Product Code Database
Cintāmaṇi (Sanskrit; Devanagari: चिन्तामणि; p=Rúyì bǎozhū; ; Korean language: 여의보주/yeouiboju; Japanese Romaji: Nyoihōju), also spelled as Chintamani (or the Chintamani Stone), is a wish-fulfilling jewel resembling a pearl described in Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. It is one of several Mani Jewel images found in Buddhist scripture.
Within Hinduism, it is connected with the gods Vishnu and Ganesha. In Hindu tradition, it is often depicted as a fabulous gemstone in the possession of Vishnu as the Kaustubha Mani or as on the forehead of the Naga king called as Naga Mani, or on the forehead of the Makara. The Yoga Vasistha, originally written in the 10th century CE, contains a story about the cintamani.Swami Venkatesananda (1984). 9780873959551, State University of New York Press. . ISBN 9780873959551
The Hindu Vishnu Purana speaks of the "Syamantaka, bestowing prosperity upon its owner, encapsulates the Yadu clan system".The Past before us: Historical traditions of early North India, Romila Thapar, Harvard, 2013 The Vishnu Purana is attributed to the mid-first millennium CE.
In Buddhism, it is held by the Bodhisattva (divine beings with great compassion, wisdom and power) Avalokiteshvara and Ksitigarbha. It is also seen carried upon the back of the Wind horse (wind horse) which is depicted on Tibetan prayer flags. By reciting the Dharani (small hymn) of Cintamani, Buddhist tradition maintains that one attains the Wisdom of Buddha, able to understand the truth of the Buddha, and turn afflictions into Bodhi. It is said to allow one to see the Holy Retinue of Amitabha and assembly upon one's deathbed. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition the Chintamani is sometimes depicted as a luminous pearl and is in the possession of several of different forms of the Buddha.R. A. Donkin, Beyond price: pearls and pearl-fishing : origins to the Age of Discoveries, American Philosophical Society, 1998. . p. 170
In Japan, where the Hindu goddess Lakshmi is known as Kisshōten in Shinto, she is commonly depicted with a Cintāmaṇi in her hand.
The Bhagavata Purana remarks that the cintamani may give worldly pleasures and affluence in Svarga, but spiritual advancement allows one to attain Vaikuntha, the realm of Vishnu that is difficult to achieve, even for yogins. The Kintamani mountainous region in Bali was named after the Cintamani.
One of the manifestation of Avalokitesvara is named Cintāmaṇicakra and holds a Cintāmaṇi.
In Tibetan Buddhism the Cintāmaṇi is said to be one of four that came in a chest that fell from the sky (many terma fell from the sky in caskets) during the reign of king Lha Thothori Nyantsen of Tibet. Though the king did not understand the purpose of the objects, he kept them in a position of reverence. Several years later, two mysterious strangers appeared at the court of the king, explaining the four relics, which included the Buddha's bowl (possibly a Singing Bowl) and a mani stone with the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra inscribed on it. These few objects were the bringers of the Dharma to Tibet.
|
|
