The Sutra of the Sun
The Sutra of the Sun (Skt. Sūryasūtra; Tib. ཉི་མའི་མདོ།, Wyl. nyi ma’i mdo) is a short discourse providing a Buddhist account of a solar eclipse. On one occasion while the Buddha is residing in Shravasti, the sun is seized by Rahu, lord of the asuras, which causes an eclipse. The god of the sun asks the Buddha for refuge, after which the Buddha urges Rahu to release the sun. When questioned by Vemacitra, another lord of the asuras, Rahu explains that if he had not let the sun 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 41
- English translation:
The Sutra of the Sun
References
- ↑ 84000 Translating the Words of the Buddha.