The Function and Significance of Buddha Beads

Buddha beads are the personal dharma tools used by Buddhist disciples to recite and remember numbers, and are widely used among monks and laymen. This name is called "rosary", originated in the name of the three treasures of Buddhism and Dharma monks, used to eliminate the trouble and the trouble. Usually can be divided into holding beads, beads, beads hanging three types. The number of beads per string characterizes different meanings. The quality of the beads is too numerous to mention, and the beads made of the "Seven Treasures" are the most distinguished. Bodhi is the most well-known type of beads. The beads are the most convenient multiplier for propagating the Dharma. When using beads, do not over-care about its structure, number of particles and material. As long as we can "keep quiet and keep away from delusions and be careful with beads", we can prove Bodhi and achieve Nirvana early.

Origin of 1. beads

In the Buddhist scriptures, the origin of the beads is generally based on the Buddha's opening statement to the king of the waves, as contained in the Mu Yizi Sutra. By Cloud:

The Buddha told the king that if one wants to eliminate the trouble and report the trouble, one hundred and eighty should pass through the wood to follow one another. If you walk, if you sit, if you lie, if you are constant until your heart has no intention of distraction, you should call the names of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and you should pass a tree. If it is gradually killing wood, if it is ten, if it is twenty, if it is a hundred, if it is a thousand, if it is thousands, if it is ten. If it can be over 200,000 times, the body and mind will not be disorderly, and there will be no flatterers, giving up their lives to give birth to the third flame day, with natural food and clothing, and often peace and happiness. If the recovery can reach a million times, it should be the end of the hundred and eighty years, the beginning of the name back life and death flow, interest to the mud, forever break the root of trouble, get no fruit. ...... Wang Da was happy, and he salutes the Buddha to the head of the Buddha: Great Good! I should pursue. That is, the official private office wood tree, thought that thousands of, six relatives of the country are all with one. Wang often recites, although pro-military, also not abandoned.

It can be seen from this that after hearing the Buddha's opening, the King of Wave and Flow began to use wood to make Buddha beads, holding the name of the Three Treasures of Buddhism and Dharma Monks to eliminate troubles and retributions. This should be the original origin of the beads in Buddhism.

It should be pointed out that although the beads have become an important symbol of Buddhists, but if traced back to its origin, the beads are not created by Buddhism. For example, the Vishnu sect in the Brahmanism of ancient India has a record of holding beads very early. This is exemplified in the unearthed cultural relics. For example, on the statue of "Dragon King Converting to Buddha" unearthed in India in the second century AD, there is a statue of Brahman with beads hanging on its neck.

In China, the Chinese people know the title of Buddha Pearl, which should have been translated from the "Muzi Sutra" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). Unfortunately, the translator's name has been lost. However, we have reason to believe that foreign monks came to China in the Jin Dynasty, and there are bound to be those carrying beads among these foreign salmones.

In the Tang Dynasty, under the background of the great prosperity of Buddhism, the classics about Buddhist beads were widely interpreted, including the Dharoni Collection Sutra translated by Tianzhu monk Adiqudo, the Xiaolian Number of Pearl Merit Sutra translated by Bao Siwei, the Vajrayingding Yoga Rosary Sutra translated by Bukong Sanzang, and the Lieutenant Colonel Shuman Mantra of Pearl Merit translated by Yijing Sanzang.

At this point, the beads began to spread widely in the government and the public, among the monks and laymen, such as the "Old Tang Book-Biography of Li Fuguo": "Fuguo does not have meat and blood, often for the monks, depending on the gap, holding the rosary, everyone believes that good."

"The Biography of the Continued Eminent Monk, the Biography of Dao Chuo," says: "People pinch their pearls, and their mouths are the same as the Buddha's name. Every time they break up, they ring the Milin Valley."

Judging from the existing objects, in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu, there is a clay statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva from the Sixteen Kingdom period (304-439), which is a statue with Buddha beads hanging on its neck. In addition, there is a book "The Illustrated Book of Buddha Statues" preserved in Japan, in which the statues of Tang Dynasty eminent monks are drawn, and those who use Buddha beads abound. To be sure, after the Tang Dynasty, the use of beads has been quite common.

2. Buddha bead species

There are many types of beads. In terms of their use, they can usually be divided into three types:

1. Holding beads-twisting or holding beads with hands;

2. Peizhu-beads worn on the wrist or arm;

3. Hanging beads-Buddha beads hanging on the hoon.

Holding beads is often used to record the number of Buddhist monks or mantras recited. It says in the classics: "If a good man, a good woman, someone who can recite the name of Dharoni and Buddha, for self-interest and protection of others... If one wants to give birth to the Pure Land of Buddhas, one should be subject to this pearl in accordance with the law."

This shows that the use of Buddhist beads is to restrain the body and mind, help practice, and eliminate delusions. After a long time of work, you can increase wisdom, self-interest and protect others, and at the same time you will gain boundless merit.

Peizhu, commonly known as bracelets, is the most common with eighteen beads, mostly with precious materials or bright colors. Nowadays, many men and women who do not believe in Buddhism are proud to wear beads, making beads a fashion accessory. In my opinion, all these people who love Buddha beads should be regarded as people with deep good roots and no beginning to be predestined friends with Buddha. The Buddha had already made it clear: "If someone holds this bodhi bead, they cannot recite the name of Buddha and Dharoni according to law, but they can carry it with them, walk, sit and lie down, and say that if good is evil, then the merits and virtues of this person are as good as chanting Buddhas and chanting mantras, and the blessings are boundless."

Hanging beads are mostly made of precious materials such as crystal, agate, jade, coral, dense wax, turquoise, etc. The color of the beads must be uniform and clean. It is required to choose good materials with little color change, gentle and delicate, smooth and crystal clear. At the same time, the diameter of the beads is also required to be about one centimeter, and there should be no big error. During the conjugation, a spacer bead is embedded between every 27 sub-beads, and a "Buddha head spike" composed of a beautifully woven "Chinese knot" and pendants such as jade and jadeite is also attached to the bottom of the mother bead ". This kind of "Buddha head spike" can play a certain balancing role in important Dharma meetings or when the monk salutes the Buddha and presents incense, so as to ensure the solemnity of the whole Buddhist activity. Generally speaking, the wearing of hanging beads should consider certain seasonality. For example, in summer, those crystal, agate, jade, coral and other gemstones should be selected to make people feel cool and close to the skin. In winter, it is better to choose amber, dense wax or fruit beads.

In addition, there is a kind of hanging beads derived from Buddhist beads, that is, "Chaozhu", which is a unique ornament of officials in the Qing Dynasty. The biggest difference between Chaozhu and ordinary hanging beads is that Chaozhu has changed the style of Buddha head spike into a large pendant called "back cloud", which is decorated with broad ribbon and wrapped in silver enamel, while disciple beads have also been moved to the chest and consist of three strings. Since there are imitations of beads in modern times to act as beads hanging, when wearing beads of beads hanging style, attention should be paid to the symmetry of the three beads on the chest, and the "back cloud" of the back should be close to the center of the back, while the three strings of disciple beads are of the shape of the left side 1. the right side, and must not be hung indiscriminately, which is inconsistent with etiquette.

In order to better make people know the types of beads, the following describes the names of the various parts of beads.

A string of standard beads should include mother beads, child beads, spacer beads (also known as "counting"), disciple beads (also known as "Ji Zi"), Ji Zi Liu and some ornaments.

Mother beads, commonly known as "three links" or "Buddha head", usually have only one, but there are also two, which are used to attribute different numbers of child beads to one place, and can also play a role in connecting disciple beads, Ji Zi Liu and some ornaments. In the old mother beads, Buddha statues were mostly painted inside. Using the principle of convex lens, the Buddha statues inside can be clearly observed, which makes people feel the solemnity of Buddha beads as a kind of dharma tool.

Spacer beads, also known as "spacer beads" or "counting", are often used to evenly separate the sub-beads. Generally speaking, the spacer beads are slightly larger than the child beads, and the number can be one to three. For example, for 108 beads and 54 beads, one spacer is required for every 27 beads. For 27 and 18 beads, one spacer is used for every 9 beads.

The volume of disciple beads is smaller than that of child beads, usually ten or twenty beads, mostly strung at the other end of the mother bead, with ten beads as a small string, just like an abacus, using decimal digits to calculate the number of pinching and twisting. The number "ten" represents the "ten paramita" of Buddhism, namely: practice, precepts, patience, hard progress, meditation, prajna, convenience, wish, strength, and wisdom.

Ji Zi Liu refers to the beads or ornaments attached to the end of each string of disciple beads that are slightly larger than the disciple beads. It can also be replaced by a "Chinese knot" formed by thread in order to prevent the disciple beads from slipping off.

Number of 3. beads

Each string of beads is made up of a certain number of sub-beads. The number of sub-beads varies with the classics and represents different meanings. The list is as follows:

One hundred and eight

Is the most common number, in order to prove the hundred and eighty samadhi, cut off one hundred and eight kinds of troubles, so that the body and mind can reach a state of silence.

There are many different versions of the content of the hundred and eighty troubles. Generally speaking, the six roots have their own bitterness, joy, and giving up three, which are divided into 18 kinds; and the six roots have their own three kinds of good, evil, and peace. There are 18 kinds, 36 kinds, and then combined with the past, present, and future three generations, a total of 108 kinds of troubles. As the scripture says:

All the Bodhisattvas asked: what is the cloud? Buddha said: there are thoughts, do not know the heart born in the heart out there are yin sets, do not know for infatuation, into the meaning of the place is also so, knowledge is also so, is for the meaning of three. See lewd, middle color, evil color, not knowing that there is a set of yin and even touching. The sutras are listed in six roots and six in each. although there is no language of the third generation, the cloud is eight hundred and eighty. therefore, it is known that it is about a moment and becomes the third generation. Not only take the heart consciousness three as the meaning three, therefore pass the third world, such as gathering name heart, raising quantity name meaning, other famous knowledge. The three meanings are both, so the five roots are also. The third generation has three thirty-six reasons, so there are one hundred and eighty.

One thousand and eighty

According to Tiantai Sect's theory, all ten realms have good and evil, so the number of 1,080 means that each of the ten realms has 108 kinds of troubles, combining 1,080 kinds of troubles. "Ten realms" means the whole world of mystery and enlightenment, namely: 1, hell realm, 2, hungry ghost realm, 3, animal realm, 4, shura realm, 5, human realm, 6, heaven realm, 7, sound and news realm, 8, predestination realm, 9, bodhisattva realm, 10, buddha realm.

Fifty-four

It indicates the 54 positions of Bodhisattva in the process of practicing, including ten letters, ten residence, ten lines, ten return, ten places and fifty positions, plus four good roots. The summary is as follows:

Ten letters:

1. Confidence, 2. Mind, 3. Diligence, 4. Wisdom, 5. Calm, 6. Defend the Dharma, 7. Return to the heart, 8. Wariness, 9. Give up the heart, 10. Wish to the heart.

Ten live:

1. First-born heart to live, 2. Governing the land to live, 3. Spirits to live, 4. Life is expensive to live, 5. Convenience to live, 6. Positive heart to live, 7. No retreat to live, 8. Innocence to live, 9. Prince of Law to live, 10. Imposition to live.

Ten lines:

1. Happy line, 2, Rao Yi line, 3, no hatred line, 4, endless line, 5, disorderly line, 6, good current, 7, no line, 8, respect line, 9, good law line, 10, true line. [10]

Ten:

1. Rescue all living beings from the direction of all living beings, 2. Not bad, 3. Waiting for all Buddha to return, 4. To all places, 5. Endless merit and virtue to hide back, 6. Follow the direction of equality and good root to return, 7. Follow the view of all living beings to return, 8. Like phase to return, 9. No binding without liberation, 10. The dharma world has boundless return.

Ten places:

1. Joyful, 2, dirt-free, 3, luminous, 4, flame-wise, 5, difficult resort, 6, present, 7, long-distance, 8, motionless, 9, good-wise, 10, Fa Yun.

Four good roots:

It refers to the four levels of practice before seeing the Tao, observing the four truths and practicing the sixteen phases to reach the holy position without leakage, including: 1, warm position, 2, top position, 3, endure position, 4, the first law position in the world.

Forty-two

It indicates the forty-second order of the Bodhisattva's practice process, namely, ten dwellings, ten lines, ten directions, ten places, equal senses and wonderful senses.

Equal awareness: another equal awareness, that is, one who is equal to Buddha in content but inferior to Buddha in actual practice. For more information, please refer to Kumaroshi's translation of the King of Benevolence's Prajna Paramita Sutra-The Appris.

Miaojue: refers to the actual Buddha fruit of the perfect practice, which is obtained from the position of equal awareness and the lack of understanding of one product.

Thirty-six

There is no exact meaning. It is usually thought that it is for easy carrying. Therefore, one third 108 pieces are divided into 36 pieces, which contain the righteousness of seeing the big from the small, so it is the same as 108 pieces.

Twenty-seven

It means the 27 sages of Mahayana's practice of four directions and four fruits, that is, the "eighteen learning" of the first four directions and three fruits and the "nine no learning" of the fourth alo Han Guo ".

Eighteen have learned: 1, follow the letter, 2, follow the law, 3, understand the letter, 4, see to, 5, body certificate, 6, every family, 7, a room (a kind of),8, pre-flow, 9, pre-flow, 10, one-way, 11, one-way, 12, no return, 13, no return, 14, a nirvana, 15, raw nirvana, 16, line nirvana, 17, no line nirvana, 18, top color exactly.

Nine no learning: 1, retreat, 2, keep phase, 3, die phase, 4, live phase, 5, can enter phase, 6, not bad phase, 7, not retreat phase, 8, wisdom liberation phase, 9, all liberation phase.

Twenty-one

It means ten places, ten molaritas and Buddha fruits. "Ten places" see "54" paragraph, "ten boromitas" see "disciple beads" paragraph introduction, I will not repeat. And "Buddha fruit" refers to reaching the fruit position of the most actually becoming a Buddha.

Eighteen.

Commonly known as "eighteen son", the so-called "eighteen" refers to the "eighteen world", that is, six root, six dust, six knowledge.

Six: 1, vision, 2, ear, 3, nose, 4, tongue, 5, body, 6, Italy;

Six dust: 1, color dust, 2, sound dust, 3, fragrant dust, 4, taste dust, 5, touch dust, 6, legal dust;

Six knowledge: 1, eye knowledge, 2, ear knowledge, 3, nose knowledge, 4, tongue knowledge, 5, body knowledge, 6, consciousness.

Fourteen

It means that Guanyin Bodhisattva shares the same sorrow and admiration with all living beings such as Shifang, III, and Six Dao, so that all living beings can obtain 14 kinds of fearless merits. Fourteen Fearless:

1. Make all living beings return to their self-nature and obtain liberation;

2. Make sentient beings rotate and know their views. If they encounter fire, fire cannot burn;

3. Make sentient beings rotate and watch and listen. Although they are floating in big water, the water cannot drown;

4. Make all living beings enter the ghost country of Luo Cha, and ghosts destroy evil by themselves;

5. Make the six roots of all living beings disappear, and when they are killed, the knife section is broken;

6. Bodhisattva shines according to the ten directions, so that all living beings are not harmed by the medicine fork and the ghost;

7. To make sentient beings free from false sound and dust;

8. Make all living beings walk on dangerous roads like smooth roads, and are not robbed by thieves;

9. Those who have more sex than others do not give birth to color thoughts;

10. To keep those who harbor resentment from being angry;

11. Keep all dull and unkind people away from the darkness;

12. Make all living beings without children, and those who desire men will have men;

13. To make childless beings who desire women have daughters;

14. If all living beings hold the name of Guanyin, the number of blessings obtained is the same as the number of Ganges sand.

Material of 4. beads

The materials used to make beads can be said to be too numerous to enumerate. Whether it is minerals or plants, bamboo, wood, teeth and horns can be made into beads.

However, the materials recorded in the Buddhist pawn that can be used to make beads are very limited, and there are no more than ten kinds at most, which can not be compared with many complicated categories today. The following is a list of the beads listed in the Buddhist scriptures.

In Buddhism, the beads made of the "seven treasures" are the most noble. The names of the seven treasures are different in the scriptures. The "Prajna Sutra" says that there are seven kinds of gold, silver, colored glaze, giant clam, agate, amber, and coral. In addition to the above-mentioned "Seven Treasures of Buddhism", the materials of Buddha beads can be divided into five categories:

Bodhi Class

Bodhi, I'm afraid it is the most well-known kind of beads.

In fact, bodhi is not the fruit of the bodhi tree, but refers to a herbaceous plant named Chuangu, which is produced near the snow-capped mountains. Its specific phase is: spring seedlings, stems three or four feet high, leaves such as millet, red and white flowers, spikes, strong in summer and autumn, round and white, with firm shells such as enamel. Because of the number of beads used to chant Buddha, it is also called Bodhi. Woody for its other species, China only Tiantai Mountain has, called Tiantai Bodhi.

Today, "Bodhi" has long been a general term, representing the meaning of "consciousness. "Datang Western Regions" cloud:

Bodhi tree, that is, the tree of Bibo Luo also. The Shaifo is alive, hundreds of feet high, and has been cut repeatedly, especially 4. five zhangs high. The Buddha sits down and becomes a positive awareness, so he is called a bodhi tree.

There are more than 30 varieties of Buddha beads named after Bodhi. Among them, there are those named according to the place of origin, such as Tiantai Bodhi, Tianzhu Bodhi, etc. There are those named according to grain principles, such as Xingyue Bodhi, Fengyan Bodhi, etc. Carrying a string of Bodhi Buddha beads will add blessings to people. The Buddha said that if Bodhi is the one who counts the beads, or reads them with pinching or holding them, and reciting them again, the blessing is boundless."

Because bodhi has such a profound meaning, many beads are usually named bodhi, and those who believe in Buddhism must have a string of bodhi beads.

types of bodhicitta:

1. Bodhi is a transliteration of Sanskrit bodhi, which means consciousness, wisdom, knowledge and road. In a broad sense, it is the wisdom of breaking off troubles in the world and achieving Nirvana. Because Buddha Sakyamuni learned the Tao in the bodhi tree, bodhi is the enlightenment and achievement of the meaning of the Buddha's fruit. According to Buddhist scriptures, chanting Buddha with bodhicitta can lead to infinite merit. Therefore, bodhicitta has become one of the most widely used instruments, regardless of its obvious density. Xianzong uses more xingyue bodhi, Tantra uses more phoenix eye bodhi.

2. The sun, a kind of red-brown hard fruit produced in the tropics, has a small white spot on each grain, which looks like the rising sun in the sky, and its reddish brown is like the fire of the sun, so it is called the sun. Buddhism calls the sun god. The main reverence of the Buddhist Tantra is the Tathagata. He is present in the world with the fate, breaking the darkness, opening the bodhicitta and illuminating all living beings. Sun, exorcism, bring people ten auspicious, Ankang. Used to do beads or single-grain carry, not only help practice, but also beautiful and generous, increase temperament.

3. The moon is a kind of dark gray hard fruit produced in the tropics. Each grain has a light brown dot, such as the moon hanging in the sky, and its gray color is like cool and bright moonlight, hence its name. The moon represents feminine, auspicious and peaceful.

4. Jintoan Zi is like Xingyue Bodhi, but it is harder than Xingyue Bodhi. Because each grain is like a golden toad, it is named golden toad, which can gather in the house to increase wisdom and bring peace and auspiciousness. Can be used to make beads, single or several grains of pendant, to bring people lucky.

5. Burmese eggplant, is a rare tropical fruit, like eggplant. After hard as wood, fruit body was dark brown, pedicle was yellow, oblate and long, size. Burmese eggplant itself unique shape, there is a kind of attractive charm. It is said that Burmese eggplant can exorcise demons and ward off evil spirits, protect the body of the town house, bring lucky power and long-lived wealth to the owner, and has always been cherished by collectors. You can use one, or three, or more strung together, hanging on the body, can be used as ornaments, beads, because of its own unique energy, can change the person's magnetic field, bring good luck, well-being.

6. Five eyes and six passes is an unusual fruit. It is called "five eyes and six passes" because it is backward and has five small holes at the top. It looks like five small eyes. It runs through holes at the end and is made into beads ". "Five eyes" refers to the five abilities of the naked eye, the heavenly eye, the discerning eye, the dharma eye and the Buddha's eye: "Liutong" refers to the divine foot, the heavenly ear, the heavenly eye, the other heart, the fate and the leakage of wisdom. All kinds of practices in the first five ways can be achieved, but all are missed as the realm of Buddhism. It is the six wonderful uses that Bodhisattva shows according to Ding Huili. This kind of beads, meaning rich.

7. Xiantao, it is said in ancient China that peach wood can exorcise ghosts, peach stalks can remove evil spirits, peach charms can ward off evil spirits, and peach pits, which are hard in texture and have the above functions at the same time. Buddha beads made after carving have extraordinary energy. Peach is said to be a fairy peach planted by the Queen Mother, which can prolong life. Therefore, flat peach is also called fairy peach. Flat peach core shape oblate, there are many uneven irregular texture on the surface, without any carving, chic. The flat peach nucleus is bronze, and the antique rhyme is sufficient, and the beads made are unique.

8. "Slam", beads made of coconut pedicle, is extremely rare. Coconut pedicle unique, not cold hands in winter, not afraid of sweat stains in summer. This kind of coconut handstring, someone named him "slam", is very interesting.

9. The will of heaven, the will of heaven is a strange and hard fruit. The shape of the flat circle, the ridge of the raised office, looks like a flat peach, and like a tiny tomato melon. There is a tree of providence in the Buddhist scriptures, and this tree turns with providence and is asked. The will of heaven has its special meaning. Use this bead to practice and succeed in providence. Wearing it at will can increase happiness and wisdom.

10. According to Buddhist books, the son of the diamond tree is the son of the diamond tree, and some say it is the son of the bodhi tree, which is very precious. King Kong, on the other hand, is hard and indestructible and has the power to destroy all evil. Tantric practice King Kong Department inch must use diamond beads. King Kong son wear body, the power of exorcism and avoid disaster is strong, can increase the auspicious.

11. Ashura, Ashura is one of the gods of ancient India, translated into Chinese as "gratuitous", because of its ugly appearance. Ashura is also one of the "six ways" (I. e., heaven, man, asura, beast, hungry ghost, hell). Ashura seeds are named for their special shape, with oblate, prismatic, heart-like fruits with slightly pointed heads and tails. Ashura, with its own unique energy, helps to practice.

12. Dharoni is a less hard fruit. Dharani means to always hold, which means to be able to always take the boundless Dharma without forgetting the memory ability of losing, and to always hold the merits of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, so that all good Dharma can grow and all evil Dharma can not live. Dharani's beads, which hold the prayer of Buddha, have the meaning of collecting good law and suppressing evil life.

13. Mani, mani means orb, which is said to have the function of eliminating disasters. Mani is a hard brown fruit, the surface has many lines, more rare. It has a strong function of exorcising evil spirits and avoiding disasters, and it can help to be safe and prosperous.

14. Xingyue Bodhi is a rare plant with hard texture. The shape of Xingyue Bodhi is milky yellow bodhi beads with uniform black spots on the surface and a concave circle in the middle, which is like the moon of stars, hence the name Xingyue Bodhi. Known as one of the world's "four famous beads.

15. Tianzhu, is the ancient name of India. The south of Lingyin Mountain in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province is named Tianzhu Mountain. The bodhi in this mountain is called Tianzhu Bodhi, which is oval in size and irregular in appearance. Tianzhu Bodhi has the charm and charm of elegance and depth.

16. phoenix eye bodhi, each grain has a phoenix eye, phoenix eye symbolizes auspiciousness, with phoenix eye bodhi made of beads is one of the essential artifacts of tantric practitioners.

17. Longan Bodhi has a tricorn eye on each grain. The dragon has a special meaning in Buddhism, such as the "dragon elephant" metaphor Bodhisattva's majesty, "dragon should", said Guanyin Bodhisattva should be one of the three. Long Sanskrit is transliterated as "Naga", which has the ability to call the wind and rain, and is also the guardian of Buddhism. Longan Bodhi, especially Indian Longan Bodhi, is a rare thing, that is, a necessary item for practitioners. It is also a product of exorcising evil spirits and increasing wisdom.

18. Kirin Eye Bodhi has a special shape. Each grain has a square eye. The whole Bodhi seed is flat and round like a bulging persimmon cake. With the square eye in the middle, it is like a copper coin. Kirin is a dragon head of god beast, deer body, body with Lin Jia, useful on the head, symbolizing auspicious. Kirin's eye bodhi is more rare than longan bodhi. It is the top grade bodhi seed to increase happiness and wisdom, help enlightenment and protect spiritual practice.

19. Tongtian Eye, a rare fruit seed, is dark gray, with irregular small dot-like projections on the grain. Strangely, each grain has a round hole, and Tongtian Eye comes from this. It is said that this bead can absorb the human body disease gas, often hold this bead to enhance physical fitness, eliminate fatigue help. Exorcise evil, long-term peace, the eye can help you.

Lotus, a rare plant fruit pedicle, was jujube red, the quality of hard, each granular like a small lotus seat, the name will arise. It is said that this thing on the body can ensure peace, increase auspiciousness and help practice.

21. Lotus, a rare plant seed. Conical, dark brown, white two. The texture is hard, slightly prickly to the touch, and its shape resembles a lotus flower, so it is famous. The lotus flower is stained with sludge and is a symbol of fruit position. At the same time, when practicing the Lotus Department in Tantric Buddhism, lotus beads must be used to help achieve the Bodhisattva position. Lotus beads with, can make people feel at peace, always keep clean. (Also divided into: Lotus Gaozhuang Mushroom, Lotus Mushroom, Pagoda Lotus)

22. Melon bodhi seed, a kind of bodhi root, is unprocessed and looks like a honeydew melon, hence its name. Looks like a small melon, interesting. Because itself is bodhicitta root, it is very helpful to practice bodhicitta and can also be used as a collection.

23. White bodhi root, for plant seeds after polishing processing, some white as snow, some slightly yellow, bright and pleasant to the eye. Wearable this bead, both to help practice, but also to eliminate disasters, as well as ornamental value.

24. Tiantai bean, a unique specialty of Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang Province, is the seed of trees. Like large partial beans, black, tough texture. It is said to have the function of exorcising evil spirits. Those who go to Tiantai Mountain will never forget to buy beads made of Tiantai beans.

25. Tiantai Bodhi, a woody bodhi of Tiantai Mountain, is white or yellowish. Tiantai Mountain Guoqing Temple is the ancestral court of Tiantai Sect. At that time, the three big ten of the Kaiyuan were: good and fearless, diamond wisdom, and not empty brought the tantric Pumen Dafa to China. Famous astronomers and a line of mages were once instigated by not empty masters. A line of mages brought the secret method to the Tiantai and created the Tiantai Tantra, which was actually the first pulse of Tang Mi. Therefore, the rooftop bodhi has its unique characteristics and deep connotation.

26. Wooden fish fruit, a rare tree seed, is brown with spots and resembles a wooden turtle, hence its name. Because the wooden fish itself has the function of alerting fans and promoting people's progress, the wooden fish fruit beads are cherished by Buddhists not only because of their peculiar appearance, but also because of their profound connotation.

27. Peach beads, peach, ancient Chinese legend has been able to ward off evil. The beads made of peach wood are simple and lively. Although they are not expensive, they are very useful. Such beads have always been popular.

Gemstone

Gems, because of its bright color, crystal clear texture, brilliant luster, hard and durable, and rare, it is more valuable. Generally speaking, the more common types of gemstones are: crystal, peridot, wood change, turquoise, malachite, hibiscus stone, dongling stone, lapis lazuli, tourmaline, garnet, sands and many other categories. But these gems can only be regarded as second-class gems, far less than the four precious gems of diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald. Because these gems are extremely precious, most of them are used to make Buddha beads, which are held by the royal family or rich gentry and cannot be obtained by ordinary people. For example, in the book Chronicle of the Old Monk Xuyun, there is a record that the old monk Xuyun entrusted Master Kuan Hang to bring a string of "seven colors and nine treasures of Luohan Pearl" presented by a prince to Hong Kong and handed it to Cen Xue and Lv as a souvenir.

Jade, there are broad and narrow sense. In a broad sense, it includes many kinds of minerals and rocks used in arts and crafts. Such as marble, Shoushan stone, Qingtian stone, Chang fossil, Balin stone, Duan inkstone, etc. belong to this category. In a narrow sense, jade refers only to jadeite (represented by Myanmar's high-quality jadeite) and nephrite (represented by high-quality Hetian jade). Because for thousands of years, jade symbolizes auspiciousness, it is said that it can ward off evil spirits, avert disasters and bring luck, and is influenced by "a gentleman is like jade, with benevolence, wisdom, propriety, loyalty and faith". Those beads made of jade are more and more loved by people.

Fruit (nuclear) class

Fruit (nuclear) type beads, in the large family of beads occupies a large proportion. People can list many kinds casually, such as peach pit carving, walnut carving, olive pit carving, peach pit carving, diamond, sun, day plum, lotus, coconut, five eyes and six channels, etc., which are simply too numerous to list. Among them, peach pit and olive pit are the representatives of fruit pit, and wood wax and coconut shell (pedicle) are the representatives of fruit pit.

Peach tree is a deciduous tree, easy to plant and child, it is widely planted. It is said that peach wood can drive away ghosts, peach stalks may be evil, peach charms can ward off evil spirits, and peach kernels are hard and can be used to carve various beads with profound meanings.

Olive is an evergreen tree, the fruit is round and pointed at both ends, because of its bitter taste and sweet, so there is "remonstrating fruit back to sweet" said. The olive core is as hard as stone and is an excellent material for making beads.

Muqiuzi, also known as Sapindus mukorossi, is a kind of tree that grows on high mountains. Its branches and leaves are like cedrela trees. Its leaves are opposite to each other. In early summer, it opens small yellow flowers. Its capsule swells and splits into three. Strong as a projectile, firm and black as a lacquer bead. Because in the "Mu Qiao Zi Sutra", the Buddha once taught that the wave exile king runs through Mu Qiao Zi as a prayer bead, which makes later Buddhists like to use Mu Qiao Zi to make Buddha beads, which means adhering to the Buddha's teachings without forgetting.

Coconut, or "chia", is an evergreen tree that grows in the tropics. The fruit is called coconut and can be used to make beads. According to Yuan Mei's "Suiyuan Poetry" in the Qing Dynasty, "Recently, Xi Shang, her husband wrapped his arms around gold bracelets and made coconut beads in his hands......." Zhao Fen also has the same record in "Collected Works of Filtering the Moon Xuan": "During the reign of Qianlong, Zhao Bingchong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of the Household, selected a string of coconuts and counted beads, which were more precious than the axils of thousands of foxes." It can be known that the use of coconut shell (pedicle) to make beads has been very common in the early Qing Dynasty, with a history of hundreds of years.

Bamboo and Wood

Both bamboo and wood can be used to make beads. Bamboo is a kind of perennial graminaceous evergreen plant. It is soft and empty. It is not easy to be broken by wind and rain. It has experienced cold and heat, and its branches and leaves are verdant. Therefore, the ancients often compared it to a gentleman who is "facing the big festival and cannot be taken away. Bamboo has Huangzhu, Qiong bamboo, bamboo, arrow bamboo, brown bamboo, peach branch bamboo, spotted bamboo and other categories. Huangzhu, the quality is firm and white. Qiong bamboo, high and solid; Arrow bamboo, strong and medium arrow, these are all good materials used to make beads.

As for the type of wood, can be said to be innumerable. The general materials used to make Buddha beads can be pine, cypress, cinnamon, pepper, tung, catalpa, etc., because pine and cypress withered later, which is a metaphor for firmness and longevity. Cinnamon pepper is rich in flavor, which means that it excels to understand the gods. Tong is Jiamu and phoenix can be inhabited. Catalpa is a good material. Most of it has a certain meaning. However, the more valuable wooden beads, the choice of sandalwood, aloes, ganan, ebony and other precious materials.

Sandalwood, also known as sandalwood, can be burned as spices and can also be used as medicine. For example, the annotation in "All Sutra and Sound" says: Sandalwood, that is, white sandalwood can cure fever, and red sandalwood can remove wind and swelling. They are all medicines for eliminating diseases and settling down, so they are named and happy.

To this day, sandalwood used to make beads is mostly rosewood and rosewood. In particular, red sandalwood, because of its solid wood, fine texture, purple color, coupled with a fragrant aroma, is listed as one of the Buddhist five incense (Shen Shui incense, white sandalwood, red sandalwood, chestnut incense, day wood incense), more people love.

Other types

The coverage of this item is very broad. It can be said that in addition to the above-mentioned treasures, bodhi, gemstones, fruits (nuclear), bamboo and wood, all should belong to this category. Horns, bones, rhinoceros horns, ivory, etc. have always been rejected by Chinese Buddhism due to the limitation of the legal system, but they are deeply loved by Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism even uses human skulls to make beads. These beads can also make people know the nature of life and death. At the same time, it will also make people feel some mysterious religious atmosphere.

In addition, there are also beads made of ceramics, purple sand, carved lacquer and other materials. These beads of different shapes will also bring people endless reverie.

5. holding method

Buddha beads are the most convenient instrument for propagating the Dharma, so great monks have always used them skillfully. In the classics, it is especially emphasized that the merits and benefits of chanting with different materials of Buddha beads also differ from those of inferior ones. For example, in "The Buddha Says the Contest of Merits and Merits of Beads", the Buddha tells the public:

If you listen well, I will benefit from the difference in my speech today. If there are people who recite the names of Dharoni and Buddha, in order to benefit themselves and protect others, and quickly seek the verification of all methods, their counting method should be such as this and must be held: if iron is used to count beads, recite and pinch them once to get five times the blessing; If you use copper as the number of beads, recite and pinch them once to get ten times the blessing; If you count beads with real beads, coral, recite and pinch once to get a hundred times of blessing; If you use wood to count the beads, recite and pinch to get a thousand times of blessing. If you want the pure land of the past Buddhas and the heavenly palace, you should receive this bead. If you use lotus seeds as the number of beads, you will get ten thousand times the blessing. If you use Uludhara fork to count beads, if you use water essence as a number of beads, recite and pinch it again to get ten thousand times of blessing. If you use bodhi seed as a number of beads, or use pinching and reading, or but hold it in your hand, recite it once and for all, its blessing is boundless, cannot be counted, and it is difficult to check.

In addition, in the volume of "taking the true scripture, establishing the dojo's wish", "guarding the scripture" and "yoga rosary sutra", bodhi beads are the most extraordinary. Then people can't help but ask: Why does Bodhisattva have such great merit? In the Manshu Li Mantra, Manjusri tells the public a story about the Buddha's past and place, in order to explain the doubts of the group:

Why do I now praise the use of bodhi to benefit the most? Manshu Shili Bodhisattva said: But in the past there was a Buddha born, under this tree to become a positive consciousness. When an outsider, evil see bad heart, slander the three treasures. He had a man who was suddenly beaten and killed by the inhuman place. The outside world reads: I see evil today, but I have not examined the divine power of the Buddhas. If you are under this tree, if you are actually holy, the tree should feel it. The son who is about to die lies under the bodhi tree, saying: if the Buddha tree is holy, my son should sue. On the seventh day of the sutra, recite the name of the Buddha, and the son is the heavy su. The external Tao rejoiced and praised: I have never seen the Buddhas have great divine power, but the Buddha has become a Taoist tree. It is very strange and wade, and it is difficult to think about it. When all the foreign countries heard about this, they gave up evil and returned to the right, developed a great bodhicitta, and believed in Buddha's divine power. For this reason, the world is known as the tree of prolonging life. There are two Bodhi trees: one Bodhi tree and two Life Extension trees.

In any case, choosing a string of bodhi beads and chanting scriptures, incantations or the holy name of Buddha and Bodhisattva in our hearts can dispel troubles, eliminate obstacles, increase wisdom, and protect ourselves. It is really helpful to help us practice.

As mentioned earlier, beads can be divided into three types, namely, holding beads, peizhu, hanging beads, and most of the general chanters choose to hold beads.

Holding the bead posture, can also be divided into two kinds, single hand-held beads and double hand-held. Single-hand beads are mostly used when standing and walking, while double-hand beads are often used when meditating. The method is to put the beads between the hands, cross-shaped, put the mother beads on one side, twist for a week, and return to the original place. In fact, according to the book "Illustrated Buddha Statues", there has always been no fixed posture for eminent monks to hold beads. There are all kinds of movements, such as left hand, right hand, one hand, both hands, raising, hanging down, flat chest and knee height. However, it is only "convenient", so we don't have to insist on specific bead holding methods.

In the process of holding beads, people often encounter problems such as whether to cross the "Buddha head" (mother beads). Because in the classics there was:

The pearl table bodhisattva's victory is absolutely broken in the middle.

The rope runs through the table Guanyin, and the mother bead is a table of infinite life.

Be careful not to cross the law, all by rosary accumulation merit.

It has been recorded, so there is such a saying. If the chanter uses beads as a counting tool, it is not necessary to count the mother beads and the spacer beads, and it is necessary to twist them lightly when chanting. In addition to using the beads as a tool for refinement and counting, people who chant like this also hope to use them to understand more Buddhist principles. When the hands pinch the beads, they can use the three treasures of "Buddha, Dharma and monk" or the three studies of "precepts, determination and wisdom" to observe. When the hands pinch the mother beads, they can also observe the Buddha's good light, at the same time, if you pinch in the opposite direction counterclockwise, you can solve such problems.

Beads can be hung on the neck to act as beads or wrapped around the arm to play the role of beads, all of which have profound implications:

Two hands with beads to watch out, quiet away from the mind focus,

This yoga heart, all have the achievement of the governing law.

Set the top bun or hang the body, or put the neck and arms,

Said speech into chanting, in order to chant the net three karma.

The top bun is clean and seamless, the neck is clean and quadruple,

Holding the arm to eliminate the crime, can make pedestrians quickly clean.

If you fix the truth, Darani, and say the name of Bodhisattva,

When the boundless victory merit, all the victory will be achieved.

In addition, due to the difference between the three (fetal and Tibetan circles) and the five (diamond circles) in the secret religion, there are special requirements for beads, which are different from the usual beads. According to the Susitikhara Sutra, "The Buddha Department uses bodhi beads, the Guanyin Department uses lotus beads, and the King Kong Department uses Lu Ye Luo fork beads." According to the Guardian Sutra and the Yoga Rosary Sutra, "The Buddha Department uses bodhi beads, the King Kong Department uses diamond beads, the Treasure Department uses gold and other beads, the Lotus Department uses lotus beads, and the Krishman Department uses all kinds of harmony beads." Another article "Tantric Collection" written by a nearby Jin An Ju Shi said: "Amber beads are used for the method of repair, crystal beads are used for the method of repair, coral beads are used for the method of repair and longevity, skull beads are used for the method of repair, bodhi beads are used for the method of repair, and phoenix eye bodhi beads are used for all methods of repair."

In addition, the classics of the secret religion also have detailed provisions on the fingering of twisting beads. In terms of the five parts, it is recorded in the Photograph of Truth that the Buddha part is pinched with the right thumb and index finger, the diamond part is pinched with the right thumb and middle finger, the treasure part is pinched with the right thumb and ring finger, the lotus part is pinched with the right thumb and little finger, and the karma part is twisted with the right thumb and the other four fingers. In terms of the three parts, it is recorded in the Suzel Sutra that the Buddha part is pinched by the thumb of the right hand with the fingertips of the other four fingers, the middle finger is upright with the little finger, and the index finger is slightly bent to the middle section of the middle finger. The lotus part is pinched by the fingertips of the thumb and the middle finger, stretching the other three fingers.

The 6. way to get a rosary

Unfold the rosary beads, hold down the four fingers of the right hand, and when chanting Buddha or holding a mantra, start from the first bead beside the mother bead (the largest one) and pinch under the mother's finger (<one ya =, one bead per sentence, or one mantra per bead. when pinching the beads to the mother, immediately turn your head from left to inside, and then pinch from the first bead beside the mother, never cross or pinch straight through the mother bead. Jing Yun: "You should not cross the mother bead, and you should cross the law." "Because the rope represents Guanyin, the mother bead represents Mituo."

In addition, in some classics, there are also different records on the method of pinching beads.

The method of holding rosary beads in "Photograph of Truth" is as follows:

Buddha Department: Use the right mother finger and head finger (index finger) to pinch it.

King Kong Department: Use the right mother finger and ring finger to pinch it.

Lotus: Use the right female finger and four fingers to pinch it.

Karma: Use the right female finger and four fingers to pinch it.

The Suzel Sutra records that there are only three parts of the fetal Tibetan boundary:

Buddha Department: The big finger of the right hand coincides with the head of the ring finger, the middle finger stands upright with the little finger, and the head (food) finger is less bent, which is attached to the middle section of the middle finger to pinch it.

Lotus: the head of the big finger and middle finger. The remaining fingers are all comfortable and pinched.

King Kong Department: The head of the big finger and index finger is closed, and the rest are all comfortable and pinched.

"Juntu Li Ritual" says: Twist your head and finger with your right big finger, be careful to pull the beads, and the remaining three fingers are scattered straight (this is the "statement seal" of the Buddha Department, also known as "holding the name seal", and here it is "chanting the seal".) Lead the bead in the left hand and hold the bead in the right hand, such as the rotation wheel shape.

"boundless longevity ritual" cloud: second-hand beware, gather five fingers each, if not coated lotus left holding rosary beads, with the right big finger ring finger to move beads, recite to the last word to move a bead.

All of the above are contained in the Buddhist scriptures. However, now everyone is used to the method of using the Buddha Department of "Photographing the True Sutra" and the King Kong Department of "Suzi Sutra. If it is really a good man and a good woman who are willing to practice, I think it is better to practice according to the method of pinching beads recorded in the classics, because the merits are different.

7. beads for the first time

After the beads are purchased, there is generally a purification process. There is a certain difference between this process and Tantra. After the beads are purchased, the obvious pedestrians will usually use the water that recites the Great Mercy Mantra 49 times to sprinkle them, and then carry out recitation and practice. If they cannot recite the Great Mercy Mantra, they will also ask their master to blessing and remove the beads. This is mainly to remove the elves and filthy things attached to the beads, which is a spiritual instrument that turns them into good friends, people who do not chant to the Buddha wear such a rosary will have a protective effect.

Generally, after purchasing a string of beads, passers-by will use the bead blessing method of the present respect dharma to remove the beads, so that they can be transformed into affidavits conforming to each respect. In normal use, they will also recite the bead blessing method before use, which is necessary for a complete passer-. Those who do not know how to blessing the rosary and the tongue are not easy to achieve when practicing the secret law. These two laws have corresponding laws and independent legal tracks. The Supreme Dalai Lama also once said, "In this way, through regular blessing of rosary beads, we can do various undertakings in future practice, such as causing diseases for others." Therefore, the rosary of Tantra is not only a counting tool but also one of the things that each statue has when doing karma, and its meaning is far deeper and wider than that of the rosary of Xianzong. If you can't use these methods, you can recite the six-character mantra 108 times before using it, and implement it according to the pithy formula of inheritance, or ask your own guru to do the blessing.

Recently, some people have been publicizing the contents of Han Mi everywhere, quoting the contents of Han Mi classics such as the Suzi Earth Sutra, the Great Sun Sutra and the Vajra Top Sutra to introduce the method of holding mantras or blessing rosary beads. This is very incorrect and immoral. It is necessary to know that these methods need to be actually guided by someone, and they need to be authorized by the corresponding law. Without authorization, it is just like a civilian who wants to exercise the power of the president of the state, and it will be dangerous. In the world law, it is illegal to do so, just like fraud, which is not only useless but also harmful, and it is not allowed in Buddhism. Moreover, the inheritance of Han Mi has been basically cut off except for the formation of Dongmi with the spread of Japanese air and sea people to Japan. Buddhism is the most exquisite dharma and quiet, so at the beginning of the scriptures there will be a sentence "if I hear it" and at the beginning of each treatise there will also be inherited prayers and top rituals. Therefore, such indiscriminate quotations of secret codes and laws should be resolutely resisted and criticized.

8. the rope is broken, what should be done?

The rope of the rosary is broken, which many people mistakenly think is an ominous omen. In fact, this is a wrong opinion. It should be known that any object will be worn or broken after being used for a long time. Therefore, it is not surprising that the rope of the rosary is broken. Just imagine that the world is full of "impermanence". Life cannot be separated from the stages of birth, old age, illness and death. Everything exists and disappears naturally; there is a beginning and there is an end to the process. These phenomena were the "truth" of the world, and they were the same in the past, are the same now, and will be the same in the future. Therefore, the rope of Buddha beads is broken. As long as you change into a new rope, you can continue to use it. You don't have to be too persistent or care about it. You should take this opportunity to realize the truth of "the world is impermanent.

9. use contraindications

The most important thing to pay attention to is basically only one, that is, clean. If the details can have the following points of attention:

First, it is convenient not to take rosaries on your wrist to the bathroom. If you need to go, you can take them off and put them in your jacket pocket. In summer, you can hang them close to your neck.

Second, do not wear rosary beads or put them beside the bed when the husband and wife sleep together.

Third, smoking or touching with your hands from onions, garlic, leeks or drinking when wearing rosaries, not to spit smoke on the rosary.

Fourth, rosary beads should be placed in the Buddha hall or in front of the Buddha statue when they are not used and worn. Pedestrians with incense can smoke them with incense before getting up and using them every morning.

Fifth, do not touch other people's rosaries.

Sixth, don't put rosary beads in your pants pocket, let alone in your fart pocket.

Seventh, when the rosary is hung around the neck or on the wall, the pagoda should be raised.

Eighth, please do not touch the rosary with hands that have touched unclean things such as meat or fish. You should wash your hands before touching the rosary.

Ninth, when counting, when reading a string, do not turn the rosary over and then count it in an uninterrupted cycle. Those who do this by turning the rosary count on the contrary say that they do not cross the Buddha's head, which is incorrect and should continue to toggle the count in the same direction. There is no record of any classic counting after flipping. Among the various sects in the Han Dynasty, there is no such statement among the orthodox professors. According to the Tibetan Buddhism, such a reversed rosary count is a phenomenon of magic chaos caused by the decline of the orthodox law. According to the statements of the Han biography, the wheel of law should rotate in the same direction and not suddenly turn clockwise and counterclockwise, so there is no rule to turn the rosary in the opposite direction. The former Tibetan Buddhism is more serious about this matter, while the latter is more loose, but users should pay enough attention to this matter. However, it should not be said to many so-called masters that "according to the habit you keep" and "if you already have the seed of this inverted rosary in the eighth consciousness, you don't have to change this habit". This is an act of turning back the law and is not desirable. It is necessary to know that neither the Middle School nor the Fa Xiangzong recognize the reality of the eighth consciousness, which is discussed in many discussions, so the so-called "seed of the eighth consciousness" and "seed" as mentioned above is incorrect. If you go to India or Nepal or Kangzang, it would be a very strange behavior to flip the rosary. Because in ancient times, whether it was the birthplace of Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism, which combined Indian Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty, there is no such tradition.

Tenth, don't swing or swing the rosary beads at will while holding them, but count them seriously and solemnly above the waist.

Conclusion

The beads were originally used as props for monks and have been preserved to this day, such as the "props" in the volume of "Shi Shi's essays"

Citing the "Zhonga Sutra" cloud: "The storage, can be the capital into the Tao, that is, the growth of good law." However, with the long-term development of the old and the long-term development of the law system, many props have become obsolete, such as tooth wood and water filter capsules. The beads have not been abandoned, but are more compatible with the world. It can be said that they have long been a symbol of the "good roots" of those living beings who are "predestined to the Buddha.

The purpose of this article is to let everyone know the types, numbers and materials of beads ". The Diamond Sutra says: "All phases are false. If you see all phases, you will see the Tathagata." It shows that all living beings should not "adhere to the phase" in their practice, regardless of chanting sutras, chanting Buddha or worshipping Buddha, and Buddha beads also exist as one of the "phases. Therefore, when we use beads, we should not excessively care about its structure, number of particles and materials. As long as we can "keep quiet and keep away from delusions and hold beads and be careful", we can prove Bodhi and achieve Nirvana early.