Written by Laurence Brahm - Published by Hongkong Culture on 02/10/2007

“As we walked toward the entrance of Jokhang temple, she recited something in a bare whisper while shifting beads between long thin fingers.

I then noticed a string of ivory Buddhist prayer beads around her tiny wrist. The pure white contrasted sharply against her smooth skin, shinning almost gold in Lhasa’s afternoon sun. I asked about the white beads.

She explained, ‘They were given by a wandering traveler who could see the future because he was haunted by the past. He gave me these ivory prayer beads as a gift because white is the color of purity. Before leaving, he asked me to remain pure in a world that is already polluted with corruption and greed. The last thing he did was leave instructions to recite the mantra of White Tara.'

“White who --?'

“White Tara is a Bodhisattva with eyes on her hands, feet and forehead. She can see all suffering and is dedicated to helping people on their way. The day this wanderer left, I began reciting her mantra. I have never stopped reciting it.’

“The Directions”
Shambhala

Mala prayer beads are used in Tibet by monks and ordinary people as well for reciting mantra with deepest intention and resolve. When not used for concentrated and calming recitation, they may be worn wrapped around one's wrist or as a necklace for convenience or even fashion. Both men and women can wear mala beads either way.

Mantra may be understood as a Tibetan prayer or as a spiritual code contained in a sequence of sacred sounds associated with a Buddhist guru, yidam, bodhisattva, protector spirit or a dakini. An individual mantra is usually passed from a guru, “Living Buddha” or spiritual teacher to a student and then recited regularly throughout the day. Mantra recited with mala beads can help calm the mind, refocus energy, and place the sometimes chaotic world around us back in order.

A typical mala bead set consists of 108 individual beads (representing in Tibetan celestial terms the twelve astrological houses multiplied by the nine planets). Consequently, throughout reciting a mantra with a complete set of mala beads, one can begin to achieve a kind of connectivity with the universe and its diverse energies.

As mala beads represent a key symbol of Tibetan Buddhist culture and lifestyle values, Shambhala decided to provide micro-enterprise finance to establish an all female mala bead making cooperative in Lhasa, Tibet, called the “Mala Bead Breakfast Club.”

Shambhala is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting initiatives for ethnic diversity and culturally sustainable development. The “Mala Bead Breakfast Club” is such an example. The program empowers a closely knit group of women living in the ancient Barkor section of old Lhasa to use existing skills and build upon a traditional craft, in turn evolving it into a sustainable business.

By emphasizing application of traditional skills while evolving these in creating fashionable new age designs, Shambhala seeks to develop a critical mass of micro-enterprises. Through such community initiatives within the ancient heritage section of Lhasa, Shambhala seeks to support sustainability of these crafts which are cohesive to the community itself, thereby reinforcing a uniquely traditional Tibetan lifestyle core to preserving the old city's heritage.

With Shambhala's support, Geasan Cuo founded the “Mala Bead Breakfast Club” an all-woman's cooperative. Geasan is thirty-eight years old and through this micro-enterprise supports three children: daughter Renchen age eight, son Tashi age five, and a baby girl named Mimi.

“Many of my friends are Buddhist nuns,” explains Geasan. “They always carry different types of mala beads wrapped around their wrists and use them to recite calming mantra. These nuns and the peace which I see upon their faces are my inspiration. So, I decided that developing the mala bead craft would be a good idea not only to support my children through school to get a better education, but also to help chose visiting Lhasa to learn the way of mantra recitation, which can bring peace and calm to their lives as well.”

Soon Geasan's Buddhist nun friends joined her stringing mala beads. It began as a relaxing community pastime, gathering at Geasan's home in the morning for zampa barley cereal and yak butter tea, or late at night for an evening tea chat over yak momo dumplings. All the women participating in the “Mala Bead Breakfast Club” are from Amdo, a Tibetan region known for its free-spirited nomads, creative energy, and pristine natural landscapes.

Two nuns in the cooperative, Namqi and Harmo, are from the esoteric Jonang branch of Tibetan Buddhism, where devotees are initiated into secretive “Wheel of Time” meditation practices. Namtso, a third nun in the “Mala Bead Breakfast Club,” is a member of the Bon sect, Tibet’s most ancient pre-Buddhist religious practice still surviving and in some ways even growing today.

Namqi grew up with Geasan and enjoys helping her in expanding the craft. “Buddhist ideas will flow from the beads,” she explains looking skyward toward infinity of blue turquoise. Namqi is ranked the most senior nun at Segun Nunnery in Amdo, though she now lives in Lhasa with Geasan. “She recites mantra more beautifully than anyone I have ever heard,” praises Geasan as they string beads between echoes of laughter and pouring of more hot tea.

“Stringing and making mala bead designs represents Tibetan culture,” explains Geasan. “Also I feel these are beautiful colors. If we make these and see people wearing them, then it makes me happy. I also ask the lamas to bless them for my friends so they can carry the positive energy with them in their daily lives and release it when reciting mantra on the beads.”

Geasan is also a dedicated micro-entrepreneur, realizing that wearing mala beads is becoming a fashion trend throughout China, Asia as a region, and even in the west, as new age values possessing aspects of Buddhist philosophy such as respecting nature, human dignity, and peace become increasingly popular, giving a new twist to notions of globalization. Realizing this synergy, she began to adopt creative approaches to culture (within traditional paradigms of 108 counting beads), designing colorful mala sets using beautiful turquoise and coral stones together with fine precious wood, black and yellow stone beads.

The stones represent an energy connecting humanity with earth. Turquoise symbolizes the purity of the sky. Coral reminds us of the infinity of the sea. Wood rises from earth and water and is the source of fire, which dissipates as smoke. From this combination we can read the code of Five Tibetan Elements:

Earth, Water, Fire, Water and Space, which are the inner and outer elements of our own bodies, environment and universe, from which all things arise and end. “So when reciting a full string of mala beads,” Geasan advise, “ one must remember that they are completing a cycle. Isn’t that what life is all about?”

Shambhala is a social enterprise committed to promoting and supporting initiatives for ethnic diversity and cultural sustainable development. For more information go to www.shambhala-action.org

Laurence Brahm is a global activist, international mediator, political columnist and author. He is the leading advocate of a fresh development paradigm - The Himalayan Consensus - an innovative approach to development.

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