I am a Buddhist, so is my family. The object in the picture is a Buddha beads, my mom gave it to me about two or three years ago. It's very common for a Buddhist to have a Buddha beads. In Buddhism, we believe that the Buddha beads protect us from the evil spirits. There are also many histories and other meaning behind it, but I do not know much about it. However, I know some of the "rules" of wearing the Buddha beads. One of it is that, in Buddhism, we believe in Karma, killing lives or eating meats are cruel because animal life is still a life. So before even touching a Buddha bead, you must wash your hands if you have touched any meats. Otherwise, it will be a disrespect to the Buddha beads and the "blood" on your hands will pollute the Buddha beads. Of course, I was not a very religious person, but at some points, I totally agree with it. And this is why I tried to be a vegan, I tried to eat less meat. Why? Because even though animals are not alike human-beings, but they are also lives. 

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