The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1461 page)

(Jap., ‘devil’ + ‘phenomenal appearance’). The deceptive appearances which arise for a Zen Buddhist in
zazen
. Provided they are ignored or put aside, they are harmless.

 
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see
TAMILNADU
.

 
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M
l
(also japam
l
)
.

A
‘rosary’
for Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.
Hinduism
Basically, m
l
is a garland made of beads and/or berries, presented to honoured guests, and to symbolize victory. They consist (usually) of 108 berries, and are then used in the practice of
japa
. 108 is the number of evil passions to which humans are subject.
Buddhism
The number of beads is the same, and they are used to count repetitions in the recitation of
dh
ra
s
,
mantras
, and the name of a buddha (
nembutsu
).
Sikhism
It is usually made of wool, and has 108 knots, though smaller ones of twenty-nine knots are also used. They are used to aid concentration on the name (
n
m
) of God.