The Sutra of the Moon (1)
The Sutra of the Moon (1) (Skt. Candrasūtra; Tib. ཟླ་བའི་མདོ།, Wyl. zla ba’i mdo) is a short discourse providing a Buddhist account of a lunar eclipse. On one occasion while the Buddha is residing in Shravasti, the moon is seized by Rahu, lord of the asuras, which causes an eclipse. The god of the moon asks the Buddha for refuge, after which the Buddha urges Rahu to release the moon. When questioned by Vemacitra, another lord of the asuras, Rahu explains that if he had not let the moon go, his head would have split into seven pieces. This sutra enjoys some popularity today and appears in Tibetan collections of mantras and texts for protection.[1]
Text
The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the Thirteen late-translated sutras section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 42
- English translation:
The Sutra of the Moon (1)
References
- ↑ 84000 Translating the Words of the Buddha.