In the Sutra of Golden Light, Buddha Shakyamuni lists the benefits of this sublime sutra. He says:
Those who hear this sutra,
Those who cause others to hear it,
Those who rejoice upon hearing it
And make offerings to it,
For tens of millions of eons
Shall be venerated by gods and nagas,
Humans and kinnaras,
Asuras and yakshas.
I urge you to recite the Sutra of Golden Light for these reasons:
The holy Sutra of Golden Light is the king of the sutras. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all one's wishes, as well as bringing peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for world peace, for your own protection, and for the protection of the country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country. Anyone can read this text, Buddhists and non-Buddhists, who desire world peace.
This also protects individuals and the country from what are labeled natural disasters of the wind element, fire element, earth element, and water element, such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, fires, tornadoes, etc. They are not natural because they come from causes and conditions that make dangers happen. They come from people’s past inner negative thoughts and actions, and from external conditions.
The benefits of reading this sutra are immeasurable. Reciting just a few lines of the Sutra of Golden Light creates more merit than making immeasurable offerings to the Buddha. Reciting this Sutra directs one's life towards enlightenment. There is so much merit. One's life becomes so easy—whatever one wishes for one receives. There is unbelievable purification. One liberates numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and brings them to enlightenment. 1
In the Sutra of Golden Light, the Tathagata says:
This King of Glorious Sutras
Fully destroys external enemies,
Turns back legions of foreign armies,
Removes the fear of the terrified and poor,
And causes supreme virtue.
It also has the following benefits:
The protectors, the guardians, will definitely provide protection. Whenever they are needed, they will arrive. Acts of terrorism will be averted. Acts of violence will stop. Natural catastrophes will be avoided. Crops will be successful. The environment will be clean. People will be safe. If there is war, it will end and there will be peace.
If you recite the Sutra of Golden Light, you will have good health, energy and power. All material needs will be satisfied. One will be listened to and respected by others. Whenever a question arises, the guru will answer. One will purify eons of negative karma, meet perfect teachers, develop realizations and definitely benefit others.
The Sutra of Golden Light is the car that will take you to enlightenment.
Notes
1 For more information about the benefits of the sutra, please see the Sutra of Golden Light.
