Buddhist origins of the Rosary?

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Did Rosary prayer originate from the Buddhist mantra prayer using beads?
 
No. The idea of keeping track of one’s prayers by use of beads is fairly universal. It started with lay people praying an Our Father and ten Hail Marys in lieu of praying the 150 Psalms of the Daily Office. Most lay people at the time were illiterate, besides the prayers of the Office were in Latin. They wanted to join in the Prayer of the Church, so praying the Rosary came about. The beads are merely a devise to help keep count of the Hail Marys.
 
Prayer ropes are also used by Muslims and by Greek Christians (Catholic and Orthodox). There isn’t any historical connection between any of them; it’s just a universal, naturally human form of praying.
 
ILOVEYOUMYLADY said:
Did Rosary prayer originate from the Buddhist mantra prayer using beads?
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The standard set of Buddhist prayer beads has 108 beads as opposed to the main loop of a rosary with 54. The Buddhists got it from the Hindus.

rossum
 
rossum said:
The standard set of Buddhist prayer beads has 108 beads as opposed to the main loop of a rosary with 54. The Buddhists got it from the Hindus.

rossum
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Correct Rossum. We are still using 108 beads as well. We also have these convenient sets that have 27 beads and go around your wrist so you can have them with you all the time. You just say them 4 times. People think they are a bracelet with a tassel, so you seldom get asked about them like you do when you carry a full set of 108. I bought them in a Buddhist store, so you’ve probably seen them or have a set maybe.

I also say the rosary from time to time. I picked up a set in Avignon.

Your friend,
Sufjon
 
I don’t know where prayer beads were originated I would guess India (Hindu seems correct ) but a rosary is more for keeping count as you pray-
For Tibetans they are used to count mantras

In Nichiren Buddhism though the 108 beads represent the 108 earthy desires -
The two large beads represent the principle of kyochi myogo, the fusion of objective reality (kyo) and subjective wisdom (chi)
The large bead on the end with 3 tassels represents Shakyamuni Buddha, or subjective wisdom; the other one represents Taho Buddha, or objective reality
The baubles on the ends are for kosen-rufu (world peace …a reminder that we will obtain world peace -
The four different beads in the main body represent the Four Great Bodhisattvas: Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jyogyo, and Anryugyo.
They are not to keep count as you chant - they are more symbolic -
 
A Buddhist, or Hindu, or generally Indian origin of religious beadwork (whether used for counting, for maintaining awareness, for devotion/bhakti, or any other spiritual/religious reason) cannot be rejected as a possibility.
 
Universal is correct, Man started it, before beads it was stones and pebbles.

Nonetheless, The Rosary “as it is today” is dated to St Dominics time. It can’t be dated back further than that to that time.

But the 150 prayer psalm to Mary dates way back to the Orthodox Church.
 
I don’t see any historical legitimacy to positing an Indian origin for Christian (or even Islamic) prayer ropes. They’re universal.

In the case of the Dominican Rosary, it’s entirely possible that St. Dominic learned it from Greek monks on Mount Athos, who say a “Rule of the Theotokos” similar to the Western Rosary (a practice that originated among the Desert Fathers in the Egyptian Thebaid, and was given by St. Seraphim of Sarov to his spiritual disciples but otherwise generally forgotten in the East today). But the physical ropes were in use in the West for other purposes, usually for keeping track of the “Our Fathers” said in place of the Psalms. The Rosary ended up replacing the Our Fathers as substitutes for the Liturgy of the Hours; the use of beads remained.
 
It’s a pretty simple invention. If you want to keep track of a relatively high number of something that is going to be constant… tie knots in a rope or put beads on a string. Seems like anyone who wants to keep track of number of prayers, no matter who they are dedicated to, would eventually come up with an idea like this.
 
"The Rosary ended up replacing the Our Fathers as substitutes for the Liturgy of the Hours; the use of beads remained. "

You’ll have to supply a link that proves this as fact. Otherwise its your assumption. And I can assure you won’t find it. because we been through this several times on CAF. And there is NO proof of where the Rosary came from as used today, but St Dominic’s time. Linking it directly to St Dominic has also been illusive. None the less thats were it stands. The rest is “assumption” and “speculation”.

So as it stands the Blessed Mother may very well have appeared to Dominic in the woods and Gave him the Rosary as we pray it today.

When you can actually prove otherwise let us know?
 
GaryTaylor said:
"The Rosary ended up replacing the Our Fathers as substitutes for the Liturgy of the Hours; the use of beads remained. "

You’ll have to supply a link that proves this as fact. Otherwise its your assumption. And I can assure you won’t find it. because we been through this several times on CAF. And there is NO proof of where the Rosary came from as used today, but St Dominic’s time. Linking it directly to St Dominic has also been illusive. None the less thats were it stands. The rest is “assumption” and “speculation”.

So as it stands the Blessed Mother may very well have appeared to Dominic in the woods and Gave him the Rosary as we pray it today.

When you can actually prove otherwise let us know?
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Wasn’t aware there was any controversy over these facts.🤷
 
rossum said:
The standard set of Buddhist prayer beads has 108 beads as opposed to the main loop of a rosary with 54.
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Oh, no relationship there. 😉

(Before anyone takes that for anything but kidding, I realize that the two things developed independently.)
 
Della said:
No. The idea of keeping track of one’s prayers by use of beads is fairly universal. It started with lay people praying an Our Father and ten Hail Marys in lieu of praying the 150 Psalms of the Daily Office. Most lay people at the time were illiterate, besides the prayers of the Office were in Latin. They wanted to join in the Prayer of the Church, so praying the Rosary came about. The beads are merely a devise to help keep count of the Hail Marys.
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This is the best short description I’ve seen. That’s it.
 
Interesting discussion.

I’ve wondered on the origins of the rosary.

It is beautiful that different faiths such as Hindu and Islam use beads as well to pray.

A friend of mine is Hindu and she tells me they put on one glove, and use that hand to hold the prayer beads while praying. Will someone please explain the significance of using a glove?
 
It’s important to keep in mind the power of symbols as well as the practicality of some things.

Beads help count. Always have. We remember that the ancient Egyptians used counting chords, etc. Beads fit the human hand, are small, etc., so they work good for this purpose.

Candles are used in many religions, too. I tend to think there is a lot of unnecessary hysteria whipped up when aggressive atheists attack Christianity for having “pagan” aspects. Christians are human beings.
 
Captain_America said:
It’s important to keep in mind the power of symbols as well as the practicality of some things.

Beads help count. Always have. We remember that the ancient Egyptians used counting chords, etc. Beads fit the human hand, are small, etc., so they work good for this purpose.

Candles are used in many religions, too. I tend to think there is a lot of unnecessary hysteria whipped up when aggressive atheists attack Christianity for having “pagan” aspects. Christians are human beings.
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Yes, G. K. Chesterton wrote about this saying that the things we in common with other religions, such as beads, bells, incense, etc. shows that these things are natural to human worship not that Christianity has been “tainted” by paganism. He said, in effect, that the dogmas we profess are the important thing, not the devotional objects we use to aid our prayers.
 
Della said:
Yes, G. K. Chesterton wrote about this saying that the things we in common with other religions, such as beads, bells, incense, etc. shows that these things are natural to human worship not that Christianity has been “tainted” by paganism. He said, in effect, that the dogmas we profess are the important thing, not the devotional objects we use to aid our prayers.
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Incense and candles are important. If Buddhists have them too, that’s a plus for them - not a minus for us. (And that’s closer to what Chesterton was getting at.)
 
Cecilianus said:
Incense and candles are important. If Buddhists have them too, that’s a plus for them - not a minus for us. (And that’s closer to what Chesterton was getting at.)
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I was referencing Chesterton, of course, not trying to put words in his mouth. Sorry if seemed that way. 😊
 
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