Prayer beads

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the plant sometimes commonly known as prayer bead, see Abrus precatorius.

Dominican rosary, a Lutheran Wreath of Christ, a set of Anglican prayer beads, a Western Christian Pater Noster cord
, and a Coptic Orthodox mequteria.

Prayer beads are a form of

chotki or komposkini or prayer rope in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Wreath of Christ in Lutheran Christianity, the Dominican rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic Christianity, the dhikr (remembrance of God) in Islam, the japamala in Buddhism and Hinduism, and the Jaap Sahib
in Sikhism.

Origins and etymology

Beads are among the earliest human ornaments and ostrich eggshell beads in Africa date to 10,000 BC.[1] Over the centuries various cultures have made beads from a variety of material from stone and shells to clay.[1]

The English word bead derives from the Old English noun bede which means a prayer.[2][3][4][5] The oldest image of a string of beads in a religious context and resembling a string of prayer beads is found on the fresco of the "Adorants" (or "Worshipers") at the Xeste 3 building of the prehistoric settlement of Akrotiri, Santorini (Thera,) Greece (Wall Paintings of Thera.)[6] dating from the 17th century BC (c. 1613 BC.) It was used in Hindu Prayers and meditation Hindu prayers in India.[citation needed] Buddhism later on adopted this custom.[citation needed] As the Ancient Hindus migrated towards West Asia this practice was carried to many parts of the world and became a part of different religions.[1][3][7] The statue of a Hindu holy man with beads dates to the third century BC.[3][7]

Structure

A misbaha, a device used for counting tasbih

The number of beads varies by religion or use.

Sikh
Mala also has 108 beads.

The oldest set of prayer beads in

Eastern Catholic Christians use a knotted prayer rope called either a komboskini or chotki, with 100 knots, although prayer ropes with 50 or 33 knots can also be used. The Lutheran Wreath of Christ contains 18 beads. In the 1980s Rev. Lynn Bauman from the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America introduced Anglican prayer beads with 33 beads.[8]

The Greek "

komboloi" (which are worry beads
and have no religious purpose) has an odd number of beads—usually one more than a multiple of four, e.g. (4x4)+1, (5x4)+1.

Use

Since the beads are fingered in an automatic manner, they allow the user to keep track of how many prayers have been said with a minimal amount of conscious effort, which in turn allows greater attention to the prayer itself.

Judaism

Although the use of prayer beads grew within those religions, it did not enter Judaism, perhaps because of its association with other religions, and to date Judaism does not use prayer beads. Although not used as counting device, many Jews touch the knots on the tzitzits attached to their tallit (prayer shawl) at specific points in their prayers.[3]

Christianity

Main articles: Rosary, Prayer rope, Chaplet (prayer), Wreath of Christ, and Anglican prayer beads

The Desert Fathers of the 3rd to 5th centuries, used pebbles or knotted ropes to count prayers, typically the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"). The invention is attributed to Anthony the Great or his associate Pachomius the Great in the 4th century. In Vita of Saint Paul of Thebes (227 AD to 342 AD), written by Saint Jerome (347 AD to 420 AD) it states that Saint Paul of Thebes used pebbles and knotted cord to count prayers.[9]

Around the 8th century,

Saint Gertrude of Nivelles (7th century) and Saint Norbert and Saint Rosalia (12th century).[13] A more explicit reference is that in 1125 William of Malmesbury mentioned a string of gems that Lady Godiva used to count prayers.[13][14] The oldest prayer beads to be found in Britain were discovered by archaeologists on Lindisfarne in 2022: made of salmon vertebrae, they date from the 8th or 9th century.[15]

rose quartz stone, crystal, black onyx, lavender glass or pearl,[17] but all parts can be made of any material. Catholics also use prayer beads to pray chaplets
.

In

Oriental Orthodox Christianity, especially among Ethiopian Christians and Coptic Christians, prayer beads known as the mequetaria/mequteria employ numbers such as 41, 64, and 100 as their length; the mequetaria is chiefly used for reciting the Kyrie Eleison (Lord have mercy) during the seven fixed prayer times
of Christianity. In regards to the first two numbers, the former represent the number of wounds inflicted on Jesus from lashing, the nails, and the lance while the latter represents Mary's age upon her Assumption.

The

mandyas or full monastic habit, as the second step in monastic life, and is called his 'spiritual sword'."[12]

The Lutheran Wreath of Christ,[18] invented by Martin Lönnebo, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Linköping of the Swedish Lutheran Church, is a set of 18 beads, some round and some elongated, arranged in an irregular pattern. Each one has its own significance as a stimulus and reminder for meditation, although they can also be used for repetitive prayer.[19]

In the mid-1980s,

Christ
) arranged in four groupings of symbolic significance.

While there are liturgical churches using prayer beads in prayer, non-liturgical Christian churches do not use them.

  • Anglican prayer beads
    Anglican prayer beads
  • Oriental Orthodox mequteria of 41 beads
    Oriental Orthodox mequteria of 41 beads
  • Greek Orthodox komboskini of 100 knots
    Greek Orthodox komboskini of 100 knots
  • Lutheran Wreath of Christ
    Lutheran Wreath of Christ
  • Hand-carved Roman Catholic rosary beads
    Hand-carved Roman Catholic rosary beads
  • An Old Believer Russian Orthodox lestovka, made out of leather
    An Old Believer Russian Orthodox lestovka, made out of leather

Islam

Main articles: Misbaha and Tasbih

In

Arabic: مِسْبَحَة, romanized: misbaḥah), subha, or as tasbih in reference to the prayers they are used with. They typically possess 99 regularly sized beads (corresponding to the names of God in Islam) with separators of two smaller beads, splitting the loop into three sections of 33 each. Sometimes, a misbaha of only 33 beads is used, in which case one would cycle through its beads three times. The tasbih prayer is a dhikr
that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences to praise and glorify God.

Most currents of mainstream Islam consider the use of the misbaha in prayer and recitations to be an accepted practice.

innovation not practiced by early Muslims.[21]

Sikhism

Further information:
Mool Mantar

Sikh worshipers may use mala (prayer beads) while reciting verses from the Guru Granth Sahib.[22] These prayer beads are made from iron worn around the wrist; there are 27 such beads in a mala.[23]
This is also known as a simranee.

Hinduism

Main article: Japamala

An early use of prayer beads can be traced to

Sanskrit: माला mālā) means "garland" or "wreath".[27]

Japamala are used for repetition of a mantra, for other forms of sādhanā or "spiritual exercise" and as an aid to meditation. The most common mala have 108 beads.[28] The most common materials used for making the beads are Rudraksha seeds (used by Shaivites) and Ocimum tenuiflorum (tulasi) stems (used by Vaishnavites).[23] Other materials such as metals, seeds of a lotus and pearls are also used to make the beads.[29]

While using the prayer beads, one bead is moved at a time until arriving to the terminal bead. Once the terminal bead is touched, the prayer beads are reversed and counted in the opposite direction. It is held in a particular manner using the middle finger and thumb only, deliberately avoiding the use of the index finger - considering it to be inauspiciousness. The user also covers the prayer beads with a cloth called bag called "gomukha."[29]

  • Hindu Japa mala prayer beads, made from Tulasi wood, with the head bead in the foreground.
    Hindu Japa mala prayer beads, made from Tulasi wood, with the head bead in the foreground.

Buddhism

Main article: Japamala

Prayer beads (

Standard Tibetan: ཕྲེང་བ།, romanized: phreng ba) are also used in many forms of Mahayana Buddhism, often with a lesser number of beads (usually a divisor of 108). In Pure Land Buddhism, for instance, 27-bead malas are common. These shorter malas are sometimes called "prostration rosaries" because they are easier to hold when enumerating repeated prostrations. In Tibetan Buddhism malas are also 108 beads: one mala counts as 100 mantras, and the eight extra are meant to be dedicated to all sentient beings (the practice as a whole is dedicated at its end as well). In Tibetan Buddhism, often larger malas are used; for example, malas of 111 beads. When counting, they calculate one mala as 100 mantras and the 11 additional beads are taken as extra to compensate for errors.[verification needed
]

Various type of materials are used to make mala beads such as seeds of the rudraksha, beads made from the wood of the tulsi plant, animal bone, wood or seeds from the Bodhi Tree (a particularly sacred tree of the species Ficus religiosa) or of Nelumbo nucifera (the lotus plant). Semi-precious stones like carnelian and amethyst are also used. Another commonly used material is sandalwood.[30]

  • Japanese Zen Buddhist prayer beads (Juzu)
    Japanese Zen Buddhist prayer beads (Juzu)
  • Antique Chinese Buddhist Qinan prayer beads (Niànzhū), Qing Dynasty, 19th century, China; Adilnor Collection, Sweden
    Antique Chinese Buddhist Qinan prayer beads (Niànzhū), Qing Dynasty, 19th century, China; Adilnor Collection, Sweden

Bahá’í Faith

The Baháʼí Faith stipulates that the verse Alláh-u-Abhá "God the All-Glorious" be recited 95 times daily after the performance of ablutions.[31] To help facilitate this recitation Bahá’ís often use prayer beads, though they are not required to. Most commonly, Bahá’í prayer beads consist of 95 individual beads on a strand or a strand of 19 beads with 5 set counters. In the latter case, the person reciting the verses typically tracks the 19 individual verses in a set with one hand and tracks the sets of verses with the other (19 verses times 5 sets for a total of 95 total verses). Bahá’í prayer beads are made of any number of natural and man-made materials including glass, precious and semi-precious stones, various metals and wood. There are no traditions regarding the structure of the prayer bead strand or the materials used.

  • Baháʼí prayer beads in a 19 bead, 5 set counter configuration
    Baháʼí prayer beads in a 19 bead, 5 set counter configuration

Materials used for making prayer beads

Seeds and fruitstones

Gems and precious stones

See also

References

  1. ^
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  2. ISBN 1-85326-311-7
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  3. ^
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  5. ISBN 0-8192-2321-2
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  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^
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  8. ^ a b "Anglican Prayer Beads". Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
  9. ISBN 9781610695664. Archived
    from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  10. ISBN 978-0-8122-0885-6
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  11. ^ "Pater Noster Cords". Solitaries of DeKoven. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022. Monks and clergy recited or chanted the Psalms as a major source of hourly worship. People living near the monasteries/abbeys realized the beauty of this devotion but unable to read or memorize the lengthy Psalms, the people were unable to adapt this form of prayer for their use. It was suggested that the people might substitute 150 Our Fathers in place of the Psalms.
  12. ^ a b c Thurston, Herbert; Shipman, Andrew (1912). "The Rosary". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  13. ^ a b Volz, John (1907). "Use of Beads at Prayers". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  14. ISBN 978-1-108-04886-6
    . Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  15. ^ Dalya Alberge (26 June 2022). "First ever prayer beads from medieval Britain discovered". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  16. ^ "St Dominic & the Rosary". catholic-pages.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  17. ^ Prayer beads in Christianity Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 December 2008
  18. ^ Pearls of Life Archived 21 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 9 March 2010
  19. ^ Lerner, Thomas (2 February 2015). "Så blev Frälsarkransen Sveriges första moderna radband". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Is Using Prayer Beads An Innovation? - SeekersHub Answers". 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Why do Ahmadi Muslims not use Tasbeeh (prayer beads)?". askislam.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  22. ^ "How Are Mala Rosary Prayer Beads Used in Sikhism?". about.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  23. ^
    JSTOR 1255280
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  24. ^ Untracht, Oppi (2008). "Rosaries of India". Traditional Jewelry of India. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Hindu Malas". dharma-beads.net. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Prayer Beads". dharma-beads.net. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  27. ^ Apte, Vaman Shivaram. A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary. p. 1267. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012.
  28. ^ The Significance of the number 108. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  29. ^
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  30. ^ Prayer beads in Buddhism Archived 16 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 December 2008
  31. ISBN 0-85398-999-0
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Bibliography

External links

Media related to Prayer beads at Wikimedia Commons

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