A misbaha (Arabic: مِسْبَحَة, romanized: misbaḥa), subḥa (Arabic: سُبْحَة), mesbah (Arabic: مِسْبَاَحْ) (Arabic and Urdu), tusbaḥ (Somali), tasbīḥ (Arabic: تَسْبِيح) (Iran, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia), or tespih (Turkish, Bosnian and Albanian) is a set of prayer beads often used by Muslims for the tasbih, the recitation of prayers (the dhikr), as well as to glorify Allah.[1] It resembles the japamala used in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, or the rosary used in Catholicism. The Arab/Iranian/Turkish and their neighbors put a lot of care as to what materials are used, generally being gems, beads and so forth.
Nianfo is so simple compared to this. But yeah, interesting culture. Makes sense that I didn’t fully grasp what it was all this time.
I do make 33s so it’d be a nice idea to try one, ven!
Honestly at this point, we’re debating stringing beads, which I would assume is old as the invention of strings. Societies had abacus for millenia.. so I wouldn’t be surprised if almost everywhere, people came up with ways to count things on a string.
Tibetans are using extra counters with a little bell and a thunderbolt. Each counter has 10 beads.
One round (of 108) counts 100 mantras (so the 8 go for some extra backup, just in case you somehow missed one or the other); when 1 round is completed, you move a bead on the bell counter; when 10 beads on this counter are completed, you have 10 x 100 = 1,000 mantras, and you move the first bead of the thunderbolt counter; when 10 beads on this counter are completed, you have 10 x 10 x 100 = 10,000 mantras.
I have seen malas with two bell counters and two thunderbolt counters: they allow to count up to 1 million!
The mala on the picture has been used a lot, and it has been repaired a number of times. You always need to replace the string after a while, otherwise it gets thin and breaks; both for the entire mala and for the counters as well.
You place the counters after 21 beads from the starting point of the mala. If you use more than two of them, I think the second pair is placed after 10 beads from the starting point.
Regarding the exact number… I think in Hinduism the number 108 is sacred, I don’t know why, but they take this number very seriously, and the smaller malas are divided by 108… the other smaller malas would be 54 and 27.
The main body of a mala usually consists of 108 beads of roughly the same size and material as each other, although smaller versions, often factors of 108 such as 54 or 27, exist.[2] A distinctive 109th “guru bead” or mother bead, which is not counted, is very common.[2]
Regarding the origin, the Wikipedia text provides this explanation..
Origin
The specific origin of the mala is unknown, with the use of beads for counting being a widespread practice in ancient cultures.[4] No references to malas occur in Chinese literature before the introduction of Buddhism during the Han dynasty, suggesting that the practice may have originated in India, and then spread to China.[4] No mention of a mala occurs in the Buddhist Agamas or Pali Nikayas, generally regarded as the oldest Buddhist literature, and it is unclear if their use originated with Buddhists or with Brahmins, Jains, or some other Indian religious community.[4]
I was inspired by your mala beads making. During the retreat trip to Broken Hills, I got so excited to see these Desert Quandong seeds. I thought they look like Dogen’s bodhi seeds but larger in diameter. They are from native Australian Desert Quandong fruits.
And these are my chanting mala collection I bought from Chuang Yen Monastery’s gift shop. The shop keeper lady and volunteers there usually design and make their own to sell.
These are wonderful! You’re too kind to cite my efforts as an inspiration.
What’s that? Oh, is it for like the car or something?
Brilliant pieces of work! I especially liked the wooden blocks (and the little tsundere doll hehe).
Interesting, how’d you get em? What are they usually used for?
I also need to get some drilling skills for the three-way opening for the Guru / Meru beads…
I never knew about that, that’s mad! I suppose these things are portable calculators in some fashion.
I’ll try to read up on the practice and try build one. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’m at a point where I can start to build a website around the whole ordeal, where I’ll post more detailed pictures and info. In the meanwhile, here’s the kitty cat doing quality control on the latest beads.
Desert quandong is an evergreen tree,[1]its fruit can be stewed to make pie filling for quandong pies or made into a fruit juice drink. The seed (kernel) inside the tough shell can be extracted to be crushed into a paste then be used on sore gums or an oral gum boil to ease the pain.
And I guess, if you plant the seed in the garden, it will grow into a Quandong tree. It’s a native peach.
But I saw local artists used them as bead or string in their artwork. Like these:
Thank you! I’ll likely get around to it at some point. Right now I wanna try the local Craigslist / FB Marketplace and a website for just getting the stuff out there… Once I get some pictures and assorted logistics sorted out, I should look into places like Etsy next.
Another good idea… I should test how Rudraksha seeds interact with essential oils like that and try one for myself.
Interesting notes and works! Kinda like a natural pain killer for the mouth, hm?
In any case, they look fantastic in those works. Seeds are something fascinating. Thanks dor all of these!
Many years ago my son-inlaw brought me from China a wooden statue of Guanyin bodhisattva. She holds a string of 35 pearl-like beads. I wonder if the Chinese Buddhists traditionally use(d) such strings of beads for reciting prayers
This text states that some of the earliest records of beaded necklaces or Malas come from China..
Early attestations
The Hindu god Brahma is shown depicted with a japamala in his hand.
Malas may appear in early Hindu art as part of the garb of deities or worshippers, but are difficult to distinguish from decorative necklaces or garlands. The earliest clear depiction of a mala being used as a tool for recitation, rather than as a (possible) decorative necklace, comes from a bodhisattva image created during the Northern Wei dynasty (4th - 6th century) in China; the mala is held in the hand, rather than worn.[4]
The first literary reference to the use of a mala for the recitation of mantras comes from the Mu Huanzi Jing (木槵子經 or 佛說木槵子經, “Aristaka/Soap-Berry Seed Scripture/Classic”, Taishō Tripiṭaka volume 17, number 786), a Mahayana Buddhist text purported to have been translated into Chinese during the Eastern Jin era, sometime in the 4th - 5th century CE.[4][2]
But as I said above, in India the number 108 has a very important value…
It’s possible to find some explanations for this, I don’t know which is the most important explanation.
Why 108 mala beads?
The 108 mala beads are considered sacred and are regarded in various cultures and traditions. In Hindu mythology, 108 represents the completeness of the universe and is linked with gods and the repetition of mantras. Buddhist philosophies relate it by symbolizing 108 types of earthly desires and attractions on the path to seeking nirvana and achieving enlightenment. Similarly, in yogic philosophy, 108 channels of energy intersect at the heart chakra, symbolizing the harmony of body, mind, and soul.
Astronomically, the distances from the Earth to the Sun and Moon encompass 108, symbolizing cosmic harmony. Furthermore, in Vedic astrology, 12 zodiac signs multiplied by 9 planets equals 108, thus giving the number a connection with universal cycles. Having importance from various religious and cultural points of view, the beaded japa mala helps practitioners perform a complete round of repetition of the mantra, increasing meditation and awareness.
The main body of a mala usually consists of 108 beads of roughly the same size and material as each other, although smaller versions, often factors of 108 such as 54 or 27, exist.[2] A distinctive 109th “guru bead” or mother bead, which is not counted, is very common.[2]
I have absolutely no idea why I thought it would be difficult… But it took me like 5 minutes.
Here’s a super useful tutorial:
This is part of my efforts to use only natural, biodegradable, healthy products, like cotton above
At this point, the only plastic I use is sadly, the imitation string itself. They’re waxed and perfect for beads, as they’re incredibly durable, and no ready-made bio produce comes close to its usefulness…
They’re covered in beeswax, so at least until that wears of, there’s little risk of microplastic contamination, at which point one should probably replace the strings anyway.
So, at this point my next venture will be to figure out how to prepare the actual strings myself, double -triple wraps, waxing the strings, etc.
So I’m practicing some basic tassels. These type of (usually chain) tassels are quite popular in daily 33 beads prayer rosaries in Turkey, so I thought they’d be fine with some macrame knots.
But yeah, interesting culture. Makes sense that I didn’t fully grasp what it was all this time.
I thought my cat is weird. I am glad she is not alone. Here is mine.
Do you have an Etsy store?
Hehehe The tsundere figure is a villager from my favourite game, Animal Crossing. He is the love of my life. 
