出西藏,乃番僧捻草末合成如豆形,故名。王怡堂云∶藏中出一种草,彼土人呼为野马
草。
番僧择日采之,研为细末,置净器中,供佛前。更择日合和为药,其合药之日,率彼土男妇
皆于佛前诵咒,以所和草末研为丸,男丸者为雄,妇丸者为雌。药亦分雌雄形,雄者丸上有
小圆凸;雌者作长凹,色有红有黑,皆如绿豆大。丸毕,仍置净器中,必须雌雄合在一处,
一二日能生出小豆如麻子屑,饲以藏红花,间日视之,红花渐少,则新生之豆渐大。久则又
生小豆,以此生生不息,亦一异也。如携带远方,无藏红花,豆亦不死,惟不能化生小豆耳
。西宁人曾玉瀛言∶野马豆,又呼嘛呢子。如半粒绿豆大,藏中人得此豆,每日辄诵 嘛
呢叭 六字数百遍,丸豆时,亦口念此六字,故名。能治胃气心痛,惟 痘疟疾忌服。
以其善于长化颠倒阴阳也。 马少云卫藏图识∶藏中有子母药,大裁可绿豆,以哈达洁裹之
,经时小粒渐曾,有子母相生之义。传达 喇嘛默持佛咒,以糌粑搓成者,故以奇异着。按
∶此即野马豆也。 朱排山柑园小识∶喇吗尝聚会以米麦数粒置瓶中,四人守之,诵 嘛
叭呢 六字咒,饮食则代,无间昼夜,四十九日,有红子满瓶中,大如芥子,色似朱砂,谓
之嘛 子。佩之能避邪致祥,小儿食之稀痘。 壬子,予从戚友处觅得嘛 子数十粒,以玻
璃盆贮之,形匀圆,俨似急性子而色红。据云∶初得时色不甚红,苦无藏红花,即市本地河
南所产红花研屑拌之,久则色红如朱砂。平瑶海先生偶得西藏嘛 子数十粒,一时无玻璃器
,乃即置纸裹中供佛前,日诵文殊六字真言数百遍,其子能忽多忽少,又能透出纸裹外,变
幻不常。异之,以告客,客曰∶此物性成本得西僧咒力,其造子之法,今都中喇嘛亦能为之
。每四月八日,大小喇嘛辄群聚佛前,选高行持诵者数十人,铙铃法鼓,宣扬六字真言七昼
夜
,其丸即用干面手搓如粟米大,口念手丸,以金盆贮之,丸时得咒力,粒粒皆能自飞。或在
窗棂,或在案格,堆结团聚,俟七昼夜满后,其不能飞者去之,其飞者用帚扫下,以送诸王
大臣,名嘛 子。可治诸疾,变幻多寡,盖自其成性巳然,无足异也。入药以西藏合者佳。
癸丑冬,在上虞署晤平司马少君菜仲言∶曾随任中甸,其地系西藏要路,有喇吗等。彼地呼
野马豆为舍利子,有草木佛三种,彼土富人死,必纳一粒口中,云入冥生光,土人有病,亦
辄服之。 金御乘言∶慈溪有患耳聋者,其家有藏中带来嘛 子,取服三粒,忽闻两耳中大
声一震,轰然如掣去数百斤物者,嗣后耳更聪甚。其人一日忽眠食妓家,次日复聋如故,再
服亦无效矣。
味微辛,性平,治百病。彼土无药,有病即服此豆。
Originating from Tibet, it is formed by Tibetan monks kneading grass powder into bean-like shapes, hence the name. Wang Yitang stated: In Tibet, there is a type of grass locally called "Wild Horse Grass."
Tibetan monks select an auspicious day to harvest it, grind it into fine powder, place it in a clean vessel, and offer it before Buddha statues. On another selected day, they mix it into medicine. On the day of mixing, local men and women all chant mantras before Buddha statues, grinding the mixed grass powder into pills; those rolled by men are considered "male," and those rolled by women are considered "female." The medicine also distinguishes between male and female forms: the male pills have small round protrusions on top, while the female pills have elongated concave depressions. Their colors vary between red and black, and their size resembles that of mung beans. After the pills are made, they are placed back in a clean vessel. The male and female pills must be kept together; within one or two days, small beans resembling hemp seed fragments will sprout. They are fed with Crocus sativus L. (Zanghonghua, 藏红花). Observing every other day, as the saffron gradually diminishes, the newly grown beans enlarge. Over time, more small beans emerge, reproducing endlessly, which is indeed a strange phenomenon. If carried to distant places without saffron, the beans do not die but simply fail to generate new small beans. Zeng Yuying from Xining said: Wild Horse Bean is also called Mani Zi. It is about half the size of a mung bean. People in Tibet, upon obtaining this bean, chant the six-syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" hundreds of times daily. When rolling the pills, they also recite these six characters, hence the name. It can treat stomach qi heart pain, but is contraindicated for patients with smallpox or malaria. This is because it excels at altering yin and yang through its growth and transformation. Ma Shaoyun's *Illustrations of the Frontier Regions of Tibet* records: There is a mother-and-child medicine in Tibet, sized like a mung bean, wrapped cleanly in a khata silk scarf. Over time, the small grains gradually increase, embodying the meaning of mother and child generating each other. Lama Dacha silently holds Buddhist mantras while shaping them with tsampa flour, thus known for its strangeness. Note: This is precisely the Wild Horse Bean. Zhu Paishan's *Ganyuan Xiaoshi* records: Lamas once gathered, placing several grains of rice and wheat in a bottle, guarded by four people chanting the six-syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" continuously day and night, taking turns for meals. After forty-nine days, the bottle was filled with red seeds, the size of mustard seeds, colored like cinnabar, called Mani Zi. Wearing it can ward off evil and bring good fortune; children eating it may experience fewer cases of smallpox. In the Renzi year, I obtained dozens of Mani Zi from relatives and friends, storing them in a glass basin. They were uniformly round, resembling *Passiflora foetida* seeds (Jixingzi, 急性子) but red in color. It was said that when first obtained, the color was not very red; lacking saffron, they were mixed with powdered Carthamus tinctorius L. (Honghua, 红花) produced locally in Henan market. Over time, the color turned red like cinnabar. Mr. Ping Yaohai accidentally obtained dozens of Tibetan Mani Zi. Lacking glass vessels initially, he placed them in paper wraps to offer before Buddha statues, chanting the Six-Syllable True Mantra of Manjushri hundreds of times daily. The beans multiplied and diminished suddenly and could even penetrate the paper wrap, exhibiting unpredictable transformations. Astonished, he told his guests, who replied: This object's nature is empowered by Western monk mantras. The method of creating these seeds is also practiced by lamas in the capital. Every April 8th, great and minor lamas gather before Buddha statues, selecting dozens of practitioners with high moral conduct to chant the Six-Syllable True Mantra for seven days and nights, accompanied by cymbals, bells, and ritual drums. The pills they roll are shaped like millet grains using dry dough, rolled by hand while chanting. Stored in golden basins, imbued with mantra power during rolling, each grain can fly spontaneously. Some rest on window frames, others on desk grids, clustering together. After seven days and nights, those unable to fly are discarded, while those that fly are swept down with a broom and presented to princes and ministers, named Mani Zi. It can treat various ailments; the variation in quantity is inherent to its nature, nothing unusual. For medicinal use, those prepared in Tibet are superior. In the winter of the Guichou year, at the Shangyu government office, I met Ping Sima Shaojun Caizhong, who said: He had served in Zhongdian, a key route to Tibet, where lamas reside. Locals call Wild Horse Bean "Sarira Zi" (Relic Seed), categorized into plant, wood, and Buddha types. When wealthy locals die, a grain is placed in their mouth, believed to emit light in the underworld. Sick locals also frequently consume it. Jin Yucheng stated: A person in Cixi suffering from deafness had Mani Zi brought from Tibet. Upon consuming three grains, he suddenly heard a loud bang in both ears, as if hundreds of jin of weight were removed. Subsequently, his hearing became much sharper. However, after staying overnight at a brothel one day, he became deaf again the next day, and subsequent consumption proved ineffective.
The taste is slightly pungent, and the nature is neutral. It treats a hundred diseases. In their land, where medicines are scarce, they consume this bean whenever ill.