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Vasudhara
Vasudhara
Sanskrit वसुधारा
Vasudhārā
Chinese (Traditional)
持世菩薩
(Simplified)
持世菩萨
(Pinyin: Chíshì Púsà)
(Traditional)
財源天母
(Simplified)
财源天母
(Pinyin: Cáiyuán Tiānmǔ)
Japanese
(romaji: Jise Bosatsu)
Korean 지세보살
(RR: Jije Bosal)
Tagalog Basudhala
Thai พระนางวสุนธาราโพธิสัตว์
พระวสุธารา
Tibetan ནོར་རྒྱུན་མ་
Wylie: nor rgyun ma
Information
Venerated by Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna
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Mantra[edit]
Her mantra is "Om Śri Vasudhara Ratna Nidhana Kashetri Svāhā", when one
takes up Vasudhara practice, 800 mantras (8 rounds of a mala) should be recited
on the first day, then 300 mantras (3 rounds of a mala) on every day afterwards,
one mala's worth of mantras in the morning, when time permits before work,
another mala's worth of mantras when time permits in the late
afternoon/evening, perhaps after work, the final mala's worth of mantras before
sleeping, or 3 malas all at once any time of the day. It is said that devotees will
accumulate 7 kinds of prosperity - wealth, quality, offspring, long life,
happiness, praise and wisdom, enabling her devotees to be better equipped to
practise generosity, in itself a cause for wealth, as well as having enough
resources to be able to engage in spiritual practices. It also believed her practise
leads to Enlightenment.
Legends[edit]
The Inquiry of the Layman Sucandra[edit]
The origin of Vasudhārā in Buddhism appears in the Buddhist text The
Vasudhara Dharani.[4] According to a legend in the text known as “The Inquiry
of the Layman Sucandra,” an impoverished layman named Sucandra approaches
the Buddha Shakyamuni requesting a way to obtain large amounts of gold,
grain, silver, and gems in order to feed his large family and engage in acts of
charity with the surplus fortune. Shakyamuni, aware of a mantra about the
bodhisattva Vasudhara that would suit his purposes, bestows Sucandra with an
incantation and religious ritual that when followed would result in good fortune
and prosperity brought on by Vasudhara herself. Upon commencing the rituals
and teaching them to others, Sucandra begins to prosper. Noticing his success,
the monk Ananda asked Shakyamuni how he had obtained this fortune so
quickly. Shakyamuni instructs Ananda to also practice the Vasudhara Dharani
and “impart it to others ‘for the good of many’.”.[4]
Like the legend of the Inquiry of the Layman Sucandra" these legends are
significant because they encourage both the lay and monastic worship of
Vasudhara.[4] In addition, they stress the importance of charity, teaching
worshippers to share in their good fortune rather than amassing it for
themselves.
Despite this consistency in her representations, the number of her arms may
differ from image to image. In visual representations, Vasudhara can have as
few as two arms and as many as six. The two-armed representations are more
common in Tibetan art and Indian art, while six-armed representations are
almost exclusive to Nepalese art.[8] Although the six-armed image originates in
India, they are rare and only few examples have been found.
Mandala[edit]
In Tibetan Buddhism[edit]
In addition to her popularity in Nepal, Vasudhara is also an important “wealth
deity” in Tibetan Buddhism.[15] Although popular in Tibet, Vasudhara does not
assume as important a role as she does in Newar Buddhism. In Tibet, the
worship of Vasudhara is limited to mostly lay people as opposed to worship by
both lay and monastic life. This is because Tibetan monastic life regards
Vasudhara as a “benefactor of the laity” and instead primarily engages in the
worship of the goddess Tara for all their needs.[15] This, however, does not mean
that monastic life disregards her completely. They do perform rites and rituals
to the goddess habitually but it is usually at the request of a patron. She is
considered to be one of the 21 Taras, also known as "Golden/Yellow Tara"
Tibetan: Dolma Sermo, another name is Norgyunma.
Differences in Iconography[edit]
The iconography of Vasudhara varies slightly in this region. In Tibetan art she
appears more commonly with two arms. The six-armed representations,
however, also exist and it is believed they filtered into Tibet through Nepal
because of the late appearance of these images in manuscripts and art.
[15]
Unlike Newar art Vasudhara rarely appears alone in Tibetan art. Instead she
is paired with Jambhala or appears alongside other deities.[16] Despite these
slight differences, most of her iconography remains unchanged and Vasudhara
can be easily recognized by her attributes in most Buddhist art.
See also[edit]
Lakshmi
o Kisshōten -- Lakshmi's Shinto counterpart
Bodhisattva
Phra Mae Thorani cult of Vasudhara peculiar to people of Burma,
Cambodia, Thailand and Laos
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]