arthra
Baha'i
I curious to know how many people use prayer beads as a part of thweir devotional or prayer life... So these could be in any tradition and any religion...Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, etc.
- Art
- Art
Use of prayer beads
- Thread starter arthra
- Start date
I use a mala made of fairly good-sized jade stones with each one carved with a buddha face. It was unique and good-priced so got my attention. speaking of attention-what i appreciate most re use of prayer beads is its assistance in maintaining mindfulness-to feel each bead as it comes into one's fingers, rests in the fingers, and slides out with that moment before the next bead taking its place with the others. Also have a small lotus seed wrist mala I wear on occasion-besides being a sucker for do-dads, again it's a helpful visual mindfulness cue. Could probably have the same reminding effect by wearing a rubber band & snapping myself with it.
earl
earl
LOL, earl! You do like those do-dads, don't you?
My mother did not label herself as Catholic. And she knew nothing about prayer beads, really. But she worked with a young Catholic girl, and they loved each other. My Mom was quite an herbalist, coming from up in the Ozarks, and so she decided to make a rosary out of dried and formed roses and herbs. She made them into beads. She learned all about what it meant to her friend, and took pains to make them according to her tradition. I don't know if she knew how much it meant. This was all about 20 years ago.
When my Mom passed on in November last year, this woman was at the memorial. I did not know who she was until she told me that one time my mother had given her the most beautiful rosary that she still uses.
InPeace,
InLove
My mother did not label herself as Catholic. And she knew nothing about prayer beads, really. But she worked with a young Catholic girl, and they loved each other. My Mom was quite an herbalist, coming from up in the Ozarks, and so she decided to make a rosary out of dried and formed roses and herbs. She made them into beads. She learned all about what it meant to her friend, and took pains to make them according to her tradition. I don't know if she knew how much it meant. This was all about 20 years ago.
When my Mom passed on in November last year, this woman was at the memorial. I did not know who she was until she told me that one time my mother had given her the most beautiful rosary that she still uses.
InPeace,
InLove
flowperson
Oannes
Beads are probably the oldest personal adornment artifacts that have been found by archaeologists, dating back 40,000 + years or so on all continents where ancient human life has been documented. Got to be a spiritual reason for this IMHO.
flow....
flow....
Awesome stuff. I've been with Hindu priests and Bhuddist monks using their beads...with Catholic friends using the rosary...
I have been contemplating getting beads... I think the repetitive nature of the prayers, the consistency of the number, the reminder being handy...got to be a wonderful experience.
The one Hindu priest told me as I asked him about it....Well could ya blame me? He gets in my car and after he buckles the seat belt takes of his beads and starts fingering them...so I say, "Have you heard about my driving?" "He says no, just that when there is no conversation, any moment of time, his habit is to pray...basically the whole idle minds devils workshop stuff...if you don't fill the void with something good...it'll get filled....just without your control...
All makes sense to me.
I have been contemplating getting beads... I think the repetitive nature of the prayers, the consistency of the number, the reminder being handy...got to be a wonderful experience.
The one Hindu priest told me as I asked him about it....Well could ya blame me? He gets in my car and after he buckles the seat belt takes of his beads and starts fingering them...so I say, "Have you heard about my driving?" "He says no, just that when there is no conversation, any moment of time, his habit is to pray...basically the whole idle minds devils workshop stuff...if you don't fill the void with something good...it'll get filled....just without your control...
All makes sense to me.
arthra
Baha'i
InLove-that's a wonderful story. My wife's an herbalist. I'm a dessertist
I'm a dessertarian myself Earl...
- Art
arthra
Baha'i
I've posted this poll on some other inter-faith forums and in time will be happy to share the results w/everyone.
- Art
- Art
Francis king
Well-Known Member
yes, I first had a japa mala, a wooden one, and would chant the maha mantra on this... long time ago... I currently have a traditional catholic rosary made of wooden beads, and maybe I will get em out and do a round every year... I also have a beautiful rose quartz mala which was given to me by a beautiful old lady who I met in a buddhist community who thought I needed a lift... again, I don't use the mala often, maybe once a year...
I did spend a lot of time chanting mantras on the rose quartz mala after I have received it, but it would snap a lot, due to its construction, and in the end I started tying it together with fishing wire...
I would chant as a means to alleiviate anxiety, (at the time I was quite anxious, and it helped, when in public places, on the bus, etc, I could just keep it in my pockets and finger the beads and silently chant my mantras), I would also chant to prepare myself for my "not-thinking" meditation...
great if u need to fill the void, and great if u need a crutch, but not so great if u put too much religion in, to the exclusion of mundane convos and watching the world go by... otherwise, ur just constantly reaffirming ur religious beliefs, over and over again, and self conditioning...
I did spend a lot of time chanting mantras on the rose quartz mala after I have received it, but it would snap a lot, due to its construction, and in the end I started tying it together with fishing wire...
I would chant as a means to alleiviate anxiety, (at the time I was quite anxious, and it helped, when in public places, on the bus, etc, I could just keep it in my pockets and finger the beads and silently chant my mantras), I would also chant to prepare myself for my "not-thinking" meditation...
great if u need to fill the void, and great if u need a crutch, but not so great if u put too much religion in, to the exclusion of mundane convos and watching the world go by... otherwise, ur just constantly reaffirming ur religious beliefs, over and over again, and self conditioning...
arthra
Baha'i
Latest results of the Use of Prayer Beads Poll:
Results thus far of the Use of Prayer Beads Polls:
Religious Forums:
I regularly use prayer beads: 30.43 %
Seldom use prayer beads: 0%
Own a set by seldom use them: 8.7 %
Never use prayer beads: 60.87 %
Interfaith Forums:
Regularly use beads: 50 %
Never use beads: 50%
(not statistically relevant, too few samples)
Christian Forums:
Regular use of beads: 30 %
Seldom use: 5 %
Own beads but rarely use them: 20 %
Never use beads: 45 %
Comparative Religion Forum:
Regular use: 25 %
Seldom use 0%
Own set but hardly use them: 25 %
Never use beads: 50 %
Planet Bahai:
Regular use of beads: 50%
Seldom use: 4%
Own a set but hardly use them: 21 %
Never use beads: 25%
I found that there were some interesting responses the few days or so on the various forums. In all I had posted the same poll on six forums. Two were statistically not relevant, that is there was clearly not enough samples or participants to make the poll that relevant... The best responses are posted above... The highest particpation was on Planet Baha'i with twenty eight votes... The next Forum with the most votes was Religious Forums with twenty three votes followed by Christian Forums with twenty votes... followed by Comparative Religion Forum with eight votes. Altogether 82 people responded so far.
Most often I found Baha'is, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Buddhists and Hindus had the most positive attitudes about prayer beads while Evangelical Christians were usually the most negative about them. Evangelicals would make the statement that repetitive prayer was foreign to them and their prayers were more often informal and personal in nature.. Very few Muslims actually particpated in the polls which surprised me... Some of those who responded in the "never use" catagory were non-religious. There are quite a few self proclaimed humanists or nontheists, atheists who frequent religious forums.
I noticed that the range of "never use beads" was from a low of 25% on Planet Baha'i to a high of 60.8 % on Religious Forums and the range of "regular use of beads" was from a low of 25% on the Comparative Religion Forum to a high of 50% on Planet Baha'i.
SO it was interesting to conduct this Poll on different sites and it reflects the general leanings I think of the population of each forum. But it still is a very small sampling overall although I think the most active particpants responded.
- Art
Results thus far of the Use of Prayer Beads Polls:
Religious Forums:
I regularly use prayer beads: 30.43 %
Seldom use prayer beads: 0%
Own a set by seldom use them: 8.7 %
Never use prayer beads: 60.87 %
Interfaith Forums:
Regularly use beads: 50 %
Never use beads: 50%
(not statistically relevant, too few samples)
Christian Forums:
Regular use of beads: 30 %
Seldom use: 5 %
Own beads but rarely use them: 20 %
Never use beads: 45 %
Comparative Religion Forum:
Regular use: 25 %
Seldom use 0%
Own set but hardly use them: 25 %
Never use beads: 50 %
Planet Bahai:
Regular use of beads: 50%
Seldom use: 4%
Own a set but hardly use them: 21 %
Never use beads: 25%
I found that there were some interesting responses the few days or so on the various forums. In all I had posted the same poll on six forums. Two were statistically not relevant, that is there was clearly not enough samples or participants to make the poll that relevant... The best responses are posted above... The highest particpation was on Planet Baha'i with twenty eight votes... The next Forum with the most votes was Religious Forums with twenty three votes followed by Christian Forums with twenty votes... followed by Comparative Religion Forum with eight votes. Altogether 82 people responded so far.
Most often I found Baha'is, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Buddhists and Hindus had the most positive attitudes about prayer beads while Evangelical Christians were usually the most negative about them. Evangelicals would make the statement that repetitive prayer was foreign to them and their prayers were more often informal and personal in nature.. Very few Muslims actually particpated in the polls which surprised me... Some of those who responded in the "never use" catagory were non-religious. There are quite a few self proclaimed humanists or nontheists, atheists who frequent religious forums.
I noticed that the range of "never use beads" was from a low of 25% on Planet Baha'i to a high of 60.8 % on Religious Forums and the range of "regular use of beads" was from a low of 25% on the Comparative Religion Forum to a high of 50% on Planet Baha'i.
SO it was interesting to conduct this Poll on different sites and it reflects the general leanings I think of the population of each forum. But it still is a very small sampling overall although I think the most active particpants responded.
- Art
Francis king
Well-Known Member
nice one, artha..
zeras
Established Member
I am a muslim, once in a while while I make dhikir (remembrance)
only than I use Tasbih (prayer bead), but latly, I havn't used it on a while, but
I need to use it. I mean I make dhikir almost everywhere I go, but still, I don't use the tasbih. but I should take it. I saw a buddhist in our school who was using a mala, and he tells me do you know what this is, and I told him prayer bead and he was shocked. he is like do you have one, I told him I have a tasbih, islamic preuer bead, and she was like how to you hold and and etc. and my friend showed him how and he was shocked again that it was almost the excate same way, lol.
but yeah, I agree with using prayer beads.
only than I use Tasbih (prayer bead), but latly, I havn't used it on a while, but
I need to use it. I mean I make dhikir almost everywhere I go, but still, I don't use the tasbih. but I should take it. I saw a buddhist in our school who was using a mala, and he tells me do you know what this is, and I told him prayer bead and he was shocked
. he is like do you have one, I told him I have a tasbih, islamic preuer bead, and she was like how to you hold and and etc. and my friend showed him how and he was shocked again that it was almost the excate same way, lol. but yeah, I agree with using prayer beads.
arthra
Baha'i
Welcome Zera!
Thanks Zeras for your post and a warm welcome to Comparative Religion!!!
- Art
Thanks Zeras for your post and a warm welcome to Comparative Religion!!!- Art
soma
Well-Known Member
We have all noticed that the different spiritual disciplines use prayer beads. I think they are used to keep the body and lower part of the mind busy, undistracted while our unit cosciousness merges with the pure consciousness, with what is beyond the mind. The mind is absorbed so will not distract the arrow of our sub-conscious pointing to the collective unconsciouness. May we all hit our divine target.
zeras
Established Member
Re: Welcome Zera!
No, thank you.
I all ways wanted to be part of a Comparative religion fourm,
and I myself do alot of reseach on Comparative religions.
Salaamulikum
(peace be upon all)
- Art
No, thank you. I all ways wanted to be part of a Comparative religion fourm,
and I myself do alot of reseach on Comparative religions.
Salaamulikum
(peace be upon all)