A Buddhist monk holds prayer beads (Japa Mala), Bodhnath, Nepal, Asia

Tibetan Buddhist monk with prayer wheel and beads at Losar (Tibetan New Year) in the Dalai Lama Temple, McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

108 beads are strung on a garland of Buddhist prayer beads, with the beads typically made of fragrant wood like sandalwood, Ladakh, India, Asia

A Buddhist monk prays using a set of prayer beads (Japa Mala), Bodhnath stupa, Bodhnath, Nepal, Asia

Tibetan monk holding prayer beads, Nepal, Asia

Buddhist prayer beads, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Buddhist monk holding prayer beads, Thiais, Val de Marne, France, Europe

A faithful Buddhist uses the traditional portable roller-book (prayer wheel), Bhutan, Asia

A TIbetan lady sends her prayers spiralling up to heaven by spinning a Buddhist prayer wheel in the Everest region, Nepal, Asia

Sri Lankan woman with Buddhist prayer beads, Paris, France, Europe

Buddhist monks, Thiais, Val de Marne, France, Europe

Close up of man holding Buddhist prayer beads, Bhutan, Asia

Buddhist monks praying, Thiais, Val de Marne, France, Europe

Thien Truc Buddhist pagoda, shop selling religious Buddhist items, Bac Lieu, Vietnam

Buddhist prayer beads (mala) for sale, Guan Yin Temple Buddhist temple, Vung Tau, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhist prayer beads, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

A Buddhist monk in saffron coloured robes praying in front of a statue of Buddha at the Buddhist Temple in Huating, China

Buddhist prayer beads, Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Praying hands, Paris, France, Europe

Bhutanese pilgrims meditate under bodhi tree. It is believed that gautam buddha attained unsurpassed, supreme enlightenment under this bodhi tree. Kalachakra initiation in bodhgaya, india

Shaolin monk leaving the temple after prayer, Shaolin Monastery, known for Shaolin boxing, Taoist Buddhist mountain, Song Shan, Henan province, China

Buddhist prayer beads, usually 108 beads, China, Asia

Buddhist pilgrim holding prayer beads, Thimpu, Bhutan, Asia