合部金光明經

CHAPTER FOUR: CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE

At that time, that very night, Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreamed of a golden drum, immense and magnificent in form. Its radiance illuminated everything like the light of the sun. Within that light, he also saw immeasurable and boundless Buddhas, Blessed Ones, throughout the ten directions, seated upon beryl thrones beneath jeweled trees, surrounded by immeasurable hundreds of thousands of attendants, for whom they were teaching the Dharma.

He saw a person resembling a brahmin striking the drum with a mallet, producing a great sound. That sound proclaimed verses of confession and repentance. When Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu awoke from the dream, he single-mindedly recollected the verses of confession and repentance that he had heard therein.

When night had passed and morning came, he departed from the city of Rajagriha. At that time, immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of beings, together with the bodhisattva, also proceeded to Mount Grdhrakuta and came to where the Buddha was. Having reached the Buddha, he bowed at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, withdrew and sat to one side.

With reverence, he joined his palms and gazed upon the Honored One’s countenance, then addressed the Tathagata concerning the golden drum he had seen and the verses of confession and repentance heard in that dream:

The dream of the previous night

I remember and retain wholeheartedly:

I dreamed I saw a golden drum,

Of wondrous hue and blazing brilliance.

Its radiance was exceedingly abundant,

Brighter than the sun,

Shining throughout the ten directions

Upon worlds as numerous as Ganges sands.

By means of that radiance,

I beheld the Tathagatas,

Seated upon beryl thrones

Beneath jeweled trees,

While countless assemblies

Surrounded them to hear the Dharma.

I saw a brahmin

Striking the golden drum;

Within the sound of that drum,

These verses were proclaimed.

The wondrous sound issuing

From this golden drum

Can eradicate

The sufferings of the three times:

Those of hell beings, animals,

Hungry ghosts, and so forth;

Those of poverty and hardship,

And the sufferings of all modes of existence.

This drum manifests

A wondrous, resounding voice

That can dispel the afflictions

Of beings of every kind.

Their fears are utterly destroyed,

And fearlessness is attained,

Just as all Buddhas

Have attained fearlessness.

The Buddhas, the holy sages,

Have perfected their merits,

Departed from birth and death,

And reached the shore of Great Wisdom.

In this way, sentient beings

Shall perfect their merits,

Their samadhis and aids to the Path

Becoming vast as the ocean.

This drum manifests

Such a wondrous sound,

Enabling sentient beings to attain

The profound Brahma voice,

To realize the unsurpassed Buddhahood,

The honored fruit of bodhi,

And to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel,

Subtle, wondrous, and pure;

To abide for an immeasurable lifespan

Through inconceivable kalpas,

Proclaiming the true Dharma

For the benefit of sentient beings;

To remove harmful afflictions,

So that every suffering vanishes,

And greed, hatred, delusion, and confusion

Are all brought to quiescence.

If there are sentient beings

Within the cities of hell,

Where great fires blaze

And scorch their bodies,

Should they hear the golden drum’s

Wondrous, resounding voice,

Upon hearing the words issuing from the drum,

They shall immediately seek to worship the Buddha.

It shall also enable sentient beings

Clearly to know their former lives,

From hundreds and thousands of lifetimes past

To thousands of myriads of kotis;

With right mindfulness, they shall retain in mind

The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones,

And shall also hear teachings

Unsurpassed and wondrous.

The wondrous sound arising

From within the golden drum

Shall also enable sentient beings

To encounter the holy Buddhas,

To depart from every kind

Of evil karma,

And skillfully cultivate immeasurable

Pure and wholesome karma.

Devas, human beings,

And beings of every kind,

Whatever aspirations

And prayers they may have—

When the sound of this golden drum

Resounds,

It shall enable them all

To be completely fulfilled.

If there are sentient beings

Who have fallen into the cities of hell,

Where fierce fires blaze

And burn their bodies,

With no one to assist them

As calamities successively arise,

It shall cause all such beings

To be freed from every suffering.

If there are sentient beings

Beset by suffering,

Enduring the retribution of the three evil paths,

Or suffering among humankind,

When the sound of this golden drum

Resounds,

It can completely eradicate

All their sufferings.

For those who have nowhere to seek refuge

And no one to rescue them,

I shall become for them

A refuge and protector.

May the Blessed Ones

Now bear witness:

For a long time, toward me

They have given rise to great compassion—

The Buddhas dwelling everywhere

Throughout the ten directions,

The present Heroes of the World,

The Honored Ones Perfect in the Twofold Excellence!

The evil and unwholesome karma

That I formerly created,

I now confess and repent before

The Possessors of the Ten Powers!

Unmindful of the profound kindness

Of parents and the Blessed One,

Failing to understand wholesome Dharma,

I committed every evil deed.

Proud of my lineage

And abundant wealth,

Indulgent and heedless in youth,

I performed evil acts.

My thoughts were unwholesome,

My speech created evil karma;

Following my inclinations, I acted

Without perceiving my faults.

I acted as an ignorant ordinary being,

Veiled in darkness and unaware;

Drawing close to evil friends,

My mind was disturbed by afflictions.

Through conditions arising from the five desires,

Anger arose within my mind;

Never knowing satisfaction,

I therefore committed every evil.

By drawing close to those who were not holy,

Jealousy arose;

Through conditions of poverty,

I deceitfully committed evil.

Being dependent upon others,

I was constantly terrified;

Unable to act freely,

I committed evil deeds.

Greed, hatred, and delusion

Agitated my mind;

Oppressed by craving,

I committed every evil.

For the sake of food and clothing,

And also sensual desire,

Bound by the fetters of affliction,

I committed every evil.

The evils of body, speech, and mind—

The karma accumulated through these three—

All such offenses

I now confess and repent!

If I failed to revere

The Buddha, Dharma, and holy Sangha,

All such offenses

I now confess and repent!

If I failed to revere

Pratyekabuddhas and bodhisattvas,

All offenses such as these

I now confess and repent!

Because of ignorance,

I slandered the true Dharma

And failed to show reverence

To parents, elders, and honored ones;

All offenses such as these

I now confess and repent!

Veiled in the darkness of ignorance and delusion,

Arrogant, heedless, and unrestrained,

Through greed, delusion, and hatred,

I committed evil deeds;

All offenses such as these

I now confess and repent!

I now make offerings

To the immeasurable and boundless

Buddhas throughout

The great trichiliocosm!

I shall rescue and liberate

Throughout the ten directions

All immeasurable sentient beings

Who endure suffering and calamity!

I shall securely establish

Inconceivable

Asamkhyeyas of beings

In peaceful abiding upon the Ten Grounds!

Those who have been securely established

And abide upon the Ten Grounds,

I shall cause fully to attain

The Tathagata’s perfect enlightenment!

For the sake of even one sentient being,

I shall cultivate for kotis of kalpas,

Enabling immeasurable beings

Swiftly to cross the ocean of suffering!

For the sake of all

Sentient beings,

I shall proclaim the ocean of Dharma,

Subtle, wondrous, exceedingly profound,

Called Golden Light,

Which eradicates all evil!

If one who has created for a thousand kalpas

Grave evil karma

Single-mindedly makes

Even one confession and repentance,

All such offenses

Shall be completely eradicated.

I have now proclaimed

The Dharma of confession and repentance

Of this Golden Light,

Pure, subtle, and wondrous,

Which swiftly eradicates

Every karmic obstruction.

I shall securely establish beings

In peaceful abiding upon the Ten Grounds,

Using the ten kinds of precious treasures

As their feet and foundation;

They shall attain unsurpassed Buddhahood

And the radiance of merit,

Enabling sentient beings

To cross the ocean of the three modes of existence.

The exceedingly profound

Treasury of Dharma possessed by the Buddhas,

Its immeasurable merits

Inconceivable;

May the penetrations of omniscience

All be perfected,

Together with hundreds of thousands of dhyanas,

The factors of awakening, powers, and faculties,

And inconceivable

Dharanis;

May I attain

The Blessed One’s Ten Powers.

The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones,

Possess great loving-kindness and compassion;

May they witness my sincerity

And compassionately accept my repentant heart.

If throughout a hundred kalpas

I created every kind of evil,

And through those causes and conditions

Great sorrow and suffering arose—

Destitution and poverty,

Grief, distress, and fear;

Evil karma circling back,

My heart timid and faint,

So that wherever I might be

I had not even a moment of joy—

May the present Blessed Ones

Of great compassion throughout the ten directions,

Who can dispel all

The fears of sentient beings,

Deign to accept my

Sincere confession and repentance,

Causing all my fears

Completely to vanish.

All the defilements of karma and affliction

That I possess—

May the present

Buddhas, the Blessed Ones,

With the water of great compassion,

Wash them utterly away.

All evils of the past

I now repent completely;

The offenses presently being committed

I sincerely reveal;

Evil deeds not yet committed

I dare never commit;

The evil karma already committed

I dare not conceal.

The three kinds of bodily karma,

The four kinds of verbal karma,

And the three kinds of mental karma—

I now confess and repent them all.

The deeds of body and speech,

Together with thoughts of mind—

The ten unwholesome kinds of karma—

I confess and repent them all.

Swiftly abandoning the ten evils

Practicing the ten wholesome deeds,

Abiding securely in the Ten Stages,

And attaining the ten powers.

For the evil karma I have created,

For which I deserve evil retribution,

Now before the World-Honored One,

I sincerely repent.

Whatever wholesome Dharma exists

In this land

And in other worlds,

I dedicate it all.

Thus do I cultivate

Wholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind,

Vowing that in a future life

I shall attain the unsurpassed Way!

If, within the worlds of existence,

Amid the dangers of the six paths,

Through ignorance and stupidity

I have committed every evil deed,

Now before the World-Honored One,

I repent of them all!

All the dangers within the world,

The perils of birth and death,

Every kind of lustful misconduct,

And the calamities of affliction—

For dangers such as these,

I now repent!

The danger of a frivolous mind,

The danger of associating with evil friends,

The dangers of worldly existence in the three realms,

And the danger of the three poisons;

The hardship of encountering a place free from calamity,

The hardship of encountering an auspicious time,

The difficulty of cultivating virtue,

And the difficulty of encountering a Buddha—

For hardships such as these,

I now repent of them all!

In the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,

I take refuge and reliance;

Therefore, I now

Reverently bow to the ocean of Buddhas!

Radiant with golden hue,

No different from Mount Sumeru;

Therefore, I now

Prostrate before the Supremely Victorious One!

That form is unsurpassed,

Like pure refined gold;

His eyes are limpid and pure,

Like azure beryl.

His merit and awe-inspiring spiritual power,

And his renowned name, are manifest;

The Buddha-sun of great compassion

Dispels all darkness.

Wholesome, pure, and undefiled,

Free from every obscuring dust,

The unsurpassed Buddha-sun

Shines universally everywhere.

The blazing fire of afflictions

Causes the heart to burn;

Only the Buddha can dispel it,

Like the cool and refreshing moon.

The thirty-two marks

And eighty excellent characteristics

Adorn that body,

Upon which one never tires of gazing.

His merits are lofty and vast;

His radiant net shines forth.

He brings peace to the three realms,

Like the sun illuminating the world.

Like clear beryl,

Pure and without blemish,

His wondrous colors extend boundlessly,

Each kind distinct from the others.

That hue is crimson red,

Like the newly risen sun;

Crystal and white silver

Embellish the radiant net.

All these various splendors

Adorn the Buddha-sun.

Within the ocean of birth and death

In the three realms of existence,

The waves sweep forth and the waters overflow,

Troubling and confounding my heart.

Their bitter poison

Is exceedingly harsh;

Yet the Tathagata’s radiant net

Can cause it all to dry up.

His wondrous body is upright and majestic,

With uniquely excellent marks;

Its golden radiance

Illuminates everything.

The ocean of wisdom is boundlessly vast,

Filling the three realms;

Therefore, I now

Bow my head in reverence.

Just as the waters of the great ocean

Are difficult to measure,

And the motes of dust upon the great earth

Cannot be counted;

Just as the mountains of Sumeru

Are difficult to fathom,

And the bounds of empty space

Can never be reached—

So too, World-Honored One,

Are your merits immeasurable.

No sentient being

Can comprehend them.

Even throughout immeasurable kalpas,

Though one pondered with all one’s heart,

One could never fully know

The bounds of the Buddha’s merit.

All the mountains upon the earth

Might still be measured;

Every drop within the great ocean

Might still be counted.

But the merits of the Buddhas

Can be known by no one!

Through praising the majestic excellent marks

And the renowned names,

May all beings obtain

Merits such as these!

Through my wholesome karma

And all its causes and conditions,

Before long, in a future life,

I shall accomplish the Buddha Way.

I shall proclaim the wondrous Dharma

For the benefit of sentient beings,

Liberating them all

From immeasurable suffering.

I shall subdue all maras,

Together with their retinues,

And turn the wondrous Dharma wheel,

Unsurpassed and pure.

I shall abide for an immeasurable lifespan,

For inconceivable kalpas,

Satisfying sentient beings

With the flavor of the Dharma’s ambrosia.

I shall fully perfect

The six paramitas,

Just as all the Buddhas

Of the past have done!

I shall sever all afflictions,

Remove every suffering,

And extinguish greed, anger,

Delusion, and all the rest.

May we remember

Our former lives—

Hundreds and thousands of kalpas,

Hundreds of thousands of kotis of births.

May we always, with utmost sincerity,

Be rightly mindful of the Buddhas,

And hear the true Dharma,

Wondrous and unsurpassed.

Through my wholesome karma,

May I always encounter the Buddhas,

Quickly depart from every evil,

And cultivate every wholesome deed.

All the immeasurable suffering

Afflicting every sentient being

Throughout all existing worlds—

I shall extinguish it completely!

If there are sentient beings

Whose faculties are impaired

And not fully intact,

May I cause them all to become complete.

Throughout the worlds of the ten directions,

Those afflicted by illness and pain,

Deprived, emaciated,

And without anyone to protect them—

May they immediately be freed

From sufferings such as these,

Regain their full strength,

And recover as before.

If any have violated the king’s law

And are about to be executed,

Filled with immeasurable fear,

Grief, and anguish,

May all such people

Be liberated!

If any endure shackles and fetters,

Beatings and bonds,

And all kinds of hardships

That oppress their bodies;

If countless hundreds of thousands

Are terrified and sorrowful,

While all kinds of fears

Disturb their hearts,

And immeasurable torments

Such as these afflict them—

May they all

Be liberated at once!

If there are sentient beings

Tormented by hunger and thirst,

May they obtain every kind

Of delicious food and drink!

May the blind regain their sight,

The deaf hear clearly,

The mute be able to speak,

And the naked receive clothing.

May the poor and destitute

Immediately obtain treasure stores,

With granaries filled to overflowing,

So that deprivation remains no more.

May all enjoy

Happiness and peace,

So that there is not even

One person who suffers.

May sentient beings look upon one another

With gentle and harmonious countenances,

Their forms upright and beautiful,

Delighting all who encounter them.

May their minds continually dwell

Upon the wholesome deeds of others;

May they have abundant food and drink

And be endowed with merit.

Whatever sentient beings

Think of and desire,

May it all be fulfilled:

Every kind of instrumental music—

Konghou harps and zithers,

Lutes, se zithers, drums, flutes,

And all the various kinds mentioned above—

Producing wondrous sounds.

May rivers, ponds,

Springs, and flowing streams

Be covered everywhere with golden flowers

And utpala blossoms.

Whatever sentient beings

Think of and request,

May they immediately obtain in abundance:

Clothing, food and drink,

Wealth and precious treasures,

Beryl, gold and silver,

Pearls and precious gems,

And interwoven jeweled necklaces.

May sentient beings

Never hear evil sounds,

Nor even behold

Anything evil.

May sentient beings

Possess beautiful complexions and appearances,

And may each of them

Regard all others with loving thoughts.

Whatever worldly necessities

Are needed to sustain life,

May they immediately obtain them in abundance

According to their wishes.

Whatever sentient beings

Seek and require,

May they obtain it at once

In accordance with their thoughts!

May trees, flowers, and fragrances

Always accord with the seasons,

And may perfumed powder

And fragrant ointments rain down,

So that sentient beings may enjoy them

In happiness and delight!

May sentient beings

Always be able to make offerings

To the inconceivably numerous Buddhas

Of the ten directions;

To the wondrous, unsurpassed Dharma,

Immaculate and pure;

And to the bodhisattvas

And the great assembly of sravakas!

May sentient beings

Always be freed from

The eight difficulties and the three evil paths,

And encounter places free from calamity,

Where they may reverently attend upon the World-Honored One,

The unsurpassed King!

May sentient beings

Always live in honor and nobility,

Their precious possessions ever increasing,

Peaceful, secure, and prosperous;

May their forms be supremely wondrous,

Their bodies adorned with majesty,

Their merits perfected,

And their renown great!

May all women

Become men,

Endowed with wisdom and superknowledges,

Diligent and never indolent.

May they all practice

According to the bodhisattva path,

Guarding their minds while cultivating

The six paramitas.

May they always behold the immeasurable Buddhas

Of the ten directions,

Seated beneath jeweled trees

Upon beryl platforms,

Abiding peacefully in meditative concentration,

Unhindered, blissful, and at ease,

Proclaiming the true Dharma

To the delight of those who hear it.

For the evil karma I have committed

In the present

And in past lives,

And for the dangers and hardships

Whose evil fruits I deserve,

Yet which I do not wish to undergo,

I pray that they may all be extinguished

And that none remain!

If sentient beings

Are bound by the three realms of existence,

And the net of birth and death

Encloses them tightly and securely,

May I use the blade of wisdom

To cut through and shatter it,

Removing every suffering and affliction,

So that they may swiftly attain bodhi!

If throughout Jambudvipa,

In its many regions,

And throughout immeasurable worlds,

There are sentient beings

Who have performed every kind

Of wondrous, wholesome merit,

Then with all my heart

I rejoice in their deeds.

Through this act,

I rejoice in and share their merit!

The wholesome karma performed

By body, speech, and mind—

May it in lives to come

Bring attainment of the Unsurpassed Way,

Pure and undefiled,

With auspicious fruition!

If anyone reverently pays homage

And praises the Honored One of the Ten Powers,

With pure faith

And no entangling net of doubt,

And is able, as above,

To utter words of repentance,

That person shall at once transcend

The sins of sixty kalpas!

Good men

And good women,

Kshatriya kings,

And brahmins...

If they reverently

Extol the World-Honored One,

Join their palms before the Buddha,

And praise him with these verses,

Then wherever they are born,

They shall always know their former lives,

Possess all faculties complete,

And be pure, dignified, and majestic.

All their manifold merits

Shall be brought to perfection.

Wherever they may be,

They shall always become kings,

Receiving the reverence

Of ministers, counselors, and great officials.

It was not merely in the presence

Of five or ten World-Honored Ones

That they planted merit

And heard this Dharma of repentance;

Rather, in the presence

Of immeasurable

Hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis

Of Buddha World-Honored Ones,

They planted roots of goodness,

And only thereafter were they able

To hear this Repentance.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE EXTINCTION OF KARMIC OBSTRUCTIONS

Translated from Chinese by Tripitaka Dharma Master Paramartha during the Liang dynasty

At that time, the World-Honored One, skillfully and correctly discerning, entered the profound Dharma of wondrous existence called meditation. From the pores of his body he emitted manifold rays of light. Immeasurable hundreds of thousands of colors all issued from his body.

Within this light, all the lands of the Buddhas appeared. In the ten directions were evil worlds of the five defilements, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges—beyond all comparison or calculation—and all were illuminated by this light. The sentient beings in those realms had committed the ten evil deeds and the five heinous karmas, slandered the Three Jewels, been unfilial toward their parents, shramanas, and brahmins, and treated elders and superiors with contempt and arrogance.

They deserved to fall into the hells or be reborn as hungry ghosts or animals; yet each of them received the blessing of this light as it reached the place where they dwelled. When those sentient beings saw the light, they immediately experienced peace and joy. Through the majestic power of the light, they became upright and wondrous in appearance, fully endowed with excellent physical characteristics and adorned with merit and virtue; and they all drew near to the Buddha World-Honored Ones.

At that time, the great assembly, together with Shakra, Lord of the Devas, and the Goddess of the Ganges River, came to the gathering and withdrew to sit at one side.

Then Shakra, Lord of the Devas, empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual might, immediately rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and addressed him, saying:

“World-Honored One! How should good men and good women who aspire to unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, cultivate the Mahayana, and embrace all sentient beings repent of their karmic obstructions and attain liberation?”

The Buddha said:

– Excellent! Excellent! Good man! You now cultivate the practice because you wish to enable immeasurable, countless, boundless beings to attain purity, liberation, and peace and happiness, and because you have compassion for beings! Good man! Because all beings are burdened by karmic hindrances and fall into many kinds of transgressions, throughout the six periods of day and night they should bare their right shoulders, place their right knees upon the ground, join their palms reverently, and, single-minded and undistracted, personally declare:

“I take refuge in and bow my head before all Buddhas, the Blessed Ones presently dwelling throughout the worlds of the ten directions, who have attained unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment; who turn the Dharma wheel, illuminate the Dharma wheel, and uphold the Dharma wheel; who send down the great rain of Dharma, beat the great Dharma drum, blow the great Dharma conch, utter wondrous sounds, raise the great Dharma banner, and kindle the great Dharma torch; who, wishing to benefit beings and bring them peace and happiness, practice the giving of Dharma, gently guide and draw them in, and bear the burden of all beings;

who enable immeasurable and countless beings to attain purity and peace and happiness, enable the great assembly to obtain great fruits of recompense, and bring purity to devas and humans.

Such Blessed Ones are worthy to receive homage and reverence! With body, speech, and mind, I bow my head, take refuge, and offer my sincere devotion.

“These Blessed Ones, by means of true wisdom, the true eye, true realization, and true impartial knowledge, completely know and see all the good and evil karma of every being. Since beginningless time, drifting through the current of birth and death together with all beings, I have created karmic hindrances and have been bound by greed, hatred, delusion, and the like. When I did not yet know the Buddha, did not yet know the Dharma, and did not yet know the Sangha, I did not know good from evil and committed immeasurable transgressions through body, speech, and mind.

With a malicious heart, I caused the body of a Buddha to bleed, slandered the true Dharma, disrupted the harmony of the Sangha, killed arhats, and killed my father or mother. I personally committed the ten unwholesome acts, instructed others to commit them, and rejoiced upon seeing others commit them. Through the three actions of the body, the four of speech, and the three of mind, I acted perversely toward beings and uttered slander.

I cheated with weights and measures, passed off the false as genuine, and gave impure food and drink to beings. Toward my parents throughout the six realms of birth and death, I committed offenses and caused distress and harm. I conceived the intention to steal, seize, and freely use the property of monasteries and stupas, the property of the resident Sangha, and the property of the Sangha of the four directions.

Regarding the laws and teachings spoken by the Buddha, I discriminated and found fault, and studied and practiced them perversely. I did not follow the instructions given by teachers and masters. Toward practitioners of the shravaka vehicle, the pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the Mahayana, I took delight in insulting them, causing those practitioners to become discouraged, sorrowful, and resentful.

Seeing others surpass me, I harbored jealousy; I obstructed the giving of Dharma and the giving of material wealth. Covered by ignorance and beset by wrong views and doubts, I allowed evil tendencies to increase. In the presence of the Buddhas, I uttered malicious words, called Dharma non-Dharma, and called non-Dharma Dharma.

“All such transgressions are completely seen and known by the Buddhas through true wisdom, the true eye, true realization, and true impartial knowledge. Before the Buddhas, I now respectfully confess and disclose them all, not daring to conceal anything. I dare not commit again the transgressions I have not yet committed, and I now repent of all those I have committed! The karmic hindrances I have created merit descent into the evil realms—the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of animals, the realm of asuras—and birth among the twelve difficult circumstances. I pray that all the karmic hindrances I possess in this life may be completely eradicated and that I may not undergo their consequences in future lives.

“Just as the great bodhisattvas of the past who cultivated the path to complete enlightenment repented of all their karmic hindrances, so too do I now repent of my karmic hindrances, disclosing them all and not daring to conceal anything. May the transgressions I have committed be eradicated, and I dare not commit evil again in future lives. Just as the bodhisattvas of the future who cultivate the practice leading to complete enlightenment repent of all their karmic hindrances, so too do I now repent of my karmic hindrances, disclosing them all and not daring to conceal anything.

May the transgressions I have committed be eradicated, and I dare not commit evil again in future lives. Just as the great bodhisattvas presently dwelling throughout the worlds of the ten directions who cultivate the practice leading to complete enlightenment repent of all their karmic hindrances, so too do I now repent of my karmic hindrances, disclosing them all and not daring to conceal anything. May the transgressions I have committed be eradicated, and I dare not commit evil again in future lives.

Just as all the great bodhisattvas of the three times—past, future, and present—repent of karmic hindrances such as these, so too do I now repent of all my karmic hindrances, disclosing them all and not daring to conceal anything. May the transgressions I have committed be eradicated, and I dare not commit evil again in future lives.”

Therefore, good man, if one has committed a transgression, one must not conceal it even for a single instant, much less for an entire day or night. Good man! If a person who has committed a transgression wishes to attain purity, he should harbor shame, believe that retribution will certainly occur in a future life, give rise to great fear, and cultivate in this manner. It is like a man or woman whose head or clothing has caught fire: the fire must quickly be extinguished. If it is not extinguished, the person’s mind cannot be at peace! Good man, one who has committed a transgression should likewise repent immediately so that the transgression may be eradicated.

If one wishes to seek purity in all dharmas and be free of every hindrance, one should repent in this way and dare not commit further transgressions. If one wishes to be born into a wealthy and honored household whose granaries and storehouses overflow with gold, silver, grain, and rice, and to give rise to the practice of the Mahayana, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born into a noble brahmin family endowed with the seven treasures, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born into an exceedingly noble kshatriya family or become a wheel-turning sage king, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances.

If one wishes to be born in the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yama Heaven, the Tushita Heaven, the Heaven of Delight in Creation, or the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Creations, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born in the heavens of Brahma’s Retinue, Brahma’s Ministers, or Great Brahma, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances.

If one wishes to be born in the heavens of Lesser Light, Limitless Light, or Radiant Light, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born in the heavens of Lesser Purity, Limitless Purity, or Pervasive Purity, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to be born in the heavens of No Affliction, No Heat, Excellent Vision, or Akanishtha, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances.

If one wishes to seek the fruit of stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, or arhat, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to seek the three knowledges, the six supernormal powers, mastery of enlightenment, the powers of a shravaka, the ultimate great mastery of a shravaka, or the ground of mastery in a pratyekabuddha’s enlightenment, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances. If one wishes to seek all-knowing wisdom, pure wisdom, inconceivable wisdom, immovable wisdom, or the complete and universal wisdom of samyak-sambodhi, one should also repent and eradicate karmic hindrances.

Why is this? Good man! It is because all dharmas arise from causes and conditions. As the Tathagata has taught, because causes and conditions differ, one characteristic arises and another characteristic ceases. At that time, the dharmas of the past have ceased, been exhausted, and transformed. Thus no karmic hindrance remains. Those conditioned dharmas that have not yet arisen in the present are caused to arise, while future karmic hindrances will no longer arise. Why is this? Good man! It is because all dharmas are empty.”

As the Tathagata has said, there are neither sentient beings, nor long-lived persons (?), nor self or person, nor arising and cessation, nor conditioned dharmas. Good man! All dharmas depend upon the root.

This root, too, cannot be expressed. Why is this? Because it transcends all characteristics.

If a good man or good woman enters into such truth and gives rise to faith and reverence, this is called having a root while there are no sentient beings. For this reason, repentance for the eradication of karmic hindrances is taught. Good man!

There are four dharmas whose accomplishment enables a good man or good woman to eradicate karmic hindrances and attain everlasting purity. What are the four? First, the accomplishment of an upright mind.

Second, contemplating the meaning of the extremely profound sutras without giving rise to slander. Third, giving rise to the mind of omniscience toward bodhisattvas who have newly generated the aspiration. Fourth, giving rise to immeasurable loving-kindness toward all sentient beings.

If one can accomplish these four dharmas and repent, one’s karmic hindrances will be eradicated forever.

At that time, the Blessed One spoke this verse:

Single-mindedly guard the three kinds of karma;

Do not slander the profound sutras;

Generate the mind of omniscience;

With loving-kindness, karmic hindrances are purified.

Good man! There are also four extremely grave karmic hindrances that are difficult to purify. What are the four? First, committing extremely grave evil in violation of the bodhisattva’s moral discipline. Second, giving rise to slander toward the twelve divisions of the Mahayana scriptures. Third, being unable to increase all wholesome roots within oneself. Fourth, the mind’s greedy attachment to “existence.”

There are also four counteractive dharmas that eradicate karmic hindrances. What are the four? First, before all the Tathagatas throughout the worlds of the ten directions, wholeheartedly draw near to them and repent of all offenses.

Second, for the sake of all sentient beings throughout the ten directions, exhort and entreat all Buddhas to teach the wondrous Dharma.

Third, rejoice in all the merit accomplished by all sentient beings throughout the ten directions.

Fourth, dedicate all one’s existing merit and wholesome roots to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

At that time, the Lord of the Gods, Shakra, addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! Regarding the practices of the Mahayana, why is it that some good men and good women practice them while others do not? How may one rejoice in the merit and wholesome roots of all sentient beings?”

The Buddha taught:

“Good man! If a good man or good woman, during the six periods of day and night, bares the right shoulder, kneels with the right knee upon the ground, joins the palms reverently, and with single-minded intent says: ‘Whatever generosity, morality, and meditative concentration all sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions cultivate, I now rejoice in it all!’ Through the rejoicing described above, they rejoice in all that is supremely honored, delightful, unsurpassed, and unequaled.

In this way, they rejoice in all wholesome roots of the past and future. In the present life, there are the merit of bodhicitta generated by bodhisattvas who have first aroused the aspiration; the great accumulations of merit possessed by those who have practiced the bodhisattva practices for more than a hundred great kalpas; the attainment of the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas; the attainment of the stage of non-retrogression; and the accumulated merit of attaining the position of one birth away from Buddhahood....

They rejoice in and praise all such merit, saying everything as stated above. They likewise rejoice in and praise the merit of all bodhisattvas of the past and future. At present, throughout the worlds of the ten directions, all Buddhas, Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Enlightened Ones, who have fully attained the path of complete enlightenment, turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel to liberate all sentient beings.

They bestow the Dharma without obstruction, kindle the torch of the Great Dharma, beat the drum of the Great Dharma, blow the conch of the Great Dharma, emitting a wondrous sound, and raise the banner of the Great Dharma.... All sentient beings, receiving the benefit of the gift of Dharma, are fully satisfied. They exhort and transform sentient beings, causing them all to believe and accept it.

Wishing to bring peace and happiness to all sentient beings, they compassionately regard all sentient beings. All humans and gods thereby receive the benefit of peace and happiness. The wholesome roots and merit of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas have all been cultivated and established.

If any sentient beings have not yet perfected such merit, they cause them all to perfect it. I rejoice in and praise them all. In this way, whatever merit is possessed by the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and assemblies of shravakas of the three times, I give rise to rejoicing and praise it all.’ Indeed, good man!

Such rejoicing produces immeasurable and innumerable accumulations of merit! Suppose that all the sentient beings throughout as many three-thousand-great-thousand world systems as there are grains of sand in the Ganges were to become arhats and extinguish all outflows, and that a good man or good woman were throughout an entire lifetime to make the four kinds of offerings to them—clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicines.

Such merit would not equal the merit of rejoicing in those who cultivate merit. Why is this? Because the former merit has a number and a measure and does not encompass all merit, whereas the merit of rejoicing is measureless and innumerable and can encompass all the merit of the three times.

Therefore, good man, if a good man or good woman wishes to increase their own wholesome roots, they should rejoice in those who cultivate merit in this way. If a woman wishes to transform her female body into a male body, she should likewise rejoice in those who cultivate merit in this way!”

At that time, the Lord of the Gods, Shakra, addressed the Buddha, saying:

“Blessed One! I pray that you will further teach me about the merit of exhorting and entreating! I wish thereby to cause future bodhisattvas to attain great illumination and present bodhisattvas to make vows and cultivate the practices.”

The Buddha taught:

“Good man! If a good man or good woman seeks unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, they must cultivate the Mahayana path, as well as the paths of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. If there are sentient beings who have not yet cultivated these paths, then during the six periods of day and night, they should bare the right shoulder, kneel with the right knee upon the ground, join their palms reverently, and with single-minded intent say: ‘I bow in homage to all Buddhas, Blessed Ones, throughout the ten directions who have presently attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and are able to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel!

Today I bow in homage to them all and exhort and entreat all Buddhas to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel, light the lamp of the Great Dharma, preserve the principles of the Dharma, bestow the Dharma without obstruction, kindle the torch of the Great Dharma, cause the rain of the Great Dharma to descend, beat the drum of the Great Dharma, blow the conch of the Great Dharma, emitting a wondrous sound, and raise the banner of the Great Dharma in order to liberate all sentient beings....’ They should say everything as stated above, up to: ‘All humans and gods thereby receive the benefit of peace and happiness.’”

Furthermore, good man! If good men or good women wish to attain unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, they should cultivate the Mahayana practices of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas! Among them, those who have not yet cultivated these practices should, throughout the six periods of day and night, bare their right shoulder, kneel with their right knee upon the ground, join their palms reverently, and, single-minded and intent, declare aloud:

“I bow in homage to all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones throughout the worlds of the ten directions, who intend to relinquish their manifested bodies and enter nirvana. Today I humbly beseech all the Buddhas not to enter parinirvana, but to remain in the world for a long time, liberating all sentient beings and bringing them peace and happiness... as stated previously, until humans and devas alike, through their beneficence, attain peace and happiness!

I now dedicate the merit and roots of goodness from this exhortation toward unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Just as all the merit possessed by the great bodhisattvas of the past, future, and present is dedicated toward unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, so too do I dedicate all the merit from my exhortation toward unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment!”

Good man! Suppose good men or good women were to fill the trichiliocosm with the seven treasures and offer them to the Tathagata. If, again, good men or good women were to exhort the Tathagata to turn the Great Dharma Wheel, the merit of that exhortation would surpass the former merit. Why is this? Because the aforementioned root of goodness constitutes the giving of material wealth, whereas the merit of exhortation constitutes the giving of Dharma.

Good man! Suppose the seven treasures were placed throughout worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges within the trichiliocosm, and good men or good women were to fill those worlds, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, with the seven treasures and offer them to all the Buddhas. Yet if, again, good men or good women were to exhort the Tathagata to turn the Great Dharma Wheel, that merit would surpass the former merit. Why is this? Because the giving of Dharma has five qualities. What are the five?

First, through the giving of Dharma, both oneself and others benefit, whereas this is not so with the giving of material wealth.

Second, the giving of Dharma can enable sentient beings to escape the three realms, whereas the giving of material wealth does not enable them to leave the desire realm.

Third, the giving of Dharma benefits the Dharma body, whereas the giving of material wealth causes the physical body to flourish.

Fourth, the giving of Dharma increases without end, whereas the giving of material wealth is certain to be exhausted.

Fifth, the giving of Dharma can eradicate ignorance, whereas the giving of material wealth merely suppresses greed.

Therefore, good man, the merit of exhortation is immeasurable and incalculable and can scarcely be illustrated by analogy. In former times, when I cultivated the bodhisattva practices, I exhorted the World-Honored Ones to turn the Great Dharma Wheel. Because of this root of goodness, all the Shakras and Great Brahma Kings exhorted me to turn the Great Dharma Wheel. They entreated the World-Honored One to turn the Dharma Wheel in order to liberate all sentient beings, humans, and devas and bring them peace and happiness.

In former times, when I cultivated the practices leading to enlightenment, I exhorted the Tathagata to remain in the world for a long time and not enter parinirvana. Relying upon this merit, I attained the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the four unobstructed eloquences, great loving-kindness, great compassion, and immeasurable and incalculable unique qualities. Although I have entered nirvana without remainder, my True Dharma remains in the world for a long time.

My Dharma body is pure and incomparable, endowed with every kind of excellent characteristic, immeasurable wisdom, immeasurable mastery, and immeasurable merit—all inconceivable. All sentient beings receive the profound grace of its compassionate nourishment, which could not be fully described even in hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of kalpas. Thus, my Dharma body can encompass and contain all dharmas, while no dharma can encompass or contain the Dharma body.

The Dharma body abides eternally yet does not fall into the view of eternalism. Although it also undergoes cessation, it does not fall into the view of annihilationism. It demolishes the various views of all sentient beings and can give rise to every kind of true view. It can release all sentient beings from bondage and from what is no different from bondage. It can plant the roots of goodness of all sentient beings and bring their wholesome roots to maturity. Those whose wholesome roots have matured can be brought to liberation.

It neither acts nor moves; it is unconditioned, tranquil, peaceful, joyful, and free. It is far removed from turmoil and clamor. Transcending the three times, it can perceive the three times. It surpasses the realm of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas and is the cultivation of bodhisattvas on the great bhumis. All Tathagatas are identical in their essential nature. Through the power of the roots of goodness and merit arising from exhortation, I have now attained such a Dharma body.

Therefore, good man, if good men or good women, for the sake of attaining unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, preserve even a single sentence or a single verse, encourage others to embrace it, and expound it to them, the merit and roots of goodness thereby gained can scarcely be measured. How much more so when they exhort the Tathagata to turn the Great Dharma Wheel, remain in the world for a long time, and not enter nirvana?

At that time, Shakra, Lord of the Devas, said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! How should good men and good women, for the sake of attaining unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment, cultivate the Mahayana path of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas? If there are sentient beings who have not yet cultivated roots of goodness and merit, how can they dedicate everything toward the wisdom of omniscience?”

The Buddha said:

– Good man! If good men or good women wish to seek unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, they should cultivate the Mahayana path, the path of the shravakas, and the path of the pratyekabuddhas. If there are beings who have not yet undertaken cultivation, then for one day and one night, with single-minded intent, they should personally declare:

“From beginningless birth and death until now, whatever roots of goodness I have possessed and brought to fruition—whether before the Three Jewels or elsewhere... even those created in relation to animals, nonhuman beings, and so forth... even those created by giving a sheng or a mere pinch to anyone, by using skillful words to reconcile disputes, by taking the Three Refuges, or by observing the precepts—all roots of goodness and merit obtained through repentance, sympathetic joy, or exhortation and supplication: having gathered these roots of goodness together in one place, embraced them, assembled them, and measured their worth, I dedicate them all to every sentient being. Having relinquished them forever, I have no thought of taking them back; liberated, I do not cling to them.

“As the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, see and know with inconceivable, unobstructed, and stainless Buddha-wisdom, so do the Buddhas dedicate all such roots of goodness and merit to every sentient being, without abiding in the notion of mind and without relinquishing the notion of mind. I do likewise: I dedicate all my roots of goodness and merit to every sentient being.

“I vow that all sentient beings may obtain a precious hand that breaks open empty space and brings forth treasures, fulfilling the wishes of sentient beings; that they may possess inexhaustible wealth and happiness, inexhaustible merit, inexhaustible wondrous Dharma, inexhaustible mastery, and inexhaustible fourfold eloquence. In order to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and the wisdom of omniscience, I now give all my roots of goodness and merit to every sentient being. From these roots of goodness, may I again reap immeasurable roots of every kind of goodness; then, having gathered them together and measured their worth, I dedicate them all to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

“By these roots of goodness, may I and all sentient beings together reach unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and attain the wisdom of omniscience. Just as the great bodhisattvas of the past, when cultivating the path to enlightenment, dedicated all their roots of goodness and merit to the wisdom that knows all modes, so too do I dedicate all my roots of goodness and merit to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. Through these roots of goodness, may I and all sentient beings together attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment simultaneously, so that we may attain the wisdom of omniscience.

“Just as the roots of goodness and merit of the great bodhisattvas of the future will also be dedicated so that they and all sentient beings together attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, so too do I dedicate all the roots of goodness and merit I possess... as extensively stated above. Just as the great bodhisattvas of the present dedicate their roots of goodness and merit to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and, together with all sentient beings, attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, so too do I dedicate all the roots of goodness and merit I possess so that I and all sentient beings together... as extensively stated above.

“Just as the other Buddhas, seated beneath the Bodhi tree at the place of enlightenment, stainless, pure, and inconceivable, abide in the inexhaustible treasury of Dharma, dharanis, and the Shurangama samadhi; vanquish Mara Papiyan and his immeasurable hosts; and, in a single instant, fully illuminate everything that should be seen, known, awakened to, and comprehended... and then, in the latter part of the night, realize the path of amrita and attain the Dharma of amrita—so too do I share roots of goodness with all sentient beings.

By these roots of goodness, may we all attain the path of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and together attain the wisdom of omniscience, just like Buddha Amitayus, Buddha Victorious Light, Buddha Wondrous Light, Buddha Akshobhya, Buddha Meritorious Excellent Light, Buddha Lion’s Radiance, Buddha Hundredfold Radiance, Buddha Netlike Radiance, Buddha Precious Form, Buddha Precious Flame, Buddha Blazing Radiance, Buddha Flourishing Blazing Radiance, Buddha Auspicious Peaceful King, Buddha Sublime Voice, Buddha Wondrous Adornment, Buddha Dharma Banner, Buddha Supremely Victorious Body, Buddha Universally Lovely Form, Buddha Universally Illuminating Radiance, Buddha King of Brahma-Purity, and Buddha Supreme Nature.

“Thus, all the Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Completely and Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past, future, and present manifest responsive transformation-bodies, attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, and turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel, wishing to liberate all sentient beings and bring them peace and happiness... as extensively stated above. I too shall likewise attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment together with all sentient beings and turn the great Dharma wheel... as extensively stated above.”

Good man! If you obtain this Chapter on the Elimination of Karmic Obstructions from the King of the Various Sutras, the Sutra of Golden Light, you should receive and uphold it, read and recite it, keep it in mind without forgetting, and explain it extensively to others. You will thereby amass immeasurable, innumerable, vast merit.

Suppose that all the sentient beings present throughout a trichiliocosm, without one being earlier or later than another, simultaneously attained human bodies and, after attaining human bodies, realized the path of a pratyekabuddha. Suppose then that a good man or good woman, throughout the entirety of their life, respectfully bowed to each pratyekabuddha and made the four kinds of offerings to each of them. To every single one, that person would present offerings of the seven treasures piled as high as Mount Sumeru.

Afterward, when each pratyekabuddha entered nirvana, that person would erect a stupa of the seven treasures for each one, every stupa being made of those seven precious substances. What are the seven? They are gold, silver, vaidurya, crystal, agate, mother-of-pearl, blue and yellow jewels, and so forth.

Those stupas would each be twelve yojanas in height and breadth. At each of those stupas, that person would make offerings of flowers, incense, garlands, banners, canopies, and every other kind of offering.

Good man! What do you think? Would that good man or good woman gain a great deal of merit?

– A very great deal, World-Honored One!

The Buddha said:

“Good man, you should receive and uphold, read and recite, remember without forgetting, and extensively explain to others this Chapter on Extinguishing Karmic Hindrances from the sublime Golden Light, the king of all sutras. The merit and roots of goodness previously described cannot equal even one hundredth of the accumulation of merit you will subsequently attain! Even calculation in hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis, or the use of analogies, cannot compare with it!

Why is this? Because that good man or good woman abides in right conduct and entreats the Perfectly Enlightened Blessed Ones in the Buddha lands of the ten directions to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel, thereby causing all the Tathagatas to rejoice and offer praise. Good man, as I have said, among all forms of giving, the gift of Dharma is supreme.

Therefore, good man, even arranging ceremonies and making offerings before the Three Jewels cannot compare with it! Receiving and upholding the Three Refuges and the various precepts cannot compare with it! Ensuring that the Three Jewels do not become void cannot compare with it!

Entreating the Three Jewels of the three times throughout all worlds to remain in the world for a long time cannot compare with it! Throughout immeasurable kalpas, entreating the Tathagatas of the three times in all worlds to expound the profound Right Dharma cannot compare with it! According to their strength, abilities, and aspirations, exhorting all sentient beings in all worlds to arouse the resolve for bodhi within the Three Vehicles cannot compare with it!

Causing all sentient beings of the three times in every world to be free from hindrance and swiftly accomplish perfect merit cannot compare with it! Exhorting all sentient beings of the three times in every world so that they may attain complete enlightenment without obstruction cannot compare with it! Exhorting all sentient beings of the three times in every world to escape the four evil destinies cannot compare with it!

Exhorting all sentient beings of the three times in every world to extinguish their grave evil karma cannot compare with it! Exhorting those afflicted by every kind of suffering to attain liberation cannot compare with it! Exhorting those oppressed by every kind of fear, hardship, and distress to attain liberation cannot compare with it!

Before the Buddhas of the three times, exhorting all sentient beings to rejoice in all their existing roots of goodness and merit and themselves make the bodhi vow pertaining to the three times cannot compare with it! Exhorting them to eliminate evil conduct, abuse, and the courses of evil karma; to vow to gather and preserve all roots of goodness and merit; wherever they may be born and dwell, always respectfully to make offerings to all the Three Jewels; to purify all meritorious practices; to accomplish and perfect the path to complete enlightenment; to fulfill the six paramitas completely; to turn the unsurpassed Dharma wheel; to remain for immeasurable kalpas; and to expound immeasurable, sublime, and profound teachings—none of these can compare with it!”

At that time, Lord Sakra, the goddess of the Ganges River, immeasurable Brahma kings, and the Four Heavenly Kings rose from their seats, bared their right shoulders, knelt with their right knees upon the ground, joined their palms, bowed reverently, and addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, all of us have now heard the Golden Light, the king of all sutras. We shall receive and uphold it, read and recite it, extensively explain it to others, and abide in accordance with this Dharma. Why is this? Blessed One, because, seeking unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, we wish in accordance with this meaning to perfect the various characteristics and practices of the Right Dharma.”

At that time, the Brahma kings, Lord Sakra, and the others all assembled at the place where the Dharma was being heard and scattered various kinds of mandara flowers over the Buddha. The earth throughout the trichiliocosm shook greatly. All the heavenly drums and musical instruments sounded by themselves without being played. Golden light was emitted, completely filling the world, and a voice proclaimed: “This sublime Golden Light Sutra extends compassionate kindness everywhere, brings various benefits, increases the various roots of goodness of bodhisattvas, and extinguishes all karmic hindrances.”

The Buddha said:

“So it is! So it is! It is exactly as you have said!

Why is this? Good man, I recall that hundreds of thousands of asamkhya kalpas ago, the Tathagata Treasure King Great Blazing Radiance, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, appeared in the world and remained there for six hundred and eighty kotis of kalpas. At his first assembly, hundreds of thousands of kotis upon kotis of myriads in the congregation all attained arhatship; their outflows were exhausted, and they possessed the six superknowledges, sovereign and unobstructed.

At his second assembly, ninety thousand kotis upon kotis of myriads in the congregation attained arhatship; all their outflows were exhausted, and they attained mastery of the three knowledges and six superknowledges. At his third assembly, ninety-eight thousand kotis upon kotis of myriads in the congregation all attained arhatship and were sovereign and unobstructed in the three knowledges and six superknowledges. At that time, the Tathagata Treasure King Great Blazing Radiance appeared in the world among devas and humans, Brahma kings, sramanas, brahmins, and the people, wishing to liberate them and bring peace and happiness to all.

Good man, at that time I had the body of a woman named Merit Treasure Radiance. At the third assembly, my seat was close to the Blessed One. I received and upheld, read and recited this Golden Light Sutra and extensively explained it to others, thereby attaining unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Thus the Blessed One bestowed upon me this prediction: ‘This woman Merit Treasure Radiance will, in a future age, become a Buddha named Sakyamuni Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One.’ After relinquishing that female body, from then until now I transcended the four evil destinies, was born among devas and humans, and enjoyed the most sublime happiness.

Eight thousand four hundred thousand times I became a wheel-turning king, and today I have become a Buddha whose name resounds throughout and fills the world.”

At that moment, the assembly newly beheld the Tathagata Treasure King Great Blazing Radiance turning the unsurpassed Dharma wheel and expounding the sublime Dharma. From this Saha world, traveling eastward and passing Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of hundreds of thousands of Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Adorned with Treasures. That Buddha has not yet entered parinirvana; he is still present, expounding the sublime Dharma and extensively guiding sentient beings.

“Furthermore, if a good man or good woman hears the name of the Tathagata Treasure King Great Blazing Radiance, that person will attain non-retrogression on the bodhisattva grounds and continue until parinirvana. If a woman hears the name of the Tathagata Treasure King Great Blazing Radiance, then, when her life is about to end, the Blessed One will come to her. Having seen the Buddha, she will ultimately never again receive a female body.

Good man, this sublime Golden Light Sutra brings various benefits, increases the various roots of goodness of bodhisattvas, and extinguishes all karmic hindrances. Good man, if any bhiksu, bhiksuni, upasaka, or upasika expounds this sublime Golden Light Sutra to others in any place, the country in which that person dwells will acquire four kinds of roots of goodness and merit. What are the four?

“First, the king of that country will be free from illness, affliction, and every calamity.

“Second, his lifespan will be long and free from hindrance.

“Third, there will be no hostile enemies, and his valiant armies will be invincible.

“Fourth, there will be peace and happiness, and the sublime Dharma will always flourish. Why is this? Because Sakra, the Brahma kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the hosts of yaksas will constantly come to protect such a human king. Good man, is this so?”

Those immeasurable Shakras, Brahma Kings, Four Heavenly Kings, and assemblies of yakshas all replied to the Blessed One simultaneously and in one voice:

“Indeed! Indeed! If this sutra is expounded in any land, we, the Four Heavenly Kings, shall constantly come to support the kings of those lands, accompanying them wherever they go or remain. Should any calamities, hindrances, or hostile enemies arise, we, the Four Heavenly Kings, shall be able to send them all away. Should there be illness, affliction, or anything contrary to their wishes, we shall cause it to be eliminated and shall increase their lifespans. Through auspicious Dharma and methods that inspire love and respect, our power can cause them to give rise to joyful hearts. We can also cause the armies of those kings to be valiant and strong!”

The Buddha said:

“Excellent! Excellent, good men! It is just as you have said! You should practice accordingly. Why is this? Because these kings cultivate in accordance with the Dharma, and all their people follow their kings in cultivation. If the people are able to cultivate in accordance with the Dharma, then through their beneficence you shall all attain superior physical strength; your palaces shall be radiant and beautiful, and your retinues powerful and flourishing!”

Shakra, the Brahma Kings, and the others said to the Buddha:

“Indeed, Blessed One!”

The Buddha said:

“In any land where the wondrous scripture of Golden Light is expounded from place to place, the great ministers and chief counselors of that land may hope to receive four kinds of blessings. First, they shall be close and harmonious, mutually respectful and affectionate, holding one another in esteem and patiently bearing with one another. Second, they shall always receive the respect of the human king, and shall also receive the loving respect and protection of shramanas, brahmins, great nations, and small nations.

Third, they shall regard wealth lightly and esteem the Dharma, not seeking personal gain; their good renown shall spread everywhere, and all people shall praise and admire them. Fourth, their lifespans shall be long, and they shall dwell in peace and happiness. Such are the four kinds of blessings.

“If this sutra is proclaimed in a land, the shramanas, brahmins, and others there shall obtain four kinds of merit. What are the four? First, clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicines. Second, they shall all be able to settle their minds in meditation, reading, and recitation. Third, dwelling amid mountains and forests, they shall abide peacefully and joyfully. Fourth, according to their aspirations, they shall all be fully satisfied and obtain whatever they wish. These are called the four kinds of merit.

“If this sutra is expounded in a land, all its people shall be prosperous, secure, and happy, without epidemics or disease. Traveling merchants shall acquire abundant treasures and be endowed with four blessings. These are called the various meritorious benefits.”

At that time, Shakra, the Brahma Kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the great assembly gathered there said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One! The meaning of this scripture is exceedingly profound. If the Tathagata is present in the world and the thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening and the other teachings remain in the world and have not yet disappeared, then all is well. But if this scripture should perish, the True Dharma shall also perish!”

The Buddha said:

“Therefore, good men, it is indeed so! Regarding this Sutra of Golden Light—whether a single sentence, a single verse, a chapter, or the entire scripture—if one single-mindedly listens to it correctly, single-mindedly preserves it correctly, single-mindedly reflects upon it correctly, single-mindedly reads and recites it correctly, and single-mindedly expounds it extensively for others, one shall attain everlasting peace and happiness.”