tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post3094636970756279489..comments2024-03-25T17:38:01.020+08:00Comments on Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar: Malas: Tibetan Prayer BeadsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-5822241102434547032011-02-07T12:12:15.702+08:002011-02-07T12:12:15.702+08:00@Hamish.
I've been looking for the actual bot...@Hamish.<br /><br />I've been looking for the actual botanical source of "bodhi" seeds, too. I know the name can be used for several plants, which makes the search difficult. For example, in China malas made from soapberry trees are called bodhi seeds.<br /><br />I've been told Moon and star beads, often sold as lotus, lotus root, are actually rattan wood. I've seen them labeled as such but in different shapes.C. L. Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586371979301972401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-67141933522216553512010-11-05T10:56:58.115+08:002010-11-05T10:56:58.115+08:00Just started in researching the Tibetan culture. ...Just started in researching the Tibetan culture. The Beads and <a href="http://tibetansingingbowls.org/" rel="nofollow">Tibetan singing bowls</a> seem to be the prayer items of choice for the locals. Pretty interesting stuff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-41162081589884077562010-08-29T11:05:40.586+08:002010-08-29T11:05:40.586+08:00The 'bodhi' seed is from a tree related to...The 'bodhi' seed is from a tree related to the rudraksha, the real bodhi tree, ficus religiosa, is actually a type of fig, and the seed pods resemble a tiny, dried up fig, with very tiny seeds inside. If anyone knows the scientific name of the 'bodhi' seed tree, would love to know it.<br />Also am very curious as to what a 'moon and stars' or 'lotus root' mala is actually made from. I recently got a wrist mala made from unshaped beads of this material and they resemble small knuckle bones. Can't be a lotus root, they are fibrous and full of holes.Rolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01438960391149227569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-63258463231489992852010-08-20T10:54:22.100+08:002010-08-20T10:54:22.100+08:00I like that!I like that!Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607443504553459238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-67884205653424054212010-08-20T10:39:12.201+08:002010-08-20T10:39:12.201+08:00Manzanita (see Wikipedia) is a totem plant in the ...Manzanita (see Wikipedia) is a totem plant in the mountain West, especially California. At Tassajara Zen Mountain Center monastery the manzanitas grow very large seeds, bigger than any I've seen elsewhere, and just the right size for mala beads, round and hard. In the 1970s when I was there, students commonly made malas of them, which seemed to me a great way of connecting the Dharma to this continent; I gathered several hundred seeds, laboriously drilled them and made several malas (Japanese: juzu) myself.Homohabilisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-24470252350372647802010-08-18T06:33:31.552+08:002010-08-18T06:33:31.552+08:00If not from the bodhi tree, then what is bodhi see...If not from the bodhi tree, then what is bodhi seed from?<br /><br />And, do the color of the tassels have any significance?NTZnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-22044735066371144832010-08-18T03:29:51.541+08:002010-08-18T03:29:51.541+08:00I heard that Jigme Lingpa revealed a text on the b...I heard that Jigme Lingpa revealed a text on the benefits of gemstones. Has this been translated into English?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-79342255011314022882010-08-18T00:28:53.525+08:002010-08-18T00:28:53.525+08:00Hello Malcolm:
That note on the sourcing is indee...Hello Malcolm:<br /><br />That note on the sourcing is indeed of considerable interest. While we are on that subject, if you ever get the chance to acquire this work, by all means do so: Huda, Samar Najm Abul (Trans.),<i> Azhar al Afkar fi Djawahir al Ahdjar </i> ("Best Thoughts on the Best of Stones"). This is a work from around 1230 - 1250, that in comparison to contemporary Tibetan works, throws an interesting sidelight on the identification of gem medicines.<br /><br />Based on that sourcing reference, I am just about convinced now that we are indeed speaking of one of the proverbial three "tells" of the old 5th Special Forces (star sapphire, Porsche motorcar, and a divorce).Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607443504553459238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-49947390312667181272010-08-18T00:10:30.124+08:002010-08-18T00:10:30.124+08:00Hi Tenpa:
White sapphire, mirror of sapphire and ...Hi Tenpa:<br /><br />White sapphire, mirror of sapphire and so on. Gawe Dorje's book mentions that Vaidurya is not only blue, but red, white, agate-colored etc. Wiki states "Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red, while all other colors are called sapphire."<br /><br />Also De'umar Geshe, Tenzin Phuntsok's Shel phreng notes that in his day, 18th century, Vaidurya was usually sourced from a river in Shri Lanka called the Phavali Ganga (Must be the Mahaweli Ganga), consistent with your observation above about star sapphires and Shri Lanka. <br /><br />Given all these factors I am perfectly satisfied that the attributions of beryl, lapis and so on to Vaidurya are incorrect and that the proper attribution is Sapphire. <br /><br />MMalcolmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17565211105434785983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-24564721331372790752010-08-17T12:02:29.459+08:002010-08-17T12:02:29.459+08:00Hello, Malcolm...
Reference to Gawe Dorje's &...Hello, Malcolm...<br /><br />Reference to Gawe Dorje's "Crystal Mirror" duly noted. <br /><br />Just a little query on the internal logic, though. When Desi Rinpoche is writing of the "Blue Beryl" he is presumably referring to a star sapphire, no? So, when he is writing of the "White Beryl" he is referring to what? And of his history, "Mirror of Beryl," what then? These are to be regarded as literary references, as distinct from precise identifications of a mineral?Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607443504553459238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-60406332373578902422010-08-17T10:19:20.492+08:002010-08-17T10:19:20.492+08:00"I was informed by a traslator of Tibetan Med..."I was informed by a traslator of Tibetan Medical texts that the stone should be a 'blue sapphire'."<br /><br />Yes, this is true. But the actual stone is not just a blue sapphire, but is a star sapphire, according to the sources I mentioned above. <br /><br />However, when translating these texts, I usually just go with bkue sapphire (Indranila) since star sapphire is a little too specific. But when dealing with the precise identifications, you will find that these days in Tibetan Medicine, star sapphire is the indicated gem for Vaidurya sngon po. <br /><br />[Disclaimer, I am a Doctor of Tibetan Medicine and a translator of Tibetan Medical Texts].Malcolmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17565211105434785983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-84240568995991793342010-08-17T10:14:50.852+08:002010-08-17T10:14:50.852+08:00Hi Tenpa:
Whatever Barry Clark may think, the lat...Hi Tenpa:<br /><br />Whatever Barry Clark may think, the late Khenpo Troru Tsenam clearly identifies this gem as Star Sapphire. <br /><br />Beryl is too pale to match the color of Vaidurya sngon po. <br /><br />Aquamarine is another mineral identified as a type of "ma rgad" i.e. emerald (which is in fact a kind of beryl) specifically called "nila marakati". <br /><br />My source for these precise identifications is the 'khrungs dpe dri med shel gyi me long (the standard materia medica used these days in all schools of Tibetan medicine both inside and outside of Tibet) as well as Khenpo Tsenam's Drang srong shal lung.Malcolmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17565211105434785983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-30370857202520215762010-08-17T04:03:36.514+08:002010-08-17T04:03:36.514+08:00In the book 'Generating the Deity' by Gyat...In the book 'Generating the Deity' by Gyatrul Rinpoche, he tells us that Bodhiseed is the best type of mala for ALL types of mantra recitation. This is also an instruction from Guru Rinpoche.It is important to note that Bodhiseed is not from the Bodhi Tree (Ficus Religiosa).<br /><br />I often see practitioners reciting peaceful mantras such as Om Mani Peme Hung on bone beads. This is a big NO NO!! Bone should only be used for wrathful practices. If in doubt use Bodhiseed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-46019397047233028162010-08-17T01:00:23.322+08:002010-08-17T01:00:23.322+08:00I've always been told plain bodhi seeds are th...I've always been told plain bodhi seeds are the best.Joe F. https://www.blogger.com/profile/08598234156748106335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-76288904476336778952010-08-16T22:06:06.608+08:002010-08-16T22:06:06.608+08:00I was informed by a traslator of Tibetan Medical t...I was informed by a traslator of Tibetan Medical texts that the stone should be a 'blue sapphire'. In the texts I think it mentions the quality should be clear and translucent i.e. allows the light to pass through it. Lapis is opaque, so it does not have this quality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-90712601580461861442010-08-15T09:25:43.110+08:002010-08-15T09:25:43.110+08:00Malcolm, wasn't it Barry Clark who identified ...Malcolm, wasn't it Barry Clark who identified this as aquamarine, i.e. blue beryl?<br /><br />As pertains to Asia, Star sapphire is basically a Sri Lankan stone whereas aquamarine is littered all over the place. Sapphire basic is just a blue corundum, same as ruby is a red corundum, and much more common.<br /><br />The gem medicines are filtering into Tibetan medicine from two directions, west and south. Beryl comes from the Greek, beryllos.Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607443504553459238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31865608.post-91382175490094183422010-08-15T01:49:33.778+08:002010-08-15T01:49:33.778+08:00"Recently, in another medium, a friend of min..."Recently, in another medium, a friend of mine noted that lapis-lazuli beads are used for the Medicine Buddha mantra."<br /><br />This is based on a bit of a misconception. Vaidurya (of which there are a few varieties, including cat's eye) has been identified as several different gems, including beryl (which seems in fact to be a European corruption of the word "vaidurya"). <br /><br />However, Lapis Lazuli has never been vaidurya -- it is actually another gem stone called "mu men" in Tibetan. <br /><br />So what then is this vaidurya sngon po or blue Vaidurya? It is in fact the star sapphire (as distinct from sapphire (indranila) --at least, this is how vaidurya sngon po is identified in Tibetan Medicine. <br /><br />However, lapis beads are much cheaper than sapphire. As for myself, I stick with bodhiseed malas since they are the general purpose mala and may be used universally. <br /><br />MMalcolmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17565211105434785983noreply@blogger.com