Mala Etiquette

The following article is from the Autumn, 2003 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

How to Use a Mala:

**What Not to Do With a Mala**

Wearing a mala without knowing its significance is similar to when a woman adorns herself with a necklace, according to the Tibetan Bon sutra. The sutra specifies that one should hold the mala above the waist when praying, and that one should avoid:

Tibetan Mala beads

- - - - stepping on a mala
        
        passing one's mala to others while one is engaged in recitation
        
        mixing different types of beads together in one mala
        
        decorating one's mala to make it look more beautiful
        
        using a mala that might have been used by impious person
        
        using a mala that is not consecrated
        
        hanging one's mala from one's belt
        
        placing one's mala under contaminated things
        
        throwing one's mala in a playful way
        
        carrying one's mala while going to the toilet.

From information compiled by His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima, spiritual head of the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition.

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For more information:

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a lama in the Bön tradition of Tibet. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He received training from both Buddhist and Bön teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America. He presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia where he founded and is the director of Ligmincha Institute, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bön tradition.