The Catholic rosary and Buddhist mala are two examples of beaded strings or knotted rope used as counters for repetitive devotions, but the mala predates the rosary by a millennium. All of the beads in the Tibetan mala are the same size, except for a single, large “guru bead” to mark a complete loop. This indicates that all the repetitions are of the same mantra, while the rosary has larger beads at set intervals to mark where the user should begin a different prayer. Both are made of precious materials, such as mother of pearl; the expense is a gesture of faith and devotion. LK