The Brief History of Rudraksha — A Seed Permeats the History of Buddhism
Have you ever wondered about the intriguing world of the Rudraksha Beads? These gems are more than just beautiful collectibles; they carry deep meanings in both Buddhism and Hinduism. Don’t miss the chance to uncover their fascinating history and spiritual significance—your perspective on these Rudraksha Mala will never be the same!
- The Meaning of Rudraksha Beads
- The Origin of Rudraksha Beads
- The Use of Rudraksha Beads
- The Status of Rudraksha Beads in Religion
- The Culture Behind the Rudraksha Beads
- Books introducing Rudraksha Beads
- Rudraksha in China
- Rudraksha in India
- Afterword
1. The Meaning of Rudraksha Beads
（1）The Meaning of Vajra (Rudraksha)
The Indestructible: The Rudraksha, also known as the Vajra Bodhi seed is often regarded as a symbol of indestructibility in Buddhism and Hinduism. It represents a powerful force that can destroy all evil and obstacles.
The Tantric instruments: In Tantric practice, Rudraksha beads are an indispensable instrument that symbolizes the practitioner's inner determination and strength.
（2）The Meaning of Bodhi
Enlightenment & Wisdom: Bodhi in Buddhism refers to enlightenment or wisdom, especially the highest state achieved through practice - becoming a Buddha. The Bodhi tree is the place where Sakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, so it has extremely high religious significance.
Symbolization: Bodhi seeds, as the fruit of the Bodhi tree, are also endowed with the symbolic meaning of enlightenment and wisdom. Wearing a Bodhi seed bracelet or rosary can help practitioners maintain inner peace and clarity and promote the improvement of enlightenment.
（3）The combination of Vajra Bodhi
Double meaning: The name Vajra Bodhi cleverly combines the double meanings of "Vajra" and "Bodhi", expressing incomparable and indestructible power and containing the connotation of enlightenment and wisdom.
Hindu legend: In fact, the true meaning of the Rudraksha bodhi seeds comes from the "tears (or eyeballs) of Lord Shiva" in Hinduism (in countries such as Nepal). Shiva is one of the main gods in Hinduism, symbolizing "prosperity" and "auspiciousness", and at the same time has the power of "destruction". The legend of the Rudraksha Bodhi seeds is closely related to Lord Shiva, so they are endowed with endless energy and mysterious power.
2. The Origin of Rudraksha Beads
Generally speaking, we think the best origins of Rudraksha seeds are Nepal and Indonesia. The Rudraksha beads from these two regions can occupy 95% of the market share. Some are fake, or produced in Laos and Thailand. In comparison, the skin, skin color, and density of Rudraksha from Laos and Thailand are worse than those from Nepal. Generally, the skin color is yellow, and it does not sink in water or sinks slowly in water. This type of Bodhi seed is still collectible.
KanterBarry is a mountain area east of Kathmandu and close to the south of the Everest Mountains. The altitude is 1,000-3,000 meters. In this area, the higher the altitude, the better the density of the seeds. Generally, small honeycomb seeds are produced in areas with higher altitudes, with high seed quality but fewer large seeds. The seeds at lower altitudes fall from the trees about a month earlier than the seeds at higher altitudes, and the maturity period is generally from November to mid-November.
The production areas in Indonesia generally concentrate on planting seeds from late May to June. The main production areas are Cilacap, Kebumen, and Kediri. The production areas in Indonesia are a combination of mountainous plains with a low altitude but poor road conditions. Merchants generally purchase goods in Kabumian, which is a small town with a mixed crowd. Every time the seeding season comes, this place is a must-fight place. The annual harvest of professional Rudraksha merchants is basically reflected in this period.
3. The Use of Rudraksha Beads
Rudraksha Bodhi is usually worn for protection, not as prayer beads. Indians usually wear 54 large Rudraksha beads and 108 small Rudraksha beads. The same is true for Nepalese. Nepal is called the country of gods and is mainly Hindu and Buddhist. Indonesians do wear it, but it is unclear whether it is used as a prayer bead. Muslim prayer beads usually have 33 or 99 beads. Chinese usually wear it as an ornament, and a small number of people use it as a prayer bead.
Compared with the Star and Moon Bodhi, the style of the Rudraksha is completely different. It looks very masculine and simple, yet very solemn and majestic.
Promote the practice of the Tao: In Buddhism, fellow practitioners of the Dharma use Bodhi beads to chant, which can increase merits and promote the practice of the Tao.
Destroy evil: Bodhi seeds can be used to treat various diseases. The number of petals of the rosary has different mysterious meanings. Rudraksha means extremely hard and indestructible, and has the power to destroy all evil. When practicing Rudraksha in Tantric Buddhism, Rudraksha beads are needed.
4. The Status of Rudraksha Beads in Religion
The most important religious status of Rudraksha Bodhi is in Hinduism, and the first group of people doing Rudraksha business were also Indians. Hinduism is a relatively ancient and long-standing religion. Here we only talk about the most relevant parts of Rudraksha. Rudraksha are symbolized as the eyes or tears of Shiva , who is one of the three main gods in Hinduism, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu . Wearing Rudraksha beads on the body, firstly, strengthens the faith of faith, and secondly, due to the cause and condition of practice, it is endowed with the sacred meaning of helping practice and avoiding misfortune.
5. The Culture Behind the Rudraksha Beads
The real meaning of Rudraksha beads is "the tears (or eyeballs) of Lord Shiva" in Hinduism (the state religion of Nepal and other countries).
The name "Shiva" appeared in the Hindu era. His prototype is generally considered to be the storm god Rudra in the Vedic era. Shiva, also translated as "Shiva", means benevolence, symbolizing "prosperity" and "auspiciousness", and also symbolizing "destruction". Buddhist literature calls him Mahadeva, who lives at the top of the color world and is the master of the three thousand worlds. There are eight incarnations of earth, water, fire, wind, space, sun, moon, and sacrifice, and he has the power of destruction and regeneration.
As mentioned above, let me briefly introduce the three main gods of Hinduism. The three main gods refer to the three supreme gods in Indian mythology: Brahma (天, the transliteration of the Sanskrit word "Deva"; the Lotus Sutra: "clean and bright, the most honorable and the most victorious, so it is called heaven."), Shiva, and Vishnu . Brahma is the god of creation and the master of the universe; Shiva is the three-eyed god of destruction (the king of ghost eyes); Vishnu is the patron saint of the universe and life. These three gods can all change freely. Shiva is of a very noble character and is at the top of the Indian gods.
Shiva is depicted as having three eyes and four hands, holding a trident, a conch shell, a water pitcher, a drum, etc. in his hands. He wears animal skins and is covered in ash. There is a crescent moon on his head as decoration. His hair is coiled into a horn shape with the symbol of the Ganges on it. Legend has it that when the Ganges came down to earth, it first landed on his head and flowed to the earth in seven ways. A snake was wrapped around his neck. His mount was a big white bull. His stories are scattered in various documents. His sect believers worship him as the highest god. He has eight incarnations: earth, water, fire, wind, sky, sun, moon, and sacrifice. In addition to destruction, he can also create. Buddhist documents call him Mahadeva, who lives at the top of the realm of form and is the master of the three thousand realms.
Shiva lives on Mount Kalashi ( the sacred Mount Kailash in Ngari, Tibet, China ). He rides the bull Nandi and his consort is the snow mountain goddess Parvati , also known as Umā ( bright and beautiful). Shiva's spouse originated from the indigenous mother goddess of India. Like Shiva, she also has a dual personality of reproduction and destruction, showing different appearances of gentleness and terror. Parvati or Umā is a charming and virtuous wife.
Another image of Shiva's spouse, Durga, is a beautiful and bloodthirsty goddess of revenge who once killed the buffalo monster Shisha on behalf of the gods. Another image is Kali, a black goddess with a hideous face who loves blood sacrifices and is a purely terrifying god of death.
Shiva has many aspects: Linga, terrifying, gentle, superhuman, three-faced, dance king, Riga lord, half-woman lord, etc. Linga (male root) is the most basic symbol of Shiva. The spiritual realization of Lord Shiva is: pure love, pure hatred, pure anger and joy.
6. Books introducing Rudraksha Beads
Rudraksha Magic and The Power of Rudraksha books featuring Hindu spirituality and healing properties
There is a poem about Bodhi beads in Volume 2 of the Southern Song Dynasty ancient book "Bai Bao Zong Zhen Ji": Holding the purple Bodhi seeds, gold and silver coins are placed under both. Many people love antiques, but it is difficult to get rid of them without the seven treasures.This is one of the earliest records that listed Bodhi seeds as "rare collectibles".
7. Rudraksha in China
In today's ancient collectibles community, there is a saying that there are "The Big Three Bodhi", namely, the Rudraksha , the Star & Moon, and the Phoenix Eye.
However, the important position of Rudraksha Bodhi is verifiable.
In the chapter on rosary in Changwuzhi by Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty, it is said: Rosary beads with small diamond beads and fine flowers are the most valuable.
It can be seen that in the Ming Dynasty, Rudraksha was already a very valuable cultural plaything.
This view was further developed in Zhao Ruzhen's "Guide to Antiques" during the Republic of China period:
The Antique Guide records: "... Rudraksha seeds are much more valuable than Bodhi seeds (here referring to another type of Bodhi seeds). Those who often hold prayer beads should know this."
At the same time, the Guide to Antiques also mentions, "In addition (referring to the Bodhi seeds with incense filling mentioned earlier in the book), the diamond seeds are the most valuable, and those with small bodies and fine flowers are especially good."
It can be seen that in the Republic of China period, Rudraksha was already a must-have for "literary play people" and it has a very high collection value.
However, some high-end professional players who enjoy studying cultural relics have a view that the "Rudraksha Bodhi" recorded in the Ming Dynasty and the Republic of China is not the same species as the Rudraksha we play with today.
There are two main arguments for this theory. One is that the system for evaluating the quality of Rudraksha Bodhi recorded in "ancient books" is different from that of today. The other is that there are slight differences in the records of origin and tree species.
However, in my opinion, the "Rudraksha Bodhi of the Ming Dynasty" and the "Rudraksha Bodhi of today" should be the same kind.
The Liao Dynasty tri-colored statue of Mahakasyapa was collected by the Guimet Museum in France. We can see that he is holding a "Rudraksha Bodhi" in his hand.
Therefore, people in the Liao Dynasty had already come into contact with Rudraksha, so it is only natural that this object has been passed down in China to this day.
It is not difficult to see that the facial features of the statue have some characteristics of foreigners (Indians). Therefore, to discuss the history of Rudraksha and trace its origins, we still have to talk about India.
8. Rudraksha in India
The English name of Rudraksha is “Rudraksha”, which comes from Sanskrit. This word is actually composed of two parts: the name of Rudra in Vedic mythology and “Ksha”, which means tears.
Rudra is the predecessor of Lord Shiva. Therefore, Rudraksha Bodhi is also known as "Shiva's Tears."
the article “The Holy Rudraksha” by Subhamoy Das, a scholar at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and a well-known journalist:
Rudraksha tree sprouted from the tears of Shiva. Ancient scriptures such as Shiva Purana and Padma Purana all mention the powerful and wonderful power of Rudraksha.
From this, we can see that "Rudraksha Bodhi" has a longer history in India and Hinduism and has a very high status.
However, unlike us who regard "Rudraksha Bodhi" as a plaything, Rudraksha Bodhi is a precious thing in India. The different starting points also lead to different attitudes towards Rudraksha.
In China, most of us pay attention to brushing the Rudraksha Bodhi clean and polishing it to create a uniform and beautiful patina.
In India, however, Rudraksha is more often collected and worshipped, without various "meticulous" ways of playing with it. Therefore, they regard the rarer "super-multi-petal" or "conjoined Rudraksha" as the best quality.
Afterword
As we flip the calendar to Septemeber, I am reminded that the Navaratri (a Hindu festival) usually falls in September or October and is dedicated to the goddess Durga. Devotees often wear Rudraksha beads during these month to enhance spiritual energy and connection
Simply put, Rudraksha is an international collectible with a long history and profound cultural heritage. So it is no wonder that Rudraksha is so popular in the market today.
