The Powerful Forest Goddess – Loma Gyonma
Loma Gyonma (Main figure)
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(Top to bottom): Medicine Buddha, White Tara, Loma Gyonma, Trakpo Sumtril, Dorje Shugden and Vairocana Shugden (Shize).
The Forest Goddess is an example of an Indian folk deity absorbed into Tantric Buddhism. She is a popular practice and has numerous forms with varying emphases. For the practitioner of Esoteric Buddhist meditation, the Forest Goddess is an emanation of the Buddha, and her special characteristic or metaphor is that of sickness and healing. The Forest Goddess Parnasavari’s name means ‘The Mountain Mendicant Wearing Leaves’ and she is associated with the mysterious forest Shavari tribe of ancient India. She has three faces, six arms and wears a skirt and garland of green leaves endowed with medicinal qualities. Hence, she is deeply associated with the jungle tribes and their famous healing abilities, particularly of curing contagious diseases.
Her practice had since proliferated to the Himalayas and in Tibet, whenever a lama gives a large scale teaching, it is customary to include the initiation and blessing of the Forest Goddess in order to ward off disease. The implements and her skirt symbolise her potent ability to heal the most virulent and contagious diseases by way of the root cause, the purification of the karma of harming others. Hence, she heals us of inner sickness, which is our delusions that lead us to harm others and outer sicknesses by way of purification of the karma of harm that we had inflicted on others in the past.
Although she is considered to be originally a folk Indian deity by some scholars but for Buddhists, she is considered and emanation of Tara herself. In fact, she is specifically the 20th Tara mentioned in the Praise of the 21 Taras, Lhamo Rithroma (the Mendicant Tara) who averts all diseases. Hence, she is a popular practice amongst Buddhists in the Himalayas and also ancient India. There were a number of ancient statues have been unearthed in Pala period excavations in Dacca, India from the 10th to 12th century period when Buddhism still existed in that region of India.
Medicine Buddha is described as the supreme physician who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings that are based on the vows he had taken when he was bodhisattva on the path. In addition, White Tara who is the emanation of Tara that pacifies all diseases of the 6 realms, Trakpo Sumtril who is a combination of Vajrapani, Hayagriva and Garuda in one deity and practice along with Dorje Shugden Shize who is an emanation of Dorje Shugden that pacifies sickness and diseases. Just like Loma Gyonma, these enlightened beings heal us of the basis of inner and outer sicknesses via the purification of our delusions and negative karma.
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Amazing Loma Gyonma, Buddha of healing for contagious and virulent diseases! An emanation of Tara -indeed, she is the 20th of the 21 Taras ,Lhamo Rithroma (the Mendicant Tara) who averts all diseases! With three faces, six arms, holding various implements and wearing a skirt and garland of green leaves endowed with medicinal qualities – all symbols of her power to heal the most virulent and contagious diseases by way of the root cause, the purification of the karma of harming others -she has the power to quell vicious diseases of pandemic proportions like the Corona Virus Disease. Hence, she heals us of inner sickness, which is our delusions that lead us to harm others and outer sicknesses by way of purification of the karma of harm that we had inflicted on others in the past.
She is portrayed here in this lovely thangka , together with all the compassionate healing Buddhas, who heal and pacify all diseases -Medicine Buddha, White Tara, Trakpo Sumtril, Dorje Shugden and Vairocana Shugden (Shize). Dorje Shugden, an emanation of Wisdom Buddha Manjushri, is also seen in his form of healing and pacifying diseases and sickness , Shize. All these Buddhas heal us on the basis of inner and outer sicknesses via the purification of our delusions and negative karma.
In such times when the Corona Virus Disease is assuming pandemic proportions unrelentingly, let us pray to Loma Gyonma and Dorje Shugden for all.Let us do her powerful practice .
Thank you Rinpoche for this powerful post on Loma Gyonma.
Wow…….nice painting of Loma Gyonma depicted alongside with Medicine Buddha, White Tara, Trakpo Sumtril, Dorje Shugden and Vairocana Shugden (Shize).The powerful blessings of Loma Gyonma will helps us to overcome dangerous and contagious diseases. It focuses specifically on purifying the karma and the causes that ravage our bodies with diseases.
Thank you Rinpoche for this short teachings .