The Confession of Downfalls tothe Thirty-Five Buddhas

Motivation

The purpose of my life is to free the numberless sentient beings who are the source of all my past, present, and future happiness, temporary as well as ultimate happiness—including all the realizations of the path, liberation from samsara, and enlightenment—from all the oceans of samsaric suffering, including the causes: delusion and karma. In order to do this, I must achieve full enlightenment. Therefore, I need to actualize the path. Therefore, I need to purify the defilements.

If I were now born in hell, it would be so unbearable. Even one tiny fire spark on my body is hundreds of thousands of times hotter than the whole entire fire energy in this world. It is so unbearable that experiencing it for even an instant is like suffering for many eons. I have created numberless causes to be born in the hell realms by creating the ten non-virtuous actions countless times in this and beginningless past lives. I have created numberless causes to be born in the hell realms by breaking the pratimoksha vows, by breaking the bodhisattva vows, and by breaking the tantric vows countless times in this and beginningless past lives. And I have created numberless causes to be born in the hells by creating the heaviest negative karma in relationship with the holy virtuous friend, which includes harming the holy body, breaking the advice, disturbing the holy mind, having non-devotional thoughts, and rising heresy and anger, which produce the greatest 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 realms), the possessed result (the type of environment I’m born into when again a human), the result similar to the cause in my experience, and the worst one, the result similar to the cause in my actions, which means that again and again 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 way, samsara has no end.

Not only that, but karma increases, so from even a small negative action can come huge suffering results. And karma is definite to be experienced, so every negative action I have created will definitely bring its result, no matter how long it takes, until it is purified. So from one negative karma, I have to experience the result over and over again for so many hundreds of lifetimes. Understanding this, how can I stand to live life without purifying myself and getting rid of all these negative karmas, just as I would try to get rid of a deadly poison in my body?

Not only that, but I’m going to die, and death can come even today, any moment. Therefore, I must 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 downfalls, and I’m going to do this so that I can develop myself in order to work for the happiness of all sentient beings.

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Visualization at the beginning of the practice

As instructed by Dr. Lorne Ladner, Shakyamuni Buddha (S.Buddha) is in the center, gold in color, with a begging bowl and the touching earth mudra. Each buddha is your guru, inseparably. Seven buddhas left of S. Buddha and are named coming towards him. Seven buddhas are right of S. Buddha, going away. Underneath S. Buddha, are two rows of 10 buddhas. Underneath them are the seven Medicine Buddhas.

Lorne instructed to consider the three inconceivables: (1) limitless selves emanated (2) prostrating to limitless buddhas & bodhisattvas, and (3) for limitless sentient beings. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, at the end you must think of the happiness of others. If you think too much of your own negative karma and the suffering result of that, then, since we don’t have a realization of bodhicitta or of compassion, there is the danger of performing the prostrations for your own happiness. You need to come back to thinking of the happiness of others. With that attitude, every prostration you perform or prayer you recite is for other sentient beings.

Dr. Ladner continued, you are the wheel turning king, and the three inconceivables are what you’ll create. You purify rebirths for each atom covered by your body in the prostration. Your left hand is wisdom, and your right method. Your right thumb is the main winds, and your left thumb is the secondary winds. As you touch your crown, throat and heart, winds dissolve in your body, speech and mind. The prostrator, the act of prostrating and the object of prostration are all empty. Meditate on the four powers: (1) Refuge and bodhicitta, (2) Antidote – reciting the names while thinking of regret, (3) Regret – by reciting the Confession Prayer, and (4)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche instructed, think that each one of these buddhas is the embodiment of all three times’, ten directions’ Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and all statues, stupas, and scriptures. Think they embody all holy objects, whose essence is the Guru. Have complete faith that each one has the power to purify all your negative karmas and imprints, accumulated since beginningless time.

Now imagine that you emanate numberless bodies, and that as you prostrate, all these bodies prostrate along with you from all directions, covering every atom of the earth.

Now recite the increasing mantras, refuge and the Confession of Downfalls to the Thirty-five Buddhas, repeating each buddha’s name over and over as many times as you can with 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 times or many. Even if you do the recitation by listening to a CD or tape, still recite the name yourself as much as you can. Either recite the prayer three times straight through making one prostration to each buddha each time, or do three prostrations to each buddha as you go through the prayer once. At the end, recite the names of the Medicine Buddhas. This can be followed by Vajrasattva mantra and the “Po” Praise to Chenrezig, according to time. Then recite the prayer at the end, followed by the General Confession.

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Restraint.

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Reciting the names of the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas

OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SVAHA (3X with 1-3 prostrations) (This mantra multiplies the prostrations one thousand times. If you recite it every day, it helps to develop a direct perception of emptiness in this life, also to not encounter harm or obstacles. If you recite this mantra and the Buddha’s name seven times, then each prostration or circumambulation is increased millions of times.)

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE RATNA KETU RAJAYA / TATHAGATAYAARHATE SAMYAK SAMBUDDHAYA TADYATHA OM RATNE RATNEMAHA RATNE RATNA BIJA YE SVAHA (7X)

Homage to the Confession of the Bodhisattva’s Downfalls!I, (say your name) throughout all times, take refuge in the Guru;

I take refuge in the Buddha;I take refuge in the Dharma;I take refuge in the Sangha. (3X while prostrating 1-3X)

For Shakyamuni Buddha, & the 7 Medicine Buddhas, with 1-3 prostrations each, state:

To the Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, perfectly completed Buddha, [name], I prostrate.

For the other 34 Confession Buddhas with 1-3 prostrations each, state:

To Tathagata [name], I prostrate.

Conclude with 3-7 prostrations

To the Founder, Shakyamuni Buddha, I prostrate.

The above colors and gestures of the 35 Confession Buddhas & 7 Medicine Buddhas derive from Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche’s commentary of a text written by Je Tsongkapa.

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NAME COLOR PURIFIES (KALPA = EON) HAND MUDRA

1 Shakyami Buddha Golden Karma (ripening effects of wrongs) of 10,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR:Touching the ground

2 Thoroughly Destroying with Vajra Essence

Yellow Karma (non-virtue) of 10,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Teaching

3 Radiant Jewel Red Karma (non-virtue) of 20,000 kalpas

L&R: Meditation

4 King Lord of the Nagas

Torso blue, face & neck white; Nagas behind

Karma (non-virtue) of 1,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Teaching

5 Army of Heroes Golden Karma (non-virtue) of 1,000 kalpas

L: TeachingR: Refuge

6 Delighted Hero Golden Karma (non-virtue) of 2,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Teaching

7 Jewel Fire Red Karma (non-virtue) of 2,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Touching the ground

8 Jewel Moonlight White Karma of (non-virtue) 8,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Supreme giving

9 Meaningful to See Green Karma (non-virtue) of 1 kalpa L: MeditationL: Refuge/solace

10

Jewel Moon White Imprints of 5 immediate misdeeds (actions of immediate retribution)

R: Supreme mind

11

Stainless One Blue 5 close misdeeds (parallel actions of immediate retribution)

L&R: Meditation

12

Bestowed with Courage

Golden Mental hatred’s deed (negativities arisen from anger)

L: Holding textR: Touching ground

13

Pure One Golden Desire’s deeds (negativities from attachment) for 10,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Touching ground

14

Bestowed with Purity

Reddish yellow

Karma (general non-virtue) of 10,000 kalpas

L&R: Teaching

15

Water God White Karma (non-virtue) of 1,000 kalpas

L&R: Meditation

16

Deity of the Water God

White Karma (non-virtue) of 5,000 kalpas

L&R: Meditation

17

Glorious Goodness Yellow Karma (non-virtue) of 5,000 kalpas

L: RefugeR: Dharma

18

Glorious Sandalwood

Yellow Karma (non-virtue) of 7,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Touching ground

19

Infinite Splendor Red Karma (non-virtue) of 7,000 kalpas

L: MeditationR: Teaching

20

Glorious Light Blue Limitless negative karma (stains of previous evil action)

R: Bestowing supreme Bodhicitta

2 Sorrowless Glory Reddish Ignorance’s karma (potencies L&R: Meditation

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1 white of actions done by ignorance)22

Son of Non-Craving Yellow All bad karmic dispositions (negativities done out of the instinct of ignorance)

L&R: Giving teachings

23

Glorious Flower Golden Actions of body (latent traces of all physical non-virtues)

L: TeachingR: Extended/threatening

24

Pure Lights Rays Clearly Knowing Play

Yellow Actions of speech (verbal negativities)

L: MeditationR: Touching ground

25

Lotus Light Rays Clearly Knowing by Play

Red Actions of mind (mental negativities)

L: MeditationR: Touching ground

26

Glorious Wealth Blue Taking Sangha’s wealth (imprints from stealing)

L&R: Teaching

27

Glorious Mindfulness

Yellow Wrongfully accusing (negativities of despising others or abusing them)

L&R: Meditation

28

Glorious Name Widely Renowned

White Jealous actions (negativities of jealousy)

L: MeditationR: Teaching

29

King Holder of the Victory Banner of Foremost Power

Blue Prideful actions (negativities of ignorance & conceit)

L: MeditationR: Holds victory banner

30

Glorious One Totally Subduing

Blue Divisiveness (negativities of slander)

L: MeditationR: Sword by waist

31

Utterly Victorious in Battle

Blue Mental afflictions (negativities from all types of non-virtuous actions)

Holding shield

32

Glorious Transcendence Through Subduing

Blue Causing misdeeds in others (stain of encouraging others to act improperly)

L&R: Pressing the ground

33

Glorious Manifestations Illuminating All

Blue Rejoicing in the negative actions of others (negativities of rejoicing in unwholesome deeds)

L&R: Pressing the ground

34

All-Subduing Jewel Lotus

Golden Discarding Dharma (imprints of all forms of abandoning spirituality)

L: TeachingR: Refuge

35

King Lord of Mountains, Firmly Seated on Jewel & Lotus

Yellow Degeneration of samaya (negativities arising from disparaging the Spiritual Master)

L&R: Holding Mount Meru

MEDICINE BUDDHA NAME COLOR HANDS

1 Renowned Glorious King of Excellent Signs Golden R: Refuge2 King of Melodious Sound, Brilliant Radiance of Skill Adorned

with Jewels, Moon & LotusYellow R: Supreme

giving3 Stainless Excellent Gold, Illuminating Jewel Who

Accomplishes All ConductGolden L&R: Teaching

4 Glorious Supreme One Free from Sorrow Light red

L&R: Meditation

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5 Melodious Ocean of Proclaimed Dharma Pink L&R: Teaching6 Clearly Knowing by Plan of Supreme Wisdom of an Ocean of

DharmaCoral R: Supreme

giving7 Medicine Guru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light Blue R: Supreme

giving

Confession prayer (Kneel)

All those [you thirty-five buddhas] and others, as many tathagatas, arhats, perfectly completed buddhas as there are existing, sustaining, and residing in all the world 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, whatever negative actions I have created, made others create, or rejoiced in the creation of; whatever possessions of stupas, possessions of the Sangha, or possessions of the Sangha of the ten directions that I have appropriated, made others appropriate, or rejoiced in the appropriation of; whichever among the five actions of immediate (retribution) I have done, caused to be done, or rejoiced in the doing of; whichever paths of the ten non-virtuous actions I have engaged in, caused others to engage in, or rejoiced in the engaging in: whatever I have created, being obscured by these karmas causes me and sentient beings to be born in the hell realms, in the animal realm, and in the preta realm; in irreligious countries, as barbarians, or as long-life gods; with imperfect faculties, holding wrong views, or not being pleased with Buddha’s descent. In the presence of the buddha-bhagavans, who are transcendental wisdom, who are eyes, who are witnesses, who are valid, and who see with 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 committing them again.

All buddha-bhagavans, please pay attention to me. In this life and in all other states of rebirth in which I have circled in samsara throughout beginningless lives, whatever roots of virtue I have created by generosity, even as little as giving just one mouthful of food to a being born in the animal realm; whatever roots of virtue I have created by guarding morality; whatever roots of virtue I have created by following pure conduct; whatever roots of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings; whatever roots of virtue I have created by generating bodhicitta; and whatever roots of virtue I have created by my unsurpassed transcendental wisdom: all these assembled and gathered, combined together, I fully dedicate to the unsurpassed, the unexcelled, that higher than the high, that superior to the superior. Thus, I completely dedicate to the highest, perfectly complete enlightenment.

Just as the previous buddha-bhagavans have fully dedicated, just as the future buddha-bhagavans will fully dedicate, and just as the presently abiding buddha-bhagavans are fully dedicating, like that I too dedicate fully.

I confess all negativities individually. I rejoice in all the merits. I urge and implore all buddhas to grant my request: may I receive the highest, most sublime transcendental wisdom.

To the conquerors, the best of humans—those who are living in the present time, those who have lived in the past, and those who will likewise come—to all those who have qualities as vast as an infinite ocean,

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with hands folded, I approach for refuge.

How to meditate on the General Confession

As you confess each of the negative actions contained in this prayer, think to yourself that you have created this negative action not just once, but countless times in this and beginningless lives, whether you remember it or not. Generate very strong regret—the stronger the regret, the greater the purification.

Then reflect on the emptiness of each of these negative actions, remembering that even negative actions do not truly exist from their own side. They arise in dependence on causes and conditions and are merely labeled by the mind. You can either think they are completely non-existent from their own side, or that they are merely labeled by mind, or that they are hallucinations. Whichever method you use to understand emptiness, the conclusion that should come in your heart is that each of these negative actions is completely empty, not existing from its own side, even the slightest atom.

At the end of the confession prayer, pause to make the determination not to commit these negative actions again in the future. This is the power of restraint. Make this promise realistic, even if you are promising simply not to do the negative action even for just the next five minutes or seconds. This is to make sure you that you do not tell a lie to the merit field.

General Confession

U hu lag! (Woe is me!)

O great Guru Vajradhara, all other buddhas and bodhisattvas who abide in the ten directions, and all the venerable Sangha,

I, who am named [say your name], circling in cyclic existence since beginningless time until the present, overpowered by mental afflictions such as attachment, aversion, and ignorance by means of body, speech, and mind have created the ten non-virtuous actions. I have engaged in the five uninterrupted negative karmas and the five nearing uninterrupted negative karmas. I have transgressed the vows of individual liberation, transgressed the vows of bodhisattvas, and transgressed the samaya of secret mantra. I have been disrespectful to my parents, have been disrespectful to my vajra masters, and to my abbot, and have been disrespectful to my spiritual friends living in ordination. I have committed actions harmful to the Three Jewels, avoided the holy Dharma, criticized the arya Sangha, harmed sentient beings, and so on. These and many 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 obstacles to my own higher rebirth and liberation and are causes of cyclic existence and miserable lower rebirths. I will not conceal them, and I accept them as negative. I promise to refrain from doing these actions again in the future. By confessing and acknowledging them, I will attain and abide in happiness, while by not confessing and acknowledging them, true happiness will not come.

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please pay attention to me.

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Visualization at the End of the Confession Prayer

Think that through the force of reciting these names of the thirty-five Buddhas of Confession and Medicine Buddhas, through the power of their pure prayers and vows, 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 holy bodies of the buddhas, completely purifying all negative karmas, defilements and imprints collected on your mental continuum since beginningless time. Generate strong faith that your mind has become completely pure.

Then reflect on emptiness. 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. Even though there are infinite phenomena, in emptiness nothing exists at all. There is no this and that, no me and you, nothing. In emptiness everything is one taste. From this emptiness, everything comes into existence. Whatever exists is the manifestation of emptiness.

Dedication

After completing any purification practice it becomes more powerful if you seal it with emptiness by meditating on the three circles: the performer of the action, the action, and the object, what is accomplished—looking at them all as empty. Think:

In emptiness there is no creator, me; there is no action of creating; and there is no creation, negative karma.

Remain in that state of mindfulness, allowing the awareness that all things are empty to continue, that they do not exist from their own side, and then dedicate the merits:

Due to all the three time merits accumulated by myself, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, which are completely empty of existing from their own side, may the I, which is completely empty of existing from its own side, quickly achieve the state of full enlightenment, which is completely empty of existing from its own side, in order to lead all sentient beings, who are completely empty of existing from their own side, to that state by myself alone, who is completely empty of existing from its own side.

Due to all the three time merits accumulated by myself, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, may the precious supreme enlightened thought, bodhicitta—letting go of self and cherishing others, which is the source of all success and happiness for myself and all sentient beings—immediately be generated within my own mind, and within the minds of all sentient beings. May that which has already been generated never decline, but increase more and more.

May the precious bodhicitta not yet born, arise and grow.

May that which is born have no decline but increase forever more.

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Top 10 Mudras for Meditation – Meditation Mudras

February 21, 2010

A mudra is a bodily posture or symbolic gesture. In Buddhist iconography every buddha is depicted with a characteristic gesture of the hands. Such gestures correspond to natural gestures (of teaching, protecting, and so on) and also to certain aspects of the Buddhist teaching or of the particular buddha depicted.

Here mudras accompany the performance of liturgies and the recitation of mantras. They also help to actualize certain inner states in that they anticipate their physical expression; thus they assist in bringing about a connection between the practitioner and the buddha visualized in a given practice.

The most important mudras are:

1.) Dhyani Mudra (gesture of meditation)2.) Vitarka Mudra (teaching gesture)3.) Dharmachakra Mudra (gesture of turning the wheel of the teaching)4.) Bhumisparsha Mudra (gesture of touching the earth)5.) Abhaya Mudra (gesture of fearlessness and granting protection)6.) Varada Mudra (gesture of granting wishes)7.) Uttarabodhi Mudra (gesture of supreme enlightenment)8.) Mudra of Supreme Wisdom9.) Anjali Mudra (gesture of greeting and veneration)10.) Vajrapradama Mudra (gesture of unshakable confidence)1.) Dhyani Mudra In this mudra, the back of the right hand rests on the palm of the other in

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such a way that the tips of the thumbs lightly touch one another. The hands rest in the lap. The right hand, resting on top, symbolizes the state of enlightenment; the other hand, resting below, the world of appearance. This gesture expresses overcoming the world of appearance through enlightenment, as well as the enlightened state of mind for which samsara and nirvana are one. In a special form of this mudra, the middle, ring, and little fingers of both hands lie on top one another and the thumbs and index finger of each hand, touching each other, form a circle, which here also symbolizes the world of appearance and the true nature of reality.

2.) Vitarka Mudra The right hand points upward, the left downward; both palms are tuned outward. The thumb and index finger of each hand form a circle. The right hand is at shoulder level, the left at the level of the hips. In a variant of this teaching gesture, the left hand rests palm upward in the lap, and the right hand is raised to shoulder level with its thumb and index finger forming a circle. In a further form of this mudra, the index finger and little fingers of both hands are fully extended, the middle and ring fingers somewhat curved inward. The left hand points upward, the right downward.

3.) Dharmachakra Mudra The left palm is tuned inward (toward the body), the right outward, and the circles formed by the thumbs and index fingers of each hand touch one another.

4.) Bhumisparsha Mudra The left hand rests palm upward in the lap; the right hand, hanging over the knee, palm inward, points to the earth. Sometimes the left hand holds a begging bowl. This is the gesture with which the Buddha summoned the Earth as witness to his realization of buddhahood. It is considered a gesture of unshakability; thus Akshobhya (the Unshakable) is usually depicted with this mudra.

5.) Abhaya Mudra Here the right hand is raised to shoulder height with fingers extended and palm turned outward. This is the gesture of the Buddha Shakyamuni immediately after attaining enlightenment.

6.) Varada Mudra The right hand, palm facing out, is directed downward. When Shakyamuni is depicted with this mudra, it symbolizes summoning Heaven as witness to his buddhahood. This mudra is also seen in representations of Ratnasambhava. In a variant, the thumb and index finger of the downward extended hand touch one another. Frequently the abhaya and varada mudras are combined: the right hand makes the gesture of fearlessness, the left that of wish granting.7.) Uttarabodhi Mudra Both hands are held at the level of the chest, the two raised index fingers touch one another, the remaining fingers are crossed and folded down.; the

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thumbs touch each other at the tips or are also crossed and folded. This mudra is frequently seen in images of Vairochana.

8.) Mudra of Supreme Wisdom The right index finger is grasped by the five fingers of the left hand. This mudra, characteristic of Vairochana, is the subject of many interretations in esoteric Buddhism, most which have to do with the relationship between the empirical world of manifoldness and the principle that is its basis-the unified world principle, the realization of unity in the manifold as embodied in Buddha.

9.) Anjali Mudra The palms are held together at the level of the chest. This is the customary gesture of greeting in India. Used as a mudra, it expresses “suchness” (tahata).

10.) Vajrapradama Mudra The fingertips of the hands are crossed. This is gesture of unshakable confidence.

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Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Online Advice Book

Practice Advice : 35 Buddhas Practice (Last Updated Mar 29, 2012)

Memorized Practice (Posted Oct. 2009)

A student who had memorized the Thirty-five Buddhas practice wrote to Rinpoche.

My very dear June,

I heard from Geshe-la that you memorized or almost finished memorizing the Thirty-five Buddhas practice. This is very encouraging, because in the East they memorize a lot in monasteries and in schools, but in the West they don’t like to memorize things, both laypeople and Sangha. Because of that, in retreats or in groups, one person has to read the practice. This means that the person who is reading doesn't get to do the prostrations. Also, the group that hasn’t memorized the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names doesn’t get the chance to purify thousands of eons of negative karma by reciting the names even one time.

So, I am very happy to see your strong interest in Dharma besides intellectual learning. You also want to practice and purify, so that is great. The world is suffering so much, with so many problems, and the practice of the Thirty-five Buddhas is the solution for that, to purify past negative karma, and especially for successful realizations on the path to enlightenment. I am sure you will be able to memorize Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga and other important prayers as well, like daily life practices, also the King of Prayers, which I think you will enjoy very much, and which has so many extensive bodhisattva prayers in it. Also, you can memorize the eight verses of thought transformation. These are just some basic ideas. Within Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga is a lam-rim prayer, so that is a very good combination.

To receive lam-rim realizations you need the blessings of the guru, so you need to practice guru yoga to develop realizations. This is a very unique and fundamental practice in daily life in order to grow on the path to enlightenment.

I hope everything is OK with your family.

With much love and prayers...

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Thirty-five Buddhas Confession and Purification Practice (posted Oct. 2005)

This advice was compiled from teachings given by Rinpoche at Istituto Lama Tsongkhapa in Italy, during the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga Retreat in 2003.

There are four remedy powers. The one that reduces and purifies negative karma is regret. The stronger the regret, the more the negative karma is purified. All phenomena affect each other; that is what dependent arising means—fire can burn, water can make things wet. It works similarly in our mind: our positive thoughts have one effect; negative thoughts have a different effect. So, there is happiness and there is suffering—this is a dependent arising.

Reciting the mantra of Vajrasattva, who attained qualities such as compassion and power in order to benefit sentient beings, purifies negative karma through dependent arising. In the same way, by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas many times or just once, eons of negative karma is purified.

Lama Atisha explained why reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas has so much power. In the past, when the Thirty-five Buddhas were bodhisattvas, they made many prayers to be able to benefit sentient beings, to easily purify our defilements and negative karma. When they achieved enlightenment, they achieved the Buddha’s ten qualities or powers, one of which is the power of prayer. So, their names have the power of all those past prayers. That is why, when sentient beings recite their names, they have so much power to purify defilements and eons of negative karma. Every single quality the Thirty-five Buddhas attained was in order to benefit sentient beings, there was no other reason or motivation for it, so we should use this advantage.

Think: “The purpose of my life is to free all the hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, sura, asura, human, and intermediate state beings—every single sentient being in the six realms of suffering, all unenlightened beings who have defilements.

“I must free all the hell beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

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“I must free all the preta beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all the sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“I must free all the animals, every one of them, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all the sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“I must free all the human beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“I must free all the sura beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“I must free all the asura beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“I must free all the intermediate state beings, from whom I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, realizations of the path, and enlightenment, who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, from all sufferings and their causes, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

“Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment. In order to do this, I need to actualize the path and purify my defilements, negative karmas, and downfalls collected from beginningless rebirths.”

Just one complete negative karma that is committed through the ten non-virtuous actions—killing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, etc.—produces four suffering results. As well as the ripened aspect result of rebirth in the lower realms, there are three other sufferings: experiencing the result similar to the cause; creating the result similar to the cause; and the possessed result, which is related to the

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environment and the suffering that is experienced when, for example, you are born after some time as a human being due to your good karma.

Creating the result similar to the cause means committing the same negative action again as a result of the past. Then, that complete negative karma produces another four suffering results, including creating the result similar to the cause; then that complete negative karma produces another four suffering results. As long as we don’t purify that one negative karma and abstain from it we will experience the result again and again. Like this, it goes on and on, forever—the effect becomes endless.

Think: “If I put effort into not creating that one negative karma, I don’t have to experience all the endless suffering that comes from it. It makes a huge difference whether that one negative karma is committed or not.”

To make your practice really effective and powerful, contemplate the endless effect of even just one complete negative karma—having to experience so much suffering in samsara for that one negative karma—so that you can’t stand to live even one more second without purifying it immediately. There are so many negative karmas committed each day, month, and year, from beginningless past lives—it is unimaginable. If you think of all these karmas from beginningless past lives, it becomes more and more unbearable. There is no way to relax for even a second without practicing purification.

On top of this, you need to remember broken pratimoksha vows, and bodhisattva vows, which are much heavier. Then, having taken and broken the tantric vows in this and past lives, which is heavier again. Pabongka Rinpoche’s commentary on the Six-Session Yoga says that breaking a bodhisattva root vow is 100,000 times heavier than breaking a pratimoksha root vow. Breaking a tantric vow is 100,000 times heavier than breaking a bodhisattva root vow. The vow that results in the heaviest, longest suffering, and is the heaviest obstacle to actualizing the path is the negative karma collected regarding the relationship with the virtuous friend. Remember all of that collected from beginningless rebirths. This is the situation we are in. In those hot hell realms even one tiny spark is much hotter than all human beings’ fire energy, which, comparatively, is extremely cool and pleasurable. This was explained by Buddha, the Omniscient One, with compassion for sentient beings, to save us from the unbearable suffering of samsara, particularly the lower realms.

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Think: “Death can come any time, even today; it can come this hour or minute. That means I can be in the most terrifying suffering of the lower realms today, any minute, any second. The minute my breath stops, it is there, actualized. Therefore, I must purify right away, not delaying for even a second.” As is normally explained in the teachings, it is as if you have eaten poison and are going to experience great pain and die, so you want to get rid of the negativity in the quickest possible way.

This also applies when you practice Vajrasattva meditation in daily life or in retreat. You can meditate like this at the beginning of any purification practice, to make it really powerful. How much we can purify negative karma depends on the mind. Our mind creates negative karma but, with strong regret, the mind can purify so much. Regret is like medicine for us.

In Western psychology, regret may be interpreted as negative, but there is negative, harmful regret and useful, positive regret. One becomes medicine for our mind; the other becomes negative, for example, regretting our or other people’s virtue or positive actions. If somebody becomes a monk or nun and you express regret, “Oh, terrible! Oh, I’m sorry!”, or somebody is doing retreat in an isolated place and you say, “Oh, I’m so sorry you are living in a cave, poor thing”, your regret is misplaced. That person may actually be attaining realizations every year and offering the most benefit to sentient beings. That is incorrect regret. There is also correct and incorrect patience and tolerance. Similarly, perseverance in virtue is right perseverance, but perseverance in actions that are negative karma, the cause of samsara or of the lower realms—bearing great hardship to achieve power or reputation for happiness in this life, putting much effort into that, sacrificing, even endangering life, as many people in the world are doing—is incorrect tolerance. Correct tolerance has to be perseverance in virtue; that is the definition of perseverance. There has to be positive action. If an action is negative karma, it doesn’t have that definition of perseverance—it is incorrect perseverance, incorrect patience, or incorrect regret. Non-virtue only harms you and others.

Think: “Therefore, I’m going to perform prostrations by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas and practicing the Confession of Downfalls, which purifies eons of negative karmas. I am so fortunate, having this opportunity, to create happiness and benefit for every single one of my kind mother sentient beings, every hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human being, sura, asura, and intermediate state being.”

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At the end you must think of the happiness of others. If you think too much of your own negative karma and the suffering result of that, then, since we don’t have a realization of bodhicitta or of compassion, there is the danger of performing the prostrations for your own happiness. You need to come back to thinking of the happiness of others. With that attitude, every prostration you perform or prayer you recite is for other sentient beings.

You prostrate not only to the Thirty-five Buddhas but to all the gurus, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and all the holy objects of the ten directions. If you prostrate to many merit fields—to billions of buddhas—you create billions of causes of enlightenment. This way is much more profitable. You can recite the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names in whichever language you normally use.

The mantra OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SOHA multiplies the prostrations one thousand times. If you recite it every day, it helps to develop a direct perception of emptiness in this life, also to not encounter harm or obstacles. If you recite this mantra and the Buddha’s name seven times, then each prostration or circumambulation is increased millions of times. Recite:

OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SOHA (3X)

CHOM DEN DE DEZHIN SHEKPA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAKPA DZOK PE SANG GYE RINCHEN GYALTSEN LA CHAG TSAL LO (7X)

OM NAMO BHAGAWATE RATNA KETU RAZAYA TATHAGATAYA ARHATE SAM YAK SAM BUDDHAYA TAYATHA OM RATNE RATNE MAHA RATNE RATNA BIZAYE SOHA (7X)

Then, prostrate and recite the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names and the Confession of Downfalls.

After completing any purification practice it becomes more powerful if you seal it with emptiness by meditating on the three circles: the performer of the action, the action, and the object, what is accomplished—looking at them all as empty. Think: “In emptiness there is no creator, me; there is no action of creating; and there is no creation, negative karma.”

Remain in that state of mindfulness, allowing the awareness that all things are empty to continue, that they do not exist from their own side, and then dedicate the merits:

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“Due to all the merits of the three times collected by me and by others, may I achieve the Thirty-five Buddhas’ enlightenment and lead all sentient beings to the Thirty-five Buddhas’ enlightenment by myself alone.”

Then, dedicate the merits:

Jang chub sem chog rinpocheMa kye pa nam kye gyur chigKye pa nyam pa me par yangGong ne gong du pel bar shog

May the precious bodhicitta not yet born, arise and growMay that born have no decline but increase forever more.

The Benefits of Prostrations

Rinpoche commented on the following benefits from performing prostrations.

When making prostrations by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas, even only one prostration to all the Buddhas, Dharma, and Sangha becomes a cause for achieving enlightenment. Prostrations to statues, scriptures, and stupas create many causes for liberation from samsara and achieving success in this life. But prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas becomes a cause for enlightenment, which is a big difference.

Colophon

The core of this practice is copied from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, with notes added from a meeting with Dr. Lorne Ladner, Director+ of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition’s Guhyasamaja Center:

(1) Appendix 3 of Making Life Meaningful, by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche (1999) (Archive # 1055, Last Updated Sep 11, 2011) at http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=393&chid=993

(2) Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s online practice advice at http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=324

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(3) Dr. Lorne Ladner’s instruction for completing 100,000 prostrations to the 35 Confession Buddhas as part of the Discovering Buddhism course of study and practice conferred on us on December 26, 2011

(4) Mudras & common symbols (white on grey background) – http://www.sabaidesignsgallery.com/collections/buddhist-art/

(5) The Top Ten Mudras for Meditation (article with a diagram) – http://startmeditation.com/tag/meditation-mudra/

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