Explore/Chapter 2 - Confession of Negativity: Difference between revisions
From Bodhicitta
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The thread that ties us to this birth is almost worn through and the messengers from the Lord of Death approach us. Who can help us? | The thread that ties us to this birth is almost worn through, and the messengers from the Lord of Death approach us. Who can help us? What can be done? | ||
What can be done? | |||
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Śāntideva replies that at this moment, as our life force fades, there is only one real protection. Only the Dharma can really help us at that moment, and in particular it is only the merit that derives from the positive karmic actions we have done throughout our life that can be of aid in this stricken moment. There should be a strong sense of regret that we had opportunities to act in more positive ways, and yet we never took them. The regret of missing such an opportunity to engage in virtue and instead act in negative ways can also be taken as a kind of confession. In this condition we look for a source of guidance and protection—a true place of refuge: | |||
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We are so close to death, and the possibility of falling into the lower realms suddenly becomes real. But if we have not made effort to seek out and correctly rely on a valid source of refuge and made no attempt to recognize our past negative actions and confess them, then there will be no chance to do that as we lie there dying. In desperation we search for some kind of safe place, but there is none to be found. Gyaltsab Je's conclusion here is that we must put all of these practices into place now while we have the leisure and time. Leaving them to our last moments will be disastrous. | |||
Understanding that we will be unable to find any source of help if we leave it until the time of death when terror overwhelms us, we look around right now for a source of support. Therefore, right now we must immediately resolve to rely for that strength on the Buddhas, the supreme guardian of beings, who is able to protect us from all sorrow. | Understanding that we will be unable to find any source of help if we leave it until the time of death when terror overwhelms us, we look around right now for a source of support. Therefore, right now we must immediately resolve to rely for that strength on the Buddhas, the supreme guardian of beings, who is able to protect us from all sorrow. | ||
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The primary thrust of this chapter has been the confession of negativity, and the Three Jewels can act as a support for that confession. But they are also able to act as a support for the process of purification. Understanding what the valid objects of refuge are and reflecting on all the negativity one has done and confessing it to those objects of refuge, we then set a course for ourselves moving forward: | |||
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We swear to ourselves that our one course of action must be to break all of our negative habitual patterns and actions. Khenpo Kunpal insists we ask ourselves: | We swear to ourselves that our one course of action must be to break all of our negative habitual patterns and actions. Khenpo Kunpal insists we ask ourselves: | ||
So we should ask ourselves, how can we make sure to rid ourselves of evil, which alone is the cause of sorrow? This should be our only concern, as the text says—our sole and constant thought. This should be our daytime obsession and something that keeps us awake at night! It is thus that we should strive to confess our evil actions. | {{QuoteCite | ||
|quote-text=So we should ask ourselves, how can we make sure to rid ourselves of evil, which alone is the cause of sorrow? This should be our only concern, as the text says—our sole and constant thought. This should be our daytime obsession and something that keeps us awake at night! It is thus that we should strive to confess our evil actions.<ref>Blankleder and Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans., ''The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech," 116.</ref> | |||
}} | |||
In his commentary Khenpo Kunpal also makes a very important point regarding our negative actions. As well as leading us to future suffering in the lower realms it also prevents our virtuous actions right now, such as trying to study, contemplate, and meditate on the teachings, from being effective. | In his commentary Khenpo Kunpal also makes a very important point regarding our negative actions. As well as leading us to future suffering in the lower realms it also prevents our virtuous actions right now, such as trying to study, contemplate, and meditate on the teachings, from being effective. | ||
To conclude the chapter, Śāntideva mentions another of the key features of confession-the promise never to engage again in the actions which we have confessed: | |||
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This is a central part of the practice. We do not expect to say some simple words of how sorry we feel | This is a central part of the practice. We do not expect to say some simple words of how sorry we feel and then simply be absolved from any further consequence. Confession in the Buddhist tradition is an active process of really taking on board the bad things we have done, admitting honestly to them, confessing them to the Buddhas and our teachers, and then, through confession, marking a line in the sand, promising that we will not transgress these boundaries again. | ||
