慈悲水懺法

All Buddhas, out of compassion for sentient beings, expounded the Water Repentance Dharma of the bodhimanda. Today, we reverently pay homage to all Buddhas.

Homage to Vairocana Buddha,

Homage to the Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha

Homage to Amitabha Buddha

Homage to Maitreya Buddha.

Homage to the Buddha, Sovereign and Supreme Honored One of the Naga Lineage.

Homage to the Buddha, Sovereign Master of the Samadhi of the Flower of Enlightenment.

Homage to Kashaya Banner Buddha

Homage to Lion’s Roar Buddha

Homage to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

Homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Homage to Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Homage to Great Adornment Bodhisattva.

Homage to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

Having bowed in homage to all Buddhas, we next continue our repentance.

Now that our bodies and minds have attained peace and purity, inwardly we are not deceived by afflictions, and outwardly we are not obstructed by hindrances and adversities. This is precisely the time to give rise to good and extinguish evil. We must also practice the four contemplative practices as expedient means for eradicating offenses.

The four contemplative practices are:

1) Contemplating causes and conditions,

2) Contemplating karmic retribution,

3) Contemplating one’s own body,

4) Contemplating the body of the Tathagata

First, contemplating causes and conditions: We know that we have committed offenses because, through ignorance, we entertained deluded thoughts, lacked the power of right contemplation, did not recognize our offenses, departed far from good friends, and departed far from all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, following demonic paths and perilous ways. We were like fish swallowing hooks, unaware of the danger; like silkworms spinning cocoons and binding themselves; and like moths plunging into flames and burning themselves. Because of these causes and conditions, we have been unable to attain liberation.

Second, contemplating karmic retribution: Because of evil karma, we must continually revolve throughout the three times—past, present, and future—enduring boundless painful retribution, submerged in the long night and the vast ocean, where the rakshasa demons of affliction devour our flesh. The course of future birth and death is vast and without shore. Even if, through meritorious retribution, one becomes a wheel-turning sage king, rules the four continents beneath heaven, travels freely through the air, and possesses the seven treasures in full, after death one still cannot escape the evil destinies.

Even if one enjoys the retribution of the Heaven of the Four Formless Attainments, the highest realm within the three realms, when that meritorious retribution is exhausted, one must return and become an insect in the filth beneath an ox’s neck. How much more is this true of those without merit or virtue who are indolent and do not diligently repent? They are no different from people clutching stones and casting themselves into a deep abyss; they can scarcely hope to escape.

Third, contemplating our own bodies: Although we possess the direct cause of the nature of enlightenment, it is obscured by the darkness of afflictions. Lacking the power of the revealing cause, our fundamentally luminous and clear nature cannot manifest. Today, we must bring forth a supreme resolve to tear apart the veil of ignorance, sweep away the obstacles of delusion and inversion, eradicate the false and deceptive causes of birth and death, and reveal the wisdom and luminous clarity of the Tathagata, thereby establishing the fruit of unsurpassed nirvana.

Fourth, contemplating the body of the Tathagata: It is unconditioned, pure, and radiant, far removed from the four defilements and free of the hundred faults. Replete with every virtue, it is quiescent and eternally abiding. Although the Tathagata expediently enters cessation, his compassionate deliverance of sentient beings never ceases even for a moment.

To give rise to such contemplations is a wholesome harbor for extinguishing offenses and an essential practice for eliminating karmic obstructions. Therefore, today we sincerely beseech the Buddhas as we repent.

Moreover, from beginningless time until now, we have nourished and increased our afflictions. Day by day, they have grown deeper, denser, and more abundant, obscuring the eye of wisdom so that we cannot discern truth from falsity, and cutting off all wholesome deeds so that they cannot continue. We give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from seeing the Buddha, hearing the true Dharma, and encountering the noble Sangha; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from perceiving wholesome and evil karma in the past, present, and future, and from knowing the Dharma of liberation; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from attaining honored and noble stations among devas and humans;

we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from being born in the form realm or formless realm to enjoy the peaceful bliss and meritorious retribution of meditative concentration; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from attaining mastery of spiritual powers—flying, traveling, disappearing, and appearing throughout all Buddha lands in the ten directions to hear the Dharma; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the contemplation of counting the breaths to keep the mind from becoming scattered, the contemplation of impurity to restrain craving, and the contemplation of causes and conditions to eliminate delusion; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the stages of warmth, summit, patience, foremost, and the seven expedient practices;

we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, hearing, reflection, and cultivation; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct our understanding of the contemplative practices of the three aspects of emptiness, equality, and the Middle Way; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the factors that aid the path—the foundations of mindfulness, right efforts, faculties, powers, and bases of spiritual accomplishment; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the Noble Eightfold Path, which clearly reveals the characteristics of its constituent parts;

we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the path of the seven factors of enlightenment, which is beyond attachment to outward characteristics; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the eight liberations and the nine successive concentrations; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the ten knowledges and the three samadhis; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct the six paramitas, the four unobstructed eloquences, and the four immeasurable minds; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the four means of embracing in order to teach and transform all sentient beings; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the four great vows of the Mahayana mind;

we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the ten understandings and the ten practices; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the ten dedications of merit and the ten vows; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the luminous understanding of the first, second, third, and fourth bhumis; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the knowledge and vision of the fifth, sixth, and seventh bhumis; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the simultaneous illumination of the eighth, ninth, and tenth bhumis; we give rise to afflictions that obstruct us from learning the practices cultivated throughout hundreds of thousands of asamkhyeya kalpas.

Such obstructions to spiritual cultivation are measureless and boundless. Today, with utmost sincerity, we turn toward all Buddhas of the ten directions, the honored Dharma, and the noble Sangha. Filled with the deepest shame and remorse, we beseech them as we repent, vowing that all these obstructions shall be completely eradicated.

Through the merit of repenting of all afflictions that obstruct spiritual cultivation, may we attain mastery over rebirth, dwelling wherever we wish without being driven through accumulated karmic retribution. May we further employ spiritual powers in accordance with our wishes, traveling throughout the ten directions in a single instant, both adorning and purifying all Buddha lands and gathering in and transforming all sentient beings.

May we unobstructedly penetrate the most profound states of meditative concentration and the knowledge and vision of all Buddhas. May our minds constantly encompass all dharmas, expounding them freely without attachment. May we attain mastery of mind, mastery of Dharma, and mastery of expedient means, causing the ignorant afflictions accumulated throughout long ages to be forever eradicated and never arise again, so that we may realize the noble, undefiled state, radiant as the sun.

Having made these vows, we offer our bodies and lives in reverent homage to all Buddhas.

Homage to Vairocana Buddha,

Homage to the Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha

Homage to Amitabha Buddha

Homage to Maitreya Buddha.

Homage to the Buddha, Sovereign and Supreme Honored One of the Naga Lineage.

Homage to the Buddha, Sovereign Master of the Samadhi of the Flower of Enlightenment.

Homage to Kashaya Banner Buddha

Homage to Lion’s Roar Buddha

Homage to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

Homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Homage to Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Homage to Great Adornment Bodhisattva.

Homage to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

Having bowed in homage to all Buddhas, we next proceed to repentance.

We………………………..have briefly repented of the afflictive obstructions; now, in due order, we beg to repent of karmic obstructions. The force of karma fosters the various destinies; wherever beings may be, they become attached and defiled, unwilling to reflect and seek liberation. Therefore, the retributions in the six realms are not the same, and the bodily forms of the various species differ from one another. Thus we know that these are caused by the force of karma; among the Buddha’s ten powers, the power of karma is the most profound.

Ordinary beings often give rise to doubt. Seeing that those who do good in this world encounter many hardships, while those who do evil enjoy peace and favorable circumstances, they conclude that good and evil are not clearly distinguished. Those who cling to such a view have not penetrated the profound principle of karmic retribution. The sutras teach that there are three kinds of karmic retribution:

The first is retribution in the present life, the second is retribution in the next life, and the third is retribution in later lives. Retribution in the present life means that good or evil deeds performed in this very life bring their results upon this very body. Retribution in the next life means that good or evil deeds performed in this life bring their results only in the following life. Retribution in later lives means that good or evil deeds performed throughout innumerable past kalpas bring their results in this life or only after innumerable future kalpas.

Those who now do evil yet encounter good fortune do so because the good karma destined to bear fruit in the next or later lives, accumulated in past lives, has ripened, and therefore they enjoy favorable results. It is not that the evil they commit in this life brings good retribution. Those who now do good yet suffer do so because evil karma destined to bear fruit in the next or later lives, accumulated in past lives, has ripened. The wholesome sprouts of the present are too weak to restrain and subdue that evil karma, and so they must undergo painful retribution.

It is not that doing good in this life brings evil retribution. Moreover, when we see those who do good in this world receiving praise and respect from others, we should know that in the future they will certainly enjoy happy results. In the past, we accumulated such evil karma; therefore, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas taught us to draw near to good spiritual friends and perform the rite of repentance together. Encountering a good spiritual friend is of great benefit in cultivating and attaining the Way. Therefore, today we sincerely take refuge in the Buddha.

Moreover, from beginningless time until now, we have accumulated evil karma as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, committing transgressions sufficient to fill both great lands. Again and again, we have cast off one body and assumed another, all without awareness or understanding. We may have committed the grave five heinous offenses, becoming heavily bound and creating the karma of the Avici hell; or committed the offense of an icchantika, creating karma that destroys our roots of goodness; disparaged the Buddha’s teachings, creating the karma of slandering the Mahayana scriptures; damaged and destroyed the Three Jewels, creating the karma of ruining the true Dharma; disbelieved in transgression and merit, creating the karma of the ten evil deeds;

misunderstood the truth and acted contrary to the true Dharma, creating the karma of delusion; been unfilial toward our parents, creating perverse karma; treated teachers and elders with contempt and arrogance, creating the karma of irreverence; broken faith with friends, creating the karma of unrighteousness; violated the four grave or eight grave precepts, creating karma that obstructs the noble path; broken the five prohibitory precepts, creating the karma of violating the precepts; broken the Eight Precepts of the one-day retreat or transgressed the five categories of offenses, creating the karma of numerous precept violations; violated the upasaka precepts, creating karma through offenses of defilement, whether light or grave;

before receiving the precepts and after receiving them, defiled the pure conduct; failed to observe the six monthly fasting days, creating the karma of negligence; failed to observe the three annual months of continuous fasting, creating the karma of inconstant practice; failed to preserve the three thousand forms of dignified conduct, creating karma contrary to the precepts and Dharma; failed to preserve the eighty thousand rules of conduct, creating the karma of subtle offenses; created karma by failing to cultivate the training in morality, mind, and wisdom; created karma by committing offenses on the eight observance days and on auspicious days in spring and autumn; created karma by practicing the sixteen evil disciplines; created karma by showing no compassion toward sentient beings;

created the karma of lacking sympathy and refusing aid; harbored jealousy, creating the karma of failing to deliver all beings; maintained distinctions between enemies and loved ones, creating the karma of partiality; indulged in the five desires, creating the karma of failing to become disenchanted and detached; or, for the sake of food and clothing, gardens and forests, ponds and lakes, created the karma of dissipation and lust; or, in the recklessness of youth, indulged our sensual desires and committed many offenses; or created wholesome karma with outflows and dedicated it toward rebirth within the three realms, creating karma that obstructs the supramundane Dharma.

These transgressions are immeasurable and boundless. Today, before the Buddhas of the ten directions, the honored Dharma, and the noble Sangha, we disclose and repent of them.

Through the merit of repenting of all offenses born of ignorance, may our evil karma be completely extinguished and wholesome merit arise. We vow that, life after life and kalpa after kalpa, we shall eradicate the five heinous offenses and eliminate the deluded karma of the icchantika. From this day forward until we attain Buddhahood, we vow never again to commit any evil karma, whether grave or light.

We vow always to devote ourselves to cultivating pure, supramundane wholesome Dharmas; to uphold the precepts with complete strictness; and to guard our dignified conduct as a person crossing the sea cherishes and protects a flotation bladder. May the six paramitas and the four immeasurable minds (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) always stand foremost among the myriad practices. May the qualities of morality, concentration, and wisdom become ever more radiant.

May we swiftly accomplish the thirty-two excellent marks, the eighty beautiful characteristics, the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the three foundations of mindfulness, great compassion, wondrous wisdom, constant bliss, and the Tathagata’s eight kinds of mastery. We...............................vow to take refuge in all Buddhas and beseech them, in their loving compassion, to protect and be mindful of us.

Previously, we repented collectively of all karma; now, in due order, we beg to repent separately of each individual offense. These transgressions may be collective (offenses committed by the three kinds of karma) or individual (offenses committed through one of the six sense faculties); gross (offenses committed by the body) or subtle (offenses committed by the mind); light (offenses committed unintentionally) or grave (offenses committed deliberately); known (offenses known to everyone) or unknown (offenses committed and known by oneself alone).

Whatever their categories and classes, we vow to eradicate them all. We shall repent of each offense separately. First, we repent of the three bodily karmas; next, we repent of the four verbal karmas; thereafter, we beg to repent in succession of all remaining karmic obstructions.

Of the three bodily karmas, the first is the karma of killing. As the sutra says: “Forgive others as you forgive yourself; neither kill nor strike.” Even birds and beasts know to preserve their lives and fear death just as we do. If we examine the matter closely, all sentient beings, throughout beginningless time, may once have been our parents or siblings, or may once have been our relatives and kin.

Yet, because of the causes and conditions of karmic retribution, they have had to wander through the six destinies, entering and leaving the paths of birth and death, changing forms and appearances until they no longer recognize one another. Now we have the heart to kill them and eat their flesh; this gravely harms our loving compassion. Therefore, the Buddha taught: “Even when eating vegetables and fruits, imagine that, in a time of famine, you are compelled to eat the flesh of your own child—how much more so when eating fish and meat.” The Buddha also taught: “Those who kill sentient beings for profit and those who spend money to purchase fish and meat both create evil karma;

after death, they fall into hell and wail in anguish.” Therefore, we should know that the offenses of killing creatures and eating their flesh are as deep as rivers and seas and as heavy as hills and mountains.

Yet, from beginningless time until now, because we did not encounter good spiritual friends, we created such karma. The sutra teaches: “The offense of killing often causes sentient beings to fall into hell or the realm of hungry ghosts, there to undergo painful retribution. If reborn among animals, they must assume the bodies of tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, hawks, or falcons; or the bodies of venomous snakes and poisonous centipedes, harboring cruel and malicious dispositions; or the bodies of deer, antelopes, hares, and other wild animals, forever living in fear.

If they attain human birth, they undergo two kinds of retribution: first, frequent illness; and second, a shortened life.”

The killing of animals for their flesh has brought about innumerable evil retributions such as these. Today, with utmost sincerity, we seek repentance.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, ever since we possessed this consciousness, we have often harbored cruel and malicious thoughts, devoid of compassion. We may have killed out of greed; killed out of anger, delusion, or arrogance; killed by cruel means; sworn to kill, vowed that another should be killed, or killed through talismans and spells, and so forth. We may have breached ponds and drained their waters, set mountains and forests ablaze, hunted, trapped, netted, or fished; taken advantage of the wind to spread fires; or released hunting birds and hounds to torment and harm beings of every kind.

For all such offenses, we now seek repentance. We may have used snares, traps, pits, hooks, spears, bows, or crossbows to kill flying birds and running beasts; or used nets, traps, and fishing lines to catch aquatic creatures, leaving fish, soft-shelled turtles, loaches, clams, snails, shrimp, mussels, and all other creatures of the waters, the land, and the air with nowhere to hide or take refuge. We may have raised chickens, pigs, goats, dogs, geese, and ducks in order to kill and eat them ourselves, or hired others to slaughter them, so that before their anguished cries had ceased, their feathers had already been plucked, their shells and scales shattered, their heads and bodies severed and cast apart, and their flesh and bones torn asunder.

They were skinned, ripped open, disemboweled, cut apart, burned, singed, boiled, and roasted—how immeasurable their pain! Alas! Relying upon our strength, we killed innocent creatures and ate their flesh merely to delight the mouth for a moment and savor a little flavor.

For no more than three inches of tongue, we incurred karmic retribution throughout life after life and kalpa after kalpa. For all such evil offenses, today we seek repentance with utmost sincerity.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, we may have raised armies and waged war, fought upon the frontiers, confronted one another, and killed one another. We may have killed with our own hands, ordered others to kill, or rejoiced upon hearing that someone had been killed. We may have learned the trade of slaughtering pigs and cattle, hired ourselves out as butchers, cut apart and cooked the bodies and lives of animals, and committed many merciless deeds.

In anger, we may have brandished spears and wielded blades, slashed or stabbed beings, pushed them into pits, drowned them in water, filled in their burrows and destroyed their nests, blocked them in with earth and stones, or used carts and horses to roll over and trample living beings. Such offenses are measureless and boundless; today we disclose them all and seek repentance.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, we may have aborted fetuses, smashed eggs, or used poisonous creatures and toxic substances to destroy living beings. We may have cleared land, cultivated fields and gardens, raised silkworms, and reeled silk from cocoons, thereby killing innumerable beings. We may have struck and driven away flies and mosquitoes, crushed lice and fleas between our teeth, burned filthy refuse, or opened and drained ditches, killing creatures in the process.

In eating fruit or using grain, rice, vegetables, and melons, we may have wantonly killed living beings. We may have burned firewood or lit lamps and torches, thereby burning insects to death. We may have used soy sauce and vinegar without first stirring the surface, or poured boiling water and killed worms and ants.

Even while walking, standing, lying down, or sitting, we have constantly killed tiny living beings that fly through the air or cling to the ground. Because the minds of ordinary beings are darkened and unaware, we committed these offenses. Today we disclose them all and seek repentance.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, we may have used whips, sticks, cangues, chains, pincers, and clamps to interrogate and torture living beings; struck them, wrestled them down, punched and kicked them; bound and imprisoned them with ropes and shackles; deprived them entirely of food and water; or used cruel methods to inflict suffering and distress upon them. Today, with utmost sincerity, before all Buddhas of the ten directions, the Venerable Dharma, and the noble Sangha, we seek repentance.

Through the merit of repenting of these offenses of killing, may we, throughout life after life and kalpa after kalpa, obtain bodies as firm as vajra, enjoy immeasurable longevity, remain far removed from enmity and hatred, and never again entertain thoughts of killing. May we regard every living being as our only child. If we see beings facing calamity or grave danger, may we first employ skillful means to rescue them, without begrudging even our own bodies and lives, and afterward teach them the wondrous true Dharma, enabling all beings who behold our forms or shadows to attain peace and happiness, while those who hear our names or voices are immediately freed from fear. Therefore, today we bow our heads and take refuge in the Buddha.

Homage to Vairocana Buddha,

Homage to the Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha.

Homage to Amitabha Buddha.

Homage to Maitreya Buddha.

Homage to Dragon-Species Supreme Honored King Buddha.

Homage to Flower of Enlightenment Samadhi Sovereign King Buddha.

Homage to Kashaya Banner Buddha.

Homage to Lion's Roar Buddha.

Homage to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

Homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Homage to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Homage to Great Adornment Bodhisattva.

Homage to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

Having bowed in homage to the Buddhas, we next repent of the karma of stealing and robbery.

The sutras state: “What belongs to another is guarded by that person. Even a leaf of a vegetable or a blade of grass must not be taken unless it is given, much less may anything be stolen or seized.” Yet because living beings see only immediate gain, they acquire things contrary to the Way and consequently suffer calamity afterward. Therefore, the sutras state: “The offense of stealing causes living beings to fall into the hells or the realm of hungry ghosts and undergo immeasurable suffering.” If reborn among animals, they must take the bodies of oxen, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, and so forth, using their own flesh and blood to repay others for debts incurred in former lives.

If they obtain human birth, they must become the servants and slaves of others, without sufficient clothing to cover their bodies or enough food for their meals, destitute and afflicted, scarcely retaining anything of a human existence. Since stealing brings such painful retribution, today we seek repentance with utmost sincerity.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, we may have stolen the money, wealth, or precious possessions of others; wielded knives to seize things by force; personally assaulted and coerced people to take their property; or relied upon authority and power, using large needles and heavy clamps to oppress and falsely accuse the innocent. We may have accepted bribes from the corrupt, condemned the upright and falsely declared them deviant, thereby causing them to become entangled in the net of the law.

We may have taken money from subordinates and permitted them to commit wrongdoing; converted public property to private benefit or private property to public use; harmed one person to benefit another or harmed another to benefit the first; diminished the property of others for our own gain; spoken frequently of generosity while remaining miserly at heart; evaded taxes upon fields and markets; avoided tolls at ferries and checkpoints; misappropriated public property for private use; or concealed persons liable for taxation or corvée labor and employed them in our own service.

For all such offenses, today we seek repentance.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, whether among friends and associates, monastic teachers and fellow students, parents and siblings, or relatives and kin living together, we may have deceived and defrauded one another concerning the myriad necessities of life. In dealings with nearby neighbors, we may have moved fences or shifted walls to encroach upon their house lots; altered boundary markers and signposts; seized their money and property; usurped their fields and gardens; used the pretext of public business for private gain; or infringed upon their shops, fields, and lands. For all such offenses, today we seek repentance.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, we may have assaulted and destroyed towns and cities, burned villages and demolished fences, trafficked in innocent people, or enticed away the servants of others. We may have oppressed and falsely accused the innocent, causing them to be stabbed or slashed until blood flowed and flesh was mangled, their bodies sent into exile, their family property ruined, and their flesh-and-blood relatives separated and scattered to different regions, cut off from one another in life and death. Such offenses are measureless and boundless; today we seek repentance for them all.

Furthermore, from beginningless time until now, while trading goods, operating shops, or bartering articles, we may have used light scales, undersized measures, shortened rulers, or cheated others of every fraction and grain; exchanged inferior goods for superior ones or short measures for long ones; and practiced deceit in a hundred ways in pursuit of the slightest profit. For all such offenses, today we seek repentance.

Again, from beginningless time until now, we may have bored through walls or dug beneath them, blocked roads and robbed travelers, evaded debts, withheld or reduced others’ rightful profits, betrayed affection and broken promises, deceived others outwardly while scheming inwardly, or wrongfully seized the possessions of ghosts and spirits, animals, and sentient beings. We may have used fortune-telling or physiognomy as a pretext to defraud others of their property.

Thus, we sought profit upon profit, pursued gain through unrighteous means, and sought it with insatiable greed, knowing neither contentment nor sufficiency. Such offenses are measureless and boundless and cannot all be described. Today, with utmost sincerity, we turn toward the Buddhas of the ten directions, the Venerable Dharma, and the Holy Sangha, and repent of them all.

Through the merit of repenting of these offenses of theft and robbery, may we, life after life and kalpa after kalpa, always possess wish-fulfilling jewels that naturally produce the seven precious treasures, supremely beautiful garments, food endowed with every flavor, and every kind of medicine. Whatever we desire, may it immediately appear. We further vow that no sentient being shall ever again entertain thoughts of stealing or robbery, but shall have few desires, know contentment, remain free from attachment and defilement, always delight in generosity, and practice the path of giving aid. May they relinquish their heads, eyes, marrow, and brains as readily as they cast away phlegm and spittle, thereby aspiring to perfect the paramita of generosity.

Next, we.............................. repent of the offense of craving and sensual attachment. The sutra says: “Solely because of craving and desire, beings are imprisoned within the dungeon of delusion, submerged in the cycle of birth and death, and know no way out.” Because sentient beings are intoxicated by the five desires, from ancient times until now they have continually wandered through the paths of birth and death.

If the bones of all sentient beings throughout tens of thousands of kalpas were gathered into a heap, they would equal Mount Vepulla near the city of Rajagriha. The milk received from mothers would be as abundant as the waters of the four seas; the blood shed from their bodies would be even greater. The tears shed by parents, siblings, relatives, and kin as they mourned at the time of death would likewise equal the waters of the four seas.

Therefore it is said: While craving and attachment remain, birth and death remain; when craving and attachment cease, birth and death cease. Thus it is known that craving and attachment are the root of birth and death. The sutra says: “The offense of sexual misconduct can cause sentient beings to fall into the hells or become hungry ghosts, where they undergo limitless suffering.” If born among animals, they must take the form of pigeons, sparrows, or mandarin ducks.

If born among human beings, they encounter unfaithful wives or husbands and are surrounded by disagreeable relatives. Sexual misconduct brings such evil retribution; therefore, today, with utmost sincerity, we seek to repent of it.

Again, from beginningless time until now, we may have seduced others’ wives or concubines and taken away their spouses and children; defiled nuns; destroyed the pure conduct of others; violated others through unrighteous coercion; gazed flirtatiously with improper intentions; spoken and laughed frivolously; disgraced the reputation of another’s family; sullied another’s good name; or engaged in impure conduct with the five classes of sexually indeterminate persons. Such offenses are truly measureless and boundless. Today, with utmost sincerity, we repent of them all.

Through the merit of repenting of these offenses of sexual misconduct, may we, life after life and kalpa after kalpa, be spontaneously born without passing through a womb. May we be pure and radiant, with luminous features, our six faculties clear, our minds intelligent and keen. May we clearly understand that sensual affection is a chain that binds us, carefully discern that the six sense objects are illusory transformations, and resolutely depart from the realm of the five desires. Even in dreams, may we never entertain improper thoughts, and may neither inward nor outward temptations be able to disturb our minds.

Having repented and made these vows, we now devote our entire bodies and lives to reverently bow before the Three Jewels.

Previously, we repented of the three evil karmas of the body. Now, in due order, we repent of the four karmas of speech.

The sutra says: Offenses and karma created through speech often cause sentient beings to fall into the hells or become hungry ghosts, where they undergo limitless suffering. If reborn among animals, they must take the bodies of owls and horned owls, whose cries are detestable. If they attain human birth, their breath is foul, no one believes what they say, and discord, fighting, and quarrels frequently arise among their relatives and kin.

Since the karma of speech bears such evil fruits, today, with utmost sincerity, we take refuge in the Three Jewels and seek repentance. From beginningless time until now, we................................. because of the karma of abusive speech, have passed through the four destinies and six realms and committed many offenses. We spoke coarsely, using fierce and overbearing words, without regard for rank or propriety.

Whether dealing with those close or distant, noble or lowly, whenever anything slightly displeased us, we became angry, shouted abuse, reviled and humiliated others with all manner of base, vile, and malicious words, sparing nothing. We caused others to harbor lifelong resentment that they could never forget, creating calamities and enmities without end. We also complained against heaven and earth, reproached ghosts and spirits, slandered sages and saints, falsely accused the virtuous, and disgraced good people.

Such offenses and karma created through abusive speech are truly measureless and boundless. Today, with utmost sincerity, we repent of them all. Again, from beginningless time until now, through the karma of false speech, we have committed countless offenses.

Seeking reputation, profit, and offerings, we concealed the truth and practiced every kind of deceit. Our minds were deluded and our faces brazen. What existed, we said did not exist; what did not exist, we said existed.

What we saw, we said we had not seen; what we had not seen, we said we had seen. What we heard, we said we had not heard; what we had not heard, we said we had heard. What we knew, we said we did not know; what we did not know, we said we knew.

What we had done, we said we had not done; what we had not done, we said we had done. We scorned sages and saints, deceived and deluded the people of the world, and were never truthful in anything we said, even among fathers and sons, rulers and ministers, relatives, and friends, causing others who mistakenly trusted our words to lose their families and even their nations. We also feigned magical arts, constantly praised ourselves, and boasted that we had attained the four dhyanas, the four formless samadhis, anapanasati, the sixteen contemplative practices, the fruit of stream-entry, and even the states of arhatship, pratyekabuddhahood, and the non-retrogressing bodhisattva.

We claimed that devas, nagas, ghosts, spirits, wind deities, and earth deities all came into our presence. We further displayed strange marvels to delude people’s minds, hoping to obtain reverence, offerings, and the four requisites. Such offenses and karma created through false speech are measureless and boundless.

Today, with utmost sincerity, we repent of them all.

Again, from beginningless time until now, through the karma of embellished speech, we have committed countless offenses. We used ornate expressions and florid compositions to distort errors and embellish wrongdoing. We skillfully composed songs portraying alluring beauty and describing licentious conduct, causing people of the middle and lower classes to become emotionally aroused and morally unrestrained, so intoxicated by sensual beauty that they could not awaken themselves.

Or, indulging private resentment and disregarding impartial public judgment, even when another was a loyal minister, a filial child, a person of lofty resolve, or a virtuous sage, we still composed elaborate writings falsely accusing that person of crimes, so that later generations would believe them to be true, causing the accused to harbor resentment beneath the Nine Springs with no means of vindication.

Such offenses and karma created through embellished speech are measureless and boundless. Today, with utmost sincerity, we repent of them all.

Again, from beginningless time until now, through the karma of divisive speech, we have committed countless offenses: praising people to their faces while disparaging them behind their backs; practicing deceit and cunning in a hundred ways; telling one person about another and telling the other about the first; seeking only our own benefit without regard for the harm done to others; slandering and flattering in order to estrange rulers from their ministers;

falsely accusing, defaming, and humiliating the virtuous, causing rulers and ministers to distrust one another, fathers and children to become estranged, husbands and wives to separate, relatives and loved ones to grow distant, the bond of gratitude between teachers and disciples to be destroyed, and all intercourse between friends to be severed; even causing two nations that had maintained friendly relations to renounce their covenant, lose their harmony, engender enmity, raise armies against each other, and slaughter the people.

The karma of divisive speech has produced offenses as immeasurable and boundless as these. Today, with utmost sincerity, we turn toward all Buddhas of the ten directions, the revered Dharma, and the noble Sangha, openly confessing all these offenses and beseeching compassionate acceptance as we repent.

Through the merit of repenting the four evil karmas of speech, may we, life after life and age after age, be endowed with the eight qualities of voice and the four kinds of eloquence. May we always speak words that bring harmony and benefit; may our voices be refined and pleasing, so that all wish to listen; and may we clearly understand the languages of all sentient beings. Whatever we say, may it accord with their capacities, enabling all who hear us to awaken, enter the noble path, transcend the ordinary state, and open the eye of wisdom.

Having repented and made these vows, we now devote our entire bodies and lives to reverently bowing before the Three Jewels.

Previously, we repented the three evil karmas of the body and the four evil karmas of the mouth. Now, in due sequence, we repent the karmic offenses and obstructions created through the six sense faculties.

We......................... from beginningless time until now, have allowed our eyes to be deluded by external forms, delighting in the colors black, yellow, red, purple, and blue, and in precious ornaments and playthings; or, seeing the features and appearances of men and women—tall or short, fair or dark, with charming and alluring manners—we have given rise to improper thoughts. Our ears have craved pleasing sounds, such as musical modes, zithers, flutes, songs, and entertainments; or, hearing melodious voices and the speech, weeping, and laughter of men and women, we have given rise to improper thoughts.

Our noses have delighted in smelling the fragrances of agarwood, sandalwood, camphor, musk, turmeric, and storax, and we have given rise to improper thoughts. Our tongues have craved delicious, fresh, sweet, and rich flavors, so that we have taken the blood and flesh of sentient beings to nourish this body of the four great elements, thereby further cultivating the root of suffering and giving rise to improper thoughts.

Our bodies have desired splendor and ostentation, brocade, satin, silk, gauze, every soft and smooth fabric, and beautiful garments adorned with the seven precious substances, and we have given rise to improper thoughts. Our minds have habitually indulged in confused imaginings, so that wherever they encounter an object, they act contrary to the Dharma. Through the six sense faculties, we have created offenses and karma as immeasurable and boundless as these.

Today, with utmost sincerity, we turn toward all Buddhas of the ten directions, the revered Dharma, and the noble Sangha, and repent them all.

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of sight, we vow that these eyes shall behold the manifestation of the pure bodies of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions, without making discriminations.

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of hearing, we vow that these ears shall always hear the true Dharma taught by all Buddhas and noble sages throughout the ten directions, and that we shall practice correctly in accordance with those teachings.

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of smell, we vow that this nose shall always perceive the fragrance that enters the Dharma-nature in the Realm of Accumulated Fragrance, and shall remain far removed from the foul and impure odors of samsara.

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of taste, we vow that this tongue shall always partake of the food of meditation and delight in the nourishment of the Dharma, never craving the taste of the blood and flesh of sentient beings.

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of touch, we vow that this body shall wear the “Tathagata’s robe,” don the “armor of patience,” lie upon the “bed of fearlessness,” and sit upon the “Dharma seat of emptiness.”

Through the merit of repenting the offenses created by the faculty of mind, we vow that this mind shall attain the ten powers and thoroughly comprehend the five fields of knowledge; shall contemplate the true emptiness and equality of the Two Truths; shall, through wisdom and skillful means, enter the stream of the Dharma-nature; and, lucid in every thought-moment, shall manifest the Tathagata’s patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas.

Having made these vows, we now devote our entire ailing bodies to reverently bowing before the eternally abiding Three Jewels.