Jambhala (also known as Dzambhala, Dzambala, Zambala or Jambala) is the God of Wealth and appropriately a member of the Jewel Family (see Ratnasambhava). He is sometimes equated with the Hindu deity Kubera. Jambhala is also believed to be an emanation of Avalokitesvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. There are five different wealth Jambhalas; each has his own practice and mantra to help eliminate poverty and create financial stability.
Gyalten Sogdzin Rinpoche said that Jambhala is the protector of all Lineages and of all sentient beings from all sickness and difficulties. Jambhala is a Bodhisattva of material and spiritual wealth as well as many other things, especially of granting financial stability.
”Because in this world, there are all kinds of wrathful and negative emotions or bad spirits, and sometimes they will harm you and other sentient beings, Dzambhala must take on such a wrathful and powerful form to protect us from these harmful spirits and negative karma. Especially, Dzambhala helps us minimize or decrease all misfortunes and obstacles and helps us increase all good fortune and happiness.”
White Jambhala (or Dzambhala Gapee in Tibetan) is the compassionate manifestation of the Bodhisattva Chenrezig (Guan Yin). He can remove the suffering of poverty and sickness, purify non-virtuous karma and karmic obstacles, avert disaster and sickness, and evolve bodhicitta mind.
The Tibetan legend said that a revered high lama, Atisha, was walking alone when he found a man starving and near death. After looking around and unable to find food for the old man, he cut flesh from his own body and offered it to the starving man. But the man refused to eat of his flesh. Being depressed and not knowing how else to help the man nearing death, Lama Atisha sat down next to him. At that point there was a blinding bright white light and before Atisha appeared Chenrezig of Compassion. He told Lama Atisha that he was going to manifest himself as the God of Wealth, Jambhala, and assure that those in poverty would suffer no longer.
As the manifestation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, White Jambhala was born from his right eye. He sits on a snow lion, although some artists depict him sitting on a dragon, and a mongoose in his left hand spits out precious diamonds and ornaments. White Jambhala has white colored body. He also holding a Wealth Banner in his left arm and a gold sword in his right. The Mantra of White Jambhala is:
Om Padma Krodha Arya Jambhala Hridaya Hum Phat
When cultivating the "Dragon-ridding White Jambhala Practice", the practitioners can also pray that he will lead them to hidden treasures. In the olden days, Tibetan Tantric masters placed their precious teachings in caves. These teachings were sealed in the four elements of "earth, water, fire and wind". One needs to employ very special methods to retrieve these Dharma treasures. One must also know the location of the caves where these ancestry masters had practiced in seclusion. The practitioners may pray to the "Dragon-ridding White Jambhala" so that he will bring them to these caves where the treasures were hidden.