This teaching was given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Lama Tsonkhapa Institute in Italy as part of the Ganden Lha Gyama retreat between September 3-30, 2004.

00:00:00 Lama Zopa Rinpoche leads the motivation for the practice of Confession of a Bodhisattva's Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas.

00:10:45 Rinpoche does the practice of Confession of a Bodhisattva's Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas with students.

Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

The purpose of my life is to free the numberless hell beings from whom I receive all my past happiness, present, and all the future happiness, realizations of the path and enlightenment. Who are the most precious, most kind ones in my life, and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Numberless preta beings, from whom I receive all my past happiness, present, future happiness, realizations of the path and then enlightenment, free them from all the suffering and causes, bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Numberless animals, every one of them from whom I receive all my past, all the past happiness, present, future happiness, realizations, enlightenment, everything, I must free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Then, numberless human beings from whom I receive all my numberless past happiness, and present, future happiness, including realizations of the path and enlightenment, I must free them from all the suffering and the causes and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

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

And ?numberless asura beings, from whom I receive all my numberless past happiness, present, future happiness, realizations of the path and enlightenment, everything, I must free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Then numberless intermediate state beings, from each of them I receive all my past happiness, present and future happiness, realizations, enlightenment, everything, who are most precious, most kind ones in my life, I must free them from all the suffering and causes and bring them to enlightenment by myself alone.

Therefore, I must achieve enlightenment; therefore, I need to actualize the path; therefore, I need to purify the defilements, the negative karmas, the downfalls and the, collected from beginningless rebirth. One negative karma, one complete negative karma, example, from, such as ten nonvirtuous actions or, one of them, if it’s not purified, once it’s committed if it’s not purified then it has ongoing, endless suffering, it causes, the result, creating result similar to the cause, that complete action, negative karma, produce another four suffering results and like that, that creating the result similar to the cause, that complete one produces another four suffering result, so like that goes on and on, no end. So I have to suffer like this in samsara, so just even for one negative karma, committed one negative karma, endless suffering, I will have to experience endless suffering of samsara. So if that negative karma, if that one negative karma is not, if I put effort to not create, then I don’t have to experience all this endless suffering which comes from that, so it makes a huge, unbelievable differences, committed that one negative karma or to not, or not committed that one negative karma, so there are so many in one day, so collected from birth, collected from beginningless rebirth. On the top of that, broke pratimoksha vow and bodhisattva vow, broke, that which is much more heavier, then broke tantric vow, much, much more heavier, then heaviest one, which results heaviest suffering, longest suffering and as well as heaviest obstacle to actualize the path, then that’s the negative karmas collected with the relationship with the virtuous friend.

So, and, if I’m now in those hot or cold hell realms now, there’s nothing I can do, except experience suffering, I experience while I’m not, while it’s unbearable, while I do not like, no choice, have to experience no matter how matter eons. So therefore, without delay even a second, I must purify all these defilements, all these negative karma and downfalls immediately, without delay even a second. And the other thing is I can be there in that most terrifying, this lower realm sufferings, I could be there in any minute, can be even today, in any minute, so I must purify right now.

Therefore, I’m going to do prostration by reciting the Thirty-Five Buddhas, by practicing the confessing downfall, that which is, just even reciting, which purifies so many eons, all those different negative karmas. How I am most unbelievable fortunate, having this opportunity again today, for the happiness, so this and for the happiness of, for the benefit of every single my kind mother sentient beings, every hell being, hungry ghost, animals, human beings, suras, asuras, intermediate state beings.

[Ven. Sarah leads recitation of Thirty-Five Buddhas practice]

Thirty-Five Buddhas Practice

[Rinpoche reads General Confession up to “...created the ten nonvirtuous actions.”] So, we purify every single these negative karmas mentioned here, with regretfulness, that has been, with the mindfulness and remembrance of the heavy continual suffering of each of those negative karmas, and then that they have been created numberless times time without beginning, from beginningless samsaric lifetime, by oneself. And then, second, making very powerful purification to not experience result of all these, unbearable result of all these negative karmas, the sufferings, as well as the obstacles, to purify the obstacles to have realizations of the path to enlightenment, for sentient beings, which are the defilements, negative karma, those downfalls, so by looking at each of them, by sealing with the emptiness, so then by looking at it empty, that which is empty. So, one way, looking at it negative karma, empty, from its own side, like throwing atomic bomb on each of those negative karmas, like that, purifying, which purifies, very powerful way of purifying. Or looking at it, looking at each of these negative karmas, looking at it hallucination, because the way each negative karma, when one thinks of each of the negative karmas appears real negative karma in the sense existing from its own side, so looking hallucination, looking at it hallucination, that which is hallucination. So, coming to the same point, it means it is empty. Or the other way, the merely labeled, as we go through each negative karma, think merely labeled. So can do whichever way is more effective, can do different way in different times, however, conclusion, so whichever way one, more effective to one’s own mind, to see empty, so can do that, can use that technique.

“...have created the ten nonvirtuous actions.” So, every time make sure you think, collected, just one, collected just one, how heavy it is, then collected numberless times from beginningless samsaric rebirth by oneself. So make sure to remember all that. To have mindfulness of all that, then, so then can have thought to purify everything. Which is merely labeled by mind.

“I have engaged in the five uninterrupted negative karmas...,” which are merely labeled by mind, “and the five nearing uninterrupted negative karmas...,” which are merely labeled by the mind. “I have transgressed the vows of individual liberation...,” which are merely labeled by the mind. So when you think, so when you say or when you think, “merely labeled by mind,” the idea what should get is, it is not nihilism, the totally nonexistent, but it exists, but it’s empty, but it’s totally empty, from its own side. So, the point to get into, the understanding, the discovering what it should be, so it should lead to this, should have insight of this.

Seeing the very nature of this, nothing slightest that it exists from its own side, totally, totally empty. But not nonexistent. So it means Middle Way view.

I have “transgressed the vows of bodhisattvas...,” which are merely labeled by the mind. “...transgressed the samaya of secret mantra.” Which are merely labeled by the mind. “I have been disrespectful to my parents...,” which are merely labeled by the mind. “I have been disrespectful to my vajra masters...,” “to my abbot,” which are merely labeled by the mind. “...have been disrespectful to my spiritual friends, engaging the actions or behaviors harmonious to the perfectness, the enlightenment,” which means abiding in the vow of pratimoksha, vows. Then, similar to the bodhisattva vows, then also the tantric vows, then the particular vajra, the same guru, the same guru’s disciple from whom have taken tantric initiations, the vajra, I’ve forgotten the word. Vajra kin, vajra kin. Vajra kin-kin. So, that, from the root fall, which is the, criticizing the vajra kin, so which comes the third number there, when we count, the way it’s arranged is the third heavy one. So these negative karmas, so how heavy it is or even that one time, suffering result, all the obstacles, that disrespected to them, and then having done, created that numberless times from beginningless rebirth. Then now throw the atomic bomb on that, merely labeled by mind, which are merely labeled by the mind, so strong regretfulness rises, by thinking committed especially then numberless times from beginningless rebirth, then, one, that is strong regretfulness rises, then throw the atomic bomb, the emptiness, by thinking merely labeled by mind, all these are merely labeled by the mind, so trying to get the idea of emptiness, the meaning of that is it’s empty.

Then, “I have committed actions harmful to the Three Jewels,” not just one time, done numberless times from beginningless rebirth, harmed the Three Jewels. All these are merely labeled by mind. “And avoided the holy Dharma,” this extremely heavy one, not just have been done one time, in this life, if we think well then it’s possible may have done many times in this life. However, done numberless times from beginningless rebirth. Which are merely labeled by the mind. “...criticized the arya Sangha...,” not just one time, which has very heavy suffering result, but so many times even in this life and done numberless times from beginningless rebirth, that which are merely labeled by the mind. This means that the negative karma. “...harmed sentient beings...,” so not just one time then that almost every day directly or indirectly harmed the sentient beings, from beginningless rebirth. Big harms to sentient beings, small harms to sentient beings, so there was like this. Then, when we were animal, tigers, so forth, snakes, we were born those numberless times, like this animals, then there’s no other food to live on except meat, except other sentient beings, alive, eating alive. So there are so many, so there are numberless, so many different types who live on other living, alive, other sentient beings. Then even as human being then eating alive. Then, now not just one, yeah, so like this, collected number-, negative karma collected from beginningless rebirth, so all these negative karmas are merely labeled by mind

“...and so on. These and many other nonvirtuous actions I have done, have caused others to do...,” so on the top of that there’s this, have done, have caused others to do, not only oneself engage, but on top of that, cause others to engage, not just one time, numberless times done that from beginningless rebirth, all these negative karmas merely labeled by mind. “...have rejoiced...,” then on top of that also there’s this, have rejoiced in others’ doing negative karma, not just one time in this life, so many times, many times it happens, then numberless times was done from beginningless rebirth, also which has very heavy suffering result, collect the same heavy karma as the other person, as the other sentient being. Even you don’t, even one is not engaged in actual killing or whatever that person did, negative karma, but by rejoicing you get the same heavy karma as that person did, as actually yourself engage in that action. As far as negative karma, you get the same. Even though one doesn’t have the reputation or that one did, but having rejoiced you get the same heavy karma. Done from beginningless rebirth and all these negative karmas are merely labeled by mind.

“In the presence of the great guru Vajradhara...true happiness will not come.”

So end of any practice of purification, it becomes more powerful purification, at the end, any practice of purification at the end to do, to circle, so to seal with emptiness, meditate the three, action, so the doer, oneself, and the action, and the object what is done, so looking at it empty.

In emptiness there’s no I, the creator, there is no action of creating, there is no object what is created, the negative karma what is created. While, similar, while everything is empty, then dedicate the merits by labeling this and that. While the, in the state of mindfulness, everything are empty, do not exist from their own side, everything empty, continuing that awareness, then dedicate.

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

Jang chhub sem chhog rin po chhe

Ma kye pa nam kye gyur chig

Kye pa nyam pa me pa yi

Gong nä gong du phel war shog

May the precious supreme bodhichitta

Not yet born arise.

May that arisen not decline,

But increase more and more.