The Forty-two Buddhas Repentance Ritual
Under the supervision of Guru Yutang Lin
Reverently compiled by disciple Yeo Jui Khin
I. First, present the offerings of incense, candle, water, etc., and then do prostration three times to the Triple Gem. Then stand or kneel or sit, facing the holy images of Buddhas, fold palms together and sincerely recite:
II. Taking Refuge
Lineage Refuge Tree Supplication (Repeat three times.)
Original Purity, oh, Patriarch Guru Chen!
Vajra Lotus, oh, Guru Lin!
The Right Dharma lineage of Manjusri and Guan Yin,
Harmonized wisdom and compassion to spread everywhere!
I take refuge in Vajra Guru, I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, and I take refuge in the Sangha. (Repeat three times.)
III. Visualization
Visualize that, in the space above and in front of the practitioner Sakyamuni Buddha presides at the center. He is surrounded by Thirty-four Buddhas, and this assembly is in turn surrounded by the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas and all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Protectors and other holy beings of the ten directions and the three times of past, present and future. They are adorned with good marks and perfect features, equipped with the merits and power to purify all sentient beings of their negative karma, and oversee the sentient beings of the six realms of transmigration with great compassion.
On the practitioner's right and left side are paternal and maternal families and relatives respectively. Enemies, creditors or foes of this and previous lives gather in the front, while sentient beings in the six realms gather behind in the following order: hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, asuras and heavenly beings. The holy beings and the beings in transmigration are infinite in number and fill the whole Dharmadhatu. The practitioner and all sentient beings look upward attentively at all the holy beings. All practices conducted below should be visualized as being performed by all beings simultaneously, and that all holy beings sprinkle nectars and emit lights to purify all sentient beings of their accumulated negative karma and hindrances of ignorance since time beginning-less.
IV. Prostration to the Thirty-five Buddhas and the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas (Fold palms together and sincerely recite the holy epithets one by one. Right after recitation of each epithet perform one prostration, or after recitation of each epithet for three times then perform three prostrations. Full-length or short prostration may be adopted.)
Namo Sakyamuni Buddha
Namo Vajra-firm Destroyer Buddha
Namo Gem Flame Buddha
Namo Dragon King of Ease Buddha
Namo Diligent Brave Army Buddha
Namo Diligent Brave Joy Buddha
Namo Gem Fire Buddha
Namo Gem Moonlight Buddha
Namo Non-vacuous View Buddha
Namo Gem Moon Buddha
Namo No Filth Buddha
Namo Generous Giving Buddha
Namo Pure Conduct Buddha
Namo Pure Giving Buddha
Namo King of Water Buddha
Namo God of Water Buddha
Namo Skillful Auspicious Buddha
Namo Boundless Awe-inspiring Virtue Buddha
Namo Sandalwood Auspicious Buddha
Namo Light Auspicious Buddha
Namo Worry-free Auspicious Buddha
Namo Narayana Auspicious Buddha
Namo Flower Auspicious Buddha
Namo Pure Light Playing Supernatural Powers Buddha
Namo Lotus Light Playing Supernatural Powers Buddha
Namo Wealth Auspicious Buddha
Namo Idea Auspicious Buddha
Namo Well-known Epithet Auspicious Buddha
Namo King of Imperial Banner Buddha
Namo Combat Victory Buddha
Namo Brave Vigorous Auspicious Buddha
Namo Brave Vigorous Advance Buddha
Namo All-shining Grandeur Auspicious Buddha
Namo Gem Lotus Roaming Buddha
Namo Gem Lotus Wondrous Abiding King of Mountains Buddha
Namo Tathagata Good Fame Auspicious King
Namo Tathagata Gem Moon Wisdom-adorned At-ease-with-light-and-sound King
Namo Tathagata Golden Gem Light Wondrous-activities-accomplished
Namo Tathagata Carefree Most Supreme Auspicious
Namo Tathagata Dharma Ocean Thundering Sounds
Namo Tathagata Dharma Ocean Supreme Wisdom Playing-with-supernatural-powers
Namo Tathagata Medicine Guru with Lapis Lazuli Light
After completion of prostration, continue to recite sincerely with folded palms the following text:
All such Buddhas, World-honored Ones, of all the worlds, who always abide in the world, may all World-honored Ones remember me in your great compassion.
In this life or previous lives, a wide variety of sin committed in the beginning-less cycle of birth-and-death either by myself or by others with my instigation, or had been witnessed by me with my approval. Be it a stupa, a member of the Sangha, or the belongings of some Sangha as offered by people from all corners, and either the act of stealing by myself or by others with my instigation or was witnessed by me with approval. Committing the five unending sins, either by myself or by others with my instigation or was witnessed by me with approval. Deeds of the Path of Ten Non-virtuous Acts committed either by myself or by others with my instigation or were witnessed by me with approval. All such sins and karmic hindrances committed, whether they had been concealed or revealed, should bring about the karmic consequence of falling into hells, the realms of hungry ghosts, the realms of animals, or all sorts of worse realms; or be born in lands of no Dharma teachings, or in the lower castes, or into races that are antagonistic to Dharma. Now I truly confess and repent of all these sins and karmic hindrances committed in the past
.
May all Buddhas, World-honored Ones, be my witness, accept and watch over me. Further, I make the following statements in the presence of all Buddhas, World-honored Ones: If in this life or other lives, have I ever practiced almsgiving or sustained some rules of pure conduct, even to the extent of having given some animal a handful of food, or generated all good roots as the results of practicing pure conducts, helping sentient beings, engaging in Bodhi practices, or those born of the unsurpassable wisdom, all such merits are to be gathered, counted and measured so as to be fully dedicated to the unsurpassable right and all-encompassing enlightenment.
Just as all Buddhas in their most Supreme and unsurpassable dedication of merits would do in the past, present and future, I also dedicate merits as follows:
Repent for all sins.
Rejoice over all merits.
Pleading to all Buddhas
For attaining utmost wisdom.
In the past, present and future
Honored one among humans,
Immeasurable Ocean of merits,
With folded palms I take refuge in thee!
(When the recitation is completed, prostrate sincerely three times.)
V. Dedication (Granted by Guru Lin)
Boundless Karmic hindrances committed in previous lives.
Wishing to escape from transmigration but could not find a date.
Now through Buddhas' compassion an expedient way granted.
Prostration to the holy epithets will bring release for sure.
May the repentance ritual spread further and wider so that
All practitioners actually adopted it will soon become Buddhas.
AUSPICIOUS COMPLETION
Appendix:
The Holy Lama Je Tsong Khapa is true emanation body of the omniscient Manjusri Bodhisattva.
During his lifetime, to benefit future generations of sentient beings, he had retreated for the practice of repenting and purifying karma, by combining the great prostration with the practice of the Thirty-five Buddhas repentance ritual. Due to his sincerity and dedicated practice of the ritual, the Thirty-five Buddhas appeared before him; thereafter, this wonderful ritual remained among the lineage teachings. He had completed more than one hundred thousand times of “Prostration to the Thirty-five Buddhas” in his lifetime.
This repentance ritual is completed with the practice of the Four Powers of Confession. The stages of practicing the Four Powers are: First, build a strong sense of repentance (Power of Destruction); Second, make a vow for not to commit wrongful deeds again (Power of Prevention); Third, take refuge in the power of the Triple Gem and cultivate Bodhicitta to purify karmic hindrances (Power of Reliance); Finally, practice prostration, make offerings, repeat mantras, and sincerely repent, thus total purification from negative karma will be realized (Power of Antidote).
Practitioners of this repentance ritual may continue to chant the holy names of the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas, in addition to reciting the holy names of the Thirty-five Buddhas. Due to the vows of the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas a special and wonderful blessing will be bestowed onto the sentient beings of this badly polluted and degenerated world. Just as the statement of Ven. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, “I used to prostrate to the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas after my prostration to the Thirty-five Buddhas; mainly it is to purify the bad karma and Karmic hindrances, also to accumulate merits. For the aim of accumulating huge merits, it is not restricted to doing prostration to the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas after the Thirty-five Buddhas, one may add in the holy names of other Buddhas for further prostration. This will help to accumulate huge merits and purify bad karma and karmic hindrance at the same time.”
The causation of this reverently compiled repentance ritual is mainly due to my sincere reverence for the holy Thangka of the Thirty-five Buddhas that was ordered to have been painted by Patriarch Guru Chen and eventually bequeathed by him to Guru Lin. I sincerely pledged for the great blessing of the Thirty-five Buddhas and the Seven Medicine Guru Buddhas to purify negative karmas. This ritual was compiled, at the beginning, for the purpose of my own practice only. To practice this ritual one must recite the epithets of Buddhas with great sincerity and accompanied by prostration. If time is not feasible, then one may practice only the recitation of the epithets as a preliminary foundation for the full practice.
Reviewed and revised by Guru Lin
Reverently compiled by Yeo Jui Khin in Chinese on March 25 of 2007
Translated into English by Yeo Jui Khin on April 10 of 2007
Note: The epithets of the Thirty-five Buddhas of this repentance ritual are different from the Chinese version; there is an omission of “Filth-free Buddha” in this ritual. However, the holy name of “Pure Light Playing Supernatural Powers Buddha” was included in accordance with the Sanskrit Version.
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