What are Bodhi seeds? Strictly speaking, linden seed is the kernel of the fruit of certain specific trees.
On the one hand, it has been the main material of rosary beads in the hands of monks because it is a specialty of India and Nepal, the birthplace of Buddhism, and contains a certain symbolism in the history of Buddhism; on the other hand, as a tree, linden seed is very productive, and the fruit is produced in spring and fall, year after year, without ever stopping. Ancient monks used it as a counting tool because of the inexhaustible nature of these seeds. Wearing tree seeds as rosary beads itself, in addition to the Buddhist canonical inheritance, advocates the well-being function of bodhi seeds, but also a kind of Buddhist behavioral constraints on abstaining from extravagance and greed.
The rosary, also known as “counting beads” in Buddhist texts, is a counting tool used by monks when chanting sutras, such as reciting (or silently reciting) “Namu Amitabha Buddha”, and every time you recite a bead, when recited 108 times, you will dial the last bead of the whole string of rosary beads. When it reaches 108 times, the last bead of the rosary will be plucked. Of the many materials used in rosaries, Bodhi is the cheapest and most common, yet it has the highest level of well-being as recorded in the Sutra on the Merits and Virtues of Counting Beads:
The blessings of reciting it once, either in a pinch or in one's hand, are immeasurable, uncountable, and difficult to measure.
If there is another person who holds this bodhi bead and cannot recite the Buddha's name and the Dharani according to the law, but can hold it in his hand, carry it with him, and walk, live, sit, and lie down, and speak in a way that is either good or bad, then such a person is holding the bodhi bead. The merits and virtues obtained are no different from reciting the mantras of the Buddhas, and the blessings gained are infinite.
That is to say, if one holds a string of bodhi rosary beads and recites the Buddha's name, one does not necessarily have to recite it out loud, but simply by holding a string of bodhi rosary beads in one's hand one can immediately obtain unlimited “blessings”; moreover, as long as one holds a string of bodhi rosary beads in one's hand, it does not matter if one inadvertently says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing, for the sins committed are far less than the good fruits that should be obtained by holding a bunch of bodhi rosary beads in one's hand. It is because the sins committed are far less than the good fruits that should be obtained by holding the bodhi seed. This shows how supreme the position of bodhi is in Buddhism, far superior to pearls, coral and other precious materials. From another perspective, the cheap and easy-to-obtain price of linden is fully in line with the materialistic needs of Buddhists, and is one of the major reasons why Buddhists strongly advocate the use of linden.
The meaning of the existence of bodhi seed bead strings is very simple, and does not have a lot of complex and mysterious colors. Some people talk about the taboos of wearing bodhi strings on the Internet and in books, listing many inexplicable inadvisable, such as going to the toilet should not wear strings; do not put the strings into pants pockets, back pockets; touching the onion, garlic, fish, meat, before twisting the strings to wash their hands; etc. These taboos are all nonsense. These taboos are all nonsense nonsense, because the string for the general public, is a simple wrist jewelry, or a beloved collection.
Phoenix-eye Bodhi
The phoenix-eye bodhi is one of the many types of bodhi and is said to be the most important type of bodhi in Tibetan Buddhism. Not quite the same as other bodhi seeds, the phoenix-eye bodhi seed is named after the pattern on the grains, where an olive kernel shaped raised pattern grows on one face of the grains, with a depression at the widest point containing the root of a connective tissue growth, like the pupil in the center of a thin, elongated danfeng eye. This depression is also found on star-moon Bodhi seeds and is called “moon”.
The “phoenix eye” on a bodhi
Phoenix Eye Bodhi 18 seeds rosary
The main places of origin of Phoenix Eye Bodhi are India and Nepal. The color of India's pineapple linden is deep maroon, which has a deep and mysterious beauty. The Nepalese linden seed is hard and light yellow in color, after a long time of twisting, it will gradually turn from light yellow to reddish jujube skin, and the color will be close to black if it is deeper. As Buddhist artifacts, the two types of Bodhi seeds from India and Nepal only have different aesthetic characteristics due to their different places of origin, so there is no question of whether they are good or bad.
Phoenix Eye Bodhi 108 seeds rosary
Indian Phoenix Eye Bodhi 108 seeds rosary
Star Moon Bodhi
The small diameter of the star-moon bodhi beads is generally used to wear as 108 rosaries for fun and wear, basically not worn as a string. If the phoenix eye is the highest status of linden, then the star moon is the most complicated type of linden, in addition to the variety, the star moon linden has to be processed in order to become the ordinary shape of the beads. There are several kinds of lindens that can be ground into the present shape of star moon linden, such as mani linden, treasure linden, and golden cicada linden.
Star Moon Bodhi 108 seeds rosary
“Star moon” is the most interesting name for this type of linden, the so-called ‘star’ is the light white or gray ground set with black sesame dots, just like the stars in the sky; ‘moon’ is a round pit on the linden. The so-called “star” is the black sesame dots on the light white or light gray ground, like a star in the sky; “moon” is a round pit on the linden, which is actually some kind of tissue that connects the tree and the fruit.
Old Star Moon Bodhi 108 seeds rosary
Star Moon Bodhi 108 seeds rosary
Vajra Bodhi
Vajra bodhi is one of the most common and common types of bodhi, and is also one of the oldest rosary materials. The surface of vajra linden has a deep cogwheel-like convex tooth pattern, and has a natural split petal, which is a special shape among dozens of kinds of linden.
Original Color Vajra Bodhi Seed bracelets
Vajra Bodhi Seed bracelets
Vajra Bodhi 18 seeds rosary