The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (1)
Chapter 26: Giving Away the Body
Toh 555
Degé Kangyur, vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151.a
- Chödrup
Imprint
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2023
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Table of Contents
Summary
The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light has held great importance in Buddhism for its instructions on the purification of karma. In particular, much of the sūtra is specifically addressed to monarchs and thus has been significant for rulers—not only in India but also in China, Japan, Mongolia, and elsewhere—who wished to ensure the well-being of their nations through such purification. Reciting and internalizing this sūtra is understood to be efficacious for personal purification and also for the welfare of a state and the world.
In this sūtra, the bodhisattva Ruciraketu has a dream in which a prayer of confession emanates from a shining golden drum. He relates the prayer to the Buddha, and a number of deities then vow to protect it and its adherents. The ruler’s devotion to the sūtra is emphasized as important if the nation is to benefit. Toward the end of the sūtra are two well-known narratives of the Buddha’s previous lives: the account of the physician Jalavāhana, who saves and blesses numerous fish, and that of Prince Mahāsattva, who gives his body to a hungry tigress and her cubs.
This is the longest version of The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light preserved in the Kangyur. It comprises thirty-one chapters and was translated into Tibetan primarily from Yijing’s Chinese translation in the early ninth century.
Acknowledgements
This sūtra was translated into English by Peter Alan Roberts. Ling Lung Chen, Wang Chipan, Xiaolong Diao, Ting Lee Ling, and H. S. Sum Cheuk Shing were consultants for the Chinese versions of the sūtra. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Tracy Davis was the copyeditor. With thanks to Michael Radich for sharing his research on the sūtra.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Zhang Da Da.
Text Body
The Sublime Golden Light, the Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras
Chapter 26: Giving Away the Body
Then the Bhagavat, having taught that past cause and condition to the great assembly and those ten thousand devas, spoke again to the goddess of the Bodhi tree and that great assembly:
“In the past, while I was practicing the path of the bodhisattva, I did not just give water and food to save the lives of those fish; I also gave away my cherished body. Regard together the cause and condition for that!1164 [F.137.b]
“The Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha,1165 who was supremely victorious and supremely venerable everywhere both above the paradises and below the paradises, who illuminated the world realms in ten directions with many hundreds of thousands of light rays, who had perfect omniscience, who had the completion of good qualities, went together with a great assembly to the Pañcala1166 land. They came to a forest that had level ground, was free of thorns, and was spread throughout with excellent flowers and soft grass.
“Then Venerable Ānanda, obeying that command, prepared a seat. When it was prepared, he said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, the seat is prepared. I request that you, Ārya, know that it is ready.’1167
“The Bhagavat sat cross-legged upon the seat, with his body upright, remaining in true mindfulness. Being seated, he asked the bhikṣus, ‘Do you want to view the relics of the body of1168 a bodhisattva who accomplished a difficult act in the past?’
“The Bhagavat then pressed down on the ground with his hand, which was adorned with a hundred merits and possessed the signs and features of a great being. At that moment, the great earth shook in six ways, the ground split and divided, and the great assembly saw a stūpa made of the seven precious materials and adorned by a net of various jewels appearing, rising up from the ground, and they had thoughts of great astonishment.
“The Bhagavat then rose from his seat, bowed down to it, [F.138.a] circumambulated it, and then again sat upon his seat and said to Ānanda, ‘You, open the door of this stūpa!’
“Venerable Ānanda opened the door and saw a casket made of the seven precious materials and adorned by excellent, perfect jewels. He said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, there is a casket made of the seven precious materials and adorned by various jewels.’
“Venerable Ānanda, obeying the command, opened it and saw inside relics that had a color like that of conches and white water lilies.1170 He said to the Bhagavat, ‘Inside the casket there are relics with a sublime color, superior to any other.’
“Venerable Ānanda then picked up those relics and gave them to the Bhagavat. The Bhagavat took them and said to the bhikṣus, ‘Behold the relics of the body1171 of a bodhisattva who accomplished a difficult act,’ and then he recited this verse:
“ ‘Bhikṣus, you must all pay homage with veneration to the relics of the past body of the bodhisattva. These relics are perfumed by the measureless aroma of correct conduct, samādhi, and wisdom. They are an excellent, supreme field of merit and are extremely difficult to encounter.’
“The bhikṣus and that great assembly then single-mindedly and reverently [F.138.b] placed their palms together and bowed down their heads in homage to those relics and praised them, saying, ‘Never has such a thing occurred before!’1173
“Then Venerable Ānanda rose before the Bhagavat,1174 bowed down to his feet, and said to the Bhagavat, ‘The Bhagavat, the Tathāgata, the great teacher, is superior to all, so that all beings honor him. Therefore, what is the cause and condition whereby he pays homage to these bones of a body?’
“The Bhagavat said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘Ānanda, it is because of these bones that I quickly attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Therefore, in order to repay their kindness, I have today paid homage to them.’
“Then he also said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘Today, in order to dispel the doubt and uncertainty that you and the great assembly have, I will explain perfectly the past causes and conditions of these relics, and therefore you must pay close attention and listen single-mindedly!’
“ ‘We strongly wish to hear it, so therefore we request that you teach and explain,’ said Venerable Ānanda.
“ ‘Ānanda,’ replied the Bhagavat, ‘in the past, in a time gone by, there was a king of a land, and his name was Mahāratha. He was very rich, with great wealth, vast treasuries, and a courageous army. He was honored and obeyed by the entire multitude of people, and he constantly guided them through the Dharma. The people had multiplied and spread, and he had no opposing enemies. His principal queen was extremely attractive and beautiful. He had three sons whom everyone wished to see. The name of the eldest son was Mahāpraṇāda. The name of the middle son was Mahādeva. The name of the youngest son was Mahāsattva.
“ ‘At that time, the great king, to amuse himself and enjoy the view, set off to look at the mountains and forests. [F.139.a] The three sons also departed, following him. In order to search for flowers and fruits, they left their father and wandered. Then they entered a great forest of bamboos to rest.
“ ‘Then the eldest prince said, “I am scared and frightened now! Might not a vicious wild beast kill us in this forest?”
“ ‘The middle prince said, “I am worried that if I start out with having no concern for my own body, I will experience the suffering of losing this beloved body.”
“ ‘The youngest prince then said to his two older brothers:
“ ‘At that time, the princes each spoke what was in their minds, and they eventually continued onward until they saw a tigress who had given birth to five1175 cubs seven days earlier. She was encircled by her cubs and tormented by hunger and thirst; her body was thin and weak, and she would soon die.
“ ‘The eldest prince said, “Alas, this tigress gave birth to cubs seven days ago. Because she is encircled by her cubs, she has not been free to seek food. She is so tormented by hunger and thirst she will no doubt eat her own cubs.”
“ ‘ “What does this tigress usually eat?” asked Prince Mahāsattva.
“ ‘The eldest prince answered:
“ ‘The middle prince said, “This tigress is so thin and weak and tormented by hunger and thirst that she only has a little life left. How could we seek that kind of food and drink, which is difficult to find? [F.139.b] Who for their sake would give up their own body and life to dispel their hunger and thirst?”
“ ‘ “There is nothing that is more difficult to give up than one’s own body!” said the eldest prince.
“ ‘Prince Mahāsattva said, “At this time, each of us has clinging and attachment to our bodies; we have no wisdom and are unable to benefit others. Supreme beings have minds of great compassion, and in order to constantly benefit others are indifferent to their bodies, and this benefits beings.”
“ ‘He also thought, “For many hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, my body has rotted and decayed and been lost meaninglessly without causing any benefit whatsoever. Why should I not cast it away this time like saliva or mucus and dispel the suffering of those pained by hunger?”
“ ‘At that time the princes, having thus spoken their thoughts, each felt love and pity, and without taking their eyes off the tigress, they circled her from a distance and then together left her and went away.
“ ‘Then Mahāsattva thought, “Now is the time for me to give away my body and life. Why is that?
“ ‘He thought, “Moreover, this body is unstable and of no benefit to me. It is terrifying like an enemy. It is impure like feces. Today, with this body, I will accomplish a vast, immense action and make it into a great ship that will cross the ocean of birth and death. [F.140.a] I will abandon saṃsāra and certainly accomplish leaving it behind.”
“ ‘He also thought, “In abandoning this body, I will be abandoning boils, countless dreadful illnesses, and many hundreds of thousands of terrors and fears. This body contains nothing but urine and feces. It is as unstable as a water bubble. It is a congregation of many worms. It is a web of veins and muscles. It causes disgust. It is disadvantageous.1179 Therefore, I will abandon this body today and seek the highest, ultimate nirvāṇa. Completely abandoning the fault of misery, the suffering of impermanence, and distress, I will end the continuity of saṃsāra. Eliminating all faults, through the power of samādhi and wisdom I will meditate perfectly and attain the Dharma body that is adorned by many hundreds of thousands of merits, is omniscient, and is praised by the multitudes of buddhas. Having attained that, I will bring immeasurable benefit1180 to beings through the Dharma.”1181
“ ‘At that time, the prince, making a great prayer with great courageous self-control,1182 had made his motivation grow with thoughts of great compassion, but he was worried that his two older brothers, being frightened and terrified, would cause a hindering obstacle so that he would not be able to accomplish his aspiration. Therefore, he said to his two older brothers, “Brothers, you two go back; I will stay here a little longer.”
“ ‘Prince Mahāsattva then returned to the forest and went before the tigress. He took off his clothes and placed them upon a bamboo, and then he made this prayer:
“ ‘Having spoken those words, the prince then threw down his body and lay in front of the hungry tigress. Because of the power of the magnificence of that bodhisattva’s love and compassion, the tigress was not able to do anything. The bodhisattva, seeing that this was so, climbed up onto a high mountain and threw down his body from there.1184 But then he thought, “This tigress is so weak and feeble that she is not able to eat me.” Thinking this, he stood up and went looking for a weapon. He could not find one, and so using a shard of dry bamboo, he made blood flow from his throat and finally came close to the tigress.
“ ‘At that time, the great earth quaked in six ways, like a river being blown on by the wind.1185 The sun also did not shine, as if it were being obscured by an eclipse, so that there was darkness in all the ten directions.1186 The devas also sent down a rain of excellent flowers, and excellent, sublime scented powders that spread throughout and filled the interior of the forest.
“ ‘The multitudes of devas present in the sky, on seeing such a thing, rejoiced in their minds and praised him, saying, “There has never occurred anything like this before!” They all praised him, saying, “Well done! Great being, well done!” and they recited these verses:
“ ‘At that time, the hungry tigress saw the blood falling from the bodhisattva’s throat and licked the blood, and then ate all his flesh, without remainder, so that there were only bones left. [F.141.a]
“ ‘Then the elder prince, seeing the earth quake, said to his younger brother:
“ ‘The middle prince heard the words of his older brother, and he spoke this verse:
“ ‘The two princes then felt great sadness and suffering, and they wailed and wept, and together they both went into the presence of the tigress. They saw their younger brother’s clothes draped over a bamboo branch, his bones and hair scattered everywhere. His spilled blood had formed mud and spread everywhere too. They collapsed, and being unable to embrace his body, they threw themselves before his bones. After a long time had passed, they regained consciousness, stood up, and with arms upraised, they wept and lamented:
“ ‘Then the two princes, wailing and weeping as if their minds had been broken,1189 eventually left and went away.
“ ‘At that time, the retinue of attendants that the youngest prince had brought along were asking one another, “Where is the prince? We should search for him together.”
“ ‘Also at that time, the king’s principal queen, who was asleep on a high roof, saw these bad omens in a dream: someone cut off her breasts; her teeth fell out; and she obtained three dove chicks but saw one being carried away by a hawk [F.141.b] and the other two being frightened and terrified. When the earth quaked, the queen woke up, felt great sadness, and said:
“ ‘Milk dripped from both the queen’s breasts and she thought, “Without doubt this is the appearance of a bad omen.”1190
“ ‘One of her attendants heard men outside saying that they were searching for the prince but had still not found him. She was frightened and alarmed, and she went into the palace and said to the queen, “Your Majesty, did you know that I have heard from the men outside that they are searching for the prince but have still not found him?”
“ ‘When the queen heard those words, she wailed in great misery. With her eyes filled with tears, she went before the king and said to him, “Your Majesty, I have heard from men outside that our beloved youngest son is lost!”
“ ‘When the king heard those words, he was greatly frightened. Choking, he shed tears and lamented with these words: “Alas! Such suffering! Today my beautiful son is lost!”
“ ‘In order to comfort the queen, he said, “Beautiful one, do not be sad. Let us now go out together and search for our beloved son.”
“ ‘Then the king, the queen,1191 and a great gathering of people together left the city and dispersed in all directions, searching. [F.142.a]
“ ‘Before long, a prime minister came before them and said to the king, “Your Majesty, do not sorrow, but the prince is not present;1192 there is no youngest prince.”
“ ‘When the king heard those words, he wailed, saying, “Alas! I have lost my beautiful son!1193
“ ‘The queen, on hearing those words, became enveloped in grief, as if she had been struck by an arrow, and she made this lament:
“ ‘After that, a mid-ranking minister1194 came before the king, and the king asked him, “Where is my beloved son?”
“ ‘The mid-ranking minister,1195 his mind crushed, weeping, his palate and tongue dry, was unable to speak words to answer. Then the queen said to him:
“ ‘The mid-ranking minister then informed the king, describing it in detail, how the prince had given away his body.
“ ‘When the king and queen heard this account, wailing and choking with tears, they quickly hurried to the place where he had given away his body. They came to the bamboo forest where the bodhisattva had given away his body and saw the bones scattered everywhere. They immediately fell to the ground, fainting as if they had died. They were like great trees blown over by a fierce wind, their minds insensible, having lost consciousness and having no awareness of anything. [F.142.b]
“ ‘Then the prime minister and the others sprinkled water on them until at length, the king and queen again recovered consciousness. Then with his arms upraised, the king1196 wailed:
“ ‘Then the queen, no longer close to fainting, crazed,1197 with her hair hanging loose in disarray, beat her breast with both her hands, thrashed on the ground like a fish writhing on dry land, and wept and wailed like a cow that has lost its calf.
“ ‘Then the great king,1198 the queen, and their two sons, overcome by their love for the prince1199 and weeping,1200 cast off their jewelry and together with a great crowd of people collected the relics of the bodhisattva’s body and placed them inside a stūpa in order to make offerings to it.
“He also said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘In the past, even when I had such kleśas as desire, anger, and ignorance, I saved and helped, according to their circumstances, the five kinds of beings, such as those in the hells, pretas, and animals, so that they attained the state of leaving behind saṃsāra. [F.143.a] Therefore, it is needless to say that now that all the kleśas have ceased, none of their latencies remain. I have become the teacher of devas and humans, and I possess omniscience. I will remain in the hells and other places for the sake of each being for many eons and accept various kinds of suffering to make them attain the state of leaving behind the saṃsāra of birth, death, and the kleśas.’
When the Bhagavat gave this teaching on what had occurred in the past, all of the countless, innumerable assembly of humans and devas were deeply affected and felt great joy. They praised it, saying, “Never has such a thing occurred before!”1216 and they all developed the aspiration to attain the highest, most complete enlightenment.
The goddess of the Bodhi tree also said, “I reverently pay homage to repay this kindness.”
The Bhagavat withdrew the power of his miraculous manifestation, and the stūpa again sank down under the ground.
This concludes “Giving Away the Body,” the twenty-sixth chapter of “The Supremely Victorious King of Sūtras, the Sublime Golden Light.”
Bibliography
Primary Sources in Tibetan and Chinese
gser ’od dam pa’ i mdo. Toh 555, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 19.a–151a.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 556, Degé Kangyur vol. 89 (rgyud ’bum, pa), folios 151.b–273.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (2) 2024.
gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājanāmamahāyānasūtra). Toh 557, Degé Kangyur vol. 90 (rgyud ’bum, pha), folios 1.a–62.a. English translation The Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light (3) 2024.
Hebu jin guangming 合部金光明經. Taishō 664 (CBETA, SAT). (Translation of Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra by Bao Gui 寶貴).
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Mañjuśrīkīrti. ’jam dpal gyi mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i rgya cher bshad pa (Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgītiṭīkā). Toh 2534, Degé Tengyur vol. 63 (gyud, khu), folios 115.b–301.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). gsung rab rin po che’i gtam rgyud dang shA kya’i rabs rgyud. Toh 4357, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 239.a–377.a.
Paltsek (dpal brtsegs). pho brang stod thang lhan dkar gyi chos ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag (Buddhavacanasūcilipi). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 308 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Pramuditākaravarman. gsang ba ’dus pa rgyud kyi rgyal po’i bshad pa zla ba’i ’od zer (Guhyasamājatantrarājaṭīkācandraprabhā). Toh 1852, Degé Tengyur vol. 41 (rgyud, thi), folios 120.a–313.a.
Sahajalalita. kun nas sgor ’jug pa’i ’od zer gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba de bzhin gshegs pa thams cad kyi snying po dang dam tshig la rnam par blta ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs kyi rnam par bshad pa (Samantamukhapraveśaraśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsasarvatathāgatahṛdayasamayavilokitanāmadhāraṇīvṛtti). Toh 2688, Degé Tengyur vol. 71 (rgyud, thu), folios 269.a–320.b.
Śāntideva. bslab pa kun las btus pa (Śikṣāsamuccaya). Toh 3940, Degé Tengyur vol. 111 (dbu ma, khi), folios 3.a–194.b.
Sthiramati. rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (Paramālaṃkāraviśvapaṭalavyūha). Toh 2661, Degé Tengyur vol. 68 (rgyud, ju), folios 317.a–339.a.
Vairocanarakṣita. bslab pa me tog snye ma (Śikṣākusumamañjarī). Toh 3943, Degé Tengyur vol. 213 (dbu ma, khi), folios 196.a–217.a.
Various authors. bye brag tu rtogs par byed pa [chen po] (Mahāvyutpatti*). Toh 4346, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 1.a–131.a.
Various authors. sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa. Toh 4347, Degé Tengyur vol. 306 (sna tshogs, co), folios 131.b–160.a.
Vinayadatta. sgyu ’phrul chen mo’i dkyil ’khor gyi cho ga bla ma’i zhal snga’i man ngag (Gurūpadeśanāmamahāmāyāmaṇḍalopāyikā). Toh 1645, Degé Tengyur vol. 25 (rgyud, ya), folios 290.a–309.a.
Vitapāda. gsang ba ’dus pa’i dkyil ’khor gyi sgrub pa’i thabs rnam par bshad pa (Guhyasamājamaṇḍalopāyikāṭīkā). Toh 1873, Degé Tengyur vol. 43 (rgyud, ni), folios 178.b–219.a.
Wönch’ük (Wen tsheg). dgongs pa zab mo nges par ’grel pa’i mdo rgya cher ’grel pa (Gambhīrasaṁdhinirmocanasūtraṭīkā). Toh 4016, Degé Tengyur vol. 220 (mdo ’grel, ti), folios 1.b–291.a; vol. 221 (mdo ’grel, thi), folios 1.b–272.a; and vol. 222 (mdo ’grel, di), folios 1.b–175.a.
Yeshe Dé (ye shes sde). lang kar gshegs pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo’i ’grel pa de bzhin gshegs pa’i snying po’i rgyan (Laṅkāvatāranāmamahāyānasūtravṛttitathāgatahṛdayālaṃkāra), Toh 4019, Degé Tengyur vol. 224 (mdo ’grel, pi), folios 1.a–310.a.
Other References in Tibetan
Kalzang Dolma. (skal bzang sgrol ma). lo tsA ba ’gos chos grub dang khong gi ’gyur rtsom mdo mdzangs blun gyi lo tsA’i thabs rtsal skor la dpyad pa. In krung go’i bod kyi shes rig, vol. 77, pp. 31–53. Beijing: krung go’i bod kyi shes rig dus deb khang, 2007.
Lotsawa Gö Chödrup (lo tsā ba ’gos chos grub). In gangs ljongs skad gnyis smra ba du ma’i ’gyur byang blo gsal dga’ skyed, pp. 17–18. Xining: kan lho bod rigs rang skyong khul rtsom sgyur cu’u, 1983.
Ngawang Lobsang Choden (nga dbang blo bzang chos ldan). ’phags pa gser ’od dam pa mdo sde’i dbang po’i rgyal po’i ’don thabs cho ga (A Rite That is a Method for Reciting the Noble Sūtra of the Sublime Golden Light), s.n. s.l. n.d.
Pema Karpo (pad ma dkar po). gser ’od dam pa nas gsungs pa’i bshags pa. In The Collected Works of Kun-mkhyen padma dkar po, vol. 9 (ta), pp. 519–24. Darjeeling: kargyu sungrab nyamso khang, 1973–74.
Other References in English and Other Languages
Bagchi, S., ed. Suvarṇaprabhāsasūtram. Darbhanga: The Mithila Institute, 1967. Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon.
Banerjee, Radha. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra. London: British Library, 2006. http://idp.bl.uk/downloads/GoldenLight.pdf.
Buswell Jr., Robert E., and Donald Lopez Jr. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Di, Guan. “The Sanskrit Fragments Preserved in Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Peking University.” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII (Tokyo Soka University, 2014): 109–18.
Lewis, Todd T. “Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Guṃlā Dharma.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 16, no. 2 (Winter 1993): 309–54.
Nanjio Bunyiu, Idzumi Hokei. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra: A Mahāyāna Text Called “The Golden Splendour.” Kyoto: The Eastern Buddhist Society, 1931.
Nobel, Johannes (1937). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Nach den Handschriften und mit Hilfe der tibetischen und chinesischen Übertragungen, Leipzig: Harrassowitz.
Nobel, Johannes (1944). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Nobel, Johannes (1944, 1950). Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra. Das Goldglanz-Sūtra: ein Sanskrit text des Mahāyāna-Buddhismus. Die Tibetischen Überstzungen mit einem Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Radich, Michael (2014). “On the Sources, Style and Authorship of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇaprabhasa-sūtra T644 Ascribed to Paramārtha (Part 1).” Annual Report of the Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2013, vol. XVII: 207–44. Tokyo Soka University.
Radich, Michael (2016). “Tibetan Evidence for the Sources of Chapters of the Synoptic Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra T 664 A Ascribed to Paramārtha.” Buddhist Studies Review 32.2 (2015): 245–70. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing.
Tanaka, Kimiaki. An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kālacakratantra. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2018.
Tyomkin, E. N. “Unique Sanskrit Fragments of ‘The Sūtra of Golden Light’ in the Manuscript Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies.” In Manuscripta Orientalia vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1995): 29–38. St. Petersburg: Russian Academy of Sciences.
Yuyama, Akira. “The Golden Light in Central Asia.” In Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2003 (Tokyo: Soka University, 2004) 3–32.
Translations
Emmerick, R. E. The Sūtra of Golden Light. Oxford: The Pali Text Society, 2004.
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Sutra of Golden Light, 21-Chapter.
Nobel, Johannes. Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, Das Goldglanz-Sutra, ein Sanskrittext des Mahayana Buddhismus. I-Tsing’s chinesische Version und ihre Übersetzung. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1958.