Material: Fully gilded. Made of copper. Three-piece assembly

Size: Approx. 68cm in height

Narrative:

White Umbrella Goddess (Sanskrit: Sitātapatrā) is a guardian deity venerated in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. According to legend, she is the incarnation of the topknot of Sakyamuni Buddha, and is specifically used to ward off supernatural dangers and evil spells. Practicing her mantra can protect practitioners from disasters and allow them to enter the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha at the time of death.

There is a famous story about her origin: Although the Asuras in the six realms have good fortune, they often conflict with the heavens because of their strong anger. There is a wish-fulfilling tree between the heaven and the Asura realm. The heavenly beings can have their wishes fulfilled when they pray to it. This makes the Asuras jealous, so they lead their people to attack the heaven. In desperation, Indra turned to Sakyamuni Buddha for help. The Buddha then transformed himself into White Umbrella Goddess, holding a huge white umbrella, and recited the White Umbrella Dharani, which frightened the Asuras and they fled. The war was thus settled.

In the Han area, the practice of White Umbrella Goddess has a deep connection with the "Lotus Sutra". It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, Venerable Panshimiti introduced the "Sutra of the Shurangama Sutra" to China, which recorded the powerful power of this mantra, which can subdue demons and protect practitioners. Throughout history, many emperors have worshipped White Umbrella Goddess for protection. For example, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, worshipped her image next to his throne. Inscriptions of her mantra in Sanskrit and Tibetan were also found in the Qianlong Underground Palace, the imperial mausoleum of the Qing Dynasty in Beijing.

The practice of this Buddha Mother can not only protect the country and eliminate disasters, but also ward off all disasters, such as nightmares, poisons, soldiers, bandits, diseases, lightning, etc., so that practitioners can practice in peace. Her method is also very important in Tibetan Buddhism, and many practitioners resolve disasters by practicing her mantra.