Japamala: what it is and how to meditate with the 108 beads necklace

Repeating mantras is a very powerful technique that helps us to raise spiritual awareness and calm the mind. To help with this process, the Japamala, a string that is usually composed of 108 beadsis commonly used by practitioners of Yoga, Buddhism and Hinduism to facilitate concentration and repetition of a mantra.

In this article, we will understand what Japamala is, why it usually has 108 beads and how to use the necklace to meditate.

Japamala: what is it

The word Japamala is in Sanskrit, a classical Indian language used to impart spiritual knowledge. Being that Japanese means “whisper repeatedly”, and suitcase means “garland”.

This cord can be made from various natural materials. The most used by Hindus is the seed of rudraksha, considered sacred in India and also called “Shiva’s tear”.

But it can also be made of wood, a material widely used by Buddhists, as well as bone, crystals, among others.

What all Japamala have in common are the 108 beads. But why?

Respected spiritual teacher Swami Dayananda Saraswatī explains that Sanskrit has 54 letters in total, they make 54 ascending sounds and 54 descending sounds.

With that, in total we have 108 sacred names or names of Ishvara. According to the philosophical system of Vedanta, Ishvara is the creator of the universe and responsible for its functioning.

Meditation with Japamala

The string of 108 beads will help you repeat a mantra 108 times. Using Japamala, you can focus on the intonation and meaning of the mantra itself, rather than worrying about the count.

During the repetition of the mantra, various types of thoughts may appear. What to do?

Let the thoughts take place in the background, like the steady flow of a river, and keep the mantra in the foreground as the focus of your practice.

Remember that it is not indicated to interact or control thoughts, it is much better to train their detachment.

Just like the practice of mantras, meditation with Japamala can be used as a powerful tool to calm, center, heal and help with spiritual evolution and self-knowledge.

How to use Japamala

In the following video, I explain the details and rules for using Japamala. But basically the guidelines are as follows:

Hold the string with the middle finger and, with the help of the thumb, make the movement of passing the beads with each repetition of the mantra Do not use the index finger, it must not touch the string or mala Do not use the central bead or head of the Guru, don’t even go over it counting Prevent the cord from touching the ground Synchronize the repetition of the mantra with the passing of the beads Repeat the mantra mentally or whispering aloud If you want a mantra suggestion, watch the video Keep your Japamala on your altar or in a special place, like a wooden box.

How to energize your Japamala

You can even build your own Japamala. But if you can’t, you can buy it in specialized stores – there are many of them on the internet!

As soon as you receive it, energize the Japamala which is now yours and should preferably only be used by you.

Sit in a clean and calm place, preferably in your meditation corner with your crystals, candle and incense Take a deep breath 3 times, focus and ask for wisdom and superior intervention throughout the process If you already have a mantra that you like, repeat it while energizing the Japamala Use an incense to transmute the energy of the cord, passing it around your Japamala while listening or singing your favorite mantra At the end, leave the Japamala with great affection in your special corner Remember that your Japamala takes on the spiritual energy of each meditation. So the more you use it, the more powerful it gets.

Namaskar and good meditation!

Gunathite