Description
Although referred to in the English language as a “flaming wish granting jewel/pearl/gem,” it’s original name in Tibetan is “Norbu Mebar.” In Chinese it is called a “Mani pearl (摩尼宝珠) or sometimes a “Ruyi pearl” (如意宝珠). “Norbu” in Tibetan means “jewel” and in this context “Norbu” refers primarily to the three jewels of “the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha” ie collectively as “the treasures.”
The treasures are usually composed of five jewels in a trapezoidal shape in rising layers of three, two and one. The other main component of the “Norbu Mebar” is the red flames which burns upwards, encircling the jewels in the center. The bundle then rests on a lotus stand.
It is said that “flaming wish granting jewel” can radiate bright and clear light which can emanating a thousand feet in all directions; illuminating all sentient beings near Mount Meru and relieving their suffering. Mount Meru (also known as Sumeru) is a sacred mountain in Buddhist cosmology and considered to be the center of both the physical and spiritual universes. It can bring lightness to the dark, warmth to the cold and cold to the heat. In lands where there is a “flaming wish granting jewel” the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold. If a person is diseased (such as with cold sores, leprosy, swelling etc) the jewel can be placed on the body and the disease will be cured. It is even claimed to posses magical properties when wrapped in certain cloth and placed in the water, causing that water to change color.
It is no surprise therefore that flaming wish granting jewel is associated with granting wishes, relieving suffering, as a symbol of disaster relief and generally associated with peace and happiness.
Former Collection of Chris Buckley, Author of the book Tibetan Antique Furniture (ISBN 0500512779).
