法苑珠林 86.69

86.69

I, disciple [Name], universally on behalf of all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu, confess the sinful karmas committed from beginningless time until now: whether slaying rulers and parents, as well as realized beings and arhats; warring, campaigning, and slaughtering with blades and weapons; hunting beasts and birds, netting and catching insects and fish; or having been an evil king whose punishments were excessive and unjust; down to all breathing beings endowed with nature and wriggling life—harming, slaughtering, and injuring all kinds of living creatures; as well as fierce beasts and birds of prey devouring one another; or stealing the property of the Buddha, the property of the Dharma, the property of the Saṃgha, and the wealth of others; taking bribes and receiving wealth while holding official office when handling affairs; or outside one's own household committing impure sexual misconduct, making no distinction of relatives and showing no deference to monks or nuns; arbitrarily giving rise to love and hate, and falsely harboring jealousy; or practicing false deception and lying to mislead rulers and parents, claiming to know what was unknown and claiming to see what was unseen, relying on ghosts and spirits to trick and deceive worldly people; or slandering, flattering, and engaging in divisive speech to instigate strife between two parties, taking this evil speech and relating it to that side, and holding that evil speech and discussing it on this side, estranging ruler and minister and dividing flesh and blood, so that all harmony was destroyed thereby; or uttering harsh and coarse words to defame and revile others, scolding and berating at one's caprice with curses in one's mouth; or failing to use correct words and instead engaging in frivolous talk, calling good evil, taking foulness for fragrance, naming the long as short, speaking of white as black, and mocking people with deceptive words and deceitful talk; or setting the mind on coveting tastes and grasping without moderation; by nature prone to anger and resentment, entangled in wrath; or failing to recognize correct principle and being confused by wrong views, slandering the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha, and declaring that there are no causes and effects; not believing that cultivating goodness brings the bliss of humans and gods, and not believing that doing evil incurs the suffering of hell; or declaring that this body is obtained without cause, or asserting that the future is annihilated without cause and effect; destroying stūpas and temples, burning scriptures; melting and scraping Buddha statues to take their gold and copper; defiling saṃghārāmas and violating the prohibitive precepts; or drinking alcohol, eating meat, and consuming the five pungent roots; through ignorance and wrong views leaving no evil uncommitted. All these ten kinds of evil karma set forth: committed by oneself, instructing others to commit them, or rejoicing at seeing them committed—these sins have certainly existed from beginningless time. Due to the causes and conditions of these sins, they can cause sentient beings to fall into hells, animals, and hungry ghosts. If born among humans, they have short lifespans and many illnesses, dwell constantly in baseness and poverty; sharing wealth with others, they do not gain autonomy; their wives are neither virtuous nor prudent, two wives quarrel with each other; they are frequently slandered and ruined, deceived and misled by others; all their relatives are vicious and broken up; they do not encounter good words and always hear evil sounds; in whatever they set forth, there is constantly litigation; even if they speak true words, people do not believe and accept them; the words they utter are neither articulate nor correct; coveting wealth insatiably, they do not obtain what they seek; others constantly watch for their shortcomings; non-virtuous friends together harass and harm them; they are constantly born into households of wrong views; they constantly harbor devious minds. The ten unwholesome karmas from beginningless time have all arisen from afflictions and wrong views. Now, relying on the power of Buddha-nature and right view, I confess and repent them so that they are all eliminated. Just as when a bright jewel is cast into muddy water, through the jewel's majesty and virtue the water becomes clear and pure, the majesty and virtue of Buddha-nature is likewise: cast into the muddy waters of the afflictions of sentient beings—the four grave sins and the five heinous crimes—they all become clear and pure immediately. I, disciple [Name], and all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu, from this present body until attaining Buddhahood, vow never again to commit these sins. I take refuge in and pay homage to the eternally abiding Three Jewels. Having finished the confession, I next pay homage to the merit of the confession and make vows, speaking the verses: