The True Essence of Repentance
Teachings from Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha
Recorded on February 3, 2019
February 3, 2019.
Many practitioners who attend a assembly do so with the hope of resolving conflicts with their , and they seek to repent for the sins they have committed out of ignorance in the past. However, one must pause and reflect: how many of these practitioners truly understand the profound significance of repenting? It is a common misconception that repenting is merely a ritualistic act, performed by kneeling before the Buddha and shedding tears of regret. While these outward expressions may show a degree of remorse, they do not constitute the entirety of true repenting.
Beyond Rituals: The Heart of True Change
True repenting requires one to identify the very root of their sins. It demands that we cultivate a heart of absolute sincerity and make a firm, unshakable vow to never repeat those mistakes again. This is the essence of genuine change. The nature of beings is often inconsistent; we may resolve to change today, only to fall back into our old patterns tomorrow. Therefore, we must understand that every act of repenting is an immediate opportunity to cleanse our sins. We must constantly remind ourselves that the true meaning of repenting is to truly change our ways. The path of practice is, at its core, a process of transforming our habits and correcting our erroneous views. This is a point that Practitioner Su frequently emphasises to all those who study the Buddha's path.
The Mirror of Self-Reflection
To the Bodhisattvas of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, the question of whether one has achieved spiritual success in their practice is simple: have you truly changed? Have you identified the habits you have carried through beginningless time? Have you corrected them? How much have you modified your behaviour? You must be clear and honest with yourself regarding these questions. A true practitioner must elevate their awareness and cultivate a heart of . If you look at the world and see only your own faults, if you face yourself with sincerity at every moment, and if you possess a genuine determination to change, then you are on the path to true achievement. Even when others are caught between confusion and , your own conduct serves as a teaching. This is the spirit of repenting in action.
Practitioner Su, in his Dharma talks, has pointed out the nature of our afflictions with great clarity. He asks: where do our habits come from? Why is our personality the way it is? Why do we suffer? Often, it is because we are intolerant of others, yet we are quick to forgive ourselves. We find fault in everyone else, but we are the most lenient judges of our own actions. This is why so many who chant Namo Amituofo only attain a superficial level of skills. They lack the true strength that comes from deep practice. Only by having faith in the Buddha, learning the virtues of the Buddha, and engaging in true vows and true practice can one achieve spiritual success.
The Four Great Vows Within
We should reflect deeply upon the verse of repenting: "All the negative I have created since beginningless time, born of greed, anger, and delusion, from my Body, Speech, and Mind, I now repent before the Buddha. I vow to save the infinite beings. I vow to cut off the endless afflictions. I vow to learn the infinite Dharma gates. I vow to attain the supreme Buddha's path." When we are in the process of repenting our sins, we must first understand the erroneous actions of our Body, Speech, and Mind. Through the rituals of the Dharma assembly, we can repent for all our karmic obstacles.
Furthermore, we must engage in a deeper level of repenting. We must repent for the very roots of our sins and then make the Four Great Vows, applying them to our own nature: I vow to save the beings within my own self-nature; I vow to cut off the afflictions within my own self-nature; I vow to learn the Dharma gates within my own self-nature; and I vow to attain the Buddha's path within my own self-nature.
Resolving Karma Through Sincerity
By acknowledging our sins and understanding our own errors, we develop a heart of repenting toward our karmic creditors. We then express this with true sincerity, addressing the errors of our Body, Speech, and Mind. Finally, we must understand why we committed these errors in the first place: they all stem from our own greed, anger, and delusion. Repenting is the root of cleansing these sins. When we make a sincere vow before the Buddha to repent, we are effectively dissolving our negative karma. When our karmic creditors witness the true sincerity of a practitioner who has truly repented, they are often willing to resolve the conflict and depart.
Ma Ming
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Haiyuan, as chief writer.
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