Materials: Copper, Cast, Gilded, Gold-Plated

Dimensions: Height: 32 cm, Length: 43 cm, Width: 25 cm

Description:

Yellow Jambhala (also known as Dzambhala) is an important wealth guardian deity in Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana), primarily symbolizing prosperity, generosity, and abundance. Rather than encouraging the greedy accumulation of wealth, he helps practitioners overcome the obstacles of poverty, providing material and spiritual stability and enabling them to focus on Buddhist practice and the practice of generosity (dana). In Buddhist rituals, Dzambhala serves as a "guide of wealth." His power is invoked through specific rituals to cultivate bodhichitta, an awakened mind motivated by compassion. Practitioners believe that through his blessings, they can achieve financial stability, enabling them to support others, make offerings to the Sangha, and avoid the suffering caused by poverty.

Specific practices within the ritual include:

- **Visualization**: Practitioners imagine Yellow Jambhala as a fully awakened Buddha, radiating yellow light, seated on a lotus, sun disc, and moon disc. He holds a bijapuraka (a lemon fruit, symbolizing wealth and abundance) in his right hand and a mongoose (a treasure-spitting rat, symbolizing the emanation of endless gems, representing victory over greed) in his left hand. This visualization helps transform the three internal poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, particularly greed.

- **Mantra Recitation**: The primary mantra is "Om Jambhala Jalendraye Svaha" (or its Tibetan variant, "Om Dzambhala Dzalen Traye Svaha"), which praises the Buddha's body, speech, and mind. This mantra invokes Yellow Jambhala to dispel financial obstacles and bring material and spiritual abundance. Reciting this mantra attracts auspicious conditions and increases virtue, longevity, and wisdom.

- **Offerings**: A common ritual involves pouring water on the head of the Yellow Jambhala statue, symbolizing the Buddha's nectar blessings. This is believed to bestow two kinds of wealth upon practitioners: material wealth (for living and generosity) and spiritual wealth (wisdom and compassion). Other offerings include incense, flowers, crystals, or gemstones, with the goal of accumulating merit and sharing in abundance.

Mandala Practice: Dzambala is often depicted as the centerpiece of the Five Wealth Deities (yellow, white, black, green, and red) in mandala rituals for both group and individual practice, emphasizing the use of wealth for altruism rather than self-interest.

These rituals are often performed by lay believers and monks, particularly in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, to pray for economic stability to support the spread of the Dharma. Dzambala's role emphasizes "generous prosperity," in line with the Buddha's teaching in the Vyagghapajja Sutta: righteously acquired wealth should be used for self-benefit and altruism, avoiding negative karma.

Origin of Dzambala

Dzambala's origins can be traced back to early Buddhist tantric texts such as the Siddhaikavira Tantra and the Manjushri Mula Kalpa Tantra. He is an emanation of Ratnasambhava and belongs to the southern Ratna family, symbolizing the earth element, abundance, and equality. As an awakened deity in the Vajrayana tradition, Yellow Jambhala is considered a manifestation of the compassionate bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, using wealth as a skillful means to alleviate the suffering of sentient beings.

Of the five wealth deities, Yellow Jambhala is the principal one, representing supreme generosity and stable prosperity. The other four originate from different Buddhist families: White Jambhala (from the Avalokiteshvara family, representing spiritual clarity), Black Jambhala (from the Vajrapani family, representing protection), Green Jambhala (from the Amoghasiddhi family, representing action), and Red Jambhala (from the Amitabha family, representing attraction). These five deities initially appeared separately in various texts but were later integrated into mandala practice. Jambhala is often depicted as a majestic, golden deity wearing a crown and richly adorned with jewels, seated on a throne. This emphasizes his status as the "precious golden deity," derived from the Sanskrit word "Jambhala" (Jam: gathering, Bhah: gold, La: glory).

Stories Related to Jambhala

Several major legends of Jambhala emphasize themes of compassion, protection, and generosity. The most famous story is from the Maha Prajnaparamita Sutra:

While Shakyamuni Buddha was preaching, his cousin Devadatta, out of jealousy, attempted to kill him by throwing a boulder from a cliff. Five wealth deities immediately appeared and surrounded the Buddha to protect him. Yellow and White Jambhala were struck in the head, and Black Jambhala was struck in the abdomen, but they successfully parried the blows, saving the Buddha's life. Moved by their selflessness, the Buddha reached out and poured out the nectar of wisdom, compassion, and love from his water jar, healing their wounds and purifying their bodies and minds, leading them to a state of bliss. Yellow Jambhala and his companions bowed in gratitude. The Buddha then said to him, "Since I have healed you and poured out holy nectar, if my future disciples or their disciples call upon your power and pour water on your head, you must grant them both kinds of wealth: material and spiritual, but especially spiritual." Yellow Jambhala vowed to comply. This story established the tradition of pouring water offerings, symbolizing the elimination of poverty and the increase of merit.

Another story depicts Yellow Jambhala as the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Karuna), who was attacked by a demon while helping sentient beings and suffered a head injury. The Buddha appeared, healed him with a vase of nectar, and bestowed upon him the power of wealth, making him a protector against misfortune and a guide to balanced abundance. This legend emphasizes that Yellow Jambhala is not only a giver of wealth but also a guardian against poverty and greed, drawing inspiration from the ancient Indian mythology of the rat defeating the snake (a symbol of greed).

These stories emphasize Yellow Jambhala's essence as a tool of compassion, used to eliminate poverty in the six realms, cultivate generosity, and ultimately guide sentient beings towards enlightenment.