Can I wear beads around my neck at home?

People who convert to Buddhism carry beads with them, and they will take them out when they have time. Beads are actually a counter to remind yourself to read Buddha frequently. Brother Hu asked me the day before yesterday: I heard that only monks can use 108 beads, but ordinary people can't use them. I smiled and replied: It's another rumor.

More than ten years ago, when I was just studying Buddhism, I also saw pamphlets introducing Buddhism. At that time, I had doubts: beads were originally used for counting, not for representing identity. How can there be such a ridiculous rule? Later, after studying Buddhism, I gradually realized that some ignorant laymen "mythologized" the use of Buddha beads. I guess I watched too many movies. Most of the "monks" in movies wear 108 beads to show "solemnity".

Yesterday, Brother Pang brought me an excellent string of beads, which made me very happy. Turtle shell is a kind of shell in the deep sea. Sanskrit seeks to land on Gerapo. Volume 2 (end) of Beijing Daily Xuan Zan said:' There are clouds in the car canal, showing my grandmother, alternating with blue and white.' Tortoise shell is a high-level sacred object of Tibetan Buddhism. So today I want to talk to you about Buddha beads.

Beads, also known as rosary beads, refer to portable devices that wear a certain number of beads together to count when chanting or holding spells. Its Sanskrit primitive includes four meanings:

(1) Pa Saka-Mara, transliterated as "Bothmo", literally translated as "counting beads".

(2)AK！ A-Mara, transliteration "Achamoro", free translation "Zhu Hao".

(3) Japa-Mara, transliterated as "Zabamoro" and literally translated as "chanting house".

(4)AK！ A-su tra, transliteration "Acha Xiuduoluo", literally translated as "Pearl Line".

Sanskrit ma^la^ means "good". Generally speaking, the origin of beads is due to the fashion of ancient Indians winding tassels and ribbons, which spread to later generations and gradually evolved into beads. In Buddhist classics, the origin of beads is generally based on the enlightenment of the Buddha to the exiled king contained in the Muzhu Sutra. Jing Yun:

The Buddha said to the king: If you want to get rid of troubles and report obstacles, you must stick to the pegs 180 times, so that you can keep following; If you walk, sit, or lie down, you will never be distracted. The name of Buddha, Dharma and Monk is a journal. If there is, step by step, if ten, if twenty, if hundreds, if thousands, or even millions. If you can get more than 200,000 times, your body and mind will not be chaotic, and you will be happy forever if you die on the third day. If you can recover more than one million times, you will be cut off from 180% and finish your studies. You will start to be famous for your life and death, you will be interested in mud, and you will never get any results. ..... Wang Dahuan was so happy that he saluted the Buddha from a distance: Great mercy and great compassion! I should follow it. In other words, officials privately run rafts, thinking that there are thousands of rafts, and all the relatives and the country are related to one. Wang often said that although he was close to the army, he did not abandon it. [ 1]

It can be seen that after hearing the enlightenment from the Buddha, King Fang Bo began to make beads with wooden pegs, holding the name of three treasures of Buddhism, in order to remove troubles and report obstacles. This should be the original origin of Buddhist beads.

It should be pointed out that although beads have become an important symbol of Buddhists, they were not created and used by Buddhists. For example, the Vishnu Sect of Brahmanism in ancient India has a long record of holding pearls. This is exemplified in the unearthed cultural relics. For example, on the statue of "Dragon King converted to Buddha" unearthed in India in the second century, there is a Brahman statue with beads around its neck.

In China, people in China know the name of the Buddha Bead, which should be translated as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty (3 17-420). Unfortunately, the name of the translator has been lost. However, we have reason to believe that many foreign monks came to China during the Jin Dynasty, and some of these foreign shamans had to bring beads.

In the Tang Dynasty, under the background of the prosperity of Buddhism, the classic records of Buddha beads were widely translated, including Dalagni Ji Jing translated by Adiqudo, Bao Siwei, Jingangding Yoga rosary translated by Sanzang, and Sanzang on Semantic Web.

At this point, the beads began to spread widely among the ruling and opposition parties, monks and customs, such as "Old Tang Shu Li Chuan":

It is not cruel or bloody to help the country, but it is often done by monks, who hold the beads according to the gap. Everyone believes it is good. [2]

"Continued monk biography, Daochuo biography" contains:

Everyone pinches pearls, and their mouths share the same Buddhist name. Every time they break up, it rings in the forest valley. [3]

Judging from the existing physical objects, there is a clay sculpture of Maitreya Bodhisattva in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (304-439) in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, which is a statue with beads around its neck. In addition, there is a book "Picture Book of Buddha" in Japan, in which the statues of eminent monks in the Tang Dynasty were painted by people who used beads everywhere. It can be said with certainty that after the Tang Dynasty, it was quite common for people in China to use beads.

There are many kinds of beads, which can usually be divided into three types according to their uses:

1, holding beads-hand twisting or holding beads;

2. Zhu Pei-a bead worn on the wrist or arm;

3, hanging beads-beads hanging around the neck.

Holding beads is often used to record the number of times to recite Buddhist names or spells. According to the classic, if a good man and a good woman can recite the name of the Great Rani Buddha, it is for self-interest and for protecting others ... If they want to live in the pure land of the Buddha, they should get this pearl according to law. [4]

This shows that holding beads is to restrain body and mind, help practice and eliminate delusion. Over time, you can increase your wisdom, care for yourself and others, and gain countless merits.

Zhu Pei, commonly known as bracelet, most commonly has 18 beads, mostly made of precious materials or bright colors. Nowadays, many men and women who don't believe in Buddhism are proud to wear beads, making them a fashion accessory. In my opinion, these people who love Buddha beads should be regarded as people who are deeply rooted and have not started to have a relationship with Buddha. The Buddha made it very clear a long time ago that if someone holds this bodhi bead, he can't recite the Buddha's name and Dalagni according to law, but he can hold it, live, sit and lie down with him. If he speaks good and evil, then this person holds this bodhi, and his merits and demerits are the same as chanting the Buddha's mantra, and he is blessed infinitely. [5]

Hanging beads are mostly made of precious materials such as crystal, agate, jade, coral, beeswax and turquoise. The color of beads must be uniform, and it is required to choose good materials with small color change, moist and delicate, and bright and clean. At the same time, the diameter of the beads is also required to be about one centimeter, and there can be no big error. When splicing, a spacer bead is embedded between every twenty-seven beads, and a "Buddha's head nail" composed of beautifully woven "Chinese knot" and jade, emerald and other ornaments is also arranged below the mother bead. This kind of "Buddha's head and Buddha's ears" can play a certain balancing role in important dharma meetings or when big monks incense Buddhists, thus ensuring the solemn manners in the whole Buddhist activities. Generally speaking, the wearing of hanging beads should consider certain seasonality. For example, those gems such as crystal, agate, emerald and coral should be selected in summer, which can make people feel cool and close; It is best to choose hanging beads such as amber, beeswax or fruit in winter.

In addition, there is a kind of hanging beads derived from Buddha beads, namely "Zhu Chao", which is a unique ornament of Qing officials. The biggest difference between Zhu Chao and ordinary hanging beads is that Zhu Chao changed the style of Buddha's head into a big pendant tied with a wide ribbon and wrapped in silver enamel, which is called "Shadow Cloud". Disciple beads also moved to his chest, consisting of three strings. Recently, Zhu Chao-style bead stands have been made, so when wearing Zhu Chao-style beads, we should pay attention to the symmetry of the three beads on the chest, and put the "shadow cloud" on the back near the center of the back, while the three strings of disciple beads are in the shape of one left and one right, so we must not hang them around, which is against etiquette.

In order to better understand the types of beads, the following are the names of various parts of beads. A string of standard beads should consist of mother beads, daughter beads, sub-beads (also called "fetch beads"), disciple beads (also called "memory beads"), memory beads and some ornaments.

Mother beads, commonly known as "three links" or "Buddha's head", usually have only one, but there are also two, which are used to summarize different numbers of mother beads in one place, and can also play the role of connecting disciple beads, commemorating children and some ornaments. In the old days, most mother beads were painted with Buddha statues inside. Using the principle of convex lens, we can clearly observe the Buddha statue inside, and let people feel the solemnity of Buddha beads as a kind of Buddhism.

Separation beads, also known as "separation beads" or "counting", are usually used to evenly separate beads. Generally speaking, spacer beads are slightly larger than daughter beads, and the number can vary from one to three. Such as 108 beads and 54 beads, one bead is needed for every 27 beads; For 27 or 18 beads, one bead should be used for every nine beads.

Disciple beads are smaller than mother beads, generally ten and twenty, most of which are strung at the other end of mother beads, and ten are a small string. Like an abacus, the number of twists is calculated by decimals. The number "ten" represents the ten paramita of Buddhism, namely: giving, abstinence, forbearance, diligence, meditation, prajnaparamita, convenience, willingness, strength and wisdom. [6]

Note-keeping refers to attaching beads or ornaments slightly larger than disciple's beads at the end of each string, or replacing them with "Chinese knots" formed by strings to prevent disciple's beads from slipping off.

Each bead is composed of a certain number of beads, and the number of beads represents different meanings according to the classics. The list is as follows:

As can be seen from the above table, the number of beads in the classics varies greatly, with a total of nine kinds. In fact, the number of beads is different because they have different meanings. According to popular saying, different meanings are summarized as follows:

(1) One hundred and eight

This is the most common number. In order to prove ignorance, eliminate 108 kinds of troubles and let the body and mind reach a state of silence. There are different opinions about the content of 180. Generally speaking, six roots have their own pains, joys and sorrows, which makes them eighteen. There are three kinds of good, evil and equality in Six Roots, eighteen kinds of doing, which is thirty-six. Together with past lives's three generations, there are one hundred and eight kinds of troubles. As the Bible says:

The Bodhisattvas asked: What is a cloud? Buddha's words: if you have thoughts, you don't know if there are yin and sets in your heart. I don't know if I'm crazy, so is going to my destination, and so is knowledge. It means the third level. See lust, neutral color, evil color, I wonder if there is a set of level playing field. There are six classics, each with six classics. Although there is no language of three generations, there are hundreds of clouds, so we know that it is also three generations. Since mind knowledge has three meanings, it is connected with three generations, such as gathering the mind of a name, making a name known, and distinguishing names. Three means the same thing, so five are the same. There are 36 reasons in three generations, so there are 180. [7]

(2) 1080 pieces

According to Tiantai Sect's theory, there are good and evil in the ten realms, so the number 1080 indicates that each of the ten realms has 108 kinds of troubles, and 1080 kinds of troubles are synthesized. The "Ten Realms" refer to the mysterious and enlightened whole world, namely: 1, Hell Realm, 2, Hungry Ghost Realm, 3, Beast Realm, 4, Shura Realm, 5, Man Realm, 6, Heaven Realm, 7, Sound Realm, 8, Yuanjue Realm, 9, Bodhisattva Realm,/kloc-

(3) Fifty-four tablets

Practice fifty-four positions on behalf of Bodhisattva, including ten faiths, ten residences, ten lines, ten directions, ten places and fifty places, plus four good roots. The breakdown is as follows:

Ten letters:

1, confidence, 2, mindfulness, 3, diligence, 4, wisdom, 5, centering, 6, caring, 7, centering, 8, caution, 9, giving up, 10, wishing. [8]

Ten lives:

1, initial settlement, 2, settlement, 3, practice, 4, living expensively, 5, living conveniently, 6, living honestly, 7, never retiring, 8, living innocently, 9, living the Prince's Law, 10, living consciously. [9]

Ten lines:

1, happy behavior, 2, Rao Yixing, 3, behavior without hatred, 4, endless behavior, 5, wandering from madness, 6, good in the present, 7, no behavior, 8, respectful behavior, 9, good law, 10, truly implemented. [ 10]

Ten directions:

1, save all sentient beings from all sentient beings, 2, avoid bad news, 3, wait for all buddhas to return, 4, return to all places, 5, hide infinite merits, 6, return to equality and good roots, 7, wait for all sentient beings to return, 8, return to phase, 9, return to freedom and freedom, 66. [ 1 1]

Ten places:

1, happily, 2, away from dirty land, 3, shining land, 4, flaming land, 5, difficult resort, 6, present land, 7, traveling land, 8, immortal land, 9, beautiful land, 10, Fayun land. [ 12]

Four good roots:

It refers to the four levels of practice before seeing the Tao, that is, observing the four truths and practicing sixteen lines to reach a perfect position, including: 1, warm position, 2, top position, 3, forbearance position, 4, and the first dharma position in the world. [ 13]

(4) 42 pieces

It represents the forty-two levels of Bodhisattva's practice, namely, ten dwellings, ten lines, ten directions, ten places, equal senses and wonderful senses.

Equality consciousness: it is equal to Buddha in content, but slightly inferior to Buddha in practice. For details, please refer to Kumarajiva's translation of "Benevolent King Prajna Paramita Accepts Goods". [ 14]

Miaojue: refers to a Buddha's fruit of complete consciousness, which is obtained by equal awareness breaking the ignorance of a product. [ 15]

(5) 36 capsules

There is no exact meaning, and it is usually considered to be portable, so dividing 108 blocks into 36 blocks contains the principle of seeing the big from the small, so it is the same as 108 blocks.

(6) 27 pieces

It represents the twenty-seven sages of Hinayana who practiced the four directions and four fruits, that is, the "eighteen studies" of the first four directions and three fruits and the "nine studies" of the fourth A Luo Han Guo.

Eighteen have studied: 1, Shun Xin, 2, Shun Fa, 3, Understand Xin, 4, See it, 5, ID card, 6, family, 7, one room (one kind), 8, Forward Flow, 9, Forward Flow Fruit, 10, One-way, 65433. [ 16]

Nine have no learning: 1, eliminated, 2, eliminated, 3, eliminated, 4, eliminated, 5, advanced, 6, eliminated, 7, eliminated, 8, eliminated, 9, eliminated. [ 17]

(7)2 1 capsule

It means ten places, ten paramita and Buddha fruit. See "Fifty-four Pieces" for "Ten Places" and "Ten Paramitas" for the introduction of "Disciple Zhu", so I won't repeat them here. And "Buddha fruit" refers to the fruit position of the ultimate Buddha.

(8) Eighteen.

Commonly known as "eighteen sons", the so-called "eighteen" here refers to the "eighteen realms", that is, six roots, six dusts and six senses.

Six roots: 1, vision, 2, ear boundary, 3, nose boundary, 4, tongue boundary, 5, body boundary, 6, meaning boundary;

Six dusts: 1, color dust, 2, sound dust, 3, fragrance dust, 4, taste dust, 5, contact dust, 6, method dust;

Six knowledge: 1, eye knowledge, 2, ear knowledge, 3, nose knowledge, 4, tongue knowledge, 5, body knowledge, 6, consciousness. [ 18]

(9) Fourteen tablets

It means that Guanyin Bodhisattva shares the same sorrow with all sentient beings such as Shifang, Shisan and Liudao, and makes all sentient beings gain fourteen fearless merits. Fourteen fearless:

1, so that all beings can reflect on their own nature and get rid of it;

2, so that all living beings know, it is difficult to meet fire, and the fire cannot be burned;

3, make all living things spin and listen to it, although it is floated by the big water, the water can't drown;

4. Make all beings enter the ghost country of Luo Cha, and the ghost will self-destruct;

5. Make the six sentient beings disappear, and when they are killed, the knife section is broken;

6. Bodhisattva shines brightly in ten directions, so that all beings are not harmed by medicine forks;

7. Make all beings free from false sound and dust;

8. Make all beings walk on dangerous roads, such as smooth roads, and avoid being robbed by thieves;

9. promiscuous people have no lust;

10, so that people who hold grudges will not be born;

1 1, to keep all stupid and heartless people away from ignorance;

12, making all beings without children, making men if they want men;

13, creating childless beings and wanting women, that is, giving birth to women;

14. Those who make all beings hold the name of Guanyin will be blessed by the Ganges. [ 19]

There are countless materials used to make beads. Whether it is minerals or plants, bamboo, wood, teeth and horns can be made into beads. However, the materials recorded in Buddhist scriptures that can be used to make beads are very limited, at most, there are more than a dozen, which is not comparable to many complicated categories today. The following is a list of bead materials mentioned in Buddhist scriptures.

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

(1) Bodhi

Bodhi is probably the most widely known kind of bead. In fact, Bodhi is not the fruit of a Bodhi tree, but refers to a kind of herb called Chuangu, which is produced near the snow-capped mountains. Its specific form is:

In spring, seedlings grow, the stems are three or four feet high, the leaves are like millet, and the flowers are red and white, showing spikes. In summer and autumn, they are solid, round and white, with a hard shell, such as enamel. Because of chanting Buddha with beads, it is also called Bodhi. Woodiness is another kind of it, which is only found in Tiantai Mountain in China, and is called Tiantai Bodhi. [20]

Nowadays, "Bodhi" has long been a general term, representing the meaning of "consciousness". "The Western Regions of Datang" says: Bodhi tree is the tree of Bieber. Yesterday, the Buddha was alive, hundreds of feet high, repeatedly cut, especially four or five feet. The Buddha sits under it and becomes enlightened, so it is called Bodhi Tree. [2 1]

There are more than 30 kinds of beads named after Bodhi. Some are named after the place of origin, such as Tiantai Bodhi and Tianzhu Bodhi. Some are named after the texture, such as Xingyue Bodhi and Cheng Yan Bodhi. Carrying a string of bodhi beads will increase people's happiness. The Buddhist contest "Counting Beads and Merits" said: If Bodhi counts beads, it can be recited once with one pinch or one hand, and the fun is boundless. [22]

Because of the profound meaning of Bodhi, many beads are usually named Bodhi, and Buddhists must have a string of Bodhi beads.

(2) Gems

Gemstones are rare and more valuable because of their bright color, crystal texture, brilliant luster, hardness and durability. Generally speaking, the common gem types are: crystal, olivine, wood stone, turquoise, malachite, hibiscus stone, Dongling stone, lapis lazuli, tourmaline, garnet, gold sand stone and so on. But these gems can only be regarded as second-class gems, far less than the four precious gems of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Because these gems are extremely precious, most of them are used by the royal family or rich gentry to make beads, which are not available to ordinary people. For example, in the book Chronicle of the Old Monk in Virtual Cloud, it is recorded that the old monk in Virtual Cloud entrusted Kuanxing Master to bring a string of "Seven Colors and Nine Treasures Band Luohanzhu" given by a prince to Hong Kong as a souvenir.

Jade can be divided into broad sense and narrow sense. Broadly speaking, it includes many kinds of minerals and rocks used for handicraft carving. Such as marble, Shoushan stone, Qingtian stone, Chang fossil, Bahrain stone and Duanyan stone all belong to this category. In a narrow sense, jadeite only refers to jadeite (represented by high-quality jadeite in Myanmar) and nephrite (represented by high-quality Hetian jade). For thousands of years, jade symbolizes auspiciousness. It is said that it can ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. Influenced by "a gentleman is better than jade, with benevolence, wisdom, courtesy, loyalty and faith", those beads made of jade are more and more loved by people.

(3) Fruit (drupe)

Fruit (stone) pearls occupy a large proportion in the big family of pearls. People can list many kinds at will, such as peach stone carving, walnut carving, olive stone carving, peach stone carving, diamond seed, sun seed, lotus seed, coconut stalk, five eyes and six company, and so on. Among them, peach pit and olive pit are the representatives of fruit pit, while eucalyptus seed and coconut shell (stem) are the representatives of fruit.

Peach trees are deciduous trees, which are easy to plant and have many descendants, so they are widely planted. It is said that peach wood can exorcise ghosts, peach stalks can exorcise evil spirits, peach symbols can exorcise evil spirits, and peach stones are hard, which can be used to carve various meaningful beads.

Olive is an evergreen tree with long round fruit and pointed ends. Because it tastes bitter and sweet, it is known as "the fruit of admonition is sweet". Olive core is as hard as stone and is an excellent material for making beads.

Muzhizi, also known as Sapindus mukoraiensis, is a kind of tree that grows on high mountains. Its branches and leaves are like Toona sinensis, with opposite leaves. In early summer, the small yellow flower is in full bloom, and its capsule expands and divides into three parts. As hard as a projectile, as black as lacquer beads. Because the Buddha once taught the exiled king to make beads with wooden coffins in Zi Mu Jing, later Buddhists like to make beads with wooden coffins, which means to inherit the Buddha's teachings and never forget them.

Coconut, or "spoon", is an evergreen tree that grows in tropical areas. This kind of fruit is called coconut, which can be used to make beads. According to Yuan Mei's Poems with the Garden in the Qing Dynasty, "Recently, it's customary for her husband to wear gold bracelets and hold coconut beads ..." Zhao Shu also recorded the same thing in the Collected Works of Filtering the Moon Pavilion: "During the Qianlong period, Zhao Bingchong, assistant minister of the household department, chose a string of coconuts and counted pearls, which was more precious than a thousand foxes." It can be seen that the use of coconut shells (stems) as beads has been very common in the early Qing Dynasty, with a history of hundreds of years.

(4) Bamboo and wood

Both bamboo and wood can be used to make beads. Bamboo is a perennial woody evergreen plant, which is soft and hollow and not easily damaged by wind and rain. After experiencing cold and summer, its branches and leaves are green and never wither, so the ancients often compared it to a gentleman who can't seize the festival. Bamboo includes bamboo, Zhu Qiong, asparagus, arrow bamboo, brown bamboo, peach branch bamboo and spotted bamboo. Bamboo, hard and white; Zhu Qiong, the high festival in reality; Arrow bamboo is better than an arrow. These are good materials for making beads.

As for the types of wood, it can be said that there are countless. The general materials for making beads can be pine, cypress, cinnamon, pepper, tung, catalpa and so on. Because pine and cypress wither later, it means firmness and longevity; Cinnamon pepper is rich, indicating that it is outstanding; Tung is a beautiful wood, and phoenix can be born; Zimu is a good material, and most of it is meaningful to make harps and musical instruments. The more precious wooden beads are made of precious materials such as sandalwood, agarwood, Canaan and ebony.

Sandalwood, also known as sandalwood, can be burned as a spice or used as medicine. For example, the annotation in "The Sound and Meaning of the Classics" says: Dalbergia means that Dalbergia can cure fever, and Dalbergia can eliminate wind and flatulence, which are all medicines for getting rid of diseases and settling down, hence the name. [23]

Sandalwood used to make beads today is mostly Dalbergia and rosewood. Especially rosewood, because of its solid wood, delicate texture, purple color and rich aroma, is listed as one of the five major Buddhist spices (Shenshuixiang, Dalbergia, Sandalwood, Muluoxiang and Tianmu Xiang), which is more popular among people.

(5) Other categories

This item covers a wide range. It can be said that in addition to the treasures mentioned above, bodhi, precious stones, fruits (stones), bamboo and wood should all belong to this item. Horn, ox bone, rhinoceros horn, ivory, etc. It has always been rejected by Han Buddhism because of the legal system, but it is deeply loved by Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism even makes beads from human skulls. Wearing or holding these beads will make people know the true meaning of life and death. At the same time, it will also make people feel some mysterious religious atmosphere.

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

Beads are the most convenient instrument for spreading Buddhism, so it has been used by Dade monks unfortunately. In the classics, it is emphasized that the merits and demerits of different materials of rosary are different. For example, in "A Comparison of the Merits of Several Beads Said by the Buddha", the Buddha said to the public:

You are a good listener. My speech today is influenced by the difference between merits and demerits. If someone recites the names of Dalagni and Buddha, wants to be self-interested and protect others, and strives for the success of all methods quickly, the method of counting beads should be like this, and it will be accepted: if you count beads with iron, you will recite them five times at a time; If you count beads with copper, you will be blessed if you read them ten times; If you use real pearls, corals, etc. Count pearls, and you will be blessed once you read them; Count the beads with pegs, read them once and bless them a thousand times. I want to go to the pure land of Buddhas, to the Heavenly Palace, and to collect Buddhist beads. If you count pearls with lotus seeds, you will be blessed if you recite them once; If you count beads with Indra fork, you will be blessed one million times when you read them once; If you count beads with Urutura fork, you will be blessed if you recite them once; If you count the beads with water, you will have a blessing if you recite them once; If you count beads with bodhi, or pinch them, or hold them in your hand, you can't count them once, and it's hard to look them up. [24]

In addition, the merits of Bodhi Buddha beads are the most prominent in the second volume of Taking the True Sutra and Establishing the Dojo, the Sutra of Protecting the Buddha and the Yoga Sutra. Then people can't help asking: Why do Bodhi Buddha beads have such great merits? In Manjusri Bodhisattva's Mantra Counts the Merits of Beads, Manjusri Bodhisattva tells the story of a place where the Buddha died, so as to dispel doubts:

Why do I prefer to use bodhi to benefit the most? Bodhisattva Datura said: In the past, a Buddha was born, and under this tree, he became a righteous man. When he became a heretic, Jaken broke his heart and slandered Sambo. A man was suddenly killed by an inhuman man. The pagan read: I was in Jaken today, and I didn't judge the Buddha's power. The Tathagata became enlightened under this tree. If it is really sacred, the tree should feel it. The dying son lies under the bodhi tree, so he says: If the Buddha tree is sacred, my son should sue. After seven days, the Buddha's name was recited, and the son was heavy. The laity rejoices and admires: it is incredible that the buddhas have become trees without seeing the power of the buddhas. When outsiders heard about this, they turned evil into great bodhicitta and believed in Buddha's magical powers. Based on this karma, the world calls it the longevity tree. There are two kinds of bodhi trees: one is bodhi tree, and the other is longevity tree. [25]

In any case, choosing a string of Bodhi beads and reciting Buddhist scriptures, spells or holy names in our hearts can eliminate troubles, obstacles, increase wisdom and protect others, which is really conducive to helping us practice.

As mentioned above, beads can be divided into three categories, namely, holding beads, wearing beads and hanging beads, and most Buddhists choose to hold beads. The posture of holding beads can also be divided into two types: holding beads with one hand and holding beads with two hands. One-handed rosary is mostly used when standing and walking; Holding beads with both hands is a common posture in meditation. The method is to cross the beads between your hands, put the mother beads aside, twist them for a week, and then put them back. In fact, according to the book "Picture Book of the Buddha", the posture of holding the Buddha's beads has never been fixed. There are all kinds of movements, such as left hand, right hand, single hand, both hands, lifting, hanging, flat chest and knee-length, but it is only convenient, and there is no need to force a specific method of holding beads.

In the process of holding beads, people often encounter the problem of whether to cross the "Buddha's head" (mother bead). Because in the classics, there are:

Beads show that bodhisattva wins, and there is no leakage in the middle.

The rope runs through Guanyin, and the mother bead shows infinite life.

Don't break the law, all because of rosary. [26]

It has been recorded, so that's why it is said. If the reciter only uses beads as a counting tool, there is no need to count mother beads and divide beads, just twist them gently when reciting. People who recite Buddha beads in this way not only use them as a tool for diligent calculation, but also hope to learn more about Buddhism through them. When they pinch the beads, they can observe them with the three treasures of "Buddha, Dharma and Monk" or "abstinence, determination and wisdom". When they pinch their mother's beads, they can also observe the goodness and light of the Buddha, and at the same time, counterclockwise.

Beads can not only play the role of chanting and counting in the hands, but also be hung around the neck as beads or wrapped around the arms to play the role of rosary, which has far-reaching significance:

Second, be careful with the beads, keep quiet and concentrate.

When you are in a state of mind, you can reach the method of governance.

Set a bun or a hanging body, or a neck and an arm.

What you say becomes chanting, thus reading the net three karma.

From the top of the bun to the top of the bun, from the belt to the neck,

Holding hands can remove many evils and make pedestrians clean quickly.

If you practice the truth, speak Dalagni and recite the Buddha's name,

When you win infinite merit, everything you want to win comes true. [27]

Furthermore, due to the differences in the practice of Buddhism's three parts (the realm of fetal hiding) and five parts (the realm of diamond), there are also special requirements for Buddha beads, which are different from those commonly used at ordinary times. According to the records of Suzhou Roger Sutra: "Bodhi beads are used in the Buddhist department, lotus beads are used in the Guanyin department, and coconut fork beads are used in the King Kong department." According to the Sutra of Protecting the Buddha and Yoga Sutra, "Bodhi beads are used in the Buddha's department, diamond beads are used in the diamond department, gold beads are used in the treasure department, lotus beads are used in the lotus department, and various round beads are used in the karma department." There is also a Tantric Story Collection written by a layman named Jin 'an, which says: "Amber beads are used for repairing the increase method, crystal beads are used for repairing the interest, coral beads are used for repairing the bad method and the long method, human skull beads are used for repairing the punishment method, and Bodhi beads are used for repairing the Guanyin method. All methods can be repaired with Cheng Bodhi beads."

In addition, the tantric classics also have detailed regulations on the fingering of pinching and twisting Buddha beads. From the five parts, it is recorded in the Book of Scripture that the Buddha part is pinched with the right thumb and forefinger, the King Kong part with the right thumb and middle finger, the Treasure part with the right thumb and ring finger, the Lotus part with the right thumb and little finger, and the karma part with the right thumb and other four fingers. As far as the three parts are concerned, it is recorded in Suxi Dijing that the thumb of the Buddha's right hand meets the fingertips of the other four fingers, the middle finger and the little finger stand upright, and the index finger is slightly bent and pressed against the middle of the middle finger; In the lotus part, the fingertips of the thumb and middle finger are close together, and the other three fingers are stretched and pinched; Pinch the diamond part with the fingertips of thumb and forefinger and stretch the other three fingers.

Beads originally appeared as props of monks and have been preserved to this day. For example, the "props" in Shi Jia Zhu quoted China's "Han Jing" as saying: "What is preserved is a kind of good dharma." [28] However, with the passage of time and a long history of legal system, many props have existed in name only, such as toothed wood and water filter bags. Beads are not abandoned, but more obedient to the world. It can be said that they have long been symbols of the "good roots" of all beings who are destined to become Buddhas.

In this paper, the types, quantity and materials of beads are introduced in detail, so that everyone can understand these "phases". The Diamond Sutra says: "Everything is false. If you see the opposite phase, you will see the Tathagata. " It shows that all sentient beings should not "hold the phase" when practicing Buddhism, whether they are chanting Buddha or worshiping Buddha, and the beads also exist as one of the "phases". So when we use beads, we should not pay too much attention to their structure, quantity and material. As long as we can be "quiet, cautious and cautious", we can prove Bodhi and achieve early nirvana.