Hindus and Buddhists: Materials and colours for prayer beads / malas

[Sirona]

Namaste,

this may appear a bit superstitious but I'll ask anyway: Recently, I bought a rock crystal mala and the seller explained rock crystal was most suitable for praying to Lakshmi. I was a bit surprised, and now I'm curious to learn if there are similar "rules" for other gods. The only practice I knew about was the Hare Krishnas' preference for tulsi wood malas.

Buddhist replies are also welcome.

Enlighten me, please.

 

[Kapalika]

It seems awfully strange to me that the materials would matter that much. Back when some Vajrayana monks were staying in a nearby town they sold malas of many colors and materials to support their monastery. However now that I think about it and recall their personal malas, I think all but a couple had smallish wooden ones, the other 2 having some small bead ones. I'm not sure what the beads were made of but they seemed almost like hard plastic or marble. I remember one being a dark color. They also gave out little info cards showing how to say a mantra and it's meaning. So I doubt at least for them it was super important.

My own mala is just really nicely smoothed, large light brown wood. No idea what kind of wood. It doesn't matter really to me.

If there is some kind of significance of the material I've never heard of it. I've never heard of a mala made out of rock or crystal. Bone, wood, plastic, colored glass, so many things but not rock crystal (maybe smoothed stone but not sure on that one).

If anyone knows for sure though and I'm wrong let me know I'm no expert on the subject I just do what I do.

At any rate it's not the material that matters but the mantra and intention. So long as it helps with japa or whatever you're using it for you are good to go

 

[Vinayaka]

I believe there is significance to materials, but at the same time my inner searchlights don't operate on high beam. So there is no real knowledge. I personally use those small capped beads from the rudraksha family.

 

[Jainarayan]

Namaste,

this may appear a bit superstitious but I'll ask anyway: Recently, I bought a rock crystal mala and the seller explained rock crystal was most suitable for praying to Lakshmi. I was a bit surprised, and now I'm curious to learn if there are similar "rules" for other gods. The only practice I knew about was the Hare Krishnas' preference for tulsi wood malas.

Buddhist replies are also welcome.

Enlighten me, please.

There may be some obscure reason for using different materials for malas of deities, but I don't know it. It may simply be tradition, but I don't think there are rules. I think it's a matter of whatever resonates with you.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Namaste,

this may appear a bit superstitious but I'll ask anyway: Recently, I bought a rock crystal mala and the seller explained rock crystal was most suitable for praying to Lakshmi. I was a bit surprised, and now I'm curious to learn if there are similar "rules" for other gods. The only practice I knew about was the Hare Krishnas' preference for tulsi wood malas.

Buddhist replies are also welcome.

Enlighten me, please.

Well, I was given sacred Juju prayer beads from the Nichiren Buddhist temple. The beads have meaning for example Significance of Juzu Beads and Prayer Beads. I didn't go to the ceremony to receive these beads but will go to a Thai temple for taking formal vows next month to receive malas blessed by The Buddha.

I'm not familiar with beads used in Hinduism, though.

 

[SomeRandom]

Namaste,

this may appear a bit superstitious but I'll ask anyway: Recently, I bought a rock crystal mala and the seller explained rock crystal was most suitable for praying to Lakshmi. I was a bit surprised, and now I'm curious to learn if there are similar "rules" for other gods. The only practice I knew about was the Hare Krishnas' preference for tulsi wood malas.

Buddhist replies are also welcome.

Enlighten me, please.

Could just be a regional quirk. Or a family tradition.
No real hard and fast rules as far as I'm aware. Perhaps there are some superstitions specific to certain deities, but again that would merely be little quirks found in specific places.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Recently, I bought a rock crystal mala and the seller explained rock crystal was most suitable for praying to Lakshmi. I was a bit surprised, and now I'm curious to learn if there are similar "rules" for other gods. The only practice I knew about was the Hare Krishnas' preference for tulsi wood malas.

Religious and astrological superstition, selling point. Hare-Krishnas love Tulsi mala because of the Hindu belief on the connection between Tulsi and Lord Vishnu, which is perfectly valid. An so is the association of Shiva with Rudraksha. Traditional.