26 L. A. Waddell— Lamaic “Rosaries : their Kinds and Uses. [No. 1, 
through three extra beads, the centre one of which is the largest. These 
are collectively called dok-dsin ( tc l'Q^ 3 )’ rdog-Msin) or ‘ retaining or 
seizing beads.’ The word is sometimes spelt mdo-/«dsin, and pronounced 
dd'dsin, which means ‘ the union-holder.’ In either case the meaning 
is much the same. These beads keep the proper rosary beads in position 
and indicate to the teller the completion of a cycle of beads. 
This triad of beads symbolises ‘ the Three Holy Ones ’ of the Bud¬ 
dhist Trinity, viz., Buddha, Dharma (the Word) and Sangha (the 
Church, excluding the laity). The large central bead represents Bud¬ 
dha, while the smaller one intervening between it and the rosary beads 
proper represents the Church and is called ‘ Our special Lama-monitor ’ 
(jr^a-g-sr), the personal Lama-guide and confessor of the Tibetan 
Buddhist; and his symbolic presence on the rosary immediately at the 
end of the bead-cycle is to ensure becoming gravity and care in the act 
of telling the beads, as if he were actually present. 
The Geluk-pa, or ‘ reformed ’ sect of Lamas, usually have only two 
beads as dok-dsin , in which case the terminal one is of much smaller 
size, and the pair are considered emblematic of a vase from which the 
beads spring. In such cases the extra bead is sometimes strung with 
the other beads of the rosary, which latter then contains 109 beads ; 
thus showing that the beads really number 111. 
Attached to the rosary is a pair of strings of ten small pendant 
metallic rings as counters. One of these strings is terminated by a 
miniature dor-je (the thunderbolt of Indra) and the other by a small 
bell—in Tantric Buddhist figures the dorje is usually associated with 
a boll. The counters on the dorje-string register units of bead-cycles, 
while those on the bell-string mark tens of cycles, The counters and 
the ornaments of the strings are usually of silver, and inlaid with tur¬ 
quoise. ^ 
These two strings of counters are called dang-dsin grang- 
fodsin) or ‘ count-keepers; ’but vulgarly they are known as chub-she 
5cliu-bshad) or ‘the ten makers.’ They may be attached 
at any part of the rosary string, but are usually attached at the 8th 
and 21st bead on either side of the central bead. 
They are used iu the following manner. When about to tell the 
beads, the counters on each string are slid up the string. On com¬ 
pleting a circle of the beads, the lowest counter on the dorje-string is 
slid down into contact with the dorje. And on each further cycle of 
beads being told, a further counter is slid down. When the ten 
have been exhausted, they are then slid up again, and one counter 
is slipped down from the bell-string. The counters thus serve to regis¬ 
ter the utterance of 108 x 10 x 10 =10,800 prayers or mystic formulas, 
