Crystal Compassion Prayer Beads

These prayer beads are being offered as a gift to the winner of Gwen Bell’s Best of 2009 Blog Challenge for December 8 when the topic is: Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

Thank you, Gwen! Thank you everyone! This was a hard year due to a long lasting illness. Best of 09 is helping me savor the richness and delight in your happiness, too.

Mala Description:

This water-clear crystal mala includes a brass bead inscribed with the Compassion Mantra of Avalokiteshvara. (Known in Tibetan as Chenresig.)

This mantra is one of the most famous in the world — Om Mani Padme Hum

The Guru Bead is persian blue turquoise, hand-carved in the shape of a lotus. Its brilliant blue color is completely uniform throughout the bead, there are no inclusions or matrix. A tiny pearl sits just below.

The lotus symbolizes purity because it is rooted in the mud but it flowers, unstained, above. This encourages us to maintain the purity of our body, speech and mind regardless of our immediate environment.

The prayer beads contain 27 beads (a traditional number) plus the Guru Bead. Traditionally you hold the mala in your left hand and hold each bead as you recite a mantra. A more modern version would be reciting an affirmation or a word like Peace. You then wear the mala to keep the energies close (and to keep it handy for more mantra practice.) This mala will fit over most wrists. It should be worn with sacred intention and not for decoration.

(valued at $97)