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TheGolden Light Sutra orSuvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra (Sanskrit:सुवर्णप्रभासोत्तमसूत्रेन्द्रराजः; ) is aBuddhist text of theMahayana branch of Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the full title isSuvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājaḥ "The King of Sutras on the Sublime Golden Radiance"
The sutra was originally written inIndia inSanskrit and was translated several times intoChinese byDharmakṣema and others, and later translated into Tibetan and other languages.Johannes Nobel published Sanskrit and Tibetan editions of the text.[1][2][3] The sutra is influential in East Asia.[4]
The name of thesutra derives from the chapter called "The Confession of the Golden Drum", where the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a great drum that radiates a sublime golden light, symbolizing thedharma or teachings ofŚākyamuni Buddha.[5]
TheGolden Light Sutra became one of the most importantsutras inChina andJapan because of its fundamental message, which teaches that theFour Heavenly Kings (Chinese:四大天王;pinyin:Sì Dàtiānwáng) protect the ruler who governs his country in the proper manner.[6]
The sutra also expounds the vows of thegoddessesSarasvatī (Chinese:大辨才天;pinyin:Dà Biàncáitiān),Lakṣmī (Chinese:大功德天;pinyin:Dà Gōngdétiān) andPrithvi to protect anybhikṣu who will uphold and teach the sutra.[7]
Taken at face value, one might take the main theme of the sutra literally, which is the importance for leaders to be good examples for the kingdom. In Chapter Twelve, the sutra speaks in verse form about the disasters that befall a kingdom when its ruler does not uphold justice, and the benefits of kings who lead an exemplary life. In the Chapter on the Guardian Kings, the Four Guardian Kings have a dialogue with the Buddha, explaining in vivid detail all the benefits a kingdom will have if its ruler enshrines the essence of the sutra and offers daily praise. The sutra contains some elements of early tantra, in that in chapter two, the sutra describes four Buddhas who dwell in the four cardinal directions. These same four comprise later Buddhist mandalas in the same positions, such as theWomb Realm.[citation needed]
During the Sui dynasty in China, the monkZhiyi of theTiantai tradition initiated a ritual ceremony known as "Gōngfó Zhāitiān" (供佛齋天) or just "Zhāitiān" (齋天), meaning "Puja of Offering to the Buddhas and the Devas", according to the rites prescribed in theGolden Light Sutra.[8] During the ceremony, offerings are made to theBuddhas as well as thetwenty-four devas as a sign of respect.[9] This ceremony has been carried down through tradition into modern times and is customarily performed in Chinese Buddhist temples on the 9th day of the 1st month of the Chinese calendar.[9]
The sutra also gained esteem as a sutra for protecting the country in China, Korea and Japan, and often was read publicly to ward off threats. For example, its first reading in Japan was as a court ceremony during around 660 AD, when theTang dynasty of China andSilla of Korea defeated the state ofBaekje of Korea and were threatening Japan.[citation needed] In 741Emperor Shōmu of Japan foundedprovincial monasteries for monks (国分寺) and nuns (国分尼寺) in each province. The official name of the monasteries was theTemple for Protection of the State by the Four Heavenly Kings Golden Light Sutra (traditional Chinese:金光明經四天王護国之寺). The 20 monks who lived there recited theSovereign Kings Golden Light Sutra on a fixed schedule to protect the country. As Buddhism evolved in Japan, the practice gradually fell out of use, and is no longer continued today.[citation needed]
The Golden Light Sutra has been translated into Chinese,Saka ("Khotanese"),Old Uyghur byShingqo Sheli Tutung,[10][11]Tangut,Classical Tibetan,Mongolian,[12]Manchu,Korean andJapanese.[13][14]
Three canonical Chinese translations have survived:[15]
An extracanonical version, ascribed toParamārtha, (499–569) is extant in a Japanese manuscript.
One of the earliest Japanese annotations was an 8th-centurykunten translation of the Yijing Chinese translation housed inSaidaiji Temple.[13]
In 1933, Izumi published the first complete Japanese translation directly from Sanskrit, followed by another translation by Ama a year later.[16]
An almost complete translation of the Golden Light Sutra intoOld Uyghur in the 11th century was carried out by the scribeShingqo Sheli Tutung. This particular translation would be revised two times by Uyghur andYugur monks, in 1361 and 1687 respectively.[17]
In 1958, Nobel published a German translation, based on Yijing's Chinese text.[18]In 1970, R. E. Emmerick produced an English translation of the short, condensed Sanskrit version of the Sutra of Golden Light into English.[19]
In Tibetan, there are three versions of the Sutra: the 21, 29, and 31 chapter versions. The 29 Chapter Version was probably the most popular in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhist regions.[citation needed]
In 2007, theFoundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition,Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Buddhist organization, produced a translation of the 21 chapter version of the Sutra, the most abbreviated and condensed version.[20]
In 2023, 84000.co published a translation of the 21 chapter version, followed in 2024 by the first English translations of the 29 and 31 chapter versions.[21][22][23]
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