June 22, 2025 Dharma King Liansheng's Discourse on Zashi Lhamo

(This translation only includes content pertaining to the Scorpion Practice and disciples sharing their spiritual responses)

Today, during the Mahasri empowerment, we will also bestow empowerment for Zashi Lhamo. Zashi Lhamo is the principal deity to be transmitted during the upcoming Grand Fall Ceremony. Everything about Zashi Lhamo will be explained in detail during the event. There are various legends surrounding Zashi Lhamo. Actually, she is an emanation of Mahasri. Her mantra is: “Om, ma-mo, na-mo, tong-tong, za-za, so-ha.” Her appearance is extremely wrathful.

In Tibet, there is a Zashi Temple. She belongs to the Wealth Deity. She is known for making people suddenly wealthy — overnight millionaires. She also offers protection and acts as a Dharma protector. Her appearance is fierce and intimidating, although she was originally very beautiful. Due to certain karmic causes, she became wrathful. 

Many things in this world are quite mysterious — one disciple even offered me a statue of Zashi Lhamo. The Zashi Temple in Tibet isn’t the only one; I heard she has a temple in Chengdu, Sichuan, and she is also revered in Ningxia. Her offerings are rather unique: she requires three bottles of white liquor, and tsampa — specifically white tsampa, which is unhulled barley flour. We don’t have unhulled barley flour locally, so we use regular flour instead.

As she holds the sun in one hand and the moon in the other, she should be offered two mirrors — this is a special practice of the True Buddha School. One can make all kinds of other delicious offerings to her as well.

She was originally a protector of all travelers, but she later transformed into a wealth deity. In Tibet, she is recognized as a worldly Dharma protector and wealth goddess, and is a female wealth deity of the Gelug school. She can bring instant wealth. What does this mean? It means getting rich all of a sudden. Everyone dreams of winning the lottery and becoming instantly wealthy. That’s Zashi Lhamo, the sudden-wealth goddess. A disciple from Sichuan offered me a statue of her. True Buddha School disciples have also offered me her statue, so I now have quite a few of them at home. She has even manifested before me. She is a truly special deity.

I’ve heard she has a temple in Chengdu, and one in Ningxia too. Where is Ningxia? Is it in Gansu?

There are several legends about her, but the main one says she was originally a very beautiful concubine of Emperor Qianlong. During palace intrigues, she was poisoned. As a result, her body turned completely black, her tongue protruded, and her face was disfigured. Her legs were chopped off, but miraculously grew back — resembling chicken claws. Her mudra is three fingers. This is her mudra (Grandmaster demonstrates the mudra). I will discourse on her more clearly during the upcoming ceremony.

Zashi Lhamo was originally very beautiful, but she died an unjust, wrongful death by malice. Her soul lingered and haunted the palace. Eventually, monks at Mount Wutai invited a highly accomplished Tibetan monk to subdue her. Later, with the help of the monk, she exacted revenge on those who wronged her and eventually they were all punished. She then followed the monk back to Tibet.

The Tibetan living buddha told her, “Since you can’t reside in the temple, we’ll build a small shrine for you outside.” That shrine became Zashi Temple. Although only a small temple at first, Zashi Lhamo gradually became especially famous for protecting travelers and bringing wealth. According to legend, this is how she became a wealth deity.

Zashi Lhamo is also a deity who protects the human world, that is, she is a guardian of the saha world. We’re bestowing her empowerment today. After receiving her empowerment, you can recite her mantra. After reciting her mantra, you can all instantly get rich (laughing). It’s not necessary to clap for anything but this! (laughing)