Buddhas Prostrations to the - Kopan...
Transcript of Buddhas Prostrations to the - Kopan...
1
v%- 2>$?,
The Preliminary Practice of
Prostrations to theThirty-Five Confession
Buddhas
24 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
Fou
nda
tion for th
e Preserva
tion of th
e Mahaya
na T
radition
Edu
cation
Dep
artm
ent
2 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
© FPM
T, Inc., 2003. Revised M
ay 2004, Decem
ber 2005.
Kopan Edition
This is a special edition created for K
opan Monastery of a longer book-
let published by FPMT
Education D
epartment. T
he longer versioncontains extensive com
mentary from
Lama Zopa R
inpoche on thispractice, and is available by visiting w
ww
.fpmt.org/shop.
Practice Requirem
entsN
o empow
erment is required to do this practice. T
his practice can be done by anyone with
faith.
Credits
Cover design by C
andice Baldw
in.C
olor cover thangka of the Thirty-Five C
onfession Buddhas, artist unknow
n.
23
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ent
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T International O
ffice is toserve the needs of D
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3
The Practice of Prostrations tothe Thirty-Five Confession
Buddhas
Motivation
The purpose of m
y life is to free the numberless sentient beings w
hoare the source of all m
y past, present, and future happiness, tempo-
rary as well as ultim
ate happiness – including all the realizations of thepath, liberation from
samsara, and enlightenm
ent – from all the oceans
of samsaric suffering, including the causes: delusion and karm
a. Inorder to do this, I m
ust achieve full enlightenment. T
herefore, I needto actualize the path. T
herefore, I need to purify the defilements.
If I were now
born in hell, it would be so unbearable. E
ven one tinyfire spark on m
y body is hundreds of thousands of times hotter than
the whole entire fire energy in this w
orld. It is so unbearable thatexperiencing it for even an instant is like suffering for m
any eons. Ihave created num
berless causes to be born in the hell realms by creat-
ing th
e ten n
on-virtu
ous action
s coun
tless times in
this an
dbeginningless past lives. I have created num
berless causes to be bornin the hell realm
s by breaking the pratimoksha vow
s, by breaking thebodhisattva vow
s, and by breaking the tantric vows countless tim
es inthis and beginningless past lives. A
nd I have created numberless causes
to be born in the hells by creating the heaviest negative karma in rela-
tionship with the holy virtuous friend, w
hich includes harming the holy
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas22
Confession of D
ownfalls
Colophon:
How
to do Prostrations extracted with perm
ission from E
verlasting Rain of N
ectar, by Geshe
Jampa G
yatso, Wisdom
Publications. A m
ore elaborate explanation of how to do prostra-
tions can be found in the original text. Line drawings of prostrations by Peter Iseli. Line
drawing of the B
uddha image by A
ndy Weber.
4 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
body, breaking the advice, disturbing the holy mind, having non-devo-
tional thoughts, and rising heresy and anger, which produce the great-
est obstacles to achieve realizations and create the greatest suffering.
Every single one of these negative actions has four suffering results:
the ripening result (a rebirth in the lower realm
s), the possessed result(the type of environm
ent I’m born into w
hen again a human), the
result similar to the cause in m
y experience, and the worst one, the
result similar to the cause in m
y actions, which m
eans that again andagain I am
driven to create the same negative actions in the future,
and so again and again I have to experience the four suffering results.In this w
ay, samsara has no end.
Not only that, but karm
a increases, so from even a sm
all negativeaction can com
e huge suffering results. And karm
a is definite to beexperienced, so every negative action I have created w
ill definitely bringits result, no m
atter how long it takes, until it is purified. So from
onenegative karm
a, I have to experience the result over and over again forso m
any hundreds of lifetimes. U
nderstanding this, how can I stand to
live life without purifying m
yself and getting rid of all these negativekarm
as, just as I would try to get rid of a deadly poison in m
y body?
Not only that, but I’m
going to die, and death can come even today,
any mom
ent. Therefore, I m
ust purify all my negative actions right
this second. In order to do that, I am going to do these prostrations
with the practice of confessing dow
nfalls, and I’m going to do this so
that I can develop myself in order to w
ork for the happiness of allsentient beings.
Visualization at the Beginning of the PracticeV
isualize in the space in front of you your Guru in
the aspect of Shakyamuni B
uddha, with thousand-arm
Chenrezig at his heart. A
t the heart of thousand-armC
henrezig is the syllable HR
IH, and from
this beams
of light emanate, form
ing six rows in the space be-
low. A
t the end of each beam is a throne supported by
elephants and adorned with pearls. O
n each throneis seated a buddha. In the first row
are six buddhas,
21
This is one full-length prostration. To begin your next prostra-
tion, again place your hands in prostration mudra at the crow
nof your head and do as before. O
nce you have finished with
your prostrations, after you stand up for the last time, place
your hands in prostration mudra and again touch the crow
n,forehead, throat, and heart. Finish w
ith your hands in prostra-tion m
udra at your heart.
For a “five-limb” prostration, go through the sam
e process asabove, except instead of laying yourself dow
n on the ground,after kneeling dow
n, bow forw
ard and touch your foreheadto the ground. T
hen stand up as before. The “five lim
bs” thatshould alw
ays touch the ground are the two hands, tw
o knees,and forehead.
The shortest form
of prostration is to place your hands in pros-tration m
udra at your heart.
Prostration m
udra
5
blue in color and in the aspect of Akshobhya, w
iththe exception of the third buddha, K
ing Lord of theN
agas, who has a blue-colored body, but a w
hite head.In the second row
, there are seven buddhas, white in
color and in the aspect of Vairochana. In the third
row are seven buddhas, yellow
in color and in the as-pect of R
atnasambhava. In the fourth row
are sevenbuddhas, red in color and in the aspect of A
mitabha.
In the fifth row there are seven buddhas, green in
color and in the aspect of Am
oghasiddhi. These are
the Thirty-five B
uddhas. Each one is in the posture
of that particular dhyani buddha. In the final row are
the Medicine B
uddhas.
Think that each one of these buddhas is the em
-bodim
ent of all three times ten directions B
uddha,D
harma, Sangha, and all statues, stupas, and scrip-
tures. Think they em
body all holy objects, whose es-
sence is the Guru. H
ave complete faith that each one
has the power to purify all your negative karm
asand im
prints, accumulated since beginningless tim
e.
Now
imagine that you em
anate numberless bodies,
and that as you prostrate, all these bodies prostratealong w
ith you from all directions, covering every
atom of the earth.
Now
recite the increasing mantras, refuge and the C
onfession of Dow
nfalls to theT
hirty-five Buddhas on the next page, repeating each buddha’s nam
e over and overas m
any times as you can w
ith each prostration. It is the recitation of the name of
each buddha that brings the purification, so there is a big difference when you recite
just a few tim
es or many. Even if you do the recitation by listening to a C
D or tape,
still recite the name yourself as m
uch as you can. Try to do three prostrations to eachbuddha, w
ith the exception of the final buddha; do nine prostrations to that one. Eitherrecite the prayer three tim
es straight through making one prostration to each buddha
each time, or do three prostrations to each buddha as you go through the prayer once. A
tthe end, recite the nam
es of the Medicine Buddhas. This can be follow
ed by Vajrasattva
mantra and the “Po” Praise to C
henrezig, according to time. Then recite the prayer at
the end, followed by the G
eneral Confession.
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas20
Confession of D
ownfalls
Appendix
How
to Make a Prostration
Put your hands together, with the thum
bs cupped inside thehands. Start w
ith your hands in this position at the heart with
the fingertips pointing upward. T
his is known as the “prostra-
tion mudra.”
Now
, place your joined hands at the crown of your head, w
ithfingertips pointing upw
ard.
Then take your hands, still in prostration m
udra, to touch yourforehead, throat, and heart keeping the fingertips pointingupw
ard.
Place your hands flat onto the floor while you drop forw
ardonto your knees. K
eep your fingers together neatly.
Now
, move your hands further out in front of you and lie all
the way dow
n onto the floor with your chin tucked in and your
forehead touching the floor.
While you are prostrate, (a) bring your hands together into the
prostration mudra, raise them
up over your head and bringthem
down again to the space in front of your head; (b) alterna-
tively, you can simply raise your fingers.
Now
, bring your hands to the side of your body and press thepalm
of your hands against the floor to raise yourself up tokneeling, and then stand up.
6 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
OM
NA
MO
MA
NJU
SHR
IYE
NA
MA
H SU
SHR
IYE
NA
MA
UT
TA
MA
SHR
IYE
SVA
HA
(3x)
CH
OM
DÄ
N D
Ä D
E ZH
IN SH
EG
PA D
RA
CH
OM
PA YA
NG
DA
GPA
R D
ZOG
PÄI SA
NG
GYÄ
RIN
CH
HE
N G
YÄ
L TSH
ÄN
LA C
HH
AG
TSH
ÄL LO
(7x)
OM
NA
MO
BH
AG
AV
AT
E R
AT
NA
KE
TU
RA
JAYA
/ TAT
HA
GA
TAYA
/A
RH
AT
E SA
MYA
K SA
M B
UD
DH
AYA
/ TA
DYA
TH
A / O
M R
AT
NE
RA
TN
E M
AH
A R
AT
NE
RA
TN
A B
IJA Y
E SV
AH
A (7x)
Na m
o jang chhub sem päi tung w
a shag paD
ag [ming] di zhe gyi w
a / dü tag tu la ma la kyab su chhi w
oSang gyä la kyab su chhi w
o
Chhö la kyab su chhi w
oG
e dün la kyab su chhi wo (3x)
Tön pa chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog
päi sang gyä päl gyäl wa sha kya thub pa la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa dor je nying pö rab tu jom
pa la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa rin chhen ö thrö la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa lu wang gi gyäl po la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa pa w
öi de la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa päl gye la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa rin chhen me la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa rin chhen da ö la chhag tshäl lo
Confession of Downfalls
to the Thirty-five Buddhas
19
Notes:
1. These five negative karm
as – killing one’s father or mother, killing an arhat, causing
disunity amongst the Sangha, harm
ing the Buddha– are called uninterrupted because
if this negative karma is accum
ulated, then imm
ediately after death, without ‘interrup-
tion’ of another life, one is reborn in the lowest hot hell, num
ber eight, the most
unbearable one, which has the heaviest suffering. T
he five nearing uninterruptedkarm
as are comm
itting incest with one’s m
other who is an arhat, killing a bodhisattva
who is destined to becom
e a buddha in that very life, killing a Hinayana arya other
than one abiding in the result of arhatship, stealing the possessions of the Sangha, anddestroying a stupa or m
onastery out of hatred.2. Tantric sam
aya is not just doing a sadhana, not just reciting words. A
t the time of a highest
yoga tantra initiation, the disciple is put under pledge or samaya. T
here are many codes of
conduct to be upheld. It is not just a question of remem
bering to recite the sadhana orm
antra comm
itment of the particular deity into w
hich one has been initiated.3. A
ccording to Lama Zopa R
inpoche, this refers to the ordained Sangha, those living incelibacy. Literally it says: those w
ho are engaged in similar behavior to perfectness, w
hichm
eans that by living in ordination one’s conduct is harmonized to achieve buddhahood.
This phrase can also refer to vajra kin, those w
ith whom
we have taken initiations.
4. Avoiding the holy D
harma is very heavy negative karm
a, worse than having destroyed
every single holy object – statue, stupa, and scripture – that exists in the world.
5. This is the very heavy negative karm
a of having criticized holy beings, arya beings – thosew
ho have the wisdom
directly perceiving emptiness and have achieved the right seeing
path, the path of meditation, and the path of no m
ore learning, whether H
inayana orM
ahayana. It can also include other mem
bers of the Sangha.6. T
hink, “The ones from
which I can abstain, I w
ill. The ones from
which it is extrem
elydifficult, I w
ill abstain for one day, or one hour, or one minute, even one second.”
Make this prom
ise, but let it be something you can actually keep so that it doesn’t
become lying to the m
erit field. Restraint is the last of the four opponent pow
ers. All
four should be complete: refuge, regret, rem
edy, and restraint..
Colophon:
The C
onfession of Dow
nfalls is based on an original translation by Lama Zopa R
inpoche,extracted from
the booklet entitled, The B
odhisattva’s Confession of M
oral Dow
nfalls, Kopan
Monastery, N
epal. Originally revised and edited by V
enerables Thubten D
ondrub, George
Churinoff, and C
onstance Miller, FPM
T E
ducation Departm
ent, 2000. Additional revi-
sions made according to instructions by Lam
a Zopa Rinpoche given at the M
itrugpa Retreat,
Milarepa C
enter, Verm
ont, USA
, August 2002. M
otivation, visualizations and meditations
compiled by V
enerable Sarah Thresher according to instructions of Lam
a Zopa Rinpoche.
Additional editing and corrections m
ade by Gyalten M
indrol, FPMT
Education D
epart-m
ent, Novem
ber 2005.
The title “B
odhisattva’s Confession of M
oral Dow
nfalls” has been changed to “Confession of
Dow
nfalls to the Thirty-Five B
uddhas” at the request of Lama Zopa R
inpoche, April 2003.Trans-
lation of first line of Refuge Prayer on p. 9 by V
enerable Steve Carlier, N
ovember 2005.
General C
onfession is based on a translation by Glenn H
. Mullin, w
ith adjustments by Lam
aZopa R
inpoche. Lightly edited by Venerable Sarah T
hresher and Kendall M
agnussen, FPMT
Education Services, January 2003. T
he line “have been disrespectful to my spiritual friends
living in ordination” was changed according to verbal instruction of Lam
a Zopa Rinpoche,
October 2005.
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas
7
OM
NA
MO
MA
NJU
SHR
IYE
NA
MA
H SU
SHR
IYE
NA
MA
UT
TA
MA
SHR
IYE
SVA
HA
(3x)
CH
OM
DÄ
N D
Ä D
E ZH
IN SH
EG
PA D
RA
CH
OM
PA YA
NG
DA
GPA
R D
ZOG
PÄI SA
NG
GYÄ
RIN
CH
HE
N G
YÄ
LTSH
ÄN
LA C
HA
GT
SHÄ
L LO (7x)
OM
NA
MO
BH
AG
AV
AT
E R
AT
NA
KET
U R
AJA
YA / TA
TH
AG
ATA
YA /
AR
HA
TE
SAM
YAK
SAM
BU
DD
HA
YA / T
AD
YAT
HA
/ OM
RA
TN
ER
AT
NE
MA
HA
RA
TN
E R
AT
NA
BIJA
YE
SVA
HA
(7x)
Hom
age to the Confession of the B
odhisattva’s Dow
nfalls!I, (say your nam
e) throughout all times, take refuge in the G
uru;I take refuge in the B
uddha;I take refuge in the D
harma;
I take refuge in the Sangha. (3x)
To the founder, bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed
buddha, glorious conqueror Shakyamuni B
uddha, I prostrate.To Tathagata T
horoughly Destroying w
ith Vajra Essence, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Radiant Jew
el, I prostrate.
To Tathagata King, Lord of the N
agas, I prostrate.To Tathagata A
rmy of H
eroes, I prostrate.To Tathagata D
elighted Hero, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Jewel Fire, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Jewel M
oonlight, I prostrate.
Confession of Downfalls
to the Thirty-five Buddhas
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas18
Confession of D
ownfalls
Visualization at the End of the Confession Prayer
Think that through the force of reciting these nam
es of the thirty-fiveB
uddhas of Confession and M
edicine Buddhas, through the pow
er oftheir pure prayers and vow
s, through the power of generating regret
and the other opponent forces, and through the power of having
made these prostrations, nectars and light rays descend from
the holybodies of the buddhas, com
pletely purifying all negative karmas, de-
filements and im
prints collected on your mental continuum
sincebeginningless tim
e. Generate strong faith that your m
ind has become
completely pure.
Then reflect on em
ptiness. In emptiness there is no I, the creator of
negative actions. In emptiness there is no creating of negative actions.
In emptiness there are no negative actions created. E
ven though thereare infinite phenom
ena, in emptiness nothing exists at all. T
here isno this and that, no m
e and you, nothing. In emptiness everything is
one taste. From this em
ptiness, everything comes into existence. W
hat-ever exists is the m
anifestation of emptiness.
Dedication
Due to all the three tim
e merits accum
ulated by myself, all the buddhas
and bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, which are com
pletely empty
of existing from their ow
n side, may the I, w
hich is completely em
ptyof existing from
its own side, quickly achieve the state of full enlight-
enment, w
hich is completely em
pty of existing from its ow
n side, inorder to lead all sentient beings, w
ho are completely em
pty of existingfrom
their own side, to that state by m
yself alone, who is com
pletelyem
pty of existing from its ow
n side.
Due to all the three tim
e merits accum
ulated by myself, all the buddhas
and bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, may the precious suprem
eenlightened thought, bodhichitta – letting go of self and cherishingothers – w
hich is the source of all success and happiness for myself and
all sentient beings, imm
ediately be generated within m
y own m
ind,and w
ithin the minds of all sentient beings. M
ay that which has al-
ready been generated never decline, but increase more and m
ore.
8 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
De zhin sheg pa tong w
a dön yö la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa rin chhen da wa la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa dri m
a me pa la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa pä jin la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa tshang pa la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa tshang pä jin la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa chhu lha la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa chhu lhäi lha la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa päl zang la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa tsän dän päl la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa zi ji tha yä la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa ö päl la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa nya ngän m
e päi päl la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa se me kyi bu la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa m
e tog päl la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa tshang päi ö zer nam par röl pä ngön par khyen pa
la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin
sheg pa pä mäi ö zer n
am par röl pä n
gön par khyen
pala chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa nor päl la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa drän päi päl la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa tshän päl shin tu yong drag la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa w
ang pöi tog gi gyäl tshän gyi gyäl po la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa shin tu nam
par nön päi päl la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa yül lä shin tu nam par gyäl w
a la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa nam
par nön pä sheg päi päl la chhag tshäl loD
e zhin sheg pa kün nä nang wa kö päi päl la chhag tshäl lo
De zhin sheg pa rin chhen pä m
äi nam par nön pa la chag tsäl lo
De zhin
sheg pa dra chom pa yan
g dag par dzog päi sang gyä rin
po chhe dang pä m
a la rab tu zhug pa ri wan
g gi gyäl po lachhag tshäl lo (3x)
17
General Confession,A-2>$?,
U hu lag! (W
oe is me!)
O great guru V
ajradhara, all other buddhas and bodhisattvas who
abide in the ten
directions, an
d all the venerable San
gha, pleasepay attention to m
e.
I, who am
named [say your nam
e], circling in cyclic existence sincebeginningless tim
e until the present, overpowered by m
ental afflictionssuch as attachm
ent, aversion, and ignorance by means of body, speech,
and mind have created the ten non-virtuous actions. I have engaged in
the five u
nin
terrupted n
egative karmas
and
the five n
earing
uninterrupted negative karmas. 1 I h
ave transgressed th
e vows of
individual liberation, transgressed the vows of bodhisattvas, and
transgressed the samaya of secret m
antra. 2 I have been disrespectful tom
y parents, have been disrespectful to my vajra m
asters, and to my abbot,
and have been disrespectful to my spiritual friends living in ordination. 3
I have comm
itted actions harmful to the T
hree Jewels, avoided the holy
Dharm
a, 4 criticized the arya Sangha, 5 harmed sentient beings, and so
on. These and m
any other non-virtuous negative actions I have done,have caused others to do, have rejoiced in others’ doing, and so forth.
In the presence of the great guru Vajradhara, all the buddhas and
bodhisattvas who abide in the ten directions, and the venerable Sangha,
I admit this entire collection of faults and transgressions that are ob-
stacles to my ow
n higher rebirth and liberation and are causes of cyclicexistence and m
iserable lower rebirths. I w
ill not conceal them, and I
accept them as negative. I prom
ise to refrain from doing these actions
again in the future. 6 By confessing and acknow
ledging them, I w
illattain and abide in happiness, w
hile by not confessing and acknowl-
edging them, true happiness w
ill not come.
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas
9
To Tathagata Meaningful to See, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Jewel M
oon, I prostrate.To Tathagata Stainless O
ne, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Bestow
ed with C
ourage, I prostrate.To Tathagata Pure O
ne, I prostrate.To Tathagata B
estowed w
ith Purity, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Water G
od, I prostrate.To Tathagata D
eity of the Water G
od, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious G
oodness, I prostrate.To Tathagata G
lorious Sandalwood, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Infinite Splendor, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious Light, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Sorrowless G
lory, I prostrate.To Tathagata Son of N
on-craving, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious Flow
er, I prostrate.To Tathagata Pure Light R
ays Clearly K
nowing by Play, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Lotus Light Rays C
learly Know
ing by Play, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious W
ealth, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious M
indfulness, I prostrate.To Tathagata G
lorious Nam
e Widely R
enowned, I prostrate.
To Tathagata King H
olding the Victory B
anner of Foremost Pow
er,I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious O
ne Totally Subduing, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Utterly V
ictorious in Battle, I prostrate.
To Tathagata Glorious Transcendence T
hrough Subduing, I prostrate.To Tathagata G
lorious Manifestations Illum
inating All, I prostrate.
To Tathagata All-Subduing Jew
el Lotus, I prostrate.To Tathagata, arhat, perfectly com
pleted buddha, King of the Lord
of Mountains Firm
ly Seated on Jewel and Lotus, I prostrate. (3x)
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas16
Confession of D
ownfalls
General Confession,A-2>$?,
U hu lag!
La ma dor je dzin pa chhen po la sog pa chhog chu na zhug päi sang
gyä dang jang chhub sem pa tham
chä dang ge dün tsün pa n
am dag
la gong su söl
Dag [m
ing di] zhe gyi wä tshe rab khor w
a thog ma m
a chhi pa nä
da ta la thug gi bar du / nyön
mon
g pa dö chhag dang zhe dan
gdan
g ti mug gi w
ang gi lü n
gag yi sum gyi go n
ä dig pa mi ge w
a chugyi pa dan
g / tsham m
a chhi pa nga gyi pa dan
g / de dang n
ye wa
nga gyi pa dan
g / so sor thar päi dom pa dan
g gäl wa dan
g / jang
chhub sem päi lab pa dan
g gäl wa dan
g / sang n
gag kyi dam tshig
dang gäl w
a dang / pha dan
g ma la m
a gü pa dang / khän
po dang
lob pön la m
a gü pa dang / drog tshan
g pa tshung par chö pa n
amla m
a gü pa dang / kön
chhog sum la n
ö päi lä gyi pa dang / dam
päi chhö pang pa dan
g / phag päi ge dün la kur pa tab pa dan
g /sem
chän la n
ö päi lä gyi pa la sog pa / dig pa mi ge w
äi tshog daggi gyi pa dan
g / gyi du tsäl wa dan
g / zhän gyi gyi pa la je su yi rang
wa la sog pa / dor na tho ri dang thar päi geg su gyur ching khor w
adan
g ngän
song gi gyur gyur päi n
ye tung gi tshog chi chhi pa tham
chä
La ma dor je dzin
pa chhen po la sog pa chhog chu n
a zhug päisan
g gyä dang jan
g chhub sem pa tham
chä dang / ge dün
tsün pa
nam
kyi chän n
gar thöl lo / mi chhab bo / chhag so / chhin
chhäkyan
g dom par gyi lag so / thöl zhing shag n
a dag de wa la reg par n
äpar gyur gyi / m
a thöl ma shag n
a de tar mi gyur w
a lag so
10 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
Prostrations to the SevenM
edicine Buddhas
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä tsen leg pa yong drag päl gyi gyäl po la chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä rin po chhe dang da wa dang pä m
ä rab tu gyän pa khä pa zi ji drayang kyi gyäl po la chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä ser zang dri me rin chhen nang tül zhug drub pa la chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä nya ngän me chhog päl la chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä chhö drag gya tshö yang la chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä chhö gya tsho chhog gi lö nam
par röl pä ngön
par khyän pa la
chhag tshäl lo
Chom
dän dä de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang
gyä men gyi lha bäi dur yä ö kyi gyäl po la chhag tshäl lo
15
Just as the previous buddha-bhagavans have fully dedicated, just as thefuture buddha-bhagavans w
ill fully dedicate, and just as the presentlyabiding buddha-bhagavans are fully dedicating, like that I too dedicatefully.
I confess all negativities individually. I rejoice in all the merits. I urge
and implore all buddhas to grant m
y request: may I receive the high-
est, most sublim
e transcendental wisdom
.
To the conquerors, the best of humans —
those who are living in the
present time, those w
ho have lived in the past, and those who w
illlikew
ise come —
to all those who have qualities as vast as an infinite
ocean, with hands folded, I approach for refuge.
How
to Meditate on the G
eneral Confession
As you confess each of the negative actions contained in this prayer,
think to yourself that you have created this negative action not justonce, but countless tim
es in this and beginningless lives, whether you
remem
ber it or not. Generate very strong regret. T
he stronger theregret, the greater the purification.
Then reflect on the em
ptiness of each of these negative actions, re-m
embering that even negative actions do not truly exist from
theirow
n side. They arise in dependence on causes and conditions and are
merely labeled by the m
ind. You can either think they are completely
non-existent from their ow
n side, or that they are merely labeled by
mind, or that they are hallucination. W
hichever method you use to
understand emptiness, the conclusion that should com
e in your heartis that each of these negative actions are com
pletely empty, not exist-
ing from their ow
n side, even the slightest atom.
At the end of the confession prayer, pause to m
ake the determination
not to comm
it these negative actions again in the future. This is the
power of restraint. M
ake this promise realistic, even if you are prom
-ising sim
ply not to do the negative action even for just the next fivem
inutes or seconds. This is to m
ake sure you that you do not tell a lieto the m
erit field. Prostrations to the Thirty-five C
onfession Buddhas
11
Prostrations to the SevenM
edicine Buddhas
In accordance with the instructions of Lam
a Zopa Rinpoche, the nam
es of the seven Medicine
Buddhas are also included here for recitation w
ith prostrations:
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Renow
ned Glorious K
ing of Excellent Signs, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
King of M
elodious Sound, Brilliant R
adiance of Skill, Adorned w
ithJew
els, Moon, and Lotus, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Stainless Excellent G
old, Illuminating Jew
el Who A
ccomplishes A
llC
onduct, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Glorious Suprem
e One Free from
Sorrow, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Melodious O
cean of Proclaimed D
harma, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Clearly K
nowing by the Play of Suprem
e Wisdom
of an Ocean of
Dharm
a, I prostrate.
To the bhagavan, tathagata, arhat, perfectly completed buddha,
Medicine G
uru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light, I prostrate.
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas14
Confession of D
ownfalls
Ji tar dä päi sang gyä chom dän dä nam
kyi yong su ngö pa dang / jitar m
a jön päi san
g gyä chom dän
dä nam
kyi yong su n
go war gyur
wa dan
g / ji tar da tar zhug päi sang gyä chom
dän dä n
am kyi yon
gsu n
go war dzä pa de zhin
du dag gi kyang yon
g su ngo w
ar gyi o
Dig pa tham
chä ni so sor shag so / sö n
am tham
chä la ni je su yi
rang n
go / sang gyä tham
chä la ni kül zhin
g söl wa deb so / dag gi
la na me päi ye she kyi chhog dam
pa thob par gyur chig
Mi chhog gyäl w
a gang dag da tar zhug pa dang / gang dag dä pa dagdang de zhin gang m
a jön / yön tän ngag pa tha yä gya tsho dra künla / thäl m
o jar war gyi te kyab su n
ye war chhi w
o
.
12 C
onfession of Dow
nfalls
De dag la sog pa chhog chüi jig ten gyi kham
tham chä na de zhin sheg
pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang gyä chom
dän dä gan
g jin
ye chig zhug te tsho zhing zhe päi san
g gyä chom dän
dä de dagtham
chä dag la gong su söl
Dag gi kye w
a di dang / kye w
a tog mäi tha m
a ma chhi pa n
ä khorw
a na khor w
äi kye nä tham
chä du dig päi lä gyi pa dang / gyi du
tsäl wa dan
g / gyi pa la je su yi rang pa am
/ chhö ten gyi kor ram
/ge dün gyi kor ram
/ chhog chüi ge dün gyi kor throg pa dang / throg
tu chug pa dang / throg pa la je su yi ran
g pa am / tsham
ma chhi
pa ngäi lä gyi pa dang / gyi du tsäl w
a dang / gyi pa la je su yi rang paam
/ mi ge w
a chüi lä kyi lam yang dag par lang w
a la zhug pa dang / jugtu tsäl w
a dang / jug pa la je su yi rang pa am
/ Lä kyi drib pa gang gidrib nä dag sem
chän nyäl war chhi pa am
/ dü dröi kye nä su chhi
pa am / yi dvag kyi yül du chhi pa am
/ yül tha khob tu kye pa am /
la lor kye pa am / lha tshe ring po nam
su kye pa am / w
ang po ma
tshang war gyur pa am
/ ta wa log pa dzin
par gyur pa am / san
g gyäjun
g wa la n
ye par mi gyi par gyur w
äi lä kyi drib pa gang lag pa de
dag tham chä san
g gyä chom dän
dä ye she su gyur pa / chän du
gyur pa / pang du gyur pa / tshä m
ar gyur pa / khyen pä zig pa de
dag gi chän n
gar thöl lo chhag so / mi chhab bo / m
i be do / länchhä kyan
g chö ching dom
par gyi lag so
Sang gyä chom
dän dä de dag tham
chä dag la gong su söl
Dag gi kye w
a di dang / kye w
a thog mäi tha m
a ma chhi pa n
äkhor w
a na khor w
äi kye nä zhän
dag tu jin pa tha n
a dü dröi kyen
ä su kye pa la zä kham chig tsam
tsäl wäi ge w
äi tsa wa gan
g lag padan
g / dag gi tshül thrim sun
g päi ge wäi tsa w
a gang lag pa dan
g /dag gi tshan
g par chö päi ge wäi tsa w
a gang lag pa dan
g / dag gisem
chän yon
g su min
par gyi päi ge wäi tsa w
a gang lag pa dan
g /dag gi jan
g chhub chhog tu sem kye päi ge w
äi tsa wa gan
g lag padan
g / dag gi la na m
e päi ye she kyi ge wäi tsa w
a gang lag pa de
dag tham chä chig tu dü shin
g dum te dom
nä la na ma chhi pa
dang / gon
g na m
a chhi pa dang / gon
g mäi yan
g gong m
a / la mäi
yang la m
ar yong su n
go wä la n
a me pa yan
g dag par dzog päi jang
chhub tu yong su n
go war gyi o
13
All those [you thirty-five buddhas] and others, as m
any tathagatas,arhats, perfectly com
pleted buddhas as there are existing, sustaining,and residing in all the w
orld systems of the ten directions; all you
buddha-bhagavans, please pay attention to me.
In this life and in all the states of rebirth in which I have circled in
samsara throughout beginningless lives, w
hatever negative actions Ihave created, m
ade others create, or rejoiced in the creation of; what-
ever possessions of stupas, possessions of the Sangha, or possessions ofthe Sangha of the ten directions that I have appropriated, m
ade oth-ers appropriate, or rejoiced in the appropriation of; w
hichever among
the five actions of imm
ediate (retribution) I have done, caused to bedone, or rejoiced in the doing of; w
hichever paths of the ten non-virtuous actions I have engaged in, caused others to engage in, or re-joiced in the engaging in: w
hatever I have created, being obscured bythese karm
as causes me and sentient beings to be born in the hell
realms, in the anim
al realm, and in the preta realm
; in irreligiouscountries, as barbarians, or as long-life gods; w
ith imperfect faculties,
holding wrong view
s, or not being pleased with B
uddha’s descent. Inthe presence of the buddha-bhagavans, w
ho are transcendental wis-
dom, w
ho are eyes, who are w
itnesses, who are valid, and w
ho seew
ith omniscient consciousness, I am
admitting and confessing all these
negativities, I will not conceal them
nor hide them, and from
now on
in the future I will abstain and refrain from
comm
itting them again.
All buddha-bhagavans, please pay attention to m
e. In this life and inall other states of rebirth in w
hich I have circled in samsara through-
out beginn
ingless lives, w
hatever roots of virtue I have created bygenerosity, even as little as giving just one m
outhful of food to a beingborn in the anim
al realm; w
hatever roots of virtue I have created byguarding m
orality; whatever roots of virtue I have created by follow
-ing pure conduct; w
hatever roots of virtue I have created by fully ripen-ing sentient beings; w
hatever roots of virtue I have created by generatingbodhichitta; and w
hatever roots of virtue I have created by my unsur-
passed transcendental wisdom
: all these assembled and gathered, com
-bined together, I fully dedicate to the unsurpassed, the unexcelled,that higher than the high, that superior to the superior. T
hus, I com-
pletely dedicate to the highest, perfectly complete enlightenm
ent.
Prostrations to the T
hirty-five Confession B
uddhas