Dear Dharma friends,
as the Dog year and the corresponding Auspicious Dog Year Practice Accumulation Project get into gear, I would like to share one of the best features we’ve put into the Magic Mantra Machine since we first built it: The Big Button (aka live counting). If I’m perfectly honest, even as the one responsible for the whole thing, I’ve always been a bit tardy logging my counts, only going online and entering summary counts when the dedication deadline was approaching, while doing the in-practice counting by some other means. But ever since the Big Button went live, I’ve been using the app right in my practice sessions, like an extension of my mala, and I’ve never looked back.
And today I’d like to share that with you.
Long story short: you can now use the app directly in your practice to add a count of 108 after each mala, or even use it as a mala by adding one count with each tap of the button. (Please note that depending on technical conditions the button may not react quickly enough to keep up with you if you’re a turbo-mantra-mumbler; in that case better use the app in conjunction with a mala.)
At the end of the session simply hit ‘Finish Live Counting’ and your count will automatically be logged. If you switch between different mantras during one session, you can do so right there in the live counting screen, too, just switch and confirm to save your current count and continue right there.
(Of course we strongly recommend you use the phone or tablet in ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode for this. Airplane mode won’t work, unfortunately as the app needs to be online.)
Please kindly note that your count is only saved if you either hit “Finish live counting” or confirm to save when you change your practice. If you refresh the page without doing that your count will be lost. Also, if you go to another app on your phone or tablet and return again, the page may be refreshed by the browser and your count will be lost. Better save before you go elsewhere, then resume fresh when you come back.
Coming soon: What’s with that “Remaining daily: Done” thingamatchit in the middle of it all?