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The King of Wealth Gods Among the Ten Directions - Prabhūtaratna Buddha
Buddhism believes that the universe is infinite in both time and space. So in the far east of the human world, besides the Pure Lapis Lazuli World of Bhaisajyaguru Buddha and the Wonderful Joy World of Akshobhya Buddha, there is also an Eastern Pure Treasure World. The main Buddha of this pure land is Prabhūtaratna Buddha. The Lotus Sutra records that when Buddha was preaching the Lotus Sutra, a seven-jeweled stupa emerged from the ground and stayed in the air. A great voice came from the stupa, praising: "Excellent! Excellent! Shakyamuni Buddha can teach the Bodhisattva Dharma with equal great wisdom. The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra, which is protected by the Buddha, is preached to the masses. It is so, it is so, Shakyamuni Buddha, what has been said is all true." At this time, Buddha told the Bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna: "There is the whole body of a Tathagata in this jeweled stupa. In the past, in the eastern direction, countless thousands of millions of asaṃkhyeyas of worlds away, there was a country named Pure Treasure, and there was a Buddha named Prabhūtaratna. When this Buddha was practicing the Bodhisattva path, he made a great vow: 'If I become a Buddha, after my nirvana, in the lands of the ten directions where the Lotus Sutra is preached, my stupa temple will appear before it to listen to this sutra, to bear witness and praise, saying excellent!'"
Prabhūtaratna Buddha is the main Buddha of the Eastern Pure Treasure World and is the King of Wealth Gods among the Ten Directions. Encountering the dharma gate of Prabhūtaratna Buddha is profound and extraordinary, bringing supreme blessings. It can fulfill all worldly enjoyments, with abundant wealth and constant good connections, not being troubled by material environments.
To practice this method, one must believe in oneself, already possessing all the compassion, wisdom, treasures, merits, and achievements of Prabhūtaratna Buddha. If one practices with the mind of seeking wealth, it would be far from the proper way. One should practice with compassion, wisdom, and unlimited abundance to benefit sentient beings and help all creatures. With this mindset and belief in practice, those who are currently without money will become very wealthy, those whose careers are not smooth will become very successful, and life will become very bright, smooth, and auspicious. This is the supreme secret of all practices.
When people have true compassion, wisdom comes naturally. When people have enough wisdom, wealth comes naturally. Always remember sentient beings, create wealth for sentient beings. For example, when seeing poor people, help them chant "Namo Prabhūtaratna Buddha" to eliminate the evil cause of greed and stinginess. Wish that greedy people will no longer be greedy, increase blessings and wealth, stay away from evil conditions, cool body and mind, liberate from afflictions, receive the blessing of jewel victory, and fulfill wishes. Only by adding blessings for others can one receive blessings, and only then can one's wishes be extraordinary. Seeking for oneself is difficult to eliminate disasters and increase blessings. The way of heaven is public, and the Buddha's dharma is compassionate. Rather wish for all beings to be free from suffering than seek comfort for oneself. With this bodhicitta, all vows are extraordinary.
Namo Prabhūtaratna Buddha!
The King of Wealth Gods - Medicine Buddha
When introducing the Medicine Buddha dharma, it is often mentioned that practicing the Medicine Buddha dharma has the merit of adding blessings and increasing wealth. Therefore, some people call Medicine Buddha the Wealth God in Buddhism. In fact, this statement is not groundless. We can learn from the scriptures that Medicine Buddha indeed made vows to help all sentient beings obtain blessings and wealth based on his compassion for all poor and suffering beings. Of course, it's not just worldly wealth, but even the dharma wealth of the world-transcending path, which is meant for sentient beings to enjoy endlessly.
So Medicine Buddha is not just a Wealth God, more accurately, he should be the "King of Wealth Gods". This is because the Wealth Gods among the Yaksha Generals and Vaiśravaṇa (the Guardian of the North who bestows blessings on sentient beings) among the Four Heavenly Kings have all vowed to protect the dharma of Medicine Buddha. Moreover, Medicine Buddha is the ultimate awakened one in the universe, whose wisdom and blessings are incomparable to ordinary Wealth Gods. Therefore, this article says that Medicine Buddha is actually the supreme king among Wealth Gods.
The sutras mention:
- The Third Great Vow: When I attain Bodhi in the future, with immeasurable and boundless wisdom and skillful means, I will enable all sentient beings to obtain inexhaustible enjoyments, not letting any being be in want. (Xuanzang's version)
- The Twelfth Vow: In my future life, if there are sentient beings who are poor, cold, and naked, they will immediately obtain clothes. Those who are destitute will be given precious treasures. Their granaries and treasuries will be full and lacking nothing. All will receive immeasurable joy and happiness. There will not be even one person suffering. May all sentient beings have joyful faces, handsome appearances that people love to see, and receive immeasurable supreme sounds of qin, se, drums, and flutes. (Jin Dynasty translation)
- Hearing me speak of this Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light, each will obtain their heart's desire. Officials will all be promoted. Wealth will naturally increase. Food and drink will be abundant, and all will obtain wealth and nobility. (Jin Dynasty translation)
- Or they will be born in Kshatriya, Brahmin, or great householder families, with abundant wealth, full granaries and treasuries, handsome appearances, complete retinues, intelligent wisdom, brave and powerful like great strong men. (Xuanzang's version)
- Whatever they wish for, all will be fulfilled: those seeking longevity will obtain longevity, those seeking wealth will obtain wealth, those seeking official positions will obtain official positions, those seeking sons and daughters will obtain sons and daughters. (Xuanzang's version)
From the above scriptures, it is clear that Medicine Buddha wants to give all poor and suffering beings endless blessings and wealth, such as: "enabling all sentient beings to obtain inexhaustible enjoyments, not letting any being be in want", "those who are destitute will be given precious treasures. Their granaries and treasuries will be full and lacking nothing", "wealth will naturally increase. Food and drink will be abundant, and all will obtain wealth and nobility", "or they will be born in Kshatriya, Brahmin, or great householder families, with abundant wealth, full granaries and treasuries", "those seeking wealth will obtain wealth", and so on. Therefore, sincerely and exclusively reciting Medicine Buddha's name to invoke the blessing of Medicine Buddha's great vows can indeed increase one's blessings and wealth, which is indeed proven by the scriptures.
The "Commentary on the Medicine Buddha Sutra" explains: "Enjoyments refer to the four necessities and seven treasures of the world..."
The four necessities refer to: "clothing, food, bedding, and medicine, or clothing, food, medicine, and housing, etc."
The seven treasures refer to: "seven kinds of precious treasures: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, agate, red pearls, and carnelian."
In summary, this reflects Medicine Buddha's compassionate heart to eliminate all the afflictions and sufferings of sentient beings. Sinful ordinary beings in the cycle of birth and death, due to evil karma created in previous lives, receive the retribution of poverty and lowliness in this life. Medicine Buddha, unable to bear the suffering of sentient beings, vows to help these beings live happy and blessed lives. It's like parents willing to earn wealth for their children to let them live comfortable and wealthy lives, or virtuous leaders who have compassion for suffering people and propose policies to improve their lives. Medicine Buddha is the same. In the Medicine Buddha Sutra of the Jin Dynasty translation, it is explained more clearly and thoroughly. The sutra says: "In my future life: if there are sentient beings who are poor, cold, and naked, they will immediately obtain clothes. Those who are destitute will be given precious treasures. Their granaries and treasuries will be full and lacking nothing. All will receive immeasurable joy and happiness. There will not be even one person suffering. May all sentient beings have joyful faces, handsome appearances that people love to see, and receive immeasurable supreme sounds of qin, se, drums, and flutes for all countless sentient beings!"
The Number One Wealth God in the World - Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva
Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, also known as Space Womb Bodhisattva, possesses two treasures of merit and wisdom, infinite and boundless, as vast as space, hence the name Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva. He can produce infinite treasures to fulfill all the desires of sentient beings, so he is the most fundamental wealth deity, with the secret name of Wish-Fulfilling Vajra, Wealth and Nobility Vajra, and Inexhaustible Vajra.
Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is also a Bodhisattva in Esoteric Buddhism, encompassing all merits like space, hence the name "Ākāśagarbha". The Great Assembly Sutra - Ākāśagarbha Chapter says: There was a wealthy and noble elder whose storehouse contained countless treasures. He enjoyed doing good and giving alms. All poor people who came to him for help, this elder would open his treasure house and fulfill their wishes. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is just like him: "Obtaining the supernatural power of the Tathagata, in space, according to what sentient beings seek, whether it's the gift of Dharma or material gifts, he can give them all, making sentient beings joyful and exuberant."
The Great Vaipulya Mahāsannipāta Sūtra records that the Buddha told Subāhu Bodhisattva that Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, in his past lives, when Universal Light King Tathagata appeared in the world, was born as the son of a wheel-turning sage king due to his meritorious virtues, named Lion Progress. Along with several princes, he renounced the throne and left home to cultivate the Way. Later, to tame the arrogant mind of King Meritorious Adornment, he demonstrated countless supernatural transformations, raining down various wonderful objects from the sky, such as various flowers and incenses, powdered incense, anointing incense, silk canopies, banners and flags, producing various heavenly music, food and drink, necklaces, clothes, precious jewels, etc., all falling from the sky, filling the three thousand great thousand worlds and satisfying all sentient beings, who were extremely delighted. At this time, all earth gods, heavenly gods, up to the Akanistha Heaven were also joyful and exuberant, praising in unison: "This great Bodhisattva can be named Ākāśagarbha, as he can rain down countless and infinite treasures from space to satisfy all." Universal Light Tathagata predicted him to be Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva.
The "Betsuzon Zaki" records: "Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva represents the merit and blessing accumulations of requesting Buddhas from ten directions as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Yogic practitioners of this dharma gate can quickly achieve all desired treasures and can obtain the great mani jewel." The "Commentary on the Mahavairocana Sutra" records that this Bodhisattva is indestructible like space, undefeatable by all, hence the name "Space". "Garbha" is like a person having a great treasure house, giving to all who need, taking at will, never experiencing poverty. The Tathagata's space treasure house is just like this. All things that benefit and bring joy to sentient beings are countless dharma treasures appearing from space, freely enjoyed, never exhausted, so it's called Ākāśagarbha. This treasure house can give rise to all Buddha affairs. The "Rishukyo" records that he represents the true suchness merit accumulations of all Tathagatas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, but sentient beings with little merit cannot receive and enjoy them. Therefore, these merits are called the hidden treasures. This Bodhisattva, out of compassion for sentient beings, widely opens the dharma realm treasure house, producing countless and infinite vajra seven treasures, bestowing them upon all sentient beings.
The "Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sutra" narrates that when the Buddha was residing on Mount Khalatika, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, carrying the entrustment of Victorious Flower Unfolding Treasure Buddha, along with 1.8 billion Bodhisattvas, came from the Fragrant Accumulation Dependence World in the west to this Saha world. With his supernatural power, he transformed the Saha world into a pure Buddha land, making all the listeners hold wish-fulfilling mani jewels in both hands. The light from the jewels illuminated the worlds in ten directions, various heavenly music circled in the sky, producing countless treasures.
Many people who originally didn't believe in Buddhism worship deities purely for seeking wealth. Such people generally worship Guan Gong or the Wealth God Zhao Gongming. It is suggested that for such people, we can advise them to worship Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva has a space treasury and can rain all kinds of precious treasures.
Worshipping Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva can not only lead to rebirth in the Pure Land, peace, health, longevity, disaster avoidance, but also to seek official positions and wealth.
The Chief Wealth God in Tibetan Buddhism - Yellow Jambhala
Yellow Jambhala Heart Mantra (Sanskrit transliterated into Chinese): Om Jambhala Jalendraye Svaha.
Reciting this mantra eliminates sorrow and worry, brings sufficiency in clothing and food, wealth and treasures, increases wisdom and knowledge, and brings health and longevity.
Yellow Jambhala, whose Tibetan name is Dzambhala, is a protective deity in Esoteric Buddhism and the chief of all wealth gods. Yellow Jambhala is one of the five clan wealth gods commonly worshipped in various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Because of his yellow body color, he is called Yellow Jambhala. Yellow Jambhala was originally a term in religious studies, referring to the nine types of meditation practiced by Mahayana Bodhisattvas in religious esoteric language, namely self-nature meditation, all meditation, difficult meditation, all-door meditation, good person meditation, all-action meditation, affliction-removing meditation, this world and other world joy meditation, and pure purification meditation. The Shingon school considers that among the ten stages of mind, the first nine stages are exoteric teachings, and the last stage is esoteric teaching, hence the saying "nine exoteric and one esoteric."
To allow esoteric practitioners to have wealth to spread the Dharma and benefit sentient beings, and not be constrained by life so they can focus on the path, he specially grants practitioners abundant wealth. Yellow Jambhala has one face and two arms, wears a five Buddha crown as a headdress, is short and pot-bellied, with strong arms. His right hand holds a wish-fulfilling jewel, and his left hand holds a mongoose that spits treasures. He wears celestial garments, adorned with blue lotuses and jeweled necklaces, with a rosary hanging on his chest. His left foot is bent, and his right foot steps on a conch treasure, sitting in a wish-fulfilling posture on a lotus moon disc.
Yellow Jambhala is one of the five clan wealth gods commonly worshipped in various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Because of his yellow body color, he is called Yellow Jambhala. Practicing the Yellow Jambhala method and reciting his secret mantra can obtain the protection of Yellow Jambhala, increase merit, longevity, intelligence, material and spiritual enjoyments, not be constrained by life, and all economic pressures, allowing one to focus on the path. However, practitioners need to generate the supreme bodhicitta, widely create good connections, and diligently practice giving.
Mahakala: The Supreme Wealth Deity of Tang Dynasty Esoteric Buddhism
Mahakala (Sanskrit: Mahākāla, Tibetan: མགོན་པོ་) is also known as Great Black, Great Time, Great Black God, or Great Black Heavenly God. It can also be directly transliterated as Mahakala, Mohegeluo, or Mahakaala.
Mahakala embodies three divine attributes: war god, wealth deity, and lord of the underworld.
In Tang Dynasty and Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, Mahakala is primarily worshipped as a wealth deity. Although Mahakala translates to Great Black Heavenly God, the deity's form and practices differ between Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist traditions. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahakala serves as a protector of advanced practitioners on the path to enlightenment, while in Chinese Buddhism, he is worshipped to support one's spiritual journey.
Regarding his role as a wealth deity, Hinduism considers Mahakala an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the Trimurti. Buddhism views him as a manifestation of the Earth Goddess, who nurtures all living things.
In the "Mahakala Deity Method" recorded by Shenkai at Jiaxiang Temple, the deity's powers of wealth are described in great detail:
"Mahakala is a transformation of Mahesvara. He is enshrined in all temples across the Five Regions of India and in our country. Some say Mahakala is an incarnation of the Earth Goddess. When installed in a temple and offered daily rice, he vows in dreams: 'If I am enshrined in a temple and given daily offerings, I will ensure the temple houses many monks and feeds a thousand people daily. The same applies to private homes. If someone devotedly worships me for three years, I will surely come and grant them worldly riches, including official positions and noble ranks. I will fulfill all their wishes.'"
Many temples in the Five Regions of India and Tang Dynasty China installed and worshipped Mahakala, offering him daily cooked rice. This shows how widely revered this deity was.
Mahakala's dream revelation states: If you enshrine me in a temple and make daily offerings, I will ensure the temple houses many monks and feeds a thousand people daily. This applies not only to temples but also to private homes. The attainment method of Ucchusma also mentions feeding a thousand people daily. Therefore, if you worship Mahakala or Ucchusma, supporting yourself and your loved ones won't be an issue.
Mahakala says that if you worship him wholeheartedly for three years, he will surely come to receive offerings and bestow worldly riches upon the practitioner, including official positions and noble ranks, granting all wishes.
Regarding the three-year period, the significance has been explained in yesterday's "Three-Year Covenant" article. If Mahakala personally appears within these three years and grants riches and attainments, prosperity will follow.
If one regularly recites Mahakala's mantra and makes offerings of various delicacies during the fifth watch (3-5 AM), Mahakala will definitely bestow wealth.
Those who worship should think of this deity as their parents. He protects the Three Jewels externally and becomes like a parent to all people. I have long heard that in India and our Tang Dynasty, all temples that enshrine and worship this deity become prosperous. To dispel doubts for future generations, I have recorded this based on a traveler's dream.
White Jambhala - The White Wealth Deity
White Jambhala Mantra: Om Padma Krodha Arya Jambhala Siddhaya Hum Phat
White Jambhala, also known as the White Treasure King, is a compassionate manifestation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. His body is as white as snow-capped mountains, symbolizing the removal of all impurities caused by poverty. He has one face and two arms, with a peaceful and kind expression tinged with slight anger. His three round eyes represent his compassionate gaze upon sentient beings of the three times. His hair is reddish-orange and curly.
His right hand holds a treasure staff raised in the air, while his left hand grasps a wish-fulfilling mongoose. A trident is tucked under his left arm, representing the convergence of all wealth deities' virtues to relieve the suffering of hungry beings. He wears a jeweled crown, colorful ribbons, and celestial silk garments. Seated in a playful posture on a blue dragon, the dragon mount symbolizes the elimination of poverty for oneself and others.
This White Jambhala practice is specifically for practitioners to attain material wealth, and its merits are great. This is the power of White Jambhala's vows. Practicing this deity's method can eliminate the suffering of poverty and illness, remove karmic obstacles, increase favorable conditions, and ensure abundant resources. The practitioner should cultivate the great compassion of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva as the foundation, regularly perform formless charity, and care for the poor and needy. Naturally, their wishes will be fulfilled. It is crucial not to use the acquired wealth solely for personal enjoyment. The best offerings for wealth deities are round dough balls made from the "three whites" (cow's milk, yogurt, and flour) and the "three sweets" (white sugar, honey, and rock sugar).
White Jambhala is another wealth deity in Tibetan Buddhism, called "Zambala Karpo" in Tibetan, meaning White Wealth God. Because he rides a dragon, he is also known as the Dragon-Riding Jambhala Vajra. This wealth deity differs slightly from Yellow Jambhala and Black Jambhala, as he has a completely wrathful appearance. He wears a crown of five skulls with flames of wrath above his head. He has three eyes and a wide-open mouth. His left hand holds a trident, and his right hand holds a short club, sometimes replaced by a rope held at chest level. He sits in a relaxed posture on a dragon, which has its head and tail raised high, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. The dragon has four legs, with its front right foot stepping on a round object, likely a treasure related to his wealth-bestowing role. This wealth deity is also commonly seen in Lama temples.
Red Jambhala - The Red Wealth Deity
Red Jambhala Mantra: Om Jambhala Jalendraya Svaha
Red Jambhala has the power to gather people, wealth, food, and all kinds of resources, bestowing prosperity and abundance. Red Jambhala is an incredibly meritorious wealth deity in the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya tradition places great importance on the secret practices and teachings of Red Jambhala. Red Jambhala has one face and two arms, with eyes expressing both benevolence and wrath. He is adorned with various jewels and wears a crown of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. In ancient times, kings and nobles often practiced this method, finding it easy to connect with, as it is a practice of love and attraction. Red Jambhala wears a jeweled crown, holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in his right hand, and grasps a wish-fulfilling mongoose in his left hand. His right leg is extended while his left is bent, standing on a lotus and moon disc. By practicing Red Jambhala's method and reciting his mantra, one can receive Red Jambhala's protection, experience abundant wealth, and be free from poverty and all economic difficulties. The results of this practice also depend on the practitioner's motivation. Those who generate the supreme bodhicitta can achieve perfection in both worldly and transcendent merits. Those seeking worldly wealth can have their wishes fulfilled, while those in extreme poverty can at least gain the benefit of having sufficient food.
Vaisravana - One of the Twelve Devas
The worship of Vaisravana was very popular during China's Tang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong was able to quell several rebellions thanks to Vaisravana's protection, so he specially ordered his worship. The Tang Dynasty armies all used flags bearing the image of Vaisravana, known as the "Heavenly King Flag," to ensure military success.
After Buddhism was introduced to Japan, many warlords during the Sengoku period became devout Buddhists. A famous "Vaisravana Avatar" emerged - Uesugi Kenshin, the war god of Echigo, who claimed to be an incarnation of Vaisravana. His military flag featured the character "毘" (an alternate form of "毗").
Vaisravana was also incorporated into Japanese folk beliefs as one of the Seven Lucky Gods. Japanese folklore tells of a temple dedicated to Vaisravana where monks could obtain food simply by throwing an empty bowl into the air.
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