Did you Know? 1. Mala Beads are used to count matras. Mantras and chants are typically repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. The mala is used so that one can focus on the meaning or sound of the mantra rather than counting its repetitions.

2. One mantra is usually said for every bead, turning the thumb clockwise around each bead, though some traditions or practices may call for counterclockwise or specific finger usage. When arriving at the head bead [the largest bead with the tassel], one turns the mala around and then goes back in the same direction. This makes using the mala easier as the beads will not be so tight on the string when you use them.

3. "Every Buddhist tradition stresses that the beads must be cared for as if they were a precious sutra or a Buddhist robe...considering we use them to recite mantras. Then there is the fact...the mala is meant to be worn when not is use. Thus to use a mala is both to take up a spiritual text and to clothe onself in the truth of the Buddhist way.

4. 'All beads are worry beads - from the Pope's rosary all the way down to those little wrist malas...' worn by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

5. Malas (beads) are mainly used to count mantras, which can be recited for four different purposes:To appease,To increase,To overcome, or Tame by forceful means.