CULTURAL BACKGROUND: Malas are strings of beads used as an aid to prayer and the recitation of mantras in the Buddhist religion, much as a Catholic rosary is used (both share name similarity, as both names refer to garlands of flowers). A mala is held in the hand and rotated, one bead at a time, while mantras are recited. It is used so that one can think about the meaning of the mantra as it is chanted rather than thinking about counting the repetitions, as mantras are often repeated hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of times. Usually made from 108 beads (though any number divisible by 9 is acceptable), counting always begins at the guru, or large head bead. One mantra is usually said for every bead, turning the thumb clockwise around each bead. When arriving back at the guru, the mala is turned around and then counting goes back in the same direction. Often practitioners add extra counters to their malas, usually in strings of ten (as is seen on this piece), as an alternative way to keep track of large numbers.