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Buddhist beads come in two forms -- strings and wristlets. They have a variety of religious applications, including counting the number of prostrations to a buddha or bodhisattva and counting chants.
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Prayer beads go back to the time of the Upanishads in India and were used in Brahmaism. Buddhists then made use of them as well. Muslims also use prayer beads called "suba" which were introduced to Islam by Sufi Muslims who brought them from India.
During the Christian crusades to the Middle East, Christianity then adopted the beads as rosaries. So prayer beads from India became practically universal among the large religions.
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History tells us that Buddhist monks in India originally used a string of 30 black-and-white beads for counting the days of the month.
We are also told that when members of royalty took refuge in the Buddha and then took ordination, they transformed their beaded jewelry into religious beads. As a result, they were given permission to wear these around their necks and on their wrists.
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The most commonly found set of beads is comprised of 108, representing the 108 mental anguishes as taught by the Buddha.
Buddhism teaches that by doing 108 prostrations or chanting the Buddha's name 108 times with the beads while concentrating on an image, one can achieve a complete sense of tranquility free of anguish.
The most common chants are to Sakyamuni the historical Buddha, Amitabha (Buddha of Infinite Light and the Western Paradise), and Avalokitesvara (Bodhisattva of Compassion). The beads can be used to repeat any chant or mantra.
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There are other strands of beads in sets of 1080 and 3000 for people doing more extended chanting or prostrations.
Smaller strings of beads can be found in sets of 54 and 27, and wristlets have fewer beads, although they are invariable in numbers that can be multiplied into 108, e.g. 6, 9 or 18. Common materials used in bead production include fruit from various trees such as the bo tree, various wood including date trees struck by lightening, Chinese bladdernut, Job's tears, etc. and such stones as amethyst, agate, amber, and pearl.
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