huntington Archive Image Scan #: T1083