Meet the Founder
Jasmine Pema inherited Pamo Malas, formerly Drukmo Malas, from her grandparents in 2024 weaving together her dedication to practice, history of jewelry design, and knowledge of healing and ritual practices. With her lifelong practice of Vajrayana as a third generation practitioner from both lines of her family, Pamo is seen as her way of offering an extension of her reverence to dharma and to her lineage through these sacred objects. Informed by knowledge of Vajrayana healing and ritual practices alongside her studies of the medicine and healing traditions of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine) she weaves in spiritual healing modalities of medicinal blessing, amulet making, and mantra healing into every object offered.
Our Story
PAMO MALAS IS A STORY CARRIED THROUGH THREE GENERATIONS- A LINEAGE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP, DEVOTION, AND CARE.
For over 25 years, our mission has been to create meticulously crafted malas using high-quality materials that practitioners can rely on for years of meaningful use.
Rooted in our own history of practice, our malas are regarded as sacred companions on one's spiritual path. We see them as a living extension and embodiment of prayer. As such every aspect of production is handled with the highest integrity of care and thoughtfulness. Each mala likewise is hand crafted by practitioners blessed with mantra and ritual.
In a world shaped by mass consumption and disposable goods, Pamo seeks to reclaim the ancient purpose of adornment- not as decoration, but as conduits of intention. Each object can be seen as totem intentionally infused through a process of ritual blessing.
While we specialize in malas for Vajrayana practitioners specifically, we also offer a range of amulets, totems, and other sacred adornments. Likewise we are able to provide malas or adornments for spiritual seekers of any path or tradition- on their journey inward.
Meet the Founder
Jasmine Pema inherited Pamo Malas, formerly Drukmo Malas, from her grandparents in 2024 weaving together her dedication to practice, history of jewelry design, and knowledge of healing and ritual practices. With her lifelong practice of Vajrayana as a third generation practitioner from both lines of her family, Pamo is seen as her way of offering an extension of her reverence to dharma and to her lineage through these sacred objects. Informed by knowledge of Vajrayana healing and ritual practices alongside her studies of the medicine and healing traditions of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine) she weaves in spiritual healing modalities of medicinal blessing, amulet making, and mantra healing into every object offered.
Meet the Founder
Jasmine Pema inherited Pamo Malas, formerly Drukmo Malas, from her grandparents in 2024, with her lifelong practice of vajrayana as a third generation practitioner from both lines of her family, Pamo is seen as her way of offering an extension of her reverence to practice and to her lineage through these sacred objects. With a deep lineage in vajrayana practice paired alongside her studies of the medicine and healing traditions of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine) she weaves in practices of spiritual healing modalities of medicinal blessing, amulet making, and mantra healing into every object offered.
Where to begin
Beads are among mankind’s oldest cultural artifacts and seemed to have had magical or spiritual associations rather than being purely items of adornment. Prayer beads are universal, dating back to the pre-Christian era and found throughout the world’s religious faiths. Most sources agree that the first appearance of prayer beads was in India as early as 500 B.C. From that nexus, prayer beads spread along trade routes, such as the Silk Road, to the Middle East, China and Japan. Prayer beads are variously named: prayer malas in the Hindu and many Asian traditions, Misbah in Muslim and Sufi traditions, Tazbi in Persia and Worry Beads in Turkey and Greece. In the Catholic faith, the beads were carved to resemble roses, hence the word rosary.
The first prayer beads (Sanskrit: mala, meaning “garland”) grew out of the Vedic tradition in India and were the prototype for prayer beads in later world cultures. The Vedic tradition had a great reverence for sound in which both the language and the Sanskrit alphabet were regarded as sacred. Sound (Vak) generates the forces of creation through its cosmic vibrations, which came to be represented by the varnamala, the garland of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. Out of sound, therefore, comes being. Thus sound, in the Vedic tradition, is associated with the goddess or feminine principle, which later evolved into the anthropomorphic form of Sarasvati, so named for the river by which the Vedic practitioners sang their hymns. Among her attributes is a mala, representing the mantric sounds of the Sanskrit letters and the wisdom and power inherent in them. Chanting sacred sounds is the means to achieve union with absolute being.
Malas did not appear in the Buddhist tradition until sometime after the rise of the Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) in Asia. The first citation of the use of prayer beads occurs in the Soapberry Tree Sutra (Chinese: Mahuanzi; Japanese: Mokugenji). In this sutra, King Vaidurya of the kingdom of Nanda is beset with great conflicts: enemy attacks, diseases, etc. He begs the Buddha to give him a simple practice to help bring ease to his mind and to pacify the external discord. The Buddha tells him to string 108 seeds from the Soapberry tree (Sapindus saponaria) and recite the threefold refuge prayer: taking refuge in the Buddha as example, in the Dharma, the body of truth, and in the Sangha, the community of practitioners.
The Mahayana tradition initiated the concept of the bodhisattva, embodied forms of compassionate energy that alleviates the suffering of all sentient beings. With the development of the Mahayana tradition came a proliferation of meditational deities and an emphasis on devotional practices not found in the earlier monastic Theravadin tradition. The mala was the main tool to focus ones devotional energy and aspirations, as garlands of sacred sounds were offered again and again. The mala was seen to become imbued with spiritual energy as a result of these recitations.
Malas typically have 108 mala beads (or 111 if marker beads are used). Hand malas often consist of multiples of 9 – 18 or 27 beads are commonly used. The number 108 has myriad connotations. It is connected with ancient numerology and astronomy in which it is seen as a multiple of 9 x 12 – the 9 planets and the 12 houses of the zodiac and also of 4 x 27 – the 4 phases of the moon and the 27 lunar “mansions” or constellations. In numerology, 9 is a magic number. Any number multiplied by 9 will result in a number where the sum of its digits is 9, e.g. 1+8=9; 2+7=9. In the Vedic tradition, 108 was central in the construction of the fire altar. And in the Buddhist tradition, there are 108 kleshas or afflicted mental states that are obstacles to fully awakened compassionate mind. The recitation of mantras on a mala is a means to overcome these confused mental blockages. In the Tibetan tradition there are 108 volumes to the Kangyur – the entire Buddhist canon. The bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan: Chenrezig), has 108 different forms and names. From a more worldly point of view, some say that the 8 beads insure that a cycle of at least 100 are accumulated correctly.
The use of 100 beads in a mala had an unlikely connection to espionage by the British in the mid-1800s. Both Russia and Britain were vying for influence over Central Asia and geographical intelligence needed to be gathered. Two British agents fluent in Tibetan walked from Ladakh to Lhasa. Their compass and maps were concealed in a prayer wheel. Altitude was measured by the changing boiling points of water. And distance was recorded by counting steps. An agent trained himself to make 2000 steps per mile, which he counted on a 100-bead mala. This data later proved to be remarkably accurate.
Counters, two strings each with discs of 10 usually terminating in a Vajra (Tibetan: dorje; the masculine symbol of skillful means) and a Bell (Tibetan: ghanta: the feminine principle of emptiness) seem to have originated with the Tibetans. On the Vajra string, a disc is moved down for each full round of mantras completed. The Bell discs record 1000s. For larger numbers sometimes a third or fourth counter is added to a mala.
Choice of a mala can be based simply upon a personal preference for a particular color or type of stone, wood or seed. The type of meditation practice being performed, though, is often the basis for selection. The durability of wooden or seed malas makes them the primary choice for prostration practice, since stone is subject to breakage. Choice is very commonly based upon its association with the qualities and iconography of a particular meditational deity. As choice of a mala is contemplated, a brief explanation of the Buddhist view that informs the iconography may be of interest.
BUDDHIST ICONOGRAPHY
The figures of various buddhas and deities do not stand for external beings, but rather represent aspects of transmuted ego. Ego, in the Buddhist sense of the word, is the pervasive confusion or ignorance that grasps upon and uses these energies in a self-centered way and causes great suffering for ourselves and others. The point of mediation practice is to relinquish the grip of ego though a process of identification with a particular principle of awakened compassionate energy, which is inherent in each of us and is symbolized by the various deities.
This iconography in Tibetan Buddhism is inspired by the mandala principle of the five Buddha families: vajra, ratna, padma, karma, and buddha. According to these teachings, these five basic energies pervade everything. Each energy is associated with an ordinary emotion that can be transmuted into an aspect of awakened mind. The buddha families are also associated with colors, elements, directions, seasons, that is, with any aspect of the phenomenal world. The great contemporary meditation master, Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche said that what wisdom sees is the mandala of the buddhas.
THE FIVE BUDDHA FAMILIES
In the mandala principle vajra is blue and located in the east, ratna is yellow and in the south, padma is red and in the west, karma is green and in the north and buddha is white and located in the center. In some Tibetan teachings, however, the colors of vajra and buddha are reversed.
Vajra is associated with the element water and the emotion of anger. Anger, like turbulent water, clouds vision and understanding. When the energy of anger is released from the grip of ego, it is transmuted into brilliance and lucidity, the Mirrorlike Wisdom. Like the winter and the dawn, the quality of this energy is sharp and crystalline. The particular symbol of this buddha family is the vajra, the thunderbolt of indestructible wakefulness. The Buddha of the East is Akshobhya, the “unshakable.” He is blue in color. One hand is in the earth-touching mudra echoing the gesture of the historical Buddha when he achieved complete awakening – “the earth is my witness.” Any blue stone, but particularly lapis, is associated with this energy.
Ratna energy when constricted by neurosis manifests as pride or arrogance and when it is unhindered manifests as the Wisdom of Equanimity. Ratna is connected with the earth element. The energy of ratna is one of self-existing richness and abundance. Because one is rich already, one’s energy can be expansive and generous. The ratna family is symbolized by a jewel, the wish-fulfilling gem that fulfills all desires. Ratnasambhava is the Buddha of the ratna family. He is the “jewel born.” Any of the yellow/orange tones of stone: tiger-eye, carnelian, amber and gold, express this energy.
Padma is associated with the spring, fire and passion. When the energy of passion is liberated it expresses itself into the aspect of compassion known as Discriminating Wisdom. It is a wisdom that sees everything so clearly that no confusion arises about what to accept or reject. The symbol of padma is the lotus, and red Amitabha is the Buddha. Rose quartz, rhodonite, carnelian all reflect the padma quality.
The karma family is connected to the wind and the summer season. Jealousy and paranoia are the primary karma family neuroses. Unencumbered karma energy expresses itself as All Accomplishing Wisdom. This family is symbolized either by a sword or a double-vajra, (visvavajra), both of which denote the fulfillment of all actions. The Buddha of this family is Amoghasiddha, green in color with hands in the gesture of fearlessness. Green stones, aventurine, malachite, turquoise (considered “green” in Tibet) and jade, all convey the quality of the karma family.
Buddha is the element space that includes and pervades all the other energies. The energy manifests neurotically as ignorance, a deliberate ignoring of reality. This energy when transmuted becomes All-Pervasive Wisdom symbolized by the wheel of dharma. Vairocana, the “radiant,” is the pure origin of consciousness. He is white and resides in the center of the mandala. Pearls, mother of pearl and crystal manifest the clear and pure nature of space.
The five buddhas (the dhyani buddhas) are the lords of the mandala from which all other buddhas and bodhisattvas evolve. The action of these buddha families manifest in the phenomenal world as space and the four karmas or four compassionate actions: pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and destroying. These are the four ways to overcome the blindness of ignorance, to wake up, and to be able to act in a way that is both appropriate and beneficial.
AVALOKITESHVARA
The rich symbology of the mandala principle and how compassionate energy manifests is expressed in every iconographic detail of the various bodhisattvas and meditational deities. By tuning into the qualities of these energies through visualizations and recitation of mantras, these qualities are discovered within oneself. Choice of a mala can, therefore, be made as a means to further tune in to the quality expressed in a given practice or an aspect of oneself to be enhanced.
Crystal, pearl or mother of pearl is an obvious choice for the practice of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), the bodhisattva of compassion. His is perhaps the best known of all mantras: the six-syllable Om mani padme hum. This mantra is written on prayer wheels and prayer flags, chiseled onto stones, and murmured by countless tongues. Avalokiteshvara is considered to be the protector of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, the embodiment and emanation of this compassionate energy. In the common four-armed form of Avalokiteshvara, he is white. Two hands are in the anjali or supplicating mudra, one hand holds a lotus and the other holds a mala described variously as either pearl or crystal.
From a traditional point of view, a mala is a highly sacred item and should be treated with great respect.
Some of the traditional guidelines for care and use of a mala include:
༶ The mala is typically held in the left hand, and the thumb is a “vajra hook” that hooks spiritual power and blessings in towards you. Though each hand and individual finger represents various qualities and activities
༶ A mala should not be considered an ornament, nor should it be played or fiddled with. It is strictly an article for spiritual practice.
༶ Always keep it in a high place or on your shrine. Never place it on the ground.
༶ A mala should be protected from damage or contamination. Mala bags are a good modern day approach to protecting a mala.
༶ Some sources say that the guru or meru bead, should not be crossed over. Rather, the mala should be flipped over before proceeding with counting.
Stones encode the story of the planet – the energetic processes of earth, fire, wind and water, the great alchemical story of the birth and evolution of the planet. Melted minerals, compressed rock, flow and seepage of water all play a part in the morphing, growth and crystallization of the wondrous variety of the mineral kingdom. Each stone and mineral is a unique embodiment of chemical combination and physical processes. History reveals that crystals, gems and stones have long been of interest and use to humanity.
The history of mankind’s relationship to and beliefs about stones provides a context to understand contemporary interest in the metaphysical properties of stones. Shamans have served as intermediaries between the two worlds, the world of the known and the unknown; the light and the dark. Shamans, as holders of wisdom, knowledge and healing, have been seen as embodiments of light. Quartz crystals are intimately tied in with the symbology and rituals of shamanism. In Australia, Siberia, the Americas and Africa, quartz crystals were used as ceremonial tools for rites of initiation, protection, healing and communication with the spiritual realm. Quartz crystals were regarded as solidified light providing a rainbow bridge to knowledge and power, and they were considered to be living beings. The quartz crystal was often considered to be the most powerful spiritual ally or helper of a shaman. Crystals could act as windows for the inner sight to see sickness within someone. Northwest Coast shamans used crystal-filled rattles to extract disease. Some initiation rites had candidates swallow crystals or had crystals inserted in their bodies as an enactment of the death of the earthly body into the crystal-body or the body of light.
Moving through the ages to the time of the Greeks, the root word for crystal is krystallos, “ice.” For many centuries it was believed that crystals were ultra-frozen water, so hard that they could not melt. One legend tells that crystals are holy water dropped from the hand of god and touched by angels to stay in solid form for the protection and blessing of man. Another story from this time period is about Amethyst and the God of Wine, Bacchus. Bacchus is insulted and in the grip of his anger decrees that the first person he meets will be eaten by tigers. The poor unfortunate is a young woman, Amethyst, who is on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. Just as the tigers are closing in on their hapless prey, Diana transforms Amethyst into a clear, transparent crystal. Bacchus in his remorse sheds tears of wine turning the crystal a beautiful purple; hence the name Amethyst for the purple form of quartz. From this myth, amethyst was believed to be a protection against intoxication and enchantment.
The mythical and mystical connotations of crystal continued to manifest throughout the world’s cultures. Crystal balls have long been part of mythology and lately featured in film The Lord of the Rings. Such crystallomancy, or crystal gazing, has shaped the actual course of human events for millennia. Based on crystal divinations, military and political events of far-reaching consequences were undertaken — wars were launched, battles lost; marriages were arranged and murders committed; kingdoms rose and fell. King Solomon by gazing at one of his rings, said to be either amethyst or garnet, could see whatever it was he needed to know.
Amethyst came to be the stone most associated with royalty, who were seen to be representatives or incarnations of divinity. The purple stone was thought to enhance communication with the gods. Not only the stone but the color became synonymous with royalty. Royal purple became the color of robes and banners, and amethysts ubiquitous on crowns, miters, scepters, and rings of kings, queens, and popes up to the present day.
OF ATOMS AND ANGLES
In the alchemical cauldron of the play of elements, individual stones, gems and crystals were formed. Colored by minerals – the greens of copper, the reds of manganese, the purple of iron, and wrought by the interaction with the elements – the seepage of water, the furnace of volcanoes, the compression of earth, each mineral encodes these chance combinations of minerals and elemental energies. From this primordial forge are birthed the members of the mineral kingdom. Each crystalline structure has a mathematically precise and orderly lattice arrangement of atoms, which give rise to the unique properties of stone.
Crystal is the most common stone on the planet. By looking in some depth at the scientific characteristics of crystal, the basis of metaphysical beliefs about all stones can be discerned. The mineral kingdom is comprised of “seven systems of symmetry” defined by the lengths and numbers of the axes and angles that govern shape – isometric, hexagonal, monoclinic, tetragonal, orthorhombic and triclinic. Quartz crystal is of the hexagonal system that is defined by four axes. Three axes are of equal length and lie on the same plane, and the angle between each axes is exactly 120 degrees. The fourth plane is perpendicular to these three planes. The hexagonal system therefore can be seen as one of dynamic equilibrium and balance.
Our modern “age of communication” is based on the physical characteristics of crystals for their ability to act as components for reception, modulation, storage and transmission of electromagnetic energy. Modern science values quartz crystal for its “piezoelectric effect,” a property discovered in 1880 by Pierre and Jacques Curie, who also discovered radium. In their exploration of the electrical conductivity of crystalline substances, they discovered that when mechanical pressure was applied to a crystal, an electric charge was produced. Conversely, when electrical voltage was applied to a crystal, mechanical movement was produced. Further, opposite charges developed on alternate prismatic sides. The oscillating charges produced a well-defined frequency that could then be used in crystal radio tubes and phonograph needles, transmission of radio and television signals, radar and sonar and numerous other technologies. Quartz has 4 oxygen atoms and one of silicon. It is the element silicon, which is key to its electronic capabilities, hence the name “Silicon Valley,” to describe the hub of communications technology in the United States.
In the medical field, too, the piezoelectric effect has been noted. The body can be viewed as a field of continually flowing electromagnetic energy, a flow of interacting positive and negative charges.
FROM THE PHYSICAL TO THE METAPHYSICAL
Understanding the physical properties, the scientific realm of facts and intellectual knowledge, provides a springboard into the metaphysical, a realm of intuition and human experience. Metaphysical thought and practices utilizing the mineral kingdom are based on the perceptible qualities and energetic principles of minerals, crystals and gemstones. The metaphysical properties of stones are an evolving exploration into how these physical properties, the uniquely encoded qualities of energy, can be used for healing and spiritual attunement. If crystals can be used to channel and transmit radio signals, can they not channel the healing energies of balance and light to an area of disease in the body?
The past several decades have witnessed a tremendous upsurge of interest in the metaphysical properties of stones. A dizzying array of businesses and books has arisen. There are healers using stones. There are stone channellers and crystal vendors, stone chakra pendants and stone wands. There are birthstones and stones for protection. There are stones for dreamwork and spiritual attainment and stones for love. And of course there are pet rocks.