A full mala, the string of prayer beads used in Buddhism and Hinduism, usually has 108 beads and often one larger guru bead where the loop begins and ends. The number is sacred in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Each tradition explains it in its own way.
The 108 afflictions in Buddhism
In Buddhism the 108 beads are most often tied to the afflictions, the cravings and habits of mind that cause suffering. Counting through them is read as purifying all 108.
An early Pali sutta, "The Theme of the Hundred and Eight," counts kinds of feeling. Joy, displeasure and equanimity at each of the six senses, rooted either in household life or in renunciation, make 36. Those 36 in the past, present and future make 108.
One common Japanese reckoning of the 108 bonno (煩悩), or worldly passions, is similar: six senses, times three feelings (pleasant, unpleasant and neutral), times two (pure or impure), times three lifetimes. It is one of several explanations given in Japan. The Theravada teacher Henepola Gunaratana makes the pair internally generated or externally occurring. Sources agree on the senses, feelings and times, and differ on the pair.
Tibetan practice adds a practical reading: one round counts as 100 recitations, and the extra eight allow for lapses in concentration.
108 in Hinduism and Jainism
The Hindu japa mala usually has 108 beads, strung in a circle for the cyclic nature of life. Jain teaching counts 108 virtues of the five supreme beings: 12 for the arihantas, 8 for the siddhas, 36 for the acharyas, 25 for the upadhyayas and 27 for monks and nuns. Each bead of a Jain mala stands for one.
108 strokes of the temple bell
On New Year's Eve, temples across Japan strike their great bell 108 times in a rite called joya no kane. Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto says the number comes from the 108 earthly desires that trouble people. Some temples strike 107 times before midnight and the last just after. The custom came from the Zen temples of Song dynasty China and reached Japanese Zen temples in the Kamakura period. In the Muromachi period (1333 to 1573) it became a rite held only on New Year's Eve.
Wrist malas and the guru bead
Shorter malas divide 108 evenly. A 54-bead mala is half a round and a 27-bead mala a quarter, so four times around a 27-bead wrist mala makes 108. Small malas are worn on the wrist or used to count prostrations.
A full mala often has three marker beads that split it into four groups of 27, so you can find your place if interrupted. The guru bead joins the two ends and is not counted. The Rubin Museum describes it as a sign of ultimate truth. In Tibetan practice it also stands for the bond with one's teacher, so you turn the mala there and count back rather than cross it.
Counting a mantra
You say a mantra such as Om Mani Padme Hum once for each bead, and the guru bead tells you a round is done. Some practices set a total: a Vajrayana student may be asked to complete 100,000 recitations of the Vajrasattva mantra. Some Tibetan malas carry small counter strings: one set tallies hundreds of recitations, another thousands. Our guide on how to use mala beads walks through a first round, and every style is in our mala collection.
