The Five Jambhalas - The Five Directional Wealth Deities

The Five Jambhalas

Jambhalas, who have achieved Enlightenment through their practices of Dana Paramita and gradually attained the state of Buddhahood, are the incarnations (of Buddhas of Wealth and Prosperity) so as to benefit sentient beings; it is said :

The Five Directional Wealth Deities

The Five Directional Wealth Deities are divinities that are commonly believed in among the Han Chinese/Han Folk (漢族). Being the target that people worship as well as enshrine to look forward to having a fortune, the Five Directional Wealth Deities also symbolize people’s aspirations that evil demons and calamities can be exorcised and eliminated while an easy, comfortable life and blessings are welcomed.

‘Xuantan Zhenjun Zhao Gong Ming’(玄壇真君趙公明), who ranks the top among the Five Directional Wealth Deities, leads four other deities namely, ‘The Deity of Collecting Treasures Xiao Sheng’(招寶天尊蕭升), ‘The Deity of Collecting Valuables Cao Bao’(納珍天尊曹寶), ‘The Deity of Attracting Wealth Chen Jiu Gong’(招財使者陳九公) and ‘Deity of Profitability Yao Shao Si’ (利市仙官姚少司). The four deities specialize in taking

charge of welcoming an easy, comfortable life and blessings as well as the trading of merchants. Therefore, Xuantan Zhenjun together with his four followers is known as the Five Directional Wealth Deities.

Being worshipped by the non-Buddhists, ‘The Five Directional Wealth Deities’ are earthly divinities that have different denotations and distinct stratification. The Internet nowadays is so flourishing that there is a glut of information about them, hence we hereby are not making a detailed introduction of them.

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.

According to 【Golden Light Sutra】(【金光明經】), during the Golden Light Assembly, the various Devas had expressed their minds of Bodhi in front of the Buddha one by one. They all promised to edict the Dharma of the Tathagata in person and upheld the responsibilities entrusted by the Dharma King (Buddha Sakyamuni). They have been patrolling the man’s world from then on so as to assist and support virtuous people with

compassionate hearts. While the virtuous are rewarded, the wicked are punished. Thus, there are elegant ceremonies in Buddhism that offerings are not only made to the Buddha, but also to the various deities who are offered with delicious food. Nevertheless, if disciples who believe in the Three Jewels with pure faith wish to produce some Buddha works according to the Dharma, they can pray for the assistance of these

deities. For example, let’s say it is for the sake of building a temple or setting up a practice site that one cultivates the Jambhala Practices (for instance: Dhanada, who is one of the Four Deva Kings from the Kamaloka, was once a Wealth Deity in ancient India) to pray for the help from the Jambhalas; or cultivates the Dakini Dharmapala (benevolent deities who protect the Dharma) Practice from which we hope that the

Dakini Dharmapala can help us clear certain obstacles in our practices etc. The situation is just like ‘donors’ and ‘receivers’ that the former serves as the sahita (a Sanskrit word that means a companion助伴) of the latter who has enabled him/her to survive. It is also like the case that doctors are sahitas of

patients in the sense that they have cured them. In short, (the seeking of help from the various deities) has to be reasonable and acted according to the Dharma before it can be regarded as appropriate.

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