Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche says: The Golden Light Sutra is the king of the sutras. The benefits of reading it are immeasurable; it brings peace and happiness and is very powerful to stop violence. It gives incredible protection to the world. Just by hearing this text, ones karma gets purified.
Sri Lanka is synonymous with the Theravadin tradition of Buddhism, so it may come as a surprise to many to learn that Mahayana Buddhism flourished on the island up to the 13th century.
Golden Light Sutra, Sri Lanka
Venerable Lekdron is a Sri Lankan born student of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. When she returned home for a brief holiday three years ago, people invited her to stay and teach. Rinpoche advised her to recite the Golden Light Sutra as best for Sri Lanka.
Then the Sri Lankan academic, Professor Gunathilaka, translated it into the Sinhala language so that local people could recite it easily.
To Venerable Lekdron’s amazement, the Saraswati puja chapter had already been translated and monthly Saraswati pujas had been conducted for over a period of 40 years. The professor, who is deeply connected to the Mahayana tradition, adopted the recitations of the Golden Light Sutra prior the Saraswati puja.
Ever since Rinpoche’s advice to do this particular practice, there have been over 1500 recitations, and various stories are starting to emerge.
Sanda, who was reciting it, had been experiencing a terrible relationship with her son. Halfway through a recitation, she had a sudden request from her son to join him in a pilgrimage to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, a branch grown from the original Bodhi tree that sheltered the Buddha. This was an unusual thing to happen in a difficult relationship. She finished the recitation under the Sri Maha Bodhi tree. At the time she was struggling to pay off a debt she had incurred to help her son. In the midst of the recitation, the person who had loaned her the money rang to completely cancel the interest on the loan.
Asoka who was struggling with lawsuits says, although there are still challenges, she is able to face them well and no longer despondent. She is so inspired by the results she is meeting with a new political party leader to present the sutra.
Dr. Nandana Wijesingha, a senior academic from a leading university in Sri Lanka, is set to present a paper on the benefits of the Golden Light Sutra and the Saraswati puja at an upcoming academic conference. For two years now, he has been holding Golden Light Sutra recitations as an addition to monthly pujas to Saraswati. He feels it has been transformational.
Golden Light Sutra Retreat &
Pilgrimage To Mahayana Sites In Sri Lanka
We feel that a great reward is on our way as Venerable Dr. Birgit Schweiberer, an FPMT qualified teacher, who gave the commentary on this sutra last year, is returning to lead a unique retreat based on the Golden Light Sutra.
In August this year she will lead both a 9 day retreat and a week long pilgrimage with Venerable Lekdron to numerous sacred Mahayana sites in Sri Lanka. A special puja will be specifically complied to honour this sutra and its blessings for the world.
The retreat will be held August 9 – 18, 2019, with an optional pilgrimage to the Mahayana sites August 19 – 25. Click the download links below for more details.
For all enquiries, please contact Venerable Lekron: info@taralanka.org
