金光明经

Grand Offering to Celestial Beings (供佛齋天):
A ceremony inviting heavenly deities.
Part 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA9YuaWy_bA

Part 2/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZcH0T9naNY

Part 3/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFEodSljZiY&feature=related

http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC189

http://www.freebuddhistaudio.com/audio/details?num=LOC190



《供天》

亦稱齋天，全稱為供佛齋天，出於依《金光明經》而制的《金光明懺法》，是為生人求福，保其平安的一種佛教法會儀式。佛教徒雖不皈依諸天，但應禮敬諸天，因為諸­天皈依佛陀，護持教法故。

《金光明經》中記載，諸天在金光明會上，於佛前發願，要永遠護持佛教，奉行正法，勤修諸善，遠離惡行，同時，也將遵佛之囑託，巡行人間，成就那些­修行及有德之人。

為感念諸天護法之功德，故具香華燈塗果等，供奉諸天，酬其恩德，同時也為百姓祈福，這即是齋天的由來。 《齋天》——不單純是為民祈福的一種儀式，更重要的意義在於啟示我們每個人都要諸惡莫作，眾善奉行，如是則福報不求自來。    

《齋》——意思是整齊、端正，是端莊修為之表現，能引起人們的尊重與禮敬。  
  
《天》——是自然清淨義，人之心性本清淨無染，因無明煩惱業習之薰染，故造作惡業。因此，佛教通過齋天儀式，作自我觀照，以達本性之清淨，這才是齋天儀式的本意所在。

http://www.sutraofgoldenlight.com/

 'This text is very precious; it brings peace and happiness and is very powerful to stop violence. It gives incredible protection to the country from violence etc. By hearing this text, one's karma gets purified

http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/advice/pdf/sutragoldenlight0207lttr.pdf

'This text is very precious; it brings peace and happiness and is very powerful to stop violence. It gives incredible protection to the country from violence etc. By hearing this text, one's karma gets purified.

This text increases success and, especially for leaders like kings or presidents, brings success in guiding in virtue, the path to happiness. If anyone has problems-if one is dying or dead; if the devas have turned against one and nothing is working; if, merely by expressing oneself, one’s friends, loved ones, husband, wife, family members and even servants get angry with one; if one’s wealth declines or if one has harm from black magic or spirits, with bad dreams or fearful things happening-then one should wash, put on clean clothes and with a peaceful mind listen to the transmission of this text. Then all will be pacified. Anyone who hears it creates much merit and is highly admired by the buddhas.

In whichever country this is taught, the whole country benefits. The king of that country doesn't get attacked and disease is eliminated, everyone is happy and the country becomes harmonious; there are no quarrels. The king gives religious freedom and is always protected by the devas. It is especially good to be read in places where there is a lot of fighting. As well, there is prosperity and rains come at the right time.

Anyone who keeps, memorizes or contributes to this text exceeds the eight worldly beings and all their wishes get fulfilled. Buddha told the four guardians to make offerings and serve this text, and always protect the people who memorize or even just read it. The four guardians acknowledged they would protect those who read it and would help and fulfill all their wishes.
Memorizing or making offerings to this text is like making inconceivable offerings to Buddha. Enlightenment will never be reversed within anyone in whose ear these holy words are spoken; the life will always be directed toward enlightenment and one will never fall back. There is no question if you memorize the text.

 The deva, Hamachiwa Pala, told Buddha that she will protect the bhikshu who recites this text and he will receive all that is needed: property, a stable mind and so forth. Whoever even tries to read or understand this text will experience the comfort and happiness of devas and humans for 100 billion eons; fame and perfect crops; and will become a buddha. The earth goddess definitely will help even if only one chapter or one bodhisattva's name is mentioned; she will protect those sentient beings who even read and try to understand one verse (four words), and will fulfill their wishes. Those sentient beings who hear only one verse will never go to the lower realms. The Buddha told the earth goddess that even if a person hears only one verse, they will be born in the deva realm. Further, the Buddha told the earth goddess the non-virtuous karma of the person who hears even one verse will be eliminated and they will achieve enlightenment.'

Recite The Golden Light Sutra For World Peace

Anybody who wants peace in the world should read The Golden Light Sutra

(Ser.ö dam.päi do wang.gyi gyälpo). This is a very important practice to stop violence and wars in the world. The Golden Light Sutra is one of the most beneficial ways to bring peace. This is something that everyone can do, no matter how busy you are, even if you can read one page a day, or a few lines and in this way continually read The Golden Light Sutra.

The holy Golden Light Sutra is the king of the sutras. It is extremely powerful and fulfills all one's wishes, as well as bringing peace and happiness for all sentient beings, up to enlightenment. It is also extremely powerful for world peace, for your own protection and for the protection of the country and the world. Also, it has great healing power for people in the country.

For anyone who desires peace for themselves and for others this is the spiritual, or Dharma, way to bring peace that doesn't require you to harm others, doesn't require you to criticize others or even to demonstrate against others, yet can accomplish peace. Anyone can read this text, Buddhists and even non-Buddhists who desire world peace. This also protects individuals and the country from what are labeled natural disasters of the wind element, fire element, earth element and water element, such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, fires, tornadoes, etc. They are not natural because they come from causes and conditions that make dangers happen. They come from past inner negative thoughts and actions of people, and from external conditions.

The benefits of reading this sutra are immeasurable: it is said in the texts that even compared to offering precious jewels as numberless as the amount of atoms of the Pacific Ocean to numberless buddhas, reciting just a few lines of The Sutra of Golden Light creates more merit than making these immeasurable offerings to the Buddha.

Reciting this Sutra directs one's life towards enlightenment. There is so much merit created by reciting this Sutra, everything is taken care of, one's life becomes so easy, whatever one wishes for one receives. This is because there is unbelievable purification and one collects extensive merits. This is how one liberates numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and brings them to enlightenment. So here, I would like to make this request with my two palms together, to please recite the Sutra of Golden Light for world peace as much as you can

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Colophon: Dictated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to scribe Ven Holly Ansett, Aptos, 4 May 2007. Lightly edited by Claire Isitt.
http://www4.bayarea.net/~mtlee/ ( All sutras in english )