The King of Glorious Sutras called the Exalted Sublime Golden Light

The King of Glorious Sutras called the Exalted Sublime Golden Light
A Mahayana Sutra
The chapter on the preamble to the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light

Homage to all past, future and present buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas and shravakas!

Thus I have heard at one time:
The Tathagata, entering the buddhas’ domain
Of experience , the profound sphere of reality,
At Vulture peak expounded
To the supreme bodhisattvas,
Who were pure and stainless,
This King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light
Which is extremely profound upon hearing
And profound upon examination.

The buddhas in the four directions
Confer their blessings: blessings
From Ajkshobhya in the east, Rhatnaketu in the south,
Amitabha in the west and Dundubhisvara in the north.

In order to extinquish all unwholesome deeds
I will proclaim this auspicious sublime discourse
That exhausts all negative karma,
Grants all peace and happiness,
Completely eliminates suffering,
Which is adorned with all that is glorious

And is the foundation of omniscience.
Granting blessings, this I shall explain.
Sentient beings whose senses are defective,
Whose life expectancy has ended or fading,
Whom the gods have turned against,
Who are burdened by misfortune,
Hated by their loved ones,
Or oppressed as household servants,
In conflict with one another,
Afflicted with decline in material wealth,
Grief-stricken and miserable,
Ridden with fear and stricken by poverty,
Troubled by stars planetary bodies
And fierce demonic spirits,
Or who see excruciating nightmares
Following grief and fatigue,
They should bathe well to render themselves clean
And listen to this sublime sutra.

Should those with virtuous intent and pure mind
Adorn themselves well in clean garments,
Then listen to this sutra on the profound,
The domain of buddhas’ experience,
Through the awe-inspiring power of this sutra
,The suffering of all creatures –
The likes of which cannot be endured –
Will be forever pacified.

Protection will be offered to them
By the guardians of the world,
Their ministers and army chiefs,
Tens of thousands of millions of yakshas,
The great goddess Sarasvati,
And the goddess who dwells in the Nairanjana,
By Hariti, mother of bhutas,
The earth goddess Drdha,
By the Brahma kings and kings of Thirty-Three,
The powerful kings of serpents,
King of kinnaras and kings of asuras,
Likewise by the kings of garudas.

They, with their clans and might will arrive,
Along with their mounts,
And unfailingly day and night,
Offer protection to beings.
I will clearly expound this sutra on the profound,
The domain of buddhas’ experience
,The secret of all buddhas,
Difficult to find in tens of millions of eons.

Those who hear this sutra,
Those who cause others to hear 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

For being without merit,
The stores of their merit
Will grow into a limitless,
Incalculable, inconceivable mass.

Fiercely they will be protected
By buddhas in ten directions;
Likewise, also by bodhisattvas
Engaged in the profound.

Clad in clean garments,
Wearing well-perfumed clothes
Possessing a mind firm with love,
Without distraction, one should honor this sutra.

Render the mind spotless,
Put forth effort to make expansive
And intensely clear,
Then listen to this sublime sutra.

Those who listen to this sutra
Will be acclaimed among humans,
Attain an excellent human existence
And live a life of comfort.

Those into whose ears
This sublime discourse is echoed,
Will have merit roots refined
And numerous buddhas will extol them.