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In a mantra meditation practice, exactly what are mala beads and how can they help in the practice of mantra meditation? 

Mala beads are bead necklaces made from a variety of different materials made specifically for mantra meditation.

The number of times a mantra is chanted is important in the practice of mantra meditation.  Often a mantra will need to be chanted 108 times or in groups of 108 times or sometimes in other numbers or groups of other numbers.

It is said to be auspicious to chant mantras for a certain number of times than others.  Also it is related to the function of the mantra and how many times it is chanted.  Thus there is an importance on knowing how many times the mantra is chanted.

How can it be known the number of times you chant a mantra in your meditation session?  Of course it is difficult to keep track of the number of times you have chanted a mantra.  Especially if that number is high like the common 108 desired times to chant a mantra.

Also it is not really aiding the meditative state nor the meditation objective when your sole focus is counting the number of times you have chanted the mantra.  It then becomes easy to be anxious about numbers instead of the mantra practice itself.  You can quite easily end up a mantra counter rather than a mantra meditator!

This is where mala beads come in very handy.  Mala beads are actually bead necklaces.  Mala beads are commonly made with having the required number of beads for mantra meditation.  Meaning there is usually 108 beads.  When mala beads are used, they become the mantra calculator.  That way the mantra meditation practitioner can focus on the goals and objectives of the meditation and not the counting of the mantra instead.  You know you have finished a round of 108 mantras as you come to a special place on the mala beads.

Learning to use a mala bead necklace is easy and it then frees you up to the important task to hand – the mantra meditation practice.