What is the meaning of the beads used when chanting in Nichiren Buddhism?
What so the 4 little beads signify?
What about the tassels?
Why do some people rub their beads?
Do I have to have beads?
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Written by Engyo about 4 months ago.
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The beads have different significances depending on which Nichiren school you wish to examine. The beads overall are intended to symbolize the 108 desires.
The two large beads represent Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha.
The four little beads are generally considered to represent the Four Bodhisattvas (leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground from the Lotus Sutra). They sit closer to the Shakyamuni bead, as they are his disciples.
The tassels can have different meanings between schools as well.
Rubbing of the beads originated as a signaling method between those officiating services. People have mimiced that behavior until it has become habit for some folks in some groups.
Beads (in my understanding anyway) are another skillful means. They are not in any way a requirement for practice, but you will find that almost all Nichiren believers will have beads and use them during services.
These answers are from my experience, and will contradict that of others, I am fairly sure.
Namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
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Written by Nancy about 4 months ago.
This question came up at a meeting. The answers were all over the place. Someone called them a weapon – I didn’t get the reference. Then they started holding them up and explaining that the 3 tassels are the head and arms and the two tassels are the legs – it’s a human. My favorite was the number of beads – 108 – is the number of bones in the human body. Oh, wait there are 206 bones in the human body. So that is why I asked this question.
What have you heard about the beads?
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Written by clown hidden about 4 months ago.
The Nichiren Buddhist Association of America has a page with a detailed description of the juzu. http://www.nbaa.tv/LearnBuddhism/MeditationBeads.html
When I first joined NSA I saw that some people rubbed their beads vigorously and picked up the bad habit myself. I don’t think it means anything.
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Written by Aubrey Owens about 4 months ago.
The very act of chanting is a significant ritual. During the chanting meditation you strengthen and elevate your life condition. Access to one’s life condition is by means of your senses. Using the beads engages an important one, the sense of touch. That’s their primary purpose and using them actually helps many people focus better while chanting.
These four beads represent the four leaders of the bodhisattvas of the earth. These bodhisattvas represent characteristics that you acquire as a result of chanting and teaching Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. The four bodhisattva leaders signify the Buddha conditions or virtues of (1) true self, (2) eternity, (3) purity, and (4) happiness.
They were used for counting by early Buddhists, but the current predominant and enduring use is as a tactile sensory focus and stimulus while chanting.
They have much symbolism and are an important tool to use while meditating. Notice that I said “important” not absolutely necessary. How important, though? Well, let me put it this way, anything that enhances the effectiveness of chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is extremely important.
Nancy, Aside from the human body the tassel strands represent:
Five Components: form, sensation, idea, choice, and cognition.
Five Impurities: Impurity of the age, Impurity of desire, Impurity of living beings, Impurity of thought/view, & Impurity of life span
Five False Views: see link below
& Fivefold Comparison: see link belowMore info HERE:
http://www.buddhistequipment.com/Meaning_of_Meditation_Beads.html -
Written by Engyo about 4 months ago.
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The answers differ somewhat between the different schools, but here is what is common. The beads as a whole represent the 108 Desires; we symbolically take control of these desires when we hold the beads during service.
The four small beads represent the 4 leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground (Lotus Sutra, Ch. 11-22). The two large beads represent Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha. The four small beads are closer to the Shakyamuni bead, as they are his disciples.
The tassels have various meanings among different Nichiren schools. Length and color can mean various things.
Rubbing the beads originated as a signalling method between clergy officiating at services. I believe that lay members began to mimic this, and eventually rubbing the beads during chanting became habitual with some Nichiren groups.
Beads are another skillful means, in my understanding. There is no requirement for them, but I find most Nichiren Buddhists do use them regularly.
Namaste, Engyo
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Written by nt about 4 months ago.
Clown – there was a woman at the last meeting we attended together that loudly rubbed her beads. She was right next to me and I found myself getting irritated because it was so distracting. I can’t imagine what it was like when everyone made that much noise.
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Written by clown hidden about 4 months ago.
It was thought to really show “ichinen”.
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Written by ryuei about 4 months ago.
The main beads represent the 108 human desires. This is arrived at through some Abhidharmic formula I can’t remember at the moment.
The two large beads represent Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Tathagata.
I have been told differing things about the four smaller beads among the 108 – some say they represent the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth from chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra. Others have said that the four beads represent major Mahayana bodhisattvas like Avalokitesvara (aka Kuan Yin), Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Bhaisajyaraja (Medicine King). This makes sense as the juzu are derived from Tendai juzu and that is probably what they represent in Tendai; but for us I think it is better to think of them as the four leaders from chapter 15.
As for the tassels and what they represent – I have yet to hear anything about that. Perhaps that site clown hidden posted has something on it. I’ll read it later and see.
As for rubbing the beads – that is a no no in Nichiren Shu. It is considered disrespectful and disruptive. It is also destructive of the beads – and good juzu actually cost a lot of money – up to the hundreds of dollars or more actually. So you don’t want to do that to the beads, and even restringing can be pretty expensive. There’s even something in the Hoyo Shikki (the official liturgical manual of Nichiren Shu) that specifically says not to do this.
I also learned that if you are using the beads to count off Odaimoku as you chant, don’t cross over the large beads. Stop at the large bead and start counting back down the other way. I also remember being told that you don’t have to count off the small beads, just the regular 108 beads as you chant.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei -
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Written by Patrick about 4 months ago.
the 108 beads represent our desires, the five balls/tassles represent our body, and the totality represents our life, the four smaller beads represent the four leaders of the BofE.
Overall the beads represents the fusion of reality and wisdom.
Do we need beads? Individual choice, I believe.
Patrick
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Written by David about 4 months ago.
I don’t use beads…I tend to rattle them to distraction. They have NO doctrinal significance and are not an essential part of the practice…I don’t need them.
David
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Written by Mark Rogow about 4 months ago.
For a complete explanation of our Juzu beads:
http://www.nichirenbuddhist.org/LearnBuddhism/MeditationBeads.html
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