Golden Light Sutra
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The Golden Light Sutra or Sutra of the Sublime Golden Light (金光明經; Ch: jin1 guang1 ming2 jing1; JP: Konkōmyō Kyō), is an important Buddhist text of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. The sutra was originally written in India under the Sanskrit title Suvarnaprabhasa-sutra), and was translated several times into Chinese. The name of the sutra comes from chapter 3 where the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu dreams of a great drum that radiates a sublime golden light, symbolizing the Dharma, or teachings of the Buddha.
Now almost forgotten in China, it became one of the most important sutras in Japan because of its fundamental message, which teaches that the Four Guardian Gods (四天王) protect the ruler who governs his country in the proper manner. The sutra also expounds the vows of the Hindu goddesses Sarasvati, Lakshmi (Shri) and Drdha to protect any bhikkhu, or monk, who will uphold and teach the sutra.
The main theme of the sutra is the importance for leaders to be good moral examples for the kingdom. In Chapter Twelve, the sutra speaks in verse form about the disasters that befall a kingdom when its ruler does not uphold justice, and the benefits of kings who lead and exemplary life. In the Chapter on the Guardian Kings, the Four Guardian Gings have a dialogue with the Buddha, explaining in vivid detail all the benefits a kingdom will have if its ruler enshrines the sutra and offers daily praise. The sutra contains some elements of early tantra, in that in chapter two, the sutra describes four Buddhas who dwell in the four cardinal directions. These same four comprise later Buddhist mandalas in the same positions, such as the Matrix Mandala.
Historically, the sutra won great esteem as a sutra for protecting the country, based on the text of the first chapter, and often was read publicly to ward off threats. Its first reading as a court ceremony was around 660 AD, when the Tang Dynasty of China and Silla of Korea had defeated Baekche of Korea and were threatening Japan.
In 741 Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇) founded provincial monasteries (国分寺) and nunneries (国分尼寺) in each province. The official name of the monasteries was the Temple for Protection of the State by the Four Heavenly Kings Golden Light Sutra (金光明經四天王護国之寺). The 20 monks who lived there recited the Sovereign Kings Golden Light Sutra on a fixed schedule to protect the country. As Buddhism evolved in Japan, the practice gradually fell out of use, and is no longer continued today.
