Maybe it is cursed with disbelief...What a terrible curse. That's one sadistic Tibetan monk.
EDIT: Well fuck.
A
Japa mala or
mala (Sanskrit:माला; mālā, meaning
garland[1]) is a set of
beads commonly used by
Hindus and
Buddhists, usually made from
108 beads, though any number divisible by 9 is acceptable.
This thing only has 17 beads. Motherfucker.