I went to market looking for something special to make. Years ago I made a citrine mala hand knotted in leather with a mother of pearl dragon pendant. I absolutely loved the piece I made and decided this year I would make yet another one if I was able to find gorgeous stones. I found AAA quality faceted crystal quartz roundels and decided to knot them with leather. Luckily I was able to get all 108 beads knotted even though I struggled as the the leather was not as thin or the holes in the quartz weren't as large as I had hoped. I then found the obsidian pendant and was told it was Guanyin, the goddess of mercy or compassion. As I researched the image what came up was Acala the wisdom king.
Acala- The Wisdom King is one of the main deities among the wisdom kings, a group of deities who are said to remove all obstacles and defeat all devils that hinder Buddhist practice. It is said that he enters the flame-emitting meditation in which he emits flames that destroy all karmic hindrances. The true significance of Acala is not subjugation of one's enemies but self-subjugation of one's own afflictions. Acala's vajra lasso in left hand used to bind and immobilize demons. Acala's Vajra Sword to sever greed, anger, and ignorance, the three evil paths.
In modern times, he is revered as one of the 8 Buddhist guardians of the Chinese zodiac and specifically considered to be the protector of those born in the year of the Rooster (1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017).
