May it give you light the way a lantern does.
Yak bone (牦牛骨, mao niu gu) carved in openwork, each bead a small lantern with the light left in. Twelve charms ride the strand: treasure vases (宝瓶, bao ping; Tibetan bumpa), dharma wheels (法轮, fa lun), and garuda (迦楼罗, jia lou luo; Tibetan ཁྱུང, khyung), the sky-born protector. The two ten-bead counters end in a vajra (金刚杵, jin gang chu) and a protection amulet. Three pearls (珍珠, zhen zhu) sit inlaid. Past the guru bead, a strand and tassel hold a prayer wheel (转经筒, zhuan jing tong): hollow, and it opens. Inside, a rolled prayer on paper. See Yak Bone & Horn for the material, Pendant Imagery for the charms, and Malas 101 for the counters.
Meaning: The name is the wish: mar me (མར་མེ་), the butter lamp lit at Tibetan altars, light as wisdom burning down ignorance. The prayer wheel carries a written prayer inside: every turn counts as a recitation, which is the point of the thing. The treasure vase holds abundance, the dharma wheel turns the teaching, garuda guards from above. Twelve charms, two counters, one lamp.
Scent: Dry and soft: old bone, a trace of oil from hands long gone, paper inside the wheel.
Feel: Openwork bone is lighter than it looks. The lantern beads warm fast and the carving catches the thumb; the charms move when you move. The prayer wheel unscrews with a practiced half-turn: paper inside, old and soft.
Specifications:
Pieces: yak bone openwork rounds, 12 charms, 3 inlaid pearls, 2 ten-bead counters, prayer wheel
Care: Bone and paper. No soaking, no oils or perfume, dry cloth only. Open the wheel with dry hands and seat the cap snug.
