Namgyalma (Sanskrit: Ushnishavijaya, "the Victorious One of the Ushnisha"; Chinese Zunsheng Fomu) is a Buddhist goddess of long life and purification. Her name comes from the ushnisha, the crown on the Buddha's head, from which her dharani, or sacred spell, is said to have come. With White Tara and Amitayus, the Buddha of Long Life, she forms the "three deities of long life", the most popular longevity deities in Tibetan Buddhism and art.
How she is shown
- White, "the colour of an autumn moon" in one classic description, seated in meditation posture on a lotus and moon disc, with the silks and jewels of a bodhisattva.
- Three faces, each with three eyes: the central face white and gentle, the right face yellow and peaceful, and the left face fierce, usually blue.
- Eight arms. Her right hands hold a crossed vajra at her heart, a small Amitabha Buddha seated on a lotus, an arrow, and the gesture of giving. Her left hands hold a noose with a threatening gesture, a bow, the gesture of protection, and a vase of nectar.
- Inside a white stupa in many paintings, often with white Avalokiteshvara and blue Vajrapani standing on either side.
The story of her dharani
The Ushnishavijaya Dharani tells of a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, Supratishthita, who heard a voice warn him that he would die in seven days, pass through seven unhappy rebirths and then be born in hell. He went to Indra, king of the gods, who brought his plight to the Buddha. Rays of light streamed from the Buddha's ushnisha, and he taught the dharani, saying that it purifies past harmful actions, closes the way to the lower realms and lengthens life. The text also says it should be written out and set up high, on top of a banner pole or a stupa.
In Tang-dynasty China the dharani was carved on stone pillars, known as dharani pillars, set up outside temples, and an 8th-century emperor ordered monks and nuns to recite it daily. In Tibetan practice her mantra is recited for long life and purification, including on behalf of the dying. Like Dukkar, the White Parasol, she is one of the goddesses said to come from the Buddha's ushnisha.
Her mantra
A widely recited short mantra is Om Bhrum Svaha Om Amrita Ayur Dade Svaha.
In a painting
Three faces and eight arms in a small space test a painter's drawing. Look for three faces that differ clearly in colour and mood yet sit together naturally, and arms that grow from the shoulders in a believable way, each hand holding its object clearly: the tiny Buddha on his lotus, the crossed vajra at her heart, the bow and arrow. Her white should be smooth and luminous, with soft shading rather than a chalky flat colour. Some of our paintings show her on a lotus among flowers and clouds, without the stupa. To recognise her at a glance: a white goddess with three faces and eight arms, holding a small Buddha in one hand and a crossed vajra at her heart.
