My mala, your mala our mala

A collection of malas, including one of my own, lay on the alter. That night as I did my practice, one bead at a time, I could not distinguish between my mala and the others. Whose mala was whose? How many beads? One-hundred-and-eight? A billion-and-eight? There are knots in between each bead, but beyond that, there is no separation.