The Five Jambhalas
The Five Directional Wealth Deities
The Five Directional Wealth Deities |
| Apart from the Five Jambhalas of Vajrayana who can make people gain property, a good many of earthly ghosts are also able to do the same thing. However, earthly ghosts fail to understand cause and effect. Having received offerings from the man’s world, they will commit the precept of theft for the sake of their selfish interests by stealing others’ properties so as to give them back to the ones who have offered them sacrifices. Five Ghosts Transfer Wealth Magic (五鬼運財法) is an example of tactics of Wrong Views. The Jambhala Practices that are blessed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not have any negative effects (unfavourable retributions). In general, the cultivation of the Jambhala Practices of Vajrayana is only done for the need of rescuing sentient beings instead of leading a pleasant life for practitioners themselves. If the livelihood of practitioners is really so poor that there is even not enough food for them to support their lives, the Jambhala Practices can then be cultivated to improve the conditions of their personal lives under such circumstances though the practitioners are pretty unlikely to become very rich. The Five Jambhalas will not steal others’ properties and transfer them for the utilization of their donors or worshippers. Generally speaking, when you are blessed by the Jambhalas, the blessings are mainly based on your ‘current occupation’ as well as ‘the link in your previous existences’! The Jambhalas will find those who have ever had affinities with the practitioners/donors and worshippers in the past to come and help you (it is exactly as said in the Chinese proverb that one can get unexpected help得到貴人相助). If the practitioner has never sown any good relationship with others in his/her past life, the issue will become complicated; In that case, it is the Jambhalas who will grant the treasure to the practitioner directly and this is known as Dana of the Jambhalas. If the practitioners/donors and worshippers did neither good deeds with merits accumulated in their previous lives nor did they plant the cause of donating the poor, even the Five Jambhalas are unable to give Dana to the practitioners/donors and worshippers. In addition, Bodhisattvas sometimes give blessings to practitioners who cultivate the Jambhala Practices of Vajrayana by converting their mahabhuta (the four elements of which all things are made, i.e. earth, water, fire and wind/air) so that they can obtain some of the possession they need to rescue sentient beings. Yet, the practitioners must make the great vow of rescuing sentient beings and have to be abided by compassion as well, or else they will not attain any achievements in their Jambhala Practices. 【The Nirvana Sutra】(【涅槃經】) says, “If one has taken refuge to the Three Jewels (歸依三寶, they are the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha), it means that one is being a right intimate servant (who serves the Three Jewels and undertakes to obey the five commandments). Hence, one should not take refuge to any other deities. Those who have taken refuge to the Right Dharma (歸依正法) should stay away from the mind of killing any sattvas (living beings, creatures, persons or sentient beings that are endowed with consciousness). Having taken refuge to the Sangha (歸依僧伽), one should never live with the Tirthika (non-Buddhists).” ‘Being a right intimate servant’ refers to the fact that after one has sincerely taken refuge to the Three Jewels, one will gradually accomplish the right pure kindness as well as getting progressively closer to Nirvana. As a result, one will no longer take refuge to other deities after one has taken refuge to the Buddha. Even with devas from Mahesvara, which is the highest in Rupaloka (the Form Realm), and Vishnu etc., Buddhists will not take refuge to them anymore, let alone the ghosts, mountain spirits, dragon deities etc. from Kamaloka (the Desire Realm). The main reason is that all these deities have not yet separated themselves from the Three Realms (Sanskrit: Trailokya) and are remaining in Samsara (i.e. reincarnation, the endless cycle of birth, rebirth and death) instead. If we have taken refuge to them, how can we be able to release ourselves from Samsara? Therefore, Buddhists should never disbelieve the Three Jewels but take refuge to those who have not yet released themselves from the Three Realms. Though Buddhists do not take refuge to the various devas, we do show great respect to them because various devas have taken refuge to the Buddha. They practice in accordance with the Right Dharma, protecting and upholding the correct teachings as well as doing wholesome activities but not evil livelihood. |