Meditation and Malas
Meditation and Malas
My Current Routine and Mindfulness Practice
My Current Routine and Mindfulness Practice
When I began meditation, it felt easier than it is now. My legs and hips have become more accustomed to the half-lotus position, but I am surprised that sitting in meditation has become more difficult mentally; I feel the novelty has worn off.
To help ensure direction to my busy mind (a blessing and a curse), I have made 2 wrist malas for my practice. I wear both malas together, on my left arm, and they routinely rattle together throughout the day. To me, this is a wonderful reminder to remain mindful, compassionate, and present.
My malas are also unbalanced; one has 21 Bodhi seeds, the other has 18 and a silver Om mani padme hum trinket. While I understand that traditional Soto Zen practice emphasizes ‘thinking nonthinking,’ as Dogen writes, I feel I need more steady practice in the foundation of Buddhism before I am ready for only silent practice. Still, I try to incorporate this silent, still practice (mentally and physically still) each time I meditate.
I begin by placing one leg on the ground and the other ready for half lotus. While my hips begin to open, I think of the Taras of Tibetan Buddhism, who are often depicted sitting in this way. From my understanding, this is supposed to symbolize and emphasize action. However, I still have much to learn about the Taras and Tibetan-specific Buddhism.
I begin with my silver Om mani padme hum. I break down each syllable, utilizing 1 breathe for each syllable at the minimum. I often linger on different syllables depending on what I need at that moment, or what is troubling and busying my mind. FOr instance, if I am struggling to find silence, I will often linger on ‘ma,’ allowing myself to breathe 2, 5, or even 20 times on that syllable until I find the ‘ma’ I need.
The Dalai Lama describes Om as “...the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.” In conjunction with this meaning, I also incorporate Herman Hesse’s interpretation of Om from Saddartha: it is the eternal Om, the unity of all things, the absence of things within the thing, the interconnectedness of all beings. For me, I love beginning my meditation practice with Om because it forces me to embrace the pure with the impure, the empty with the full, and the mindful with the unmindful; we are all blood cells within the same body of humanity.
Thus, I feel it aligns with the Dalai Lama’s explanation of Om, as it is me embracing Buddha and Mara, embracing sin and grace, embracing failure and success, embracing attachment and cessation.
I consciously separate the two, but they are often placed together. As the Dalai Lama states, “Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method—the altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love.”
For me, I associate Ma with none other than Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) and his use of Ma. While the mantra here is in Sanskrit, I appreciate the Japanese signifier closely associated with it. This Japanese term of Ma (間) literally means ‘gap’ or ‘space’ and combines the characters for “gate” (門) and “sun” (日), according to ChatGPT. This imagery of ‘gates’ in particular also aligns with the imagery used in the Lalitavistara. Ma in Miyazaki’s films is a silent moment of reflection where the audience is asked to simply digest a moment without the plot continuing. In Ponyo, it is the quiet boat ride after the storm. In My Neighbor Totoro, it is waiting for the bus to arrive in the rain. In Spirited Away, it is the train ride with No-Face.
For me, I take this ‘ma’ moment early in my meditation to absorb the silence found around me. From there, I wait for the jewel to appear, the focus of the meditation, the direction that will allow me to continue this meditation with an emphasis on compassion and love.
For instance, when I began my meditation this morning, I was reflecting on the Daily Dharma from Tricycle: Meditation requires diligent effort and clear intention. You cannot demand that distractions vanish but you can cultivate a deep willingness to repeatedly and happily let go (Shaila Catherine). After embracing the universality of everything, I began to hear a coworker’s voice in an adjacent room; everything else was pure and silent. This moment of silence interrupted by my coworker’s voice was the moment of ma, and the ni (the jewel) was the demand of my practice to ‘repeatedly and happily let go’ of this distraction and embrace it as a chance to develop my mind.
Much like Mani, I split this word into two syllables as well. The Dalai Lama describes this word as “meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom, just as a lotus grows forth from mud but is not sullied by the faults of mud, so wisdom is capable of putting you in a situation of non-contradiction whereas there would be contradiction if you did not have wisdom.”
The entire process of the lotus arising from the mud is split for me by the syllables: Pad is the mud and Me is the lotus. In other words, Pad is the challenges and difficulties of life, Buddhist practice, or the practice at that moment. When I am able to push through the mud, the difficulty, or the attachment, I am rewarded with the Me, the lotus, the wisdom, the realization, enlightenment.
Pad is a particularly useful syllable that I hang onto, much like Ma. It is one that, when my mind is particularly frantic, I linger on and remind myself that the difficulties are part of the practice. There was a recent speech by the Dalai Lama that mentioned that the Dharma was medicine, and should be treated as such. The function of the Dharma is not to simply be taken when the body is not sick and there is no difficulty, but rather the Dharma should be taken when we are stressed, when we are attached, when we are sick. In this light, Pad is the acknowledgement of sickness, of attachment, or my present unhappiness or attachments, whichever ones I hold. Me is my ability and acknowledgement to get through these attachments and reach a moment of enlightenment and salvation; the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.
The Dalai Lama describes this word and syllable rather extensively:
“Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility. According to the sutra system, this indivisibility of method and wisdom refers to wisdom affected by method and method affected by wisdom.
“In the mantra or tantric, vehicle, it refers to one consciousness in which there is the full form of both wisdom and method as one undifferentiable entity.
“In terms of the seed syllables of the five Conqueror Buddhas, hum is the seed syllable of Akshobhya—the immovable, the unfluctuating, that which cannot be disturbed by anything.”
To me, this is the seal. Much like Om begins the practice with an acknowledgement of the totality and interconnectedness of things, Hum ends this Mantra with an acknowledgement and seal of this cycle which is repeated for enlightenment. In other words, I have not completed my journey, but am merely spinning the wheel and will continue this path during my next practice.
This is also a personal promise and realization to myself, as I cannot ignore the requirement of practice. Enlightenment is not a goal to be reached, but something attained and experienced in the practice itself. This Hum is the end of my beginning because this invisible method and cycle will offer the wisdom I need, and the wisdom I need is to know that this cycle and method is the path I am searching for.
From here, I begin the practice of going through each seed. Much like Om mani padme hum, I give 1 breath to each Bodhi seed at the minimum. Symbolically, each seed also represents the seed of thought. As someone with an appreciation of psychology, let me explain it within that domain: I am priming my subconscious before the silence of silent and still meditative practice. Jung explained that the subconscious will regularly invade the conscious mind, thus I am filling the pool of my conscious mind and hoping the pool of thoughts will spill into my subconscious.
When I study these, I attempt to learn the Sanskrit names as well. It is my goal to honor and know the history and tradition and not merely recite it without any historical sense.
The following explanations are what I often speak to myself in my mind.
Duḥkha - The Truth of Suffering - Life contains and is suffering. Life cannot be separated from suffering. May I be aware that though I am seeking liberation and the cessation of suffering, life is inseparable from suffering. No mud, no lotus.
Samudaya - The Cause of Suffering - The cause of suffering is attachment. My suffering is not determined by my external conditions, but rather by my interpretation of my situation. May I be aware of my attachments and seek to understand how they control me.
Nirodha - The Cessation of Suffering - There is a cure for suffering and it is through the dissolution of attachments. Living in a detached state does not mean living indifferent, but rather acting in accordance with the noble path. May I act in the moment detached from the result, staying true to the virtues and ethics I wish to embody.
Mārga - The Path for the Cessation of Suffering - There is a continued and sustainable path for the cessation of suffering. This path is the path of the Dharma, and can and should be shared with all beings. Through the following path, I will seek to lead others on it as well, but I cannot do it without the perfection of myself first. May I strive, in the moment, to follow the path. May the path lead me to the cessation of suffering. And may I lead others, should the path desire it, to the cessation of others as well.
Right View - May I see things clearly, as they are, without the attachments and preconceived notions that I hold dear. May I see beyond the illusions and binaries of the world around me.
Right Intention - May I act in compassion, mindfulness, and without ego. May I act true to the process and allow the outcome to take care of itself.
Right Speech - May my words express kindness and compassion. May I avoid getting carried away with the pleasure of sarcasm or cruel humor, that only communicated cruelty and indifference.
Right Action - May my actions follow with kindness and generosity. May they continue a cycle of compassion and may they prioritize the moment instead of the outcome.
Right Lifestyle - May I follow the middle way and understand that material wealth is not wealth. May I also understand that the dissolution of all my wealth can lead only to the attachments of others. May I be a vehicle of channeling my wealth to build compassion, stability, and minimizing suffering (without attachment and ego).
Right Effort - May I strive regularly, daily, to take challenging paths in my pursuit of enlightenment. May I remember what Dogen spoke of, that sincere and difficult practice: “...people who are fond of easy practice are not capable of the way.”
Right Mindfulness - May I strive to stay present in a world of distractions. May I avoid the sensory and intellectual pleasures of the world around me in order to live in the present moment.
Right Concentration - May I cultivate the capacity to exist in a sustained, present state. May I remember that concentration and mindfulness are skills and muscles to be cultivated and grown and are not given merely though desire.
Dāna - Generosity - May I be generous with my time, attention, and listening. May I remember that the greatest gift I can give is not material, but careful and compassionate listening (Thich Nhat Hanh).
Śīla - Ethical Conduct - When I act and make decisions big or small, may I remember the eight fold path, especially right intention, speech, and action. May I never compromise my spirit for the sake of material gain, fame, or notoriety.
Kṣānti - Patience - May I breathe and center around my breath in order to remain composed and patient. May I remember to breathe and remain patient especially in times of distress and trouble, when I need to take the medicine of the Dharma during my illness of attachment or anger. May I remain patient in times when others need me, for they are me.
Vīrya - Joy - Breathe in, smile. Breathe out, smile. Thank you Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche for reminding me of the gift of breath. (Link)
Dhyāna - Meditation - Chan - Zen - May I remember that the time I spend here, meditating, is one of the greatest exercises in freedom. May I remember that I am not doing nothing, but rather taking control of the impulses and illusions that often control me. Here, as I sit, I am free.
Prajñā - Wisdom - May I remember that wisdom is cultivated through action and practice and that all of these moments are wasted should I throw them away in hypocrisy. May I practice and cultivate these natures and stay true to the Om I belong to.
I often close these opening mantras with my own bell: a clap. From here, my mind is not cycling or frantically searching for attachments, bicycles, cars, or new things to accomplish or attain. Instead, I have loaded up and properly centered my mind on the practice and the actions which I hold dear.
I am not ready to sit. To sit in zazen, for my hips are finally open. And to think, unthinking.
Written July 8, 2025
Last Edited July 8, 2025