The Mantra of The White Umbrella Goddess

In my last post, I wrote about Ushnisha Sitataputra who is better known as the The White Umbrella Goddess. While, I highly revere Ushnisha Sitataputra I unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, don’t have a highly miraculous personal story that I can share about her. However, allow me to share the story of a Canadian Buddhist who I met in one of my trips in Legaspi, Albay.

B works for an international NGO, and she was assigned in one of the remote town in Albay. Because she was assigned in a remote town that has no internet she’ll have to travel to Legaspi City every Monday to be able to do her paper work and reports and email them to their regional head. She would usually stay at the volunteer’s house rented by their NGO for them. The house also functions as an office. In one of her overnight stay at the Volunteer’s House an accident happened. The Filipina that they hired to help them keep the place clean forgot to turn off the electric fan that she used in the kitchen, they’re not sure whether it overheated or there was short circuit but whatever happened it created fire. At that time B and four other volunteers where in the house, but B was sharing a room with another female volunteer from Singapore.

B and her roommate were woken by shouts and banging from their door. When her roommate opened the door, one of the other male volunteers was shouting, according to B she didn’t really hear what he was saying because she already saw what was happening, the thick smoke outside their room indicated that there was fire and it was already bad.

According to B the three male volunteers attempted to go down the stair s but is unable to do so because of the thick smoke. They went inside B’s room and attempted to break the window. But typical of Filipino houses they were actually ‘barred’ from going out through the window. Unable to break the window, they all went to the only other room occupied by the male volunteers, but again their efforts to break the window proved futile. They were all in panic and felt that they’re trapped. B said she unconsciously touched the The White Umbrella Goddess pendant she is wearing, and something prompted her to recite the short version of the mantra of Ushnisha Sitataputra, she said she’s not sure how many times she recited it but soon after reciting the mantra she remembered that there is a fire escape which is weirdly accessible through the window in the restroom. She called everybody and while everything was burned to ashes, B and her co-volunteers escaped unharmed. She firmly believes that it was The White Umbrella Goddess who saved them.

According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, one of the fastest ways to tap Ushnisha Sitataputra’s protection and/or blessing is to wear or have her image in your house and recite her mantra. The mantra of The White Umbrella Goddess is a mouthful but a very powerful one.

Allow me to share with you her mantra.

TADYATHA OM ANALE ANALE KHASAME KHASAME BHAYRE BHAYRE SAUMA SAUME SARVA BUDDHA ADISHTANA ADISHTITE SOHA OM SARVA TATHAGATHA USHINISHA SITATAPUTRA HUM PHAT HUM MAMA HUM NI SOHA

This is one of the mantras that I regularly recite, and although saying it 7 times a day, everyday, is powerful enough, I prefer reciting one full mala at least twice a week.

The short version of the mantra is HUM MAMA HUM NI SOHA. But it is advisable that you recite the full mantra three times before saying one full mala of the short version.

This pendant is similar to the one worn by B. My dream is to be able to design my own Ushnisha Sitataputra or The White Umbrella Goddess pendant. The ones that are available are made of plastic, like the one in the picture, or are made of cloth. They don’t last really long.

Furthermore, wearing an Ushnisha Sitataputra pendant will also ensure that you are constantly protected. Having an image of The White Umbrella Goddess at home, in your living room, will also ensure that your house is constantly protected.

Improve Your Work Feng Shui with the Seed Syllables of Buddhism

In my past posts I talked about the different FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE WORKPLACE (1 and 2), and about the different FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE WORKING PERSON. Today, allow me to share how one can improve their Work or Career Feng Shui by using symbols use in Buddhism.

I personally use some of the things that I’m going to suggest here and I found them to be truly powerful that enables me to accomplish the things that I need to accomplish even those that I think are unachievable Furthermore, it helps maintain my ‘sanity’ and not give into pressure.

One of the most common and very powerful Buddhist symbols that I always use for my work is the Victory Banner. I’ve discussed about the Victory Banner before and I will not discuss about it here. If you want to know more about the Victory Banner please read the following posts – FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE WORK PLACE (2) and THE VICTORY BANNER: A POWERFUL FENG SHUI TOOL FOR CAREER SUCCESS.

The other Buddhist tools that you can use to help you with your work are by tapping into the power of Mantras! I’ve wrote about mantras entitled – MANTRA: THE POWER TO TAP THE SYMBOLIC SOUND, SCRIPT, AND THOUGHT – please do read more about it for you to be able to understand more how they work. But also equally powerful with the mantras are the seed syllables.

Seed Syllables are basically shortened version of the mantras. However, they in itself are very powerful and create a different form or energy on its own. There are different kinds of seed syllables and I won’t be able to share them all here. However, there are different seed syllables that are works well for the different field of work or work environment.

The one that I use a lot is the seed syllable HRIH. It’s a wonderful amulet for those who are in marketing and public relations (like me); it’s also very good for those who are in advertising, legal profession (lawyer, judge, police), sales, journalism. The seed syllable HRIH has the ability to ensure that it wearer will have the ability to overcome any hostile and emotionally stressful environment.

Another powerful seed syllable is BAM. It’s a seed syllable that is good in protecting people who deal with nature or environment a lot. It has the power to block off negative energies brought about by the beings in the third dimension. It is also a powerful tool against unintentional evil eye brought about by envious and jealous people. Therefore it’s a good charm for people who hold powerful position. It’s also very good for those who’s work involve the environment like – rigging, mining, quarrying, even construction, environmental scientist, agriculture, aquaculture, etc.

Next is HUM. HUM is one of the most common syllable, which can be found in a number of powerful mantras like OM MANI PADME HUM or OM PADMO UNSHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT or OM VAJRASATTVA HUM. HUM is a very powerful seed syllable of protection. People whose job involve a lot of traveling or involve some delicate situation will benefit from this seed syllable. If you’re a pilot, a captain of a ship, a flight and ship steward, traveling sales agent, military, tour guide, you’ll benefit a lot from this seed syllable.

Though not exactly a seed syllable but more of a mantra, I would like to include OM AH HUM here. The mantra OM AH HUM has the power to clear our your surroundings from negative chi, so if you work in a hospital, morgue, cemetery, it is advisable for you to wear the symbolic script of the mantra OM AH HUM.

HOW DO YOU WEAR THE SAID SYLLABLES?

You can buy it as a jewelry or you can simply print a copy, enclose it a case and carry it with you.

Feng Shui Tips for the Working Person

After discussing the different FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE WORK PLACE (1 and 2), I now would like to share the different Taoist Deities or Immortals and Buddhas or Bodhisattvas who can help you with your career and work environment.

Some of the things that I’m going to mention here are things that I’ve discussed in the past, but I believe that they are worth repeating.

For me, one of the most powerful Taoist God who also happens to be a Chinese Buddhist Buddha is the ‘Great Sage, Equal of Heaven’, the Monkey God or Monkey King called Sun Wukong. I have written about Sun Wukong several times in various posts, but if you wish to know more about him you can read a post solely dedicated to Sun Wukong. But it is worth repeating here that Sun Wukong is a very good strategist, furthermore, one of his intrinsic qualities is that he is loyal to those who shows reverence to him and worship him. Having an image of Sun Wukong either as a tabletop image or pendant will give you a competitive edge in all your undertakings. Furthermore, Sun Wukong is also a very powerful protector so having his image will ensure that your chances of getting backstabbed or swindled are greatly minimize. But more than that, Sun Wukong is also a very powerful wealth god so having his image will ensure good salary and help ensure career advancement.

Another powerful Taoist and Buddhist god is Kuan Kong (also called Guan Gong, Kuan Ti, or Guan Ti). Kuan Kong is a historical Bodhisattva and Taoist immortal. I’ve also written intensively about Kuan Kong, and you can know more about him by reading my previous post about Kuan Kong. His difference with Sun Wukong is that Kuan Kong is more appropriate for people who are in power or significant position. But other than that they’re almost the same in qualities, attributes, and the type of blessing that they bestow upon those who tap into their powers.

If your workplace environment is very tense and needs a lot of harmony, you should have the image of the Maitreya Buddha, better known as the Happy Fat Buddha. The Maitreya Buddha, will ensure that there is harmony in an otherwise tense and stressful environment. You can either place an image of the Maitreya Buddha on your table or wear one as a pendant. The Maitreya Buddha will also help ensure that you focus on the positive aspects of a ‘problem’. Furthermore, the Maitreya Buddha is also a very powerful wealth god, so he can ensure good money luck. If you want to know more about the Maitreya Buddha please read my previous post by clicking here.

Just a word of caution, I mentioned here several times that you could put the images of Kuan Kong, Sun Wukong, and Maitreya Buddha on your table. However, you have to ensure that when on your table that you don’t ‘show disrespect’ by constantly hitting them with your papers, calculators, etc. If possible, it is better to place them somewhere that they won’t be disturbed.

Feng Shui Tips for the Work Place (2)

Yesterday, I talked about the different FENG SHUI TIPS FOR THE WORK PLACE. Today, I’m writing about more Feng Shui tips for the work place. But before anything else, allow to me reply here regarding a question that was emailed to me by reader.

D emailed and shared that her table is directly against the wall, and she is literally facing the wall. She’s asking whether this is ok. This is also actually bad and while a wall behind you signifies support, a wall that is directly in front of you signifies problem. But the remedy for this is quite simple. All you have to do is put a picture or painting of a scenery, as long as it’s not of a mountain.

While my post yesterday focused on what you should avoid, today I’ll focus more on what you need to have to help ensure a smooth working environment.

AN IMAGE OF A ROOSTER. Readers of this blog knows that a rooster with a fan will help ensure that there’s no third party involvement in a relationship. However, a plain rooster is one of the essential charms that a working person needs. This is to prevent any politicking or rumors about you from circulating your co-workers. You can either place this on your table or wear it as a pendant.

SIX CRYSTAL Ball. Again readers of this blog knows that six pieces of crystal ball or crystal spheres will help ensure harmony at home. Having this is the office is also a very effective tool to ensure harmony in the office. If your boss doesn’t believe in Feng Shui but you have your own table, you can just place a smaller version of this on your table.

THE RED PHOENIX ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF YOUR OFFICE OR TABLE. Birds bring in good fortune and a Phoenix is a mythical bird. Also a Phoenix represents fire that makes a Phoenix a firebird. The South is empowered by fire and putting a Red Phoenix will help enhance your career luck and help you be recognize. But more than that it will also help block whatever bad luck that may come your way and create new opportunities for you.

FLOWERS. Put some colorful flowers on your table. While fresh flowers are preferred, a picture of a flower will also do. However, never use a flower made of plastic, and if you use fresh flowers make sure that you don’t wait for it to wilt before replacing them. Flowers will help ensure that you don’t absorb too much negative energy and stress.

DRAGON TORTOISE. A Dragon Tortoise is a combination of the two of the 4 guardian or Feng Shui animals (Dragon, Tortoise, Tiger, and Phoenix); furthermore the Dragon Tortoise is a combination of a celestial animal and a real animal. Having a Dragon Tortoise will not only give you support but also it will also give you a competitive advantage. A Dragon Tortoise is also a very powerful tool of protection if you’re not sure whether your working area has good or bad Feng Shui. The best place to put a Dragon Tortoise is behind you, however, putting it on your table will also work as well. You can also wear it as a pendant or as a bracelet.

VICTORY BANNER. I have previously written about the Victory Banner. Please do read about it. I just would like to say that the Victory Banner is one of the most powerful tools that one can use to ensure that most, if not all, of your endeavors or projects becomes a success. I have personally utilized the Victory Banner with all my big projects. You can place an image of the Victory Banner on your table or wear it as a pendant. This is the reason why I have included the Victory Banner in the special pendant that I designed, the WISH FULFILLING AND BUDDHA’S BLESSING MANTRA PENDANT.

Signs or Omens of a Bad Travel Luck

It’s summer once again here in the Philippines and it’s vacation time for most of us, this means a lot of us will be traveling again, either by plane, ship or car. Boracay, Panglao, Palawan, Puerto Galera are some of the tourist spots here in the Philippines that’s going to be swarmed with local tourists. Flights to Caticlan and Bohol are again to be full, and the roads to Batangas is again going to be congested. Not to mention, Baguio is going to be crowded! Tagaytay is again going to experience power shortages because the number of tourists who flocks there every summer is so many that they are unable to continuously provide the high electricity consumption brought out be vacationers.

It’s easy to get really excited to travel, but you should be careful, because every year we hear about stories that what was supposedly fun vacation became horror or sad stories. Usually, if we just pay attention to what’s happening we are actually given some signs of danger.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel a lot, either for business or leisure, and because of that I always make sure that I watch out for ‘signs’ that a specific trip may be affected by bad energy. I started paying more attention to these signs or omens because the last time I ignored a sign my father had a major stroke and passed away in China.

A month or two before my parent’s annual trip to China, my father’s passport went missing. They looked for it everywhere but it proved to be futile and they never found it, they had to rush a new passport for him. When my father got his new passport, my mother then lost her passport. However, this time they found it soon after. By this time, I already told my mom that maybe they shouldn’t push through with the trip because it seems like a sign that they shouldn’t be taking this trip. They’ve never lost their passports and for two passports to go missing seems like to be a sure sign.

When they got their passport, my parents went to get their visas. However, they had encountered another problem. I again reiterated my thought that maybe they shouldn’t push through with the trip. My mother was already having second thoughts, but this is their annual trip to China, and more than leisure it’s a pilgrimage to the biggest Kuan Yin in the world.

Although familiar with Feng Shui, I hadn’t really taken up any formal training then, also I’m not yet familiar with the different Taoist and Buddhist oracles at that time. My mom then decided to consult a Taoist priest who supposedly can go into trance and channel the spirit of a Taoist deity. The response of this Taoist priest is that it’s safe for my parents to take the trip.

My father had a stroke and died in China in that trip. Because of this I always make sure that I shall never ignore a bad travel luck sign or omen.

If you’re going on a trip, do make sure that you don’t ignore these omens or signs that you might have bad travel luck. The following are just some of the signs but please note that this is not complete and omens may vary from one person to another, but these are some of the most common signs.

First: Missing Essential Travel Paraphernalia

If you’re missing essential travel paraphernalia such as your passport, a visa application form, or your travel bag, it may be a sign that you shouldn’t be making that trip. If possible, postpone that trip, if not, go to a temple or a church and ask for protection. On the day of your trip wear a Sun Wukong and/or a Kalachakra Pendant.

Second: Running Into a Limping Dog or a Limping Cat

Running into a limping dog or cat on your way to the airport is a sure sign that something bad might happen when you arrive in your point of destination. . It is better to cancel the trip or postpone it. If you’re unable to cancel it get a rock or sea salt and throw it behind your back. The act of throwing the salt behind you creates a celestial barrier between you and the bad luck. Carry a small pack sea or rock salt with you the entire duration of the trip.

Third: Dreaming of a Monster, Bad Spirits, Wild and/or Fierce Animal

If you dream of a monster, bad spirit or spirits, and/or scary fierce wild animals a few days or on the eve of the trip, you have to cancel your trip. It’s a sure sign that something bad will happen. In fact, it may even cause death.

When I was about eight years old, I lost a cousin because his brother and parents ignored this warning. Before I move forward with the story, I just want to clarify; that what happened is n one’s fault. They simply don’t know how to interpret a warning.

Anyway, my cousins and their parents were invited by a business partner to go to their rest house for a short vacation. On the eve of their trip, the eldest son, F, dreamed of a beautiful spirit woman chasing him. She wants F to go with him. Still within the dream, F refused to go with the spirit woman. This angered the spirit woman and said if he refused to go with her, she’ll just ask one of F’s siblings to join her.

The following day, R, one of F’s brothers shared with one of their sister that he dreamt of a beautiful but bad spirit woman riding with them in the car. This really didn’t bother R and the sister. However, when it was time to leave, R, fell from a short flight of stairs, and had a very minor injury. Nothing that can’t be treated with your ordinary home antiseptic, however, R felt uncomfortable and decided not to join them. However, their mom got angry and said it’s embarrassing if he won’t be joining them because their business partner is expecting the whole family to go.

Her mom won the argument and everybody went to the vacation as planned. That same afternoon they had a dipped in the swimming pool of the business partner’s pool. The deepest part of the swimming pool is 5 feet deep, and R, who was 19 at that time, was around 5’5. My aunt and uncle, their business partner, the children of their business partner, my cousins, some of their maids, the family drivers of both family who were tasked to look after the swimming ‘children’ are all either in the pool or around the pool area. R, who knows how to swim, drowned and nobody noticed him. No cry for help, no struggle. He drowned at the middle part of the pool, which is about 4.5 feet deep.

They don’t know what happened. They don’t understand why nobody noticed him, because all in all they were about 20 of them in the pool or in the area around the pool!

When his parents consulted a Taoist priest about the incident, they were told that a spirit caused the accident. This is when F remembered his dream and the sister remembered what R told her.

If you happen to have a similar dream, even if it’s not as vivid as that of my cousin’s, I suggest you cancel your trip. If this is not possible do go to a church or a temple. You can also wear a Sun Wukong or A Chung Kwei (also spelled as Chong Kwei or Zhung Kwei). More about Chung Kwei on my future post. A Kalachakra Pendant will also help.

Fourth: A Minor Car Accident, a Flat Tire, and a Funeral

If on your way to the airport or to your destination, and if you had a minor accident, a flat tire, or you run into a funeral procession, that simply means that you have to be careful when you arrived in your destination. The minor accident, the flat tire, or the funeral only means that whatever danger or bad luck has been averted already, so do drop a small amount of money on the road.  This is like paying back the good luck that you just got from the aborted bad luck. To understand these further do read my previous blog about funerals. Nevertheless, it still pays to be very careful.

Paying Homage to Goddess Tara

In my previous post I talked about Goddess Tara, who is also popularly known as the Green Tara. I shared her story and I also shared the story on how Goddess Tara helped ‘liberate’ me from my previous employer.

Now, allow me to share with you ways on paying homage to Goddess Tara.

Like any other Buddha, Bodhisattva, Deity or Immortal, one of the best ways to pay homage to Goddess Tara or Green Tara is to invite her image into your home.

Having her image in your home will not only earn merits for you because you are paying homage to her, but it will also grant you blessings from Goddess Tara. Goddess Tara will provide you with countless opportunities and it is up to you to just grab these opportunities.

Again, wearing her image as a pendant will surely bring countless blessings from Goddess Tara.

From my private collection. Goddess Tara or Green Tara's image made of jadeite jade.

In times of troubles, or if you need to decide on something, or in times of change, or if you need change, call on Goddess Tara by reciting her mantra and she’ll guide you to the right path! But more than that she’ll provide you the right path!

The mantra of Goddess Tara is – OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA.

There are different manifestations of Goddess Tara, this one is a White Tara pendant made out of a meteorite. This is from my private collection and got this pendant in Singapore.

Wearing a symbolic script of her mantra or her seed syllable TAM, which is included in WISH FULFILLING AND BUDDHA’S BLESSING MANTRA PENDANT, will provide you with a blessing as if you’re constantly reciting her mantra.

The pronunciation of the mantra is OM, TARE is pronounced with a short A, and RE is pronounced as RAY. TUT is pronounced as TWO, TARE same as the first TARE. TURE is pronounced TWO and RAY.

A Calm Mind

The idea to write about this again came from a reader who a few weeks ago contacted me to request for the WISH FULFILLING AND BUDDHA’S BLESSING MANTRA PENDANT.

J mentioned in one of his emails that he’s just starting to understand more about the Buddha Dharma. A few days ago, he wrote another email inquiring as to whether there are mantras that he can recite for him to be calm and for him to have peace of mind.

A calm mind and peace of mind are two different things. The latter is usually achieved one’s we have come to terms with our past deeds and mistakes, it is also achieved one’s we have attained a calm mind. It’s a struggle. Having a calm mind is a precedent for a peaceful mind.

Since a calm mind precedes a peaceful mind, that it what I’m going to discuss now.

The first thing that you have to acknowledge is that it takes practice to have a calm mind. You work on it, it’s not something that you simply hope for and voila it happens right away. You have to constantly remind yourself that you want to be calm, that you NEED to be calm.

I, myself, had to struggle to achieve a calmness that I really need. I used to be a very hot headed person, not only that, since I was young my mind has always been hyperactive, I would constantly think about how things would go wrong, how people are doing me bad, I always think that all good things are done with malice and hidden motives. Because of this, I do get into trouble a lot of times. I was pretty violent and pretty harsh with my words and deeds; this kind of behavior is destructive not only to the people around me but also to myself.

There were a few times that I wanted to see a therapist to help me with my hyperactive and malicious mind. However, when I delve into Buddhism deeply, I found myself becoming calmer. I still do have those burst of emotions and hyperactivity, but I can honestly say that I’m now calmer and is able to control myself better. I also don’t really think a lot of negative thoughts and my being a worrier has subsided.

I won’t be able to pinpoint in on a single thing that helped me to be more calm, rather the change, which was gradual, is brought about different things that all worked together in helping me to have a calm mind.

First, understanding more about Buddhism has really helped. It helps that I understand that every action, every thought, every word has an effect. It creates karma, and whether that karma is good or bad depends on your deeds, words, and thoughts. The idea that reward and punishment is directly proportionate to your own deeds, thoughts, and words helped me to be more cautious and level headed.

Second, images of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Deities, Immortals also helped in constantly reminding me that I can always call on their assistance for me to achieve the calmness that I need. They had become a constant point of meditation for me.

Another very effective tool is reciting the mantras. All the mantras will definitely have a calming effect. However, to be specific in the purpose of the calmness of the mind the PRAJNAPARAMITA MANTRA, the MANTRA OF THE MASTER OF HEALING, more popularly known as the MEDICINE BUDDHA MANTRA are the two mantras that works well with trying to calm the mind. The Prajnaparamita Mantra is – TADYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SOHA. It really is just GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SOHA, however, when reciting it one needs to add TADYATHA OM. The Medicine Buddha Mantra is – TADYATHA OM BHEKANDZYE BHEKANDZYE MAHA BHEKANDZYE BHEKANDZYE RADZA SAMUGATE SOHA.

Reading the various SUTRAS are also very helpful in trying to achieve a calmness of the mind. This is not only because at the point of reading you try your best to concentrate on the teaching, but more importantly, the Sutras really has such an effect.

Wearing a PRAYER WHEEL is also a very powerful tool to help achieve a calmness of the mind that we all need. If you want to know more about the Prayer Wheel do read my post – THE POWER OF A PRAYER WHEEL.

In my pursuit to have a calmer mind, I also decided to never watch horror movies because I find that the chi in creating a horror movie and watching them is so bad that it disturbs a person. It doesn’t matter whether you get scared or not, just watching it is enough to affect you in some way.

Wearing the image of the Medicine Buddha or the symbolic script of the Medicine Buddha Mantra as pendant also has a calming effect. I’ve previously discussed in length about the Medicine Buddha and about the power of the mantra. If you want to know more about them please read my post entitled – MEDICINE BUDDHA: A HEALER, PROVIDER, AND PROTECTOR OF BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL REALM – and – MANTRA: THE INSTRUMENT TO TAP THE POWER OF SYMBOLIC SOUND, SCRIPT, AND THOUGHT – respectively.

The WISH FULFILLING AND BUDDHA'S BLESSING MANTRA PENDANT has the image of the Medicine Buddha on the front and the Medicine Buddha Mantra symbolic script at the back.

These are just some of the tools that we can use to help us have a calmer mind. There are other ways to achieve a calm mind, however, this would require seeing one’s BAZI and Feng Shui of the house. Thus, I’m unable to discuss it here.

But more than anything, the first step to a calm mind is the decision to make it happen.

Feng Shui Tips to Activate Descendant Luck

One of the greatest aspirations of the Chinese is to ensure that they have good descendants, thus when looking for a spouse they consult Feng Shui experts to ensure that descendant’s luck of a couple is present. In fact, once the wife gets pregnant she is treated like a goddess, even the mother-in-law will definitely make sure that the pregnant daughter-in-law is taken care of properly to ensure a smooth pregnancy.

Also, in the old days much effort is given to ensuring that a boy is born, is to ensure the family’s lineage is well preserved. A girl is considered as a less important child because she is destined to be married off to another family, and thus considered as somebody else’s child. In fact, this practice or belief has become so bad that there are some Chinese families who don’t give names to their daughter because they’re destined to be known as the wife of so-so. Thus when addressing them in the household they’re simply called as First Daughter, Second Daughter, Big Sister, or Second Sister, or Third Sister. When addressed by somebody else other than their family they’re simply called as ‘First Daughter of Wong Family’ they’re simply defined by their family name and whether they’re the eldest daughter or the youngest, etc. When they get married they’re then simply defined by the husband’s family name. My own grandmother doesn’t even have her own name.

However, because I don’t believe that women are of a ‘lesser’ being compared to men, I will not write about Feng Shui tips in ensuring that the couple are to have a boy, rather, I’d like to share some Feng Shui tips to activate one’s Descendant Luck or Fertility Luck.

Several of the Feng Shui tips that I’m going to mention are things that I’ve recommended to friends and family.

RED KUAN YIN PENDANT.  Kuan Yin (also known as ‘Goddess of Mercy’, ‘Buddha of Compassion’) is a Bodhisattva revered both in Taoism and Buddhism. Kuan Yin grants the wish of having of babies. For this purpose a red Kuan Yin (also spelled as Kwan Yin, Quan Yin) is best to help you activate your Descendant’s Luck. It is highly recommended that both the husband and the wife wear a red Kuan Yin pendant. However, if this is not possible, then it is recommended that the woman wear the pendant. I have three different previous post about Kuan Yin. Get to know her by reading them. The first post is KUAN YIN: THE ONE WHO HEARS THE CRIES OF THE WORLD, the second post is UNDERSTANDING MERCY AND COMPASSION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AVALOKITESVARA TO KUAN YIN, and the third post is PAYING HOMAGE TO KUAN YIN, THE BUDDHA OF COMPASSION.

RABBIT. A rabbit is a very powerful symbol of fertility. It’s believes that placing the image of a rabbit in the East section of the bedroom can increase the chances of fertility.

HAPPY FAT BUDDHA WITH CHILDREN. Having the image of the Happy Fat Buddha whose real name is Maitreya Buddha in your house helps increase your potential of having a good descendant luck. You can also know more about the Happy Fat Buddha by clicking here.

CARNELIAN BRACELET. Carnelian or Carnelian Agates or Orange Agates worn as bracelet is one of the best fertility charm. Carnelian is a stone or semi-precious stone that directly controls our sixth chakra – the sire where our reproductive organs are located. Wearing a carnelian as a bracelet will increase the wearer’s chance of being more fertile. This charm is also great for people who have found to have low sperm or egg count.

IMAGE OF KUAN YIN WITH A BABY. Placing an image of Kuan Yin with a Baby is another Feng Shui Descendant Luck enhancer. For this purpose, it’s best to place the image of Kuan Yin with a Baby on the west section of your house. If this is not possible you can also place the image of Kuan Yin with a Baby in the West corner of your living room.

A PAIR OF ELEPHANTS. This is one of the most effective Feng Shui cure and enhancer to activate one’s descendant luck. You should note that the trunk of the elephants should be down and not up. Place a pair of elephants with the trunks down on the west section of your room and if possible both couples should stroke the trunks of the elephant three times each night.

THREE PIECES OF CERAMIC OR PORCELAIN POMEGRANATE AND/OR PEACH. Both the pomegranate and the peach are powerful Feng Shui tools to enhance your descendant luck or fertility luck. In choosing a ceramic or porcelain pomegranate, choose the one that has a color of deep red. For ceramic or porcelain peach choose one that has a color of bright pink.

RECITE THE MANTRA OF GODDESS TARA. Goddess Tara or Green Tara is a Buddhist deity born out of Avalokitesvara or Kuan YIn’s tear drop. I’ll discuss more about Green Tara on a future post, however, allow me to say that calling on Goddess Tara by reciting her mantra is one way of activating one’s Descendant Luck. Furthermore, placing an image of the white manifestation of Goddess Tara called White Tara on the west section of your house also activates one’s descendant luck. Goddess Tara’s mantra is OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA. Wearing her seed syllable TAM is also a powerful tool to activate one’s descendant luck. The seed syllable TAM is one of the featured symbolic syllable in the WISH FULFILLING AND BUDDHA’S BLESSING MANTRA PENDANT.

Paying Homage to Kuan Yin, the Buddha of Compassion!

I intentionally wrote 3 different posts about Kuan Yin (also spelled as Guan Yin, Quan Yin, Kwan Yin, Gwan Yin), because there is simply a lot to write about Kuan Yin. The first post is KUAN YIN: THE ONE WHO HEARS THE CRIES OF THE WORLD. The second post is UNDERSTANDING MERCY AND COMPASSION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AVALOKITESVARA TO KUAN YIN.

Kuan Yin is also called ‘The Goddess of Mercy’, ‘Buddha of Compassion’, ‘Bodhisattva of Compassion’, ‘Guan Shi Yin’, ‘Kannon’ in Japan, ‘Avalokitesvara’ also spelled as Avalokiteshvara, ‘Chenrezig’, ‘Guanzizai’ are just some of the way she’s addressed.

However, allow me to share a few ways of paying homage to Kuan Yin. One way of paying homage to Kuan Yin is by inviting her into our house. It’s important that her image is placed on a ‘good’ spot. If possible, place her near the entrance, but do not put her in the kitchen, dining room, restroom and bedroom of married couples. Inviting her image to our home or office creates a lot of merit, and by simply having her image around us makes us closer to Kuan Yin.

You can also offer incense, clean water, flowers, fruits; lighted candles is also a very auspicious way of paying homage to the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Wearing her image as pendant either in gold or a semi-precious stone like jade  is also a way of paying homage to Kuan Yin. It also gives us a visual representation of our ‘relationship’ to Kuan Yin that it helps us to become closer to the Bodhisattva.

My own Kuan Yin pendant has her sutra and other prayers written on the back. Any image of Kuan Yin will do, however, if you can get something that’s similar to my pendant the better. The bigger one has the shortest sutra in the world, the Heart Sutra that is largely associated with Kuan Yin. The smaller pendant has the White Robed Kuan Yin prayer. In Buddhism wearing or carrying sutras and prayers brings the same effect as if you saying it yourself. It has an effect of you continuously saying the sutra or prayer. You can also get a miniature Heart Sutra and carry it with your body, aside from being an homage to the Kuan Yin this serves as an instrument of your continues blessing from Kuan Yin.

Still another way of paying homage to Kuan Yin is by ‘sharing’ her with other people. Talking to people about Kuan Yin is one way of homage to Kuan Yin. You can do this orally or you can do this in written format. In the age of internet, this had become easier, because simply writing about her on your blog, or Facebook or Twitter account a lot of people get to know more about her. You can also buy several copies of the Heart Sutra or several of her images and share it to your friends and/or even strangers; it’s another way of paying homage to her.

There are many ways of paying homage to Kuan Yin, and you can come up with your own unique way of paying homage to her. However, I believe one best way of paying homage to Kuan Yin other than inviting her to our home or office and wearing her image as pendant is by chanting her mantra.

Reciting or chanting the mantra of Kuan Yin or Avalokitesvara is not only an act of homage, but it gives us a lot of merit from Kuan Yin. If you’re facing a big problem, recite her mantra and she will immediately come to your aid.

The Mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, Kuan Yin is OM MANI PADME HUM.

If you want to know more about Kuan Yin do read my first two posts about her. The first one is KUAN YIN: THE ONE WHO HEARS THE CRIES OF THE WORLD and the second one is UNDERSTANDING MERCY AND COMPASSION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AVALOKITESVARA TO KUAN YIN.

Symbolic Script of the Mantra of the Buddha of Compassion

Four Faced Buddha of Bangkok,Thailand-A Famous and Miraculous Wealth Granting and Protector Deity but He is Not a Buddha!

Thailand is one of most iconic Buddhist country. Their monks to this day still literally beg for their food. Many Buddhist, like myself, goes to Bangkok to see some of the most sacred and majestic Buddhist temples. And like most Buddhist I also went to see the iconic ‘Patron Buddha’ of the country, which is the Four Faced Buddha at the heart of Bangkok.

The Erawan Shrine Four Faced Buddha is not a Buddha but a Brahma!

The famous Four Faced Buddha at Erawan Shrine draws both local and ‘international’ devotees as wells as tourists. The funny thing though, the Four Faced Buddha is not inside a Wat (temple in Thai), it is just in a small patch of land at Phloenchit Road corner Rajadamri Road. In fact, tall buildings around the area, a hotel, and Bangkok’s Skytrain tracks dwarf it. But do not be surprise to see that not a single minute passes by with a person praying or paying homage to the Four Faced Buddha. In fact, keeping the area uncluttered is a big problem for the city officials. They need to have somebody removed the flowers offered to the image every 10 minutes for 15 hours a day. If they fail to do this, the area will drowned in a sea of flowers offered to the Buddha.

Although, famously called as the Four Faced Buddha, Thailand’s unofficial Patron Buddha is not a Buddha, it is a Brahma and technically it has nothing to do with Buddhism. However, Thai Buddhist monks have already quietly and unofficially recognized the 4-Faced Brahma as an unlikely Buddhist deity, that a lot of people has recognized it as a 4-Faced Buddha. In a way, it can be said that the Four Faced Buddha is now an ‘adopted’ Buddhist deity.

The picture depicts of that a usual day in Erawan Shrine. This is just any other normal day. Picture lifted from Joy Holiday site.

There are a lot of Four Faced Buddha in Thailand, but the most popular one is the one Erawan shrine. One proof that the Four Faced Buddha in Erawan Shrine is really miraculous is how much money thankful devotees and worshippers throw in as an offering to the Buddha. In fact, the ‘joke’ there its their second central bank and that’s where they mint baht coins and print paper baht. The money is then used to maintain the shrine and also to feed some poor Thai families.

While I was there I met an American guy who said that he believes that it was the Four Faced Buddha who saved his life. He said, on a previous trip to Bangkok his Thai friend toured him to Erawan Shrine, and this friend also gifted him with a Four Faced Buddha pendant. While he doesn’t a strong religious background, he wore the pendant out of respect and also out of sentimental value for his friend who has been nice. “Besides the pendant is quite nice. Exotic. If you know what I mean?” he added.

Anyway, a few months after he got back to the United States, he experience a ‘…. miraculous event that made me believed in the Four Faced Buddha.” Apparently, while working on an electrical problem in his apartment, something that he felt he could handle on his own, he got electrocuted. He said it was really bad and that he literally felt all the electricity going through his body until he lost consciousness. According to him, his roommate saw him thrown off to the other side of the room! But he doesn’t have any recollection of this happening. He was rushed to the hospital and regain consciousness on his way there. After being observed he was released the following day.

This is a typical Four Faced Buddha pendant that you can buy in Bangkok, Thailand. Some of the images inside are made of real gold. My own Four Faced Buddha pendant is similar to this one.

On his way home he remembered his Four Faced Buddha pendant and thought the medics must have taken it off him. Resigned to the fact that he already lost the pendant, he just forgot about it. About a week after the incident when his roommate was cleaning the apartment, his friend saw his broken pendant under a cabinet. When the American saw his pendant, he just knew right away that it was the Four Faced Buddha that saved him.

Another story I heard 3^rd hand. My Thai host shared the story with me. He said his officemate was in need of big amount of money for her father who’s battling cancer. Upon the advice of their other officemate his officemate who is need of money went to pray to the Four Faced Buddha. 7 days after she prayed to the Four Faced Buddha she was asked to go S30 hotel in Bangkok to meet a client. When their meeting ended, she went to use the rest room and in the stall the she used she saw a bag that must have been forgotten by somebody. She opened the bag to search for identification as to who might own the bag. What she saw surprised her because there was a huge amount of baht and US dollars inside the bag. She was honest enough to admit that she was really tempted to just get away with the money because it will definitely help her with her financial woes, not to mention the fact tat there was nothing in which she can use to identify the owner of the bag. She even wondered whether this was the help sent by the Four Faced Buddha. As soon as thought of it she also realized that it’s quite impossible that the Four Faced Buddha will be sending help by getting the money from somebody else. She decided to just surrender the bag to the hotel manager.

When she got to reception, there was a frantic girl being consoled by her client. As it turned out the frantic girl is the owner of the bag and she also happens to be the sister of her client. To make the long story short she returned the bag, to the obvious relief of the frantic girl.

They have to 'clean' the shrine every 10 minutes, otherwise it will drown on a sea of flowers and offering and money!

Two days later she got a call from her client. Her client knew of her financial problem because of her father illness from her boss, and as it turn out her client’s sister’s father-in-law is an oncologist in Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, out of gratitude they offered to help her father. Not only will the father-in-law waive his professional fee, he also arranged for somebody to shoulder the medical bills of my host’s officemate’s father. My host said that the father of his officemate is now alive and ‘kicking’! They now visit the Four Faced Buddha every week!

Still another story was shared with me by another devotee who I met online thru the course of my ‘research’ about the Four Faced Buddha. J is a Malaysian Chinese businessman. He visited the Four Faced Buddha at the Erawan Shrine the first time he visited Bangkok. The tour guide told him that the image is miraculous and that it will grant all good wishes. J said he is not a very religious person but seeing the number of devotees that visits the site something just prompted him to ask for his ‘simple’ wish. He has been hoping to expand his business, having 5 children he wants to make sure that he is able to make sure that all children will have financial wealth that he can passed on to them when he gets older. J said while he was sincere in asking for the Four Faced Buddha’s help, he really didn’t give much thought to it. Until he slowly notices that his business was expanding, getting bigger, and more secured. By that time he has already forgotten about the wish that he has asked from the Four Faced Buddha of Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand. Nevertheless, he was really thankful. He decided to see a Taoist monk friend; J wants the Taoist monk to conduct a thanksgiving ceremony. While talking to J the Taoist Monk suddenly had a ‘vision’ and told J that the best way for the thanksgiving is to thank a man with four faces. The Taoist monk was not sure about his vision but J understood it right away! It was the Four Faced Buddha who granted his wish!

Since then J would travel to Bangkok once or twice a year simply to give thanks to the Four Faced Buddha. Every time he is there he would donate some flowers, incense, fruits, Elephant images, and he would always leave 15,OOO Baht as his thanksgiving. In a way he is trying to pay it forward. He also has invited an image of the Four Faced Buddha into his house and all his family even his grandchildren all wear the image of the Four Faced Buddha as an homage to the deity who granted them wealth.

The Four Faced Buddha in Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand is the most popular miraculous Four Faced Buddha in the world. The irony here is that a number of its devotee becamae a devotee after their first visit to the shrine. Meaning, a number of them visited the site without prior devotion but because they experienced a miracle after the visit they started becoming worshippers of the Four Faced Buddha. However, you don't really need to go to the site to pray to Four Faced Buddha. You can all on him where ever you are.

It’s not surprising that the Four Faced Buddha is miraculous, because even the story of its placement in that particular site was sort of a miracle. In 1956, the government was building the government-owned Erawan hotel. However, the government failed to consult geomancers as to what is the best time to built the hotel and this proved to be problematic. They were several accidents and labor problems that the construction workers threatened to walk out of their work, several times. Geomancers, Feng Shui experts, and Geomancers were called in to assess the problem. They reminded the government that the area used to be a dumping ground of people who were salvaged and also criminals were also used to be displayed and killed in the area. In fact, a portion of the place has become a ‘hungry ghost house’ of these troubled souls. They recommended putting an image of the Four Faced Buddha at the location where they identified as the ‘hungry ghost house’. I’m not really as to how they came about the decision that the image that should be placed there is that of the Four Faced Brahma, but after its installation construction went on smoothly and Erawan Hotel became a landmark until it was replaced by the Grand Erawan Hyatt Hotel in 1987 who happens also to be one of the most successful chain of Hyatt.

The image that you’ll see there now is not the original statue. The original one was destroyed by a mentally ill man who smashed the statue completely destroying it! Some people believed that the man is possessed by the devil. Some people who are in the area chased the man and UNFORTUNATELY killed the guy. The incident completely stunned and saddened the whole nation, a lot of Thais openly wept for the destroyed image, and they all felt that there’s a great misfortune that is about to befall their country. True enough 7 months after the incident they saw one of the most violent political crisis Thailand faced in modern era, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted from his position by a coup de’ tat!

Last May 21, 2006 at exactly 11:39am they have installed a new image of the Four Faced Buddha or Four Faced Brahma. It’s now made of a special alloy that consists of 9 different metals which includes the remnants of the first image and gold and silver.

I personally don’t have any ‘miraculous’ story to share about the Four Faced Buddha, however, you only have to go to the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok to see that its impossible for it not to be miraculous given the number of its devotee or worshippers who attests to the power of the Four Faced Buddha!