A wish-fulfilling jewel mandala sets a cluster of jewels wrapped in flames at the heart of a mandala palace. The wish-fulfilling jewel (Sanskrit cintamani; Tibetan norbu or yizhin norbu; Chinese ruyi baozhu) is a legendary gem said to bring its owner everything they wish for. In Buddhist art it is a common symbol of the Buddha's teachings and qualities, and flaming jewels also stand for the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
How it is laid out
- The jewels: rounded gems heaped together at the centre, each marked with curved lines. In some of our paintings they are white and rise from a lotus; in others they are blue, yellow and green.
- The flames: red flames rise around the cluster, as they often do around jewels in Buddhist art.
- The field: a black ground scattered with small gold-coloured suns.
- The palace: a square seen from above, with a gateway in the middle of each side, each topped by an ornamented arch.
- The rings: bands of coloured squares and fine gold-coloured line work circle the palace, on an orange or rose ground.
The jewel in Tibetan art
Jewels appear in thangkas in three main ways: as ornaments on thrones, as objects held by deities and teachers, and as offerings set before the central figure. The wish-fulfilling jewel itself has several roles:
- The Three Jewels. A flaming jewel, or a group of three, is used for the Buddha, his teaching and the community that follows it. The windhorse at the centre of many prayer flags carries three flaming jewels on its back.
- A treasure of the universal king. The precious jewel is one of the seven treasures of the ideal universal ruler, the "seven jewels of royal power", often painted as offerings.
- In the hands of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Four-armed Chenrezig holds one between his joined hands at his heart, and Kshitigarbha, much loved in China and Japan, often carries one. The jewel is also the emblem of Ratnasambhava, the yellow Buddha of the south among the Five Dhyani Buddhas.
A symbol, not a ritual
Our wish-fulfilling jewel mandalas are decorative designs by Kathmandu painters, not the mandala of a particular practice, and no ritual belongs to them. They set a Buddhist symbol within the palace and rings of a classic mandala, explained in our guide to mandalas. They are best read through the jewel's usual meaning in Buddhist art: the teachings and qualities of the Buddha.
In a painting
Look at the jewels first: each should be full and rounded, with clean outlines and evenly drawn curves, and the cluster should sit balanced on the centre line. The flames should rise in a lively but even rhythm, and the small suns on the black field should be crisp. Then check the palace: straight walls, four matching gateways and gold-coloured line work that stays sharp in the close-ups. At a glance, this is the mandala with a heap of jewels in flames where other mandalas have a deity.
