Cintamani

Cintāmaṇi (Sanskrit; Devanagari: चिन्तामणि; Chinese: 如意寶珠; pinyin: Rúyì bǎozhū; Korean: 여의보주/yeouiboju; Japanese Romaji: Nyoihōju), also spelled as Chintamani (or the Chintamani Stone), is a wish-fulfilling jewel resembling a pearl described in Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. It is one of several Mani Jewel images found in Buddhist scripture.

Within Hinduism, it is connected with the gods Vishnu and Ganesha. In Hindu tradition, it is often depicted as a fabulous jewel in the possession of Vishnu as the Kaustubha Mani or as on the forehead of the Naga king called as Naga Mani, or on the forehead of the Makara.^{[citation needed]} The Yoga Vasistha, originally written in the 10th century CE, contains a story about the cintamani.^[1] The Hindu Vishnu Purana speaks of the "Syamanta jewel, bestowing prosperity upon its owner, encapsulates the Yadu clan system".^[2] The Vishnu Purana is attributed to the mid-first millennium CE.

In Buddhism, it is held by the Bodhisattvas (divine beings with great compassion, wisdom and power) Avalokiteshvara and Ksitigarbha. It is also seen carried upon the back of the Lung Ta (wind horse) which is depicted on Tibetan prayer flags. By reciting the Dharani (small hymn) of Cintamani, Buddhist tradition maintains that one attains the Wisdom of Buddha, able to understand the truth of the Buddha, and turn afflictions into Bodhi. It is said to allow one to see the Holy Retinue of Amitabha and assembly upon one's deathbed. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition the Chintamani is sometimes depicted as a luminous pearl and is in the possession of several of different forms of the Buddha.^[3]

In Japan, where the Hindu goddess Lakshmi is known as Kisshōten in Shinto, she is commonly depicted with a Cintāmaṇi in her hand.