Sutra of Golden Light, the Most Victorious King (金光明最勝王經)

Last night I dreamed of a great golden drum, Its form most wondrous and beautiful, encircled with golden light. Like the blazing orb of the sun, its radiance shone everywhere, Filling the ten directions, revealing all Buddhas. Beneath jeweled trees, seated on crystal thrones, Surrounded by countless beings in respectful homage. A Brahmin appeared, striking the golden drum with a stick, And from within its sound, spoke these marvelous verses.

The golden drum of light and sound reaches the universe of three thousand worlds; It extinguishes the heaviest wrongs in the three lower realms, and all human suffering. Through the power of this golden drum's sound, all afflictions are forever gone, Fear is cut off, peace is restored, like the sovereign sage, the Buddha. On the great ocean of birth and death, through countless practices, the Buddha attained all wisdom; He enables beings to perfect their awakening, ultimately reaching the ocean of virtue. The golden drum produces a wondrous sound, letting all who hear attain celestial tones, Realize supreme enlightenment, and eternally turn the pure and wonderful wheel of truth. Living for inconceivable eons, teaching beings according to their needs, Cutting off the flow of afflictions and suffering, eradicating greed, anger, and ignorance.

If beings dwell in lower states, with fierce flames burning their bodies, Upon hearing this wondrous drum's sound, they leave suffering and take refuge in the Buddha. All gain the power to recall past lives, remembering hundreds of thousands of past births; They all correctly remember the sage, hearing the profound teachings of the Tathāgata. By hearing the supreme and wondrous sound of the golden drum, they always draw near to all Buddhas; They completely abandon all harmful deeds, purely cultivating all wholesome qualities. All gods, humans, and sentient beings who sincerely and earnestly make their requests, Upon hearing the golden drum's wondrous sound, find their wishes all fulfilled.

Beings falling into the uninterrupted hells, with fierce flames burning their bodies in agony, With no rescue in the cycle of rebirth, those who hear have their suffering removed. Among humans, gods, hungry ghosts, and animals, all present sufferings they endure, Upon hearing the golden drum's wondrous sound, they are freed from suffering and attain liberation.

Now, in the ten directions, the abiding two-legged honored ones, With compassionate hearts, I pray, remember me with pity. Beings have no refuge, no one to protect them; For such as these, become a great refuge.

The wrongs I have committed in the past, extremely heavy evil deeds, Now, before the ten-powered ones, I confess them all with all my heart. I did not believe in the Buddhas, nor respected the noble and dear, Did not strive to cultivate goodness, but constantly created all kinds of evil. Or I relied on my high status, my family lineage and wealth, In the prime of life, I acted recklessly, constantly creating all kinds of evil. My mind constantly gave rise to wrong thoughts, my mouth spoke harmful words, Unaware of my faults, I constantly created all kinds of evil. I always behaved like a fool, ignorance and darkness clouding my mind, Following unwholesome friends, I constantly created all kinds of evil. Some wrongs I did for amusement, others out of worry and distress; Bound by greed and anger, because of this, I created all evils. By associating with unwholesome people, or from a miserly and jealous mind, Or living in poverty and practicing deceit, for these reasons, I created all evils. Though I did not enjoy faults, out of fear, Or having no freedom, for these reasons, I created all evils. Sometimes from an agitated mind, or from anger and hatred, And from the troubles of hunger and thirst, for these reasons, I created all evils. Because of food, drink, and clothing, or from attachment to women, Burned by the fire of afflictions, for these reasons, I created all evils. Towards the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, I did not generate a respectful mind, Having created such wrongs, I now confess them all. Towards solitary realizers and Bodhisattvas, I also had no respect, Having created such wrongs, I now confess them all. Out of ignorance, I slandered the true Dharma, was unfilial to my parents, Having created such wrongs, I now confess them all. Through foolishness, arrogance, and the power of greed and anger, Having created such wrongs, I now confess them all.

I have made offerings to countless Buddhas in the ten directions; I pray to rescue beings, to free them from all suffering. May all living beings dwell on the ten stages; With merit and wisdom perfected, may they become Buddhas to guide the confused. For the sake of all beings, I have practiced austerities for hundreds of thousands of eons; Through the power of great wisdom, may they all cross the ocean of suffering. For the sake of all sentient beings, I teach the profound sutra, The supreme Golden Light, which can eliminate all evil karma. If a person has committed the heaviest wrongs for hundreds of thousands of eons, By being able to confess them for even a moment, all evils are completely removed. Relying on this Golden Light, making such confession, Through this, all karmic suffering can be quickly exhausted. The hundreds of thousands of kinds of supreme concentration, the inconceivable dharanis, The faculties, powers, awakening factors, and path branches — may I cultivate them constantly without weariness. I will reach the ten stages, fully possessing the treasure house, Completing the virtues of Buddhahood, to rescue beings from the flow of birth and death. I will fully attain the profound virtue treasury of the ocean of Buddhas, And the marvelous wisdom, inconceivable and perfect.

I only pray that the Buddhas of the ten directions observe and protect me; With their great compassionate hearts, kindly accept my confession. Whatever evil karma I have created over many eons, Causing me suffering, I pray, in your compassion, erase it all. The evil karma I have created constantly gives rise to a frightened mind; Among the four postures, I have never had a thought of joy. Buddhas possess great compassion, able to remove beings' fear; I pray you accept my confession, so I may be free from suffering and sorrow. I have the obstacle of afflictions, as well as karmic retributions; I pray with the water of great compassion, wash me clean. All the wrongs I have done in the past and am creating now, With all my heart, I reveal them all, wishing them all to be removed. As for future evil karma, I will guard against it, making sure it doesn't arise; Should I ever transgress, I will never conceal it again.

Three physical, four verbal, and three mental actions, Bind all beings, flowing continuously from beginningless time. Through these three kinds of conduct, the ten evil deeds are created. Such numerous wrongs, I confess them all now. The evil karma I have created will bring karmic retribution that I must bear; Now, before all Buddhas, I confess with utmost sincerity. In this Jambudvipa, and in other world systems, All wholesome karma, now I rejoice in it all. I pray to abandon the ten evil deeds and cultivate the ten wholesome paths; Dwelling securely on the ten stages, constantly seeing the Buddhas of the ten directions. With my body, speech, and mind, all the merit and wisdom I have cultivated, I pray that through this root of goodness, I may quickly attain unsurpassed wisdom.

Now, before the ten-powered ones, I reveal many difficult matters: The difficulty of ordinary beings deluded in the three existences, the difficulty of constantly creating the heaviest evil karma, The difficulty of desires and wrongs I have accumulated, the difficulty of constantly arising attachment and flowing in samsara, The difficulty of clinging to this world, the difficulty of afflictions of all fools, The difficulty of a mad, restless, upside-down mind, and the difficulty of associating with evil friends, The difficulty of being tainted by greed in birth and death, the difficulty of creating wrongs through ignorant dullness and anger, The difficulty of being born in eight unfavorable states and lower realms, the difficulty of never having accumulated merit— I now confess these endless evil karmas before the most supreme. Now I take refuge in all the Blissful Gone Ones, I bow to the ocean of virtue, the unsurpassed honored one; Like a great golden mountain illuminating the ten directions, I only pray you compassionately receive me.

His body is a golden light, pure and without stain, his eyes like clear deep blue sapphire; Auspicious, majestic, virtuous, honored in name, the sun of great compassion and wisdom removes all darkness. The sun of the Buddha, bright and shining everywhere, very pure, free from any dust; The moon of the Sage shines with extreme coolness, able to remove beings' burning afflictions. Adorned with thirty-two marks, complete with eighty fine features; Merit is inconceivable, with none to compare, like the sun whose light flows over the world. His color is like crystal, pure and without stain, like a full moon dwelling in space; A wonderful crystal net reflects his golden body, adorned with various kinds of light. Inside the torrent of suffering in birth and death, beings are swept away by the waters of aging, sickness, and sorrow; Such an unbearable ocean of suffering — the sun of the Buddha shines its light, eternally drying it up.

Now I bow my head to the all-knowing one, the rare honored one of the three thousand worlds, With a brilliant, shining golden body, adorned with all kinds of wonderful beauty. Like the water of the great ocean, hard to fathom, or the dust of the earth, impossible to count, Like Mount Sumeru, beyond measure, or like space, without any limit, So too are the virtues of the Buddhas, unknown to all beings; Even if they contemplate for countless eons, none can know the shore of the ocean of virtue. One could take all the mountains of this earth, grind them to dust and count them, Measure the drops in the ocean at a hair's tip, yet the virtues of the Buddha are uncountable. All beings praise together the world-honored one's name and virtues, Pure, beautiful, wondrously adorned — their measure is incalculable, beyond knowing.

With all the wholesome deeds I possess, I wish to quickly become the unsurpassed honored one, Expansively teaching the true Dharma to benefit beings, helping them all be released from suffering. Subduing the mighty armies of Mara, turning the unsurpassed wheel of the true Dharma; Dwelling for inconceivable eons, satisfying beings with the sweet nectar of truth. Just like the most supreme ones of the past, completely perfecting the six paramitas, Eliminating greed, hatred, and ignorance, subduing afflictions and removing suffering. May I constantly gain the wisdom that recalls past lives, remembering hundreds of thousands of past births; And also constantly remember the sage, hearing the profound Dharma of all Buddhas. May I, through these wholesome deeds, serve the most supreme ones without limit, Abandoning all unwholesome causes, and always practicing the true and wonderful Dharma.

May all beings in every world be freed from suffering and attain peace; May all those with incomplete faculties be made perfect in body and form. If beings suffer from illness, weak, emaciated, and helpless, May their sickness be removed, their faculties and vigor fully restored. If someone is condemned to punishment by royal law, oppressed by suffering and sorrow, At such a time of extreme pain, with no refuge to protect them, If they are subjected to whips, canes, and fetters, or various instruments pressing on their body, At countless hundreds of thousands of times of sorrow, their body and mind pressured with no temporary joy— May they all be freed from bondage, and from the suffering of whips and canes; May those about to be executed have their lives spared, and all suffering be forever removed. If beings are oppressed by hunger and thirst, may they attain all kinds of wonderful flavors; May the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the mute speak. May poor beings find treasures, their storehouses filled without lack; May they all receive supreme happiness, with no being suffering. May all gods and humans delight in seeing them, with dignified, gentle, and very majestic appearance; May they all experience boundless happiness, with abundant resources and complete merit.

Whatever musical performances beings think of, may all wondrous sounds appear before them; When they think of water, a cool pool appears, with golden lotuses floating upon it. Whatever beings think of in their minds—food, drink, clothing, bedding, Gold, silver, jewels, wonderful crystal, and adorned ornaments—may they all be provided. May beings not hear unpleasant sounds, nor see any disharmony; May their appearances be all dignified and beautiful, each with a loving heart, cherishing one another. May all worldly necessities and joyful things be satisfied whenever thought of; May they have no stinginess regarding the wealth they obtain, but generously give it to all beings. Incense, powder incense, and ointment, various wonderful flowers of many colors— May they fall from trees three times a day, enjoyed with joy as they wish. I pray that all beings make offerings to all of the ten directions' most supreme ones, And to the pure and wonderful Dharma gates of the three vehicles—the Bodhisattvas, solitary realizers, and hearers. May they never be born in humble states, nor fall into the eight unfavorable conditions; May they be born among humans as honored ones, and always personally receive the Buddhas of the ten directions. May they always be born into wealthy families, their storehouses completely filled; May their appearance and reputation be unparalleled, their lifespans extending for eons. May all women transform into men, brave, sharp, and full of wisdom; Always practicing the Bodhisattva path, diligently cultivating the six perfections to reach the other shore. May they always see the countless Buddhas of the ten directions, dwelling peacefully beneath jeweled king trees; Seated on wonderful crystal lion thrones, always receiving the turning of the Dharma wheel.

If in the past or present, in the three states of samsara, I have created karma That leads to detestable, unwholesome destinies, may it be extinguished forever without remainder. All beings on the ocean of existence, tightly bound in the net of birth and death, I pray to cut it with the sword of wisdom, so they swiftly attain the place of enlightenment, free from suffering. All beings in this Jambudvipa, or in other world systems, Whatever supreme meritorious causes they create — for all these now I rejoice. Through this rejoicing in merit, and the wholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, May these good works constantly grow, and swiftly realize the great unsurpassed enlightenment.

All acts of venerating and praising the Buddhas' virtue, with a deep mind pure and flawless, The infinite merit of dedicating and making vows shall surpass sixty eons of lower states. If any man or woman, among Brahmins and other noble families, With palms together and one-pointed mind, praises the Buddha, birth after birth they will always remember past lives. With faculties pure and body perfected, achieving all supreme virtue, May they, in all future births, always be admired by gods and humans. It is not by planting wholesome roots at just one Buddha or ten Buddhas that one now hears this; Only by planting wholesome roots at hundreds of thousands of Buddhas can one come to hear this confessional teaching.