Overall Teaching

Kings who have monks recite this Sūtra will be protected and their kingdoms will overcome obstacles thanks to the Four Great Kings who are increased in power, along with their retinues, by hearing the Sūtra. Ultimately, as a result of hearing it, beings will become non-returners and attain supreme awakening.

Summary

1.     The Four Great Kings,[1] Vaiśravaṇa,[2] Dṛtarāṣtra,[3] Virūḍhaka,[4] and Virūpākṣa[5] greet the Buddha and proclaim:

a.     The Golden Light Sūtra is of great qualities and benefit, and when they hear it, the divine bodies of the Four Great Kings and their retinues are strengthened.

b.     The Four Great Kings will exercise their sovereignty through the Dharma and rout ghosts (bhūtas) who lack compassion. They will also protect the whole of Jambudvīpa and will encourage monks who keep this sūtra when their lands are oppressed by enemies, hunger, illness, or other oppressions.

c.     When monks teach this sūtra, in that region, afflictions and oppressions will cease and when a king hears and protects those monks then that king will be protected by the Four Great Kings and make blessed all beings in that kingdom.

d.     They will cause that king to be reverenced and praised in all regions.

2.     The Buddha then praises the Four Great Kings:

a.     They have long protected and planted good roots in relation to the Dharma.

b.     Because they protect the Way of the Dharma and the Sūtra of Golden Light, whenever the devas and asuras fight, the devas will surely win.

3.     The Four Great Kings again saluted the Buddha and addressed him:

a.     Whichever king should exercise sovereignty in accordance with the “Instruction concerning Divine Kings” (Chapter 12) and honours the Golden Light Sūtra will be protected by the Four Great Kings; their kingdom will be free of afflictions and foreign armies will be turned back.

b.     If a neighbouring hostile king should intend to invade that kingdom, by the power of the Golden Light Sūtra that kingdom will encounter hostilities with neighbouring kingdoms, troubles, diseases, distractions, and other oppressions will arise for that hostile king. If he should attempt to invade that kingdom where the Sūtra is protected, his army will be turned back by distractions and obstacles created by the Four Great Kings.

4.     The Buddha then praises the Four Great Kings:

a.     Since, for the sake of awakening, they will protect the kings who protect this Sūtra and their kingdoms, and since all kings will rejoice according to their own karma in the prosperity of their sovereignty due to this Sūtra, and if they shall all dwell without strife, then all of Jambudvīpa will flourish and be happy, become rich, and virtuous, being reborn in the heavens due to the ten good acts. Also, the king will in turn increase the brilliance and glory of the Four Great Kings and they will have great prosperity and brilliance, just as the Four Great Kings suggested: the whole kingdom will be mightier, more powerful, and without troubles.

5.     The Four Great Kings then replied:

a.     If any king desires to hear this Sūtra and protect his kingdom and improve his sovereignty, merit, and all his regions, then he must pay homage to and listen to it:

                                               i.     After entering his palace, he must sprinkle water and strew flowers and a seat of the Dharma is to be provided and adorned with umbrellas, banners, and flags, while he must wear new garments.

                                             ii.     After sitting on that seat, he must listen to the Sūtra with great humility and look upon kindness upon everyone in his retinue and converse with affection, and then command deeds to be done in protection of the Dharma and he must stand up before the preacher of the Dharma with sincere joy.

6.     Then the Buddha said:

a.     At that moment, the king must wear white entirely, and must have great display of royalty. He must go to meet the preacher and each step will honour a Buddha, will avoid saṃsāra, and will obtain Cakravartin palaces.

b.     He will also reach old age, be charismatic, praised, and be powerful and well praised. In the future, he will meet Buddhas.

c.     Thus, he must rise up a league to a thousand leagues before the preacher of the Dharma and consider him as his teacher.

d.     He must consider that at that time Śākyamuni Buddha himself will enter his palace and enjoy his food in his palace. He must consider that this day he will become a non-returner[6] and make great homage to the Buddhas and plant seeds for countless beings in different heavenly realms and deliver them from saṃsāra and protect his own kingdom from all troubles.

e.     If that king should then honour those monks who hold this Sūtra and dedicate the merits to the Four Great Kings, then he will prosper along with his kingdom and overcome his enemies in accordance with the Dharma.

7.     The Four Great Kings then said,

a.     If a king should hear this Sūtra and would indeed honour the monks and this Sūtra and give away the merit to the Four Great Kings then creepers with perfumes and odours will come forth and lights will arise and light up the heavenly dwellings where Four Great Kings dwell—as well as all the other devas’ realms.

8.     The Buddha then said,

a.     Not only will this occur, but at that moment in this world with all its gods all will give rise to those creepers with great odour and lights will arise as soon as the perfumes have been spread by the king. Moreover, countless Buddha-lands will be lit up and umbrellas of creepers of various odours will arise in the sky. Their roots of merit will not be small because as soon many beings hear this Sūtra they will become non-returners towards supreme awakening.

b.     Then the countless buddhas on all sides in their buddha-lands will with one voice announce to the monk who is preaching the Dharma:

                                               i.     In future, you will come to the seat of awakening, sitting at the foot of the king of trees, having done all the greatly difficult acts, you will defeat the army of Māra and attain supreme awakening and turn the wheel of the supreme Dharma, strike its drum, blow it’s conch, light it’s lamp, rain down the great rain of Dharma, defeat the afflictions, rescue beings in the ocean of fear, deliver beings from saṃsāra, and honour countless buddhas.

9.     Then the Four Great Kings said:

a.     Out of compassion for that king we shall, after being impelled by the creepers of various odours, will with invisible bodies approach to hear the Dharma to that clean, sprinkled, and perfumed palace. The other gods will do likewise. We shall be in agreement with all this, and as soon as we have been satisfied with the nectar of the Dharma from that Dharma preacher, we shall protect that kingdom.

b.     If this Sūtra should come into a kingdom and its king should not honour it and satisfy us with the nectar of the Dharma, then we shall not be increased in prowess and our retinues will neglect that region, and disturbances will arise in that kingdom and various oppressions and astrological signs will give bad omen and foreign powers will eventually destroy that kingdom.

c.     If any king should wish to gain protection and experience great blessings and so forth, then they should hear and uphold this Sūtra and honour the monks who uphold and teach it which will increase our bodies and retinues. Various sūtras have been recited by the gods and seers, but this Sūtra is more outstanding and the Buddha expounded it so that kingdoms will be blessed and protected. Ultimately, this results in their awakening as Buddhas. All mundane royal duties, textbooks and acts in the world have been expounded by this Sūtra. Thus a king must hear it.

10.  The Buddha then said:

a.     The Four Great Kings show great zeal and sustain those monks: you must protect and sustain those monks so they will not have troubles in teaching this Sūtra.

11.  Then the Four Great Kings rose and bowed down to the Buddha and said:

a.     The Buddha’s features are pure and wonderful. His physical qualities are great, and we worship him as the Lord of Mountains, equal to the sky and like the moon reflected in water: the Tathāgata-moon resembling an illusion or mirage.

12.  The Buddha said:

a.     This sūtra must be protected by the Four Great Kings. May it go forth for beings benefit and removing the sufferings of beings in lower realms. By it may all beings in the world be free of suffering and blessed. May it destroy obstacles and relief and blessings for kings. It has been honoured by gods and the Four Great Kings and it has continually been watched over by the Buddhas. Yakṣas protect the region in which it is read and innumerable gods gain increase from it.

13.  Then the Four Great Kings were astonished and delighted, shedding tears and with great joy and gladness they strew flowers over the Buddha and made a gesture of reverence to the Buddha, promising to continually be attached to the monk who preaches the Dharma, protecting and honouring him.

[1] They live half way down Mount Sumeru in the lowest Desire Realm deva world and protect the Dharma in the four directions.

[2] “He who hears everything,” king of the northern direction, carrying an umbrella. Also associated with wealth and the Indian Lord Gaṇeśa and Japanese kami Hachiman. Yellow in colour and lord of the yakṣas (nature sprites).

[3] “He who upholds the kingdom,” king of the eastern direction, associated with using music to protect the Dharma, and promote harmony and compassion. White in colour and lord of the gandharvas (heavenly musicians).

[4] “He who causes to grow,” king of the southern direction, carrying a sword and promotes the growth of good roots. He is also the lord of the wind. Blue in colour and lord of the kumbhāṇḍas (dwarves).

[5] “He who sees all,” king of the western direction, carrying a snake. He sees those who don’t follow the Dharma and convinces them to follow it. Red in colour and lord of the nāgas (serpants/dragons).

[6] Later it mentions that this is a non-returning in regard to supreme awakening, rather than arhatship (i.e. in the four paths). That is to say, an irreversible bodhisattva.