The Rosary
Part 2.

by Ven. Zhen Jue

The Buddhist rosary is use by both the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions. Whatever the Buddhist sect, the use of the Buddhist rosary is identical. As there are rosaries of varying number of beads, and made from various different materials, these are mainly a matter of choice. The importance is more towards the practice of the chanting and the observation of mindfulness while using the rosary. One can use the rosary to recite the Buddha’s name, a Buddhist mantra, or even a sutra or part of a sutra.

Finishing the full circle of rosary begins with pushing the fingers pass the first bead. And each subsequent bead that follows must continue its journey undulating through the fingers polished by each friction. Should that be any halt in between, the last bead of the rosary cannot be reached.

Life is an amalgam of many events big and small, none is negligible as trivia; they are links of the whole chain of life, the continuous flow of learning. Each small bead is considered as the condition, the strand that threads through each bead is Karma. The friction from rubbing on the rosary is the facing of adversities with unconditional acceptance without harbouring rancour.

One must let go of the bead pressed by the fingers before pushing of the next bead is possible. The first bead is considered the cause and the last bead is considered the result. But is the cause not the result and the result not the cause? The final destination can only be arrived at by each single uninterrupted step.

Each single recitation of the Buddha’s name is each wholehearted refuge in the Buddha; each deepest repentance for all wrong doings since uncountable aeons; each unwavering conviction in Buddha’s dharma leading towards ending of suffering. Each utterance should be the true echoes of the heart; resonance of the Bodhi mind.

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