Golden Light Sutra

[Guest]

I am wondering what is Soto Zen's view of the Mahayana sutra, The King of Glorious Sutras The Sublime Golden Light.

Gassho

John

SatTodayLAH

[Jundo]

I am wondering what is Soto Zen's view of the Mahayana sutra, The King of Glorious Sutras The Sublime Golden Light.

Gassho

Hi John, of the many hundreds and hundreds of Sutras and Suttas in Asian language, only a small number have been translated into English. In my understanding, this Sutra is not very important in the Zen schools, although maybe mentioned in touching upon its main theme: How kings are to be good rulers.

The Golden Light Sutra teaches that those who embrace this sutra will obtain the protection of the four heavenly kings and other benevolent deities, and that, if a ruler takes faith in the correct teaching, these deities will protect his country. On the other hand, if he fails to protect the correct teaching, the benevolent deities will abandon the nation, and calamities and disasters will occur. In Japan, this sutra was revered as one of the three sutras for the protection of the nation, the other two being the Lotus Sutra and the Benevolent Kings Sutra. Nichiren (1222–1282) quoted from this sutra to support his contention, found in his work On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, that Japan in his time was suffering and would continue to suffer calamities and disasters because the benevolent deities had abandoned the nation due to the ruler’s slander of the correct teaching. The Sanskrit text and a Tibetan translation also exist. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/G/48

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

PS - Here is a detailed article about the Sutra, including a summary of its contents ...

https://www.academia.edu/16306968/_Suvar%E1%B9%87abh%C4%81sottamas%C5%ABtra_in_Brills_Encyclopedia_of_Buddhism_Volume_One_Literature_and_Languages_edited_by_Jonathan_Silk_Oskar_von_Hin%C3%BCber_and_Vincent_Eltschinger_249_260_Leiden_Brill_2015

[Kokuu]

Hi John

When I practiced in Tibetan Gelug Buddhism, the head of the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition), Lama Zopa, used to like for us to recite that sutra. I must admit I never warmed to it, and dreaded his request for its recitation. But, as a dutiful student I always did it, and hoped that the sutra would grow on me, It never happened, although I did like the part where the Brahmin beats his drum and the dharma bursts forth.

This sutra is not one that is considered important in Zen, but I don't think we would say not to read it.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-