Each year during the 23rd-29th lunar days of the 5th month, members of the Menri Monastery ordained community undergo a retreat for Jamma Chenmo, the Great Loving Mother. In 2026, those lunar dates coincide with July 8th-13th. This cycle of tantric teachings of Künsel Jamma Chenmo are found in The Eighth Way of Bön, The Way of the Primordial Shen.
Jamma Chenmo, the Great Loving Mother, is a Buddha who manifests as a loving mother to care for each and every sentient being as though they were her only child. In her manifestation as one of the Four Transcendent Buddhas of the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, she is called by the Zhang Zhung name Satrik Érsang.
Buddha Jamma Chenmo, also called Sherap Jamma, can manifest in any way necessary to act for the welfare of sentient beings. She magically emanates as the Five Wisdom Families who are the manifestation of her enlightened body, the Eight Protectors who are the manifestation of her enlightened speech, the Sixteen Door Openers who are manifestations of her enlightened mind, the thirty-two emanations who are manifestations of her enlightened qualities, the fifty-two emanations that are manifestations of her enlightened activity, the 108 emanations who are the source of many Jamma scriptures, the 360 emanations who keep watch over the five elements of the phenomenal world and every kind of sentient being, the 5,500 emanations that are yungdrung sempa [Sanskrit:bodhisattvas], and the many limitless emanations who are part of her retinue and who work on her behalf.
The Heartdrop of Jamma is a short, but profound, text that enables one to deeply connect with Sherap Jamma in order to receive her blessings and protection. The power of reciting this text with devotion has unimaginable benefits. Within the text itself, it details some of these extraordinary benefits.
“If you recite from the beginning until the end, it is the same as reciting the Kangyur one time. If you perform the practice daily, you will attain buddhahood in this single lifetime with this body. Because this is the oral transmission of the Mother and the khandro, if you practice without hope, fear, or doubt, buddhahood is certain.
Extract from The Heartdrop of Jamma, The Wise Loving Mother
The English language translation of this text by Raven Cypress Wood is available in both print and eBook here: The Heartdrop of Jamma. The Spanish language and French language translations will soon be available in eBook. Stay tuned!
For those who would like to listen to a mediative reading of the text, Raven has recorded and published it on the Nine Ways Youtube channel here: https://youtu.be/c9s82TmhfuA.
The Five Wisdom Manifestations of Jamma
Jamma Chenmo’s Five Wisdom Family emanations all have a peaceful appearance and collectively embody the five wisdoms and purify the five poisons. These five manifestations are Künsel Jamma, Tabgyi Jamma, Mönlam Jamma, Tukjé Jamma, and Topgyi Jamma.
Künsel Jamma, the All-clear Loving Mother, is a fiery golden color. She has one face, two arms, and two legs. In her right hand, she holds a golden vase of nectar. In her left hand, she holds a udumbara flower. At the flower’s apex is a round mirror symbolizing wisdom. She wears bracelets of crystal, and around her neck is an ornament of forty wisdom tiklés. She is the embodiment of the wisdom of emptiness.
Tapgyi Jamma, Loving Mother of Skillful Means, is white with one face, four arms, and two legs. In her two right hands, she holds a net and a lotus. In her two left hands, she holds a lightening bolt and a yungdrung. She is the embodiment of mirror-like wisdom.
Mönlam Jamma, Loving Mother of Aspiration, is also known as Namkha Dzö Dzinma, Holder of a Sky Treasury. She is green with one face, four arms, and two legs. In her right two hands, she holds a razor and a staff. In her two left hands, she holds a renunciate’s begging bowl and a vase of lustral water. She is the embodiment of the wisdom of equanimity.
Tükjé Jamma, Loving Mother of Compassion, is like the queen of all the khandro and also manifests as the great consort, Chema Ötso. She is red with one face, four arms, and two legs. In her right two hands, she holds a lasso and a sun. In her left two hands, she holds a precious jewel and a victory banner. She is the embodiment of discriminating wisdom.
Topgyi Jamma, Loving Mother of Power, is also known as Nang Si Kün Drakma, Goddess who is renowned throughout the phenomenal universe. She is blue with one face, four arms, and two legs. In her right two hands she holds a dagger and a military banner. In her left two hands, she holds a horoscope and an utpal flower. She is the embodiment of all-accomplishing wisdom.
The Eight Jamma Manifestations that Protect from Fear
Drayi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of Enemies, is the Protector who turns back all enemies having form or those who are formless. She is the Loving Mother who reverses all flaws and defects.
Jekyi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of Curses and Slander, is the Protector who destroys all harm and damage caused by curses, slander ,and negative use of energy and magic.
Rikgyi Jik Chopma, Protector from Fear for the Lineage, is the Protector who bestows the attainment of children to sentient beings who want to continue the family lineage and are suffering because of infertility or other obstacles to having children or continuing a lineage such as a family, a business, or a group.
Luyi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of the Lu, is the Subduer of the demon lu that cause diseases such as leprosy, internal lesions, herpes and so on.
Mutek Jik Chopma, Protetor from the Fear of Wrong Views, is the Destroyer who decisively ends the criticism of outsiders who hold wrong views. She also strengthens the intellect.
Kyöngyi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of Flaws and Errors, is the Loving Mother who overcomes uncleanliness, mistakes and defilements.
Tséyi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of Death, is the Medicine Goddess of Longevity who protects from the fear of death.
Zayi Jik Chopma, Protector from the Fear of the Planets, is the Loving Mother who subdues, without exception, planets, stars and the eight classes of beings. She protects from harm coming from astrological influences.
The Ten Jamma Manifestations that are the Source of the Ten Perfections Teachings
Sherap Jamma is the source of the perfection of wisdom teachings. She has ten manifestations that embody the pure and fully manifested quality of each of the ten perfections. Each of these manifestations has one face, two hands and is seated on a throne.
Jinpa Jamma, Loving Mother of Generosity, is blue and holds a mala of counting beads in her right hand and a vase of nectar in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of immense joy.
Tsultrim Jamma, Loving Mother of Moral Discipline, is blue and holds an everlasting tree in her right hand and a dark blue vase in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of stainless crystal.
Zöpa Jamma, Loving Mother of Patience, is bluish green and holds a victory banner of fire in her right hand and a water wheel in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of radiance.
Tsöndru Jamma, Loving Mother of Zeal, is light green and holds a magical lasso in her right hand and a wheel of the wind in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of the mudra of transformation.
Samten Jamma, Loving Mother of Concentration, is turquoise and holds a golden phurba in her right hand and a large, unchanging rock in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of cloudbanks of the Bön essence.
Topgyi Jamma, Loving Mother of Power, is light red and holds a lion banner in her right hand and the mudra of overcoming the earth with her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of realizing bliss.
Tükjé Jamma, Loving Mother of Compassion, is reddish green and holds a wish-fulfilling jewel in her right hand and a lasso of compassion in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of accomplishing wishes.
Mönlam Jamma, Loving Mother of Aspiration, is red and holds a hollyhock flower in her right hand and a coral vase in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of pure non-attachment.
Tapgyi Jamma, Loving Mother of Skillful Means, is white and holds a lasso of skillful means in her right hand and a golden vase in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of the wheel of letters.
Sherap Jamma, Loving Mother of Wisdom, she is golden and holds a golden vase in her right hand and a mirror of clarity in her left hand. Of the ten grounds, she is associated with the ground of the changeless yungdrung.
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