[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Buddhist Sanskrit literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit) › [Mahāyāna sūtras](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra) › [Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa) › [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མཆོག་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་མདོ་སྡེའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo) › [The Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light (1)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000) › 5 # འཕགས་པ་གསར་འད་དམ་པ་མཆག་ཏ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའ་མད་སྡའ་རྒྱལ་པ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 5 The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1) 5 - **Language:** English ### [5.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.1) Chapter 7: A Praise Using the Analogy of a Lotus ⁵⁹⁵ Then the Bhagavat said to the virtuous goddess who is the goddess of the Bodhi tree,⁵⁹⁶ “Now know this, Goddess Śrī,⁵⁹⁷ you should listen well and remember this praise of the buddhas and purification through regret that came as a loud sound from a golden drum that was seen in the bodhisattva’s⁵⁹⁸ dream at night.⁵⁹⁹ “In the past, there was a king by the name of Lord of Golden Nāgas,⁶⁰⁰ who always praised and extolled the buddhas in the ten directions and three times as being like a red lotus.” He then recited these verses of praise to the multitude: “ ‘Those jinas who have appeared in the past, And the jinas present in the ten directions,⁶⁰¹ I pay homage to all those jinas⁶⁰² And I praise all those jinas.⁶⁰³ “ ‘A lord of munis is peaceful, totally peaceful, and pure. His body shines with a golden color.⁶⁰⁴ A buddha’s voice is the most melodious of all voices,⁶⁰⁵ Speech that resounds like the voice of Brahmā. “ ‘He has hair⁶⁰⁶ like a bee, a peacock, and ink,⁶⁰⁷ With blue curls, like the blue jaybird. His teeth are as white as snow or a conch⁶⁰⁸ And always shining as if adorned by gold.⁶⁰⁹ “ ‘His eyes are blue, wide, and perfectly stainless; They are like blue lotuses in blossom. His broad, excellent tongue is the color of a red lotus— It is like a lotus, a shining lotus blossom.⁶¹⁰ “ ‘Between the eyebrows, the ūrṇā hair is the color of a conch or lotus root.⁶¹¹ It curls to the right and is the color of a white beryl. It is like a crescent moon, a sliver of the moon. The protector Muni’s body shines like a carpenter bee.⁶¹² “ ‘His face has a bright and prominent nose That is smooth, excellent, and like a golden staff— ### [5.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.2) A perfect, sublime, noble, supreme nose,⁶¹³ The always smooth nose of all the jinas. “ ‘From each and every pore there Rises a hair that curls to the right, Growing as a dark blue curl, Blue and adorning, like a peacock’s neck. “ ‘As soon as he was born, his body shone, Filling⁶¹⁴ all worlds in the ten directions with light, Ending the endless sufferings in the three worlds, And satisfying beings with every happiness.⁶¹⁵ “ ‘He created an accumulation of all happiness For the beings in the hells, the animals, The pretas, devas,⁶¹⁶ and human beings, And brought to an end all lower existences. “ ‘His excellent color is beautiful like gold; His body resembles purified gold. The Sugata’s⁶¹⁷ face is like a stainless moon; It is a beautiful and stainless face. “ ‘His smooth body has limbs that are like a youth’s.⁶¹⁸ He walks and strides like a supreme lion. His powerful⁶¹⁹ arms hang down very long Like vines on a sal tree moved by the breeze.⁶²⁰ “ ‘He shines light rays as a fathom-wide aura; He is as bright as a thousand suns.⁶²¹ The stainless body of the lord of munis⁶²² Illuminates all of the infinite realms.⁶²³ “ ‘He is shining with light, like the moon⁶²⁴ In endless hundreds of thousands of realms. All of their lights cease to be because They are brightly illuminated by the Buddha. “ ‘The sun of the Buddha is the lamp of the world. The Buddha’s sun is like a hundred thousand suns,⁶²⁵ And within hundreds of thousands of realms⁶²⁶ Beings can see the sun of the Tathāgata.⁶²⁷ “ ‘His body is formed from⁶²⁸ a hundred thousand merits. His body is adorned by all good qualities. The Jina’s arms are like the trunk of an elephant king.⁶²⁹ His supreme hands and feet are stainless and shining.⁶³⁰ ### [5.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.3) “ ‘The buddhas who have been are as numerous as particles, As numerous as the dust on the surface of the earth; Those who will appear, who are as numerous as the smallest particles, And those who are present, who are as numerous as the smallest particles, “ ‘To those jinas I pay homage⁶³¹ In pure faith, with body and speech, Offering flowers and offering perfumes With a hundred colors⁶³² and a virtuous mind.⁶³³ “ ‘I could not describe those qualities of the jinas⁶³⁴ In a thousand eons with a hundred tongues.⁶³⁵ The virtues that the jinas have perfected⁶³⁶ Are a numerous variety of supreme essences.⁶³⁷ “ ‘With a thousand⁶³⁸ tongues I could not describe Even a little of the qualities of a single jina, Let alone the qualities of all the jinas. For just a single quality there would be a vast teaching.⁶³⁹ “ ‘If the world and its paradises became an ocean And up to the summit of existence became filled with water, It would be possible to measure that with the tip of a hair, But one could not measure a single quality of the sugatas. “ ‘Whatever supreme results of merit I have accumulated Through all my teaching, praises, and offerings⁶⁴⁰ With faith, and with my body, speech, and mind,⁶⁴¹ Through that may beings attain buddhahood.’⁶⁴² “The king thus praised the Buddha, And then the king made this prayer:⁶⁴³ ‘Wherever I am reborn,⁶⁴⁴ Throughout endless future eons, “ ‘May I see a dream of such a drum;⁶⁴⁵ There, may I hear this kind of confession; And may I obtain in those hundreds of lifetimes A praise of the jinas like this Source of Lotuses.⁶⁴⁶ “ ‘May I hear in a dream of those Infinite, unequaled qualities of the buddhas,⁶⁴⁷ Which are rare even in a thousand⁶⁴⁸ eons, And then teach them in the day.⁶⁴⁹ “ ‘May I free beings from the ocean of suffering. May I complete the six perfections And afterward attain the highest enlightenment, And may I attain a realm without equal.⁶⁵⁰ “ ‘Through the ripened result of offering a drum, And through the cause that is praising the jinas,⁶⁵¹ ### [5.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.4) May I directly see the Śākya lord of munis, And may I attain there the prophecy of my buddhahood. “ ‘May these who are my two sons— Kanakendra⁶⁵² and Kanakaprabhāsvara⁶⁵³— May these two youths also attain there The prophecy of their highest enlightenment. “ ‘May those beings who have no savior or defender, Who are without a protector and are suffering,⁶⁵⁴ Throughout all future eons Have saviors, defenders, and protectors. “ ‘May the sources of all suffering come to an end, And may there be the sources of all happiness.⁶⁵⁵ May I have the conduct of enlightenment in future eons, Which are as numerous as the eons of the past.⁶⁵⁶ “ ‘Through The Sublime Golden Light confession, May my ocean of bad actions dry up, May I be purified of my ocean of karma,⁶⁵⁷ \[And may my ocean of kleśas cease to exist.\]⁶⁵⁸ “ ‘May my ocean of merit become complete. May my ocean of wisdom be pure.⁶⁵⁹ Through the power of the light of stainless wisdom, May there be an ocean of all qualities.⁶⁶⁰ “ ‘May the precious qualities of enlightenment be complete. May I attain the radiance of merit through The power of The Sublime Golden Light confession. May I attain this pure enlightenment.⁶⁶¹ “ ‘Through⁶⁶² the sublime light of stainless wisdom,⁶⁶³ May I obtain the light from my body.⁶⁶⁴ Through the light of my merit being bright,⁶⁶⁵ May I become the lord of all three worlds.⁶⁶⁶ “ ‘May I always have the power of merit. May I be liberated from the ocean of suffering And practice enlightened conduct in future eons With every ocean-like happiness. “ ‘May I, in a future time, attain ### [5.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.5) A realm that possesses infinite qualities, Just like the supreme realms in the three worlds That have existed throughout the past, That possessed all the infinite qualities of the jinas.’⁶⁶⁷ “Goddess Śrī, you should know That King Lord of Golden Nāgas, Who experienced giving rise to this prayer,⁶⁶⁸ Has now taken birth as you. “Those two sons in that past time, Kanakendra and Kanakaprabhāsvara, Are now Rūpyaketu and Rūpyaprabha, And they have received their prophecy from me.”⁶⁶⁹ All that gathered multitude, on hearing that teaching, developed the enlightenment mind and said that now and in the future they would practice this purity through regret and make the prayer.⁶⁷⁰ All developed the aspiration to enlightenment. “May we now and in all future times Always make this confession!” Chapter 8: The Dhāraṇī of Golden Victory ⁶⁷¹ Then the Bhagavat said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sukhavihāra within that vast assembly, “Noble one, there is a dhāraṇī called golden victory, and any noble man or noble woman who wishes to directly see, honor, and make offerings to the buddhas of the past, the future, and the present should possess it. Why is that? It is because this dhāraṇī is the mother of the past, future, and present buddhas. “Therefore, whoever possesses this dhāraṇī will possess great merit and is someone who has planted good roots with countless buddhas of the past and so now possesses this dhāraṇī. Know that someone who has pure, faultless, correct conduct will enter through the gateway of this profound Dharma without impediment and without doubts.”⁶⁷² The Bhagavat then taught the rite for practicing the mantra: “⁶⁷³Recite these names of the past buddhas⁶⁷⁴ and bodhisattvas and then with a one-pointed mind pay homage to them; ### [5.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.6) after that, recite the mantra: “I pay homage to all the buddhas in the ten directions. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas. “I pay homage to all the śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and āryas. “I pay homage to the Buddha Śākyamuni. “I pay homage to the Buddha Akṣobhya in the east. “I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnaketu in the south. “I pay homage to the Buddha Amitāyus in the west. “I pay homage to the Buddha Dundubhisvara in the north. “I pay homage to the Buddha Vast Qualities above. “I pay homage to the Buddha Appearance of Qualities below. “I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnagarbha. “I pay homage to the Buddha Samantaprabha. “I pay homage to the Buddha Samantāvabhāsa. “I pay homage to the Buddha King Pile of Courage. “I pay homage to the Buddha Completely Victorious Lotus. “I pay homage to the Buddha Equally Seeing. “I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnaśikhin. “I pay homage to the Buddha Highest Jewels. “I pay homage to the Buddha Ratnaprabha. “I pay homage to the Buddha Vimalaraśmi.⁶⁷⁵ “I pay homage to the Buddha Courageous Intention. “I pay homage to the Buddha Completely Pure Moonlight Sign Renowned King. “I pay homage to the Buddha Flower Array Radiance. “I pay homage to the Buddha Aṃśurāja. “I pay homage to the Buddha King of Beautiful Splendor Stainless Reputation. “I pay homage to the Buddha Lord of Fearless Thought. “I pay homage to the Buddha Abhayakīrti. “I pay homage to the Buddha Supremely Victorious King. ### [5.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.7) “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Avalokiteśvara. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Kṣitigarbha. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ākāśagarbha. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mañjuśrī. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vajrapāṇi. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samantabhadra. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Akṣayamati. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahāsthāma­prāpta. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya. “I pay homage to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sumati. “Having paid homage to them, recite this dhāraṇī: namo ratnatrayāya | tadyathā | kuṭi kuṭini imirito koṣaṇi imiriṇi irī svāhā |” Then the Bhagavat said to the bodhisattva Sukhavihāra, “This dhāraṇī is the mother of the buddhas in the three times. Therefore, any noble man or noble woman who obtains and possesses this dhāraṇī will generate immeasurable, endless merit. They will have honored, made offerings to, venerated, and praised countless buddhas. Those buddhas will have given to them the prophecy of their attainment of the highest enlightenment. “Sukhavihāra, someone who possesses this dhāraṇī mantra will attain the fulfillment of their wishes, such as clothes, food, wealth, jewels, precious materials,⁶⁷⁶ becoming learned and wise, becoming healthy, and having a long life, and their merit will increase greatly. Whatever it is that they wish for, there is nothing that will not be accomplished. “Sukhavihāra, those who possess and hold this mantra will always, until their attainment of the highest, most complete enlightenment, be accompanied by the bodhisattva Golden Mountain Citadel, ### [5.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.8) the bodhisattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Sāgara, the bodhisattva Samantāvalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva Mahāpiṅgala, and so on, and those bodhisattvas will protect them. “Sukhavihāra, know this! When reciting this dhāraṇī mantra, one should perform this rite: First, repeating it ten thousand and eight times, perform the propitiation rite.⁶⁷⁷ Then, adorn a maṇḍala inside a solitary building,⁶⁷⁸ and on the first⁶⁷⁹ day of the month, wash and put on new⁶⁸⁰ clothes. Burn incense, scatter flowers, and make various kinds of offerings, including food, which you place inside the maṇḍala.⁶⁸¹ “At the beginning, recite the names of the buddhas and bodhisattvas as previously described. With a very focused mind, regret your past actions, and then kneel with your right knee on the ground and repeat the mantra a thousand and eight times. Then sit up straight and think about that which you wish for. Then, at sunrise,⁶⁸² eat one pure meal⁶⁸³ within the maṇḍala. Then, if after fifteen days have passed, when the person comes out from the maṇḍala they will have inconceivable merit and majesty and there is no aspiration of theirs that will not be fulfilled. “If their wishes are not fulfilled, they should reenter that maṇḍala and do the recitation continually, without forgetting it, until their wishes are fulfilled.” Chapter 9: The Teaching on the Nature of Emptiness ⁶⁸⁴ Then the Bhagavat, having taught that dhāraṇī mantra, in order to benefit that vast assembly of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, devas, humans, and so on, and enable them to understand the very profound ultimate truth, and in order to teach⁶⁸⁵ them emptiness, recited these verses: ### [5.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.9) “I have taught the true⁶⁸⁶ Dharma of emptiness Extensively in other profound sūtras. At this time, in this king of sūtras, I shall teach inconceivable emptiness in brief. “Beings with no knowledge are unable to understand A lengthy, extensive, profound Dharma. Therefore, from my teaching briefly in this sūtra, They will understand the Dharma of emptiness perfectly.⁶⁸⁷ “Because of my great compassion and love for beings, From my teaching today in this vast gathered assembly, Through the perfect cause and condition of extremely skillful methods, They will clearly understand the meaning of emptiness.⁶⁸⁸ “Know that this body is like an empty village⁶⁸⁹ Where live six thieves⁶⁹⁰ who do not know one another. The six sensory objects dwell with the separate senses, the thieves, And they similarly have no knowledge of one another.⁶⁹¹ “The sense of sight is always looking at forms. The sense of hearing continuously hears sounds. The sense of smell is always smelling smells. The sense of taste is always experiencing flavors. “The sense of touch seizes soft tactility. The mental sense never tires of cognizing phenomena. These six senses follow after things And give rise to thoughts about their objects. “The consciousnesses are not real, like magical illusions. They dwell in the sense organs and, wanting company,⁶⁹² search for it. The six consciousnesses in the six senses are like A man who is running around in an empty village. “The mind follows into the places of searching, And, through the sensory bases cognizing objects of perception, There is the constant craving for form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, And there is not a single instant when the practice of Dharma is present.⁶⁹³ “According to the conditions, the six senses run, Like a bird flying unimpeded in the sky. In dependence on the senses as a basis, There is the ability to cognize external objects. “The body has no consciousness, and it has no creator. It has an unstable nature and was created through conditions. It arises from invalid conceptualization. It is like a machine that is used for work. ### [5.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.10) “Earth, fire, water, and air together create the body, So according to causes and conditions, different results are obtained. Though they dwell together, they harm one another Like four poisonous snakes in one basket. “The four snakes of the great elements have different natures. Though they live together, some are higher, some lower. They go upward and downward, pervading the body, And in the end these become phenomena that cease. “Among these four poisonous snakes, The earth and water snakes mostly sink downward. The fire and air snakes have a light nature, And because of this conflict, many illnesses arise. “The mind and consciousnesses live in this body And create various kinds of good and bad actions So that they go to the deva, human, or three lower existences, Taking a body in accord with the power of their karma. “When the body has encountered illness, after death It is completely filled by feces, urine, and all other impurities. It becomes rotten,⁶⁹⁴ damaged by worms, and undesirable to see, And it is cast into a charnel ground as if it were rotten wood. “You should observe phenomena in that way! Why should you believe that a self or a being exists? All phenomena come to an end and so are impermanent. They all rise from the condition of ignorance. “These great elements⁶⁹⁵ have no reality. They have no real existence; their nature is unborn. Therefore, it is taught that the great elements are in essence empty. Know that these are empty and that they are not real.⁶⁹⁶ “The nature of ignorance is primordially nonexistent.⁶⁹⁷ It is not existent⁶⁹⁸ through an accumulation based on the power of many factors. A correct understanding is devoid of it at all times,⁶⁹⁹ And therefore that is why I teach it to be ignorance. “Formations and consciousness are the factors for name and form; The six āyatanas, contact, and sensation arise afterward. Craving, grasping, and becoming produce birth, old age, and death, And they are followed by misery, lamentation, and agitation. “There is no time limit to circling in saṃsāra, Continuously bound and pierced by bad karma and various sufferings. ### [5.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.11) Although this has no existent nature and in essence is empty, It is created by mistaken thoughts. “I have completely eliminated all kleśas, And I am always active within true wisdom. I realized that all the five-skandha houses are empty And searched for the true state of enlightenment. “I have opened the gate⁷⁰⁰ to the great city⁷⁰¹ of amṛta. I have revealed the⁷⁰² vessel of excellent amṛta. I have obtained the flavor of the true amṛta And am constantly giving the amṛta to beings. “I have beaten the sublime, great drum⁷⁰³ of the Dharma. I have blown the supreme,⁷⁰⁴ great conch of the Dharma. I have perfectly⁷⁰⁵ lit the great lamp of the Dharma, And I have sent down the sublime, great⁷⁰⁶ rain of the Dharma. “I have completely defeated the enemy, the kleśas.⁷⁰⁷ I have raised the great banner of the unsurpassable Dharma. I have brought ignorant beings across the ocean of existence. I have closed the gateway to the three lower existences.⁷⁰⁸ “Beings are burned by the blazing fire of the kleśas And have no one to save them, no protector. I have brought them relief with the perfectly cooling amṛta That relieves their bodies and minds of torment.⁷⁰⁹ “Therefore, throughout countless past eons, I reverently made offerings to the tathāgatas. Maintaining correct conduct, dedicated to enlightenment, I sought the state of the bliss of the Dharma body. “Without regret,⁷¹⁰ I gave to others my eyes,⁷¹¹ Arms, legs,⁷¹² children, wives, and servants. I gave to everyone who asked for them My wealth and jewelry of the seven jewels.⁷¹³ “Through meditation⁷¹⁴ on patience and the other perfections, I completed the ten bhūmis and attained true buddhahood. Therefore, I am called an omniscient one, But there are no beings who can fathom that.⁷¹⁵ “All that grows from this great earth Throughout the trichiliocosm world realms— The forests, the trees, the wild rice, and sesame,⁷¹⁶ Bamboo, and so on, every kind of plant life there is—⁷¹⁷ “If these and others were cut down and chopped up ### [5.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.12) Until they were made into a powder of the smallest particles, And if this were made into a heap, Its size would be hard to know. “And similarly, if in all the realms in the ten directions That fill the element of space⁷¹⁸ Their earth was made into a powder of particles, One would be unable to calculate the number of those particles. “But if the knowledge of all beings Were to all be given to one man, And with that measureless knowledge He could know the number of those particles, “And if a group of such wise persons⁷¹⁹ tried to know What a bhagavat muni knows in a single instant, They would fail to know or calculate a tiny part of it, Even in many tens of millions of eons.” At that time, the vast assembly, having heard the Bhagavat teaching this profound nature of emptiness, realized that the four great elements and the five skandhas of all countless beings are by nature empty, and the six senses and six sensory objects are not real but create bondage. They rejected saṃsāra and prayed that they would accomplish truly departing from it, and with extremely clear minds they were overjoyed, and they devotedly practiced what had been taught. Chapter 10: The Fulfillment of Prayers on the Basis of Emptiness Then the goddess Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, who was within the great assembly, was delighted and overjoyed on hearing that very profound Dharma teaching. She rose from her seat and, with her upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on her right knee, placed her palms together in homage, and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, what instruction do you give on a Dharma for the practice of meditation on the ways of profound meaning?”⁷²⁰ Then she spoke this verse: ### [5.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.13) “If I ask the illuminator of the world, The supreme chief of two-legged beings, For the true conduct of bodhisattvas, I pray that with compassion you will bestow it.” The Bhagavat said to the noble goddess: “If you have any doubts, Ask about them as you wish, And I will teach their elucidation.” Then the noble goddess said to the Bhagavat: “If we practice enlightened conduct In the same way as the bodhisattvas, It will be of benefit⁷²¹ to ourselves and others, And we will forsake saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.”⁷²² The Bhagavat then said to the noble goddess, “One should practice the Dharma of enlightenment by being based upon the Dharma realm and meditating on the Dharma conduct of sameness. How does one practice the Dharma of enlightenment by being based upon the Dharma realm and meditating on the Dharma conduct of sameness?⁷²³ In this way, the Dharma realm is taught through the five skandhas so that the Dharma realm itself is the five skandhas. However, one cannot say that it is the five skandhas and one cannot say it is not the five skandhas. Why is that? If the Dharma realm is the five skandhas, that would be the nihilist view, and if it is other than the five skandhas that would be the eternalist view. Therefore, the Dharma realm has neither of those two characteristics. It is not present in the two extremes. It cannot be viewed. It transcends being an object of view. It has no name. It is featureless. That is what is called the Dharma realm. “Noble goddess, how is the Dharma realm taught through the five skandhas?⁷²⁴ It is like this: The five skandhas are not produced by causes and conditions. Why is that? If they are produced by causes and conditions, then are they produced because they have already been produced, or are they produced because they have not yet been produced? If they have already been produced, what need would there be for causes and conditions? If they are not produced, then there is no production to perceive. Why is that? ### [5.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.14) An unproduced phenomenon has no existence and therefore⁷²⁵ has no name, has no features, does not cease,⁷²⁶ and can have no analogy, because it has not been produced by causes and conditions. “Noble goddess, it is like this: As an example, a drumbeat is dependent on wood. It is dependent on a skin, a stick, a hand, and so on. Therefore, although a drumbeat originates, the past of that which is a drumbeat is empty, its future is empty, and its present origination is empty.⁷²⁷ The drumbeat does not originate from the wood, it does not originate from the skin, and it does not originate from the stick or the hand. It does not originate from the three times. Therefore, it is not produced. That which is not produced does not cease. That which does not cease does not come from anywhere. That which does not come from anywhere does not go anywhere. That which does not go anywhere is not eternal. It is not nothingness. That which is neither eternal nor nothingness is not one and it is not separate. “Why is that? If the five skandhas were one, they would not be different from the Dharma realm. If it were like that, then it would be logical that even ordinary beings would see the genuine truth and attain the nirvāṇa that has the highest genuine⁷²⁸ truth.⁷²⁹ But this is not so, and therefore it should be known that they are not one. “If they were separate, then all the composite characteristics⁷³⁰ of the buddhas and bodhisattvas would include attachment so that they would not become liberated from the bondage of the kleśas and would not attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood. “Why is that? It is because all ārya individuals have realized the essential sameness of the composite and noncomposite,⁷³¹ and therefore they are not separate from each other. ### [5.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.15) Thus, one should know that the five skandhas are neither existent nor nonexistent. They are neither produced by causes and conditions nor not produced by causes and conditions. “This the āryas know, but it is not within the field of experience of others, and therefore it cannot be known through words and terminology. It has no name, no features, no cause, no condition, and no analogy and is devoid of a beginning or end.⁷³² It is primordially, naturally empty. Therefore, the Dharma realm can be taught⁷³³ through the five skandhas. “Noble goddess, if any noble man or noble woman who wishes to seek for the highest, most complete enlightenment seeks for it elsewhere than the ultimate and relative, that would be extremely difficult to comprehend and contemplate. The nature of the field of experience of the āryas and of ordinary beings is neither one nor different. Therefore, the conduct of enlightenment should be practiced based upon the Dharma realm without eliminating the relative and without being apart from the ultimate.” When the Bhagavat had said that, the noble goddess was delighted and happy. She rose from her seat and, with her upper robe over one shoulder, knelt on her right knee, placed her palms together, and with a one-pointed mind bowed down her head and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, I shall train today in that practice of the true meaning of enlightenment that the Bhagavat has spoken of.” Then the great Brahmarāja, the lord of the Sahā world realm, who was present within that vast assembly, said to the noble goddess Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, “This bodhisattva conduct is difficult to accomplish, so how are you going to master it today?” ### [5.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.16) The noble goddess said to Brahmarāja, “O great Brahmarāja, that which the Bhagavat has taught is truly very profound, so that no ordinary being can know its meaning; it is the field of experience of āryas, and therefore it is sublime and difficult to know. If it is true and not false that I can today attain a state of bliss through relying on this Dharma,⁷³⁴ then may all the countless, innumerable, numberless beings in this world realm of the five degenerations become golden in color, possess the thirty-two signs, be neither male nor female, be seated upon a precious lotus, and enjoy limitless bliss. May there fall a rain of sublime, divine flowers. May music resound from divine musical instruments without their being played. And may there be a perfection of all articles of offering.” As soon as the noble goddess had said that, all of the beings in that time of the five degenerations became golden in color with the signs of a great being, were neither male nor female, were seated upon precious lotuses, and enjoyed limitless bliss. It was just as in the palace of the Paranirmita­vaśavartin deities. There were no lower existences. There were arranged rows of precious trees, and the world realm was filled with flowers from the trees⁷³⁵ that were made of the seven precious materials. Also, there fell a rain of divine flowers of the seven precious materials, and divine music played. The noble goddess Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light transformed also from having a female body to having the body of a Brahmā deva. Then the great Brahmarāja asked the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, “Venerable one, how did you practice bodhisattva conduct?” The bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light replied, “Great Brahmarāja, if a moon on water were to practice enlightened conduct, that is how I practiced enlightened conduct. ### [5.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.17) If someone in a dream were to practice enlightened conduct, that is how I practiced enlightened conduct. If a mirage were to practice enlightened conduct, that is how I practiced enlightened conduct. If a valley’s echo were to practice enlightened conduct, that is how I practiced enlightened conduct.” When great Brahmarāja heard that, he asked the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, “Venerable one, based on what meaning did you say those words?” The bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light replied, “O Brahmarāja! Although there is not a single phenomenon that does not have the characteristic of the true nature, nevertheless they are created through causes and conditions.”⁷³⁶ “If that is so,” said Brahmarāja, “then it would be logical that childlike, ordinary beings would attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood.” “What are you thinking that made you say that?” asked the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light. “Do you think that ignorant individuals are separate, that wise individuals are separate, that enlightenment is separate, that nonenlightenment is separate, that liberation is separate, and that nonliberation is separate? “Brahmarāja, phenomena are the same in that way and have no separation. This Dharma realm has no separate nature,⁷³⁷ and so on, up to attachment having no separate nature.⁷³⁸ It has no increasing or lessening. “O Brahmarāja! It is like a conjurer, or a conjurer’s pupil, who is skilled in manifesting illusions, who at a crossroads gathers pebbles, plants, tree leaves, and so on, piles them into a heap, and who then through magic manifests herds of elephants, herds of horses, a mass of chariots and soldiers, and so on, and a heap of the seven precious materials, and various kinds of treasuries that are seen by many people. ### [5.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.18) “When they are manifested, there are those beings who are stupid and ignorant, who fail to analyze it, who do not realize the source of the illusions, and so when they see and hear them, they think, ‘The herds of elephants, horses, and so on that we can see and hear are real, and anything else is a lie!’ Therefore, they don’t subsequently examine or investigate them. “Those who are intelligent are not like that. They know what the source of illusions is, so that when they see and hear them, they think, ‘The elephants, horses, and so on that I see do not exist, but they are an optical illusion from magic.’ As they think that they are not real, they do not think that the elephants and so on and the treasuries exist. They think, ‘These are nothing but names without any reality whatsoever.’ Therefore, whatever they see or hear, they do not believe that they are real,⁷³⁹ and subsequently, when they analyze and contemplate them, they know perfectly that they are not real. “In that same way, the wise realize that all phenomena have no real essence. In terms of the relative, when in their minds they pay attention to the truthfulness of the things that manifest and are described according to whatever they see and whatever they hear, they know that they are not like that, because they reveal correct meanings that are just designations.⁷⁴⁰ “Brahmarāja, childlike, ordinary beings who have not attained the world-transcending wisdom eyes of the āryas do not know the inexpressible nature of phenomena. Therefore, when they see or hear composite or noncomposite phenomena, they think, ‘This is how it truly is,’ and develop attachment; they do not know that ultimately the nature of phenomena is inexpressible. ### [5.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.19) “When ārya individuals see or hear composite or noncomposite phenomena, to the extent of their power and ability they do not develop attachment, thinking, ‘These are real.’ Therefore, they think, ‘In everything there are no real composite phenomena or real noncomposite phenomena, and as they are not real, whatever composite or noncomposite characteristics I think of are just names and have no real essence whatsoever.’ “Those ārya individuals know and comprehend that, but because they wish others to understand the true meaning, they correctly⁷⁴¹ teach it in relative terms. “In the same way, Brahmarāja, those ārya individuals, although they have realized, through their superior knowledge and vision, the inexpressible true nature of phenomena, they teach various relative names and terms in order for others to understand composite and noncomposite phenomena in that way.” Then Brahmarāja asked the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, “How many beings will understand this profound true Dharma?” “O Brahmarāja,” replied Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, “the phenomena of the minds and mental events of many illusory beings will understand this kind of true, profound Dharma.” Brahmarāja said, “People who are illusory manifestations are nonexistent by nature. From where do their minds and mental events arise?” “The beings who know that the Dharma realm is not existent and is not nonexistent will know this profound meaning,” replied Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light. Then Brahmarāja said to the Bhagavat, ### [5.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.20) “Bhagavat, this bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light has inconceivably realized this profound meaning.” “It is like that. It is like that,” replied the Bhagavat. “Brahmarāja, it is just as you have said. The bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light has taught it, and you have developed the aspiration to meditate on and train in the patience that is because of the birthlessness of phenomena.”⁷⁴² Then the great Brahmarāja, along with a great entourage of Brahmās, rose together from their seats, and with their robes over one shoulder and with palms together in veneration, they bowed down their heads to the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light’s feet. They said, “This is very rare and marvelous!⁷⁴³ On this day we have met this great being and have heard the true Dharma.” Then the Bhagavat said to Brahmarāja, “In the future, this Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light will become a tathāgata, an arhat, a samyaksaṃbuddha, one with wisdom and virtuous conduct,⁷⁴⁴ a sugata, a knower of the world, an unsurpassable being, a guide who tames beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, a bhagavat, by the name of Essence of the Glorious Blazing Jewel.” When this chapter was taught, three hundred million⁷⁴⁵ bodhisattvas attained irreversibility from the highest, most complete enlightenment. Eight hundred million devas and countless, innumerable kings, ministers, and ordinary people became free of dust and attained pure, stainless Dharma eyes. At that time, in that vast assembly, five million⁷⁴⁶ bhikṣus, who were irreversible⁷⁴⁷ from the practice of bodhisattva conduct and from the aspiration to enlightenment and had heard the Dharma teaching of the bodhisattva Wish-Fulfilling Radiating Light, all became stable and perfected supreme, inconceivable prayers. ### [5.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.21) They developed the aspiration for enlightenment, and each one took off their robes and offered them to the bodhisattva and developed the aspiration of supreme diligence. They made this prayer: “We dedicate all the good roots we have accumulated to irreversibility from the highest, most complete enlightenment.” “Brahmarāja, through that merit, this multitude of bhikṣus will practice exactly what they have been taught, and after ninety great eons have passed, they will comprehend and understand it so that they will truly emerge from saṃsāra.” The Bhagavat then prophesied to that multitude of bhikṣus, “Bhikṣus, after thirty asaṃkhyeya eons have passed, you will all attain complete buddhahood during an eon by the name of Difficult to Conquer King of Radiance in a realm by the name of Vimalaprabhā. You will all attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of buddhahood simultaneously, and you will all have the same name—King Who Is Ornamented by the Arrangement of Prayers—and you will possess ten features. “Brahmarāja, whoever listens to and possesses this extremely wonderful sūtra—The Sublime Golden Light—will possess majestic power. “If someone without method were to practice the six perfections for many hundreds of thousands of great eons, and a noble man or noble woman were to write out this Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light and every half-month one-pointedly read and recited it, the previous accumulation of merit would not be even a hundredth of this accumulation of merit. It would not come close to being any number, analogy, or cause of it. ### [5.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.22) “Therefore, Brahmarāja, today I will give you instruction. I teach that you should maintain mindfulness and teach it widely to others. “Why is that? In the past, when I was practicing the path of a bodhisattva, just as a warrior entering battle dedicates life and body to it, in the same way I promulgated, kept, read, recited, and correctly⁷⁴⁸ taught others this sublime, supreme king of sūtras. “Brahmarāja, when a cakravartin is in the world, his seven jewels do not cease to exist, but if the king’s life comes to end, the seven jewels will vanish and cease. “Brahmarāja, in that same way, when this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is in the world, the unsurpassable, precious Dharma will not cease. If this sūtra ceases to exist, then the Dharma will cease in that region. Therefore, one should, with a one-pointed mind, listen to, obtain, read, and recite this king of sūtras and teach it to others and encourage them to write it out while practicing the perfection of diligence—being completely diligent without concern for life or body. This is supreme among all merits, and therefore my pupils similarly should diligently train in meditation on its practice.” Then the great Brahmarāja, the innumerable Brahmā entourage, Śakra, the Four Mahārājas, and the yakṣas rose from their seats. With their robes over one shoulder, kneeling on their right knees, and with palms together in veneration, they said to the Bhagavat, ### [5.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.23) “Bhagavat, we will protect and spread this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light and protect anyone who teaches it. If there is an obstacle, we will eliminate it and cause those teachers to have many virtues, have good color and strength and unimpeded eloquence, make their bodies and minds carefree, and also make their audiences experience happiness. If there is famine, adverse enemies, or harm from nonhumans in the land where they dwell, we and our entourages of devas will protect them and increase the enjoyment of happiness for the people and prevent there being any sudden harm. That is the power that we and our entourages of devas have. If anyone makes an offering to this sūtra, we will honor them and make offerings to them, considering them to be no different from the Buddha.” Then the Bhagavat said to great Brahmarāja, the Brahmā entourage, and so on, until the Four Mahārājas, the yakṣas, and so on, “Excellent, excellent! You have heard the wonderful, profound Dharma, and through guarding and protecting this sublime, supreme king of sūtras and those who hold the sūtra, you will attain endless superior merit, and you will quickly attain the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.” Then Brahmarāja and the others, having heard what the Bhagavat said, were overjoyed and placed it above their heads. ### [5.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.24) Chapter 11: The Four Mahārājas Look Upon Devas and Humans ⁷⁴⁹ Then the deva king Vaiśravaṇa, the deva king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the deva king Virūḍhaka, and the deva king Virūpākṣa rose from their seats, and with their upper robes over one shoulder, knelt on their right knees and, facing the Bhagavat with palms together, bowed their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet and said to the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light is constantly regarded and seen by all buddhas; it is honored by all bodhisattvas; it is paid homage to by all the hosts of devas;⁷⁵⁰ it is constantly offered to by all devas and asuras;⁷⁵¹ it is constantly rejoiced in by all the hosts of devas; it is constantly praised by all the protectors of the world; it is possessed by the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; it illuminates all the divine palaces of the devas; it bestows a superior happiness upon all beings; it ends the suffering of beings who are in the hells, are pretas, and are animals; it dispels all fear and terror; it repels all hostile enemies; it creates excellent harvests during the bad times of famine; it ends all the suffering from diseases; and it ends all bad omens and hundreds of thousands of harms from suffering. “Bhagavat, this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light bestows happiness and is also beneficial⁷⁵² for us. Therefore, Bhagavat, we pray that you will teach it through an extensive instruction within this vast assembly. If we Four Mahārājas and our retinues can obtain⁷⁵³ the flavor of this Dharma of unsurpassable amṛta, our power and magnificence will increase, ### [5.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.25) we will become diligent and heroic, and our miraculous powers will greatly increase and be superior. “Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas practice the Dharma correctly and always teach the true Dharma and guide the Dharma kingdoms. Therefore, we constantly establish devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kumbhāṇḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and human kings to guide Dharma kingdoms through the true Dharma, so that bad actions are stopped and eliminated, and all demons who have no love or compassion and steal the vitality of others will stay far away.⁷⁵⁴ “Bhagavat, we Four Mahārājas and the twenty-eight great generals of the yakṣas, along with many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, continually look at this Jambudvīpa with our pure divine vision, which transcends that of humans, and we defend it and protect it. “Bhagavat, for that reason and condition, we kings are called world protectors. “Bhagavat, if in this Jambudvīpa there is a king of a country whose opposing enemies are always near, or there is the calamity of disease or famine, or there are a hundred thousand bad omens, then, Bhagavat, if there is a bhikṣu dharmabhāṇaka who adopts, possesses, reads, and comprehends this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light, which we Four Mahārājas venerate and make offerings to, then we Four Mahārājas will go to him to make him understand, and inspire him and supplicate him. ### [5.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.26) Then that dharmabhāṇaka, through the power of recognizing our miraculous manifestations, will go to that land and there widely promulgate this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light. Then, through the power of this sūtra, the hundred thousand calamities and bad omens will all cease and be dispelled. “Bhagavat, in the land of whichever king the dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu who possesses this Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light goes, know that this sūtra has also gone into that land. “Bhagavat, at that time the king will go to the dharmabhāṇaka and will listen to whatever Dharma teaching he gives. Having heard it, he will be overjoyed and will honor, make offerings to, and serve that dharmabhāṇaka. With a mind of clear faith he will protect him, and misery and calamities will cease. “When this sūtra is correctly taught, it will be beneficial for everyone. “Bhagavat, through that cause and condition,⁷⁵⁵ all of us Four Mahārājas will single-mindedly guard that human king and all the humans of that land so that they will be freed of calamities and always be established in happiness. “Bhagavat, if there is a bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī, upāsaka, or upāsikā who possesses this sūtra,⁷⁵⁶ and if at that time a human king should seek them out, and without reluctance make offerings to them, then we Four Mahārājas will bring happiness to that ruler of the land and all the people in that land and will banish calamities far away. “Bhagavat, if there is someone who adopts this sūtra, possesses it, reads it, and recites it, and if a human king reveres and makes offerings to and praises that person, then we Four Mahārājas will revere, venerate, and respect him above all other kings so that he will be praised by the kings of other lands.” ### [5.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5.27) When that vast assembly heard those words, they held them with great joy. Chapter 12: The Four Mahārājas Protecting the Land ⁷⁵⁷ Then the Bhagavat praised the Four Mahārājas, saying “excellent, excellent!” on hearing that they would defend and guard those who possessed the sūtra and those who honored and made offerings to the supremely victorious sūtra The Sublime Golden Light. He then said, “You Four Mahārājas have honored, served, made offerings to, venerated, and praised many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas in the past, and you have generated roots of merit, have truly accomplished the Dharma, and have always taught the Dharma; by guiding the world through the Dharma in this way, you have long had the motivation of great love to constantly benefit beings. Because of the cause and condition of aspiring to bring happiness, you are now enjoying its perfect ripening. “If there is a king who honors and makes offerings to the supremely victorious sūtra The Sublime Golden Light, you should make an effort to guard him and cause him to obtain happiness. “You Four Mahārājas with your army, attendants, and many hundreds of thousands of yakṣas will guard the way of the Dharma of the buddha bhagavats of the past, future, and present. You will protect it and keep it in your care.⁷⁵⁸ “Therefore, if you Four Mahārājas, and also your followers and the countless, incalculable hundreds of thousands of yakṣas, guard this sūtra, then you will be guarding the true Dharma of the buddhas of the past, future, and present. “Therefore, when you Four Mahārājas and also your deva followers and the yakṣas ## Linked texts (1) - [འཕགས་པ་གསེར་འོད་དམ་པ་མཆོག་ཏུ་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་བའི་མདོ་སྡེའི་རྒྱལ་པོ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo.5.1) — Classical Tibetan --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.sanskrit.mahayanasutra.suvarnaprabhasa*bo~en-84000.5) · Pramāṇa