Black Jambhala
Black Jambhala
Popularized by Shakyasribhadra, holding a skullcup and mongoose, naked and wrathful in a standing posture. He is the God of Wealth in Tibetan buddhism.With august guise he tread on the back of yellow rich man. Jambhala, Black (Tibetan: dzam bha la, nag po), a wealth deity popularized in Tibet by Bari Lotsawa (b.1040) and the Kashmiri teacher Shakyashri Bhadra.
"...the Lord Jambhala, with a body black in colour, having the appearance of a dwarf, pot-bellied, without pierced ears, brown hair flowing upwards and bared fangs, adorned with the eight great nagas. The right hand holds a blood filled skullcup and the left a mongoose expelling various jewels. The right leg is extended pressing upon the yellow Lord of Wealth, adorned with various gold ornaments, lying supine expelling various jewels from the mouth." (Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup, 1497-1557).
here are a number of different forms and traditions of the wealth deity Jambhala. He is found in five principal colours: yellow, black, white, green and red. The most common are the yellow and black Jambhala forms followed by the red and white forms. Some of these can also have several different appearances with varying numbers of hands and heads. If Jambhala is appearing with a consort it is is almost always the goddess Vasudhara. Aside from those Indian Buddhist forms, there are also Nyingma forms of Jambhala that arise from the 'Revealed Treasure' Tradition. One particular form has the physical appearance of Black Jambhala but in this Nyingma example he is multi-coloured with arms, legs, torso and head all different. Other than the Traba Ngonshe and multi-coloured forms no other Nyingma Jambhala figures are presently listed here.
Lineage: The Powerful Sage (Vajradhara), Guhyapati (Vajrapani), Acharya Jetari, Vajrasana, Bari Lotsawa, the Great Lord Sakyapa [1092-1158], Sonam Tsemo, Dragpa Gyaltsen, Sakya Pandita, Tsog Gompa, Nyenchen Sonam Tenpa, Lama Sonam Kyab, Khedrup Zung Gyi Palwa, Palden Tsultrim, Yeshe Gyaltsen [Ludingpa], Ngorchen Dorje Chang, etc.
A second lineage was brought to Tibet in approximately 1209 by the Kashmiri Pandita Shakyashri Bhadra. Black Jambhala is now practised by all the Sarma Schools (Sakya, Kagyu, Gelugpa) and gained acceptance into the Nyingma School as a Terma, 'Revealed Treasure' tradition.
The practitioner has to worship two Wealth Deities. If these wealthy Deities are properly worshipped, your wealth will flow in continuously. Once you are rich, you can raise your head and speak louder; you will be respected, put in the seat of honor, and even when you fart, everyone will say it is "fragrant!"
The first Wealth Deity is the Yellow Jambhala, whose body is yellow, sitting in a half-lotus position, with the left leg bent, and right leg dangling. There is a conch lotus vase on the Dharma seat (to represent fulfillment). The Deity has one head and two arms, with a fine-Buddha crown covered with precious stones, three necklaces of pearls. He looks wealthy and important, with a slight angry touch on his face (wealthy people are always awe-inspiring). He holds an S-shaped ornamental object (in Chinese it means "as you wish") in his right hand and in his left a mongoose that spits out treasures. He is dressed in Heavenly clothing of colors, with jade bracelets on hands and feet. This is the Dharma form of the Yellow Jambhala in Tantric Buddhism.
The second Wealth Deity is the Black Jambhala, in a standing position, the right leg bent, and the left straight. he has one head and two arms, the right hand holds the top of a skull in front of his chest as a blood container, and the left hand holds a mongoose too. On his head is a crown of five skulls in the shape of the five-Buddha crown; around his neck is a string of 50 pray beads made of human skulls. Dressed in tiger's skin, with five-color snakes as bracelets on hands, feet and neck, he shows anger on his black face. This is Dharma-form of the Black Jambhala.
In Tantric Buddhism, there are other Wealth Deity practices such as Red Raksasa Practice, Dakini Practice, Bag Jambhala Practice, and the Five-Jamabhala Practices. All these can be used to accumulate money and wealth. Here I shall discuss only the Yellow Jambhala Practice and the Black Jambhala Practice. As long as the proper procedures are followed, wealth will come as one wishes.
I have said that to amass money and wealth, one should worship the Yellow and Black Jambhalas whose statues look as described in the above paragraphs. According to Tantric teachings, the Yellow Jambhala has his right big toe hurting a lot. As long as the practitioner requests from the Buddha some secret nectar to relieve the pain of his right big toe, the Yellow Jambhala will become compassionate and his mongoose will spit out jewels and gold coins in a shower, and endless bank notes.
As far as I know, the Black Jambhala has an affliction in his chest which is very hot and he is perplexed by having too much money. As long as the practitioner requests from the Buddhas some nectar to pour into his chest to cool him off, he will feel pleased and his mongoose will also spit out silver, gold, and treasures, whose dazzle will make the earthly people burst out "Long live the Wealth Deities!"
First, recite the invocation mantra:
"Om, bie-cha-sha-ma-ya, cha," three times.
Sit quietly and visualize the Jambhalas ascending and visualize the Dharma form of the Jambhala as the case may be (that is the Yellow Jambhala if one worships the Yellow Jambhala). Remember, the Yellow Jambhala radiates yellow light and the Black Jambhala black light. Both look angry. If you worship the Yellow Jambhala, recite his heart mantra:
"Om, Jambhala, cha-leng-cha-na-ye, sa-he," 108 times.
After that, recite the response mantra of Wealth Deities:
"Om, zhen-long-moo, sa-he," 21 times.
Now, you stand up, hold a cup of water for offering, form the three-mountain mudra with your left hand, and the sword mudra with your right hand. Then recite the nectar mantra:
"Om, sa-er-wa-se-die, hum," three times.
Visualize that your Jambhala is standing before you.
If you are worshipping the yellow Jambhala, sprinkle the nectar on the big toe of his right foot.
If you are worshipping the Black Jambhala, sprinkle the nectar onto his chest.
Now recite the verse of praise to the Wealth Deities:
"I express my reverence to all Wealth Deities who vow to bring benefit to all. You give us money, wealth, and treasures to relieve sentient beings of poverty and suffering. Your merits are extensive and perfect, beings both in Heaven and on Earth sing you high praise."
In Wealth Deity practices remember the following two most important points:
First, in worshipping Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, your mind offenses will be overlooked by most of them, for this is their great compassion for sentient beings-- as long as the offenses are unintentional, they tolerate them with a smile, and no anger rises. In worshipping Vajra gods, however, no mistake is allowed and everything must be done according to the rituals. Wealth Deities belong to Vajra gods and no negligence is to be tolerated in your worshipping. Otherwise, instead of bringing you some benefit, they may bring you misfortune. If the worshipping is not properly done, or if you show any indolence, calamities may occur. Remember this by all means!
Secondly, to the Yellow Jambhala and the Black Jambhala, make offerings of grape wine, fruit, incense, flat cakes, and biscuits. Other offerings include gold and silver containers, jewels, plants and other things. But remember, grape wine must be offered. Make your offerings every day without stop. In Wealth Deity practices, you have to practice the "four preliminaries" first, which include prostration, mandala offering, the hundred-syllable-mantra, and the Vajra heart. All these should proceed according to the rules.
He has two mantras, namely “Om Jambhala Jalandraye svāhā” and “Om Indzali Mu Kan Dzamali Svaha”
Forms & Types - Sarma:
- Black Jambhala, Bari Lotsawa
- Black Jambhala, Shakyashri Bhadra
Forms & Types:
- Yellow Jambhala (solitary)
- Yellow Jambhala (with consort)
- Yellow Jambhala (with six deities) Mitra Tradition
- Yellow Jambhala (with consort & eight paired retinue figures) Siddhaikavira Tantra
- Yellow Jambhala (three faces, six arms, consort)
- Yellow Jambhala (three faces, six arms, consort) Guhyasamaja Tradition
- Black Jambhala (solitary)
- Green Jambhala (with consort, eight retinue devi) Kalachakra Tradition
- White Jambhala (with four goddesses)
- Red Jambhala (with consort) Sakya Tradition
- Red Jambhala (three faces, six hands, consort) Gayadhara Tradition
- Red Jambhala (three faces, six hands, consort) Traba Ngonshe Tradition
- Multi-coloured Jambhala (Nyingma 'Revealed Treasure' Katog Tradition)
