buddhas prostrations to the...mes straight through making one prostration to each buddha each time,...

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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

FPMT Education Departm

ent

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of the Education D

epartment at FPM

T International O

ffice is toserve the needs of D

harma centers and individuals in the area of T

ibetanB

uddhist educational and spiritual materials. T

his includes prayers andpractice texts, retreat sadhanas and other practice m

aterials, a variety ofstudy texts and translations, deity im

ages for meditation, and curricular

materials for study program

s in FPMT

Dharm

a centers.

One of our principal objectives is to serve as a repository for a w

ide varietyof practice texts prim

arily within the G

elug tradition, especially thoseauthored or translated by Lam

a Zopa Rinpoche and Lam

a Thubten Yeshe.

We w

ork in close collaboration with the Lam

a Yeshe Wisdom

Archive,

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assachusetts, which serves as a repository for the com

mentaries

and transcripts of teachings by Lama Zopa R

inpoche and Lama Yeshe.

If we can be of service to you in any w

ay, please contact us at:

Education D

epartment

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International Office

1632 SE 11th A

venuePortland O

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w.fpm

t.org

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.



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.



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



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.



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)



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


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


gyä ser zang dri me rin chhen nang tül zhug drub pa la chhag tshäl lo

Chom


gyä nya ngän me chhog päl la chhag tshäl lo

Chom


gyä chhö drag gya tshö yang la chhag tshäl lo

Chom


gyä chhö gya tsho chhog gi lö nam

par röl pä ngön

par khyän pa la

chhag tshäl lo

Chom


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.


King of M

elodious Sound, Brilliant R

adiance of Skill, Adorned w

ithJew

els, Moon, and Lotus, I prostrate.


Stainless Excellent G

old, Illuminating Jew

el Who A

ccomplishes A

llC

onduct, I prostrate.


Glorious Suprem

e One Free from

Sorrow, I prostrate.


Melodious O

cean of Proclaimed D

harma, I prostrate.


Clearly K

nowing by the Play of Suprem

e Wisdom

of an Ocean of

Dharm

a, I prostrate.


Medicine G

uru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light, I prostrate.



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.



uddhas

buddhas prostrations to the...mes straight through making one prostration to each buddha each time,...

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