In the Sutra of Golden Light, Buddha Shakyamuni lists the benefits of contact with

this sublime sutra. He says:

Those who hear this sutra,
Those who cause others to hear it,
Those who rejoice upon hearing it
And make offerings to it,
For tens of millions of eons
Shall be venerated by gods and nagas,
Humans and kinnaras,
Asuras and yakshas.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, urges us to recite the Sutra of Golden Light for these reasons:
�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. � 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 � reciting just a few lines of the Sutra of
Golden Light creates more merit than making � immeasurable offerings to the Buddha.
Reciting this sutra directs one�s life towards enlightenment. There is so much
merit � one�s life becomes so easy, whatever one wishes for one receives � there is
unbelievable purification � one liberates numberless sentient beings from the
oceans of samsaric suffering and brings them to enlightenment.�
Benefits of Sutra of Golden Light
�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.�

In the Sutra of Golden Light, the Tathagata says:

This King of Glorious Sutras

Fully destroys external enemies,
Turns back legions of foreign armies,
Removes the fear of the terrified and poor
And causes supreme virtue.

�The protectors, the guardians, will definitely provide protection. Whenever they
are needed, they will arrive. Acts of terrorism will be averted. Acts of violence
will stop. Natural catastrophes will be avoided. Crops will be successful. The
environment will be clean. People will be safe. If there is war, it will end and
there will be peace.
If you recite the Sutra of Golden Light, you will have good health, energy, and
power. All materials needs will be satisfied. One will be listened to and respected
by others. Whenever a question arises, the Guru will answer. One will purify eons
of negative karma, meet perfect teachers, develop realizations, and definitely
benefit others.
The Sutra of Golden Light is the car that will take you to enlightenment.�

I prostrate to buddhas, oceans of virtue

Golden like Mount Sumeru.
Going for refuge, I bow my head
In prostration to the golden conquerors.
In dedicating the merits of yourself and others, think of your own virtuous actions
of reading, reciting, and even thinking about this king of sutras. Then think of
specific wars, areas of famine, terrible diseases and afflictions, physical and
mental acts of violence, and dedicate the merits so that these are eliminated
immediately.
The Bodhisattva Ruchiraketu, who not only shows us desirable activity but who
speaks for us, as us, makes this prayer of dedication:
Swiftly and wholly consuming all karmic obstructions, by making confession through
Sublime Golden Light, I shall abide on the ten bodhisattva grounds � those mines of
supreme precious jewels � that I may shine with a tathagata�s marks and signs and
free beings from the ocean of existence.