However much negativity and non-virtuous past actions we have accrued,
We seek your forgiveness for all these transgressions.
O you whose cognisance and knowledge spans [the three] times,
Since you are sublime beings, embrace us!
Since we are sentient beings, we are flawed and bewildered,
And, since [this separation] is an illusion, may our confession be granted!
Since you are accomplished in skilful means, bestow your purity upon us!
Then a remorseful confession should be made to the peaceful deities as follows:
OṂ Most precious Samantabhadra [in union], supreme buddha-mind,
Even though you are our father and hold mastery over the three world-systems,
And even though you are our mother and assimilate [all things] in the ultimate expanse,
By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body.
Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful.
We seek your forgiveness, O Samantabhadra and Samantabhadrῑ, mother and father!
Most precious buddhas of the five enlightened families, [manifestations of] supreme buddha-mind,
Even though you are our fathers and hold mastery over the three world-systems,
And even though you are our mothers and assimilate [all things] in the ultimate expanse,
By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body.
Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful.
We seek your forgiveness, O father and mother buddhas of the five enlightened families!
Most precious male and female bodhisattvas, [manifestations of] supreme buddha-mind,
Even though you are our fathers and hold mastery over the three world-systems,
And even though you are our mothers and assimilate [all things] in the ultimate expanse,
By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body.
Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful.
We seek your forgiveness, O male and female bodhisattvas!
Most precious six sages, buddha-bodies of emanation, [and manifestations of] supreme buddha-mind,
Even though you hold mastery over all the sentient beings throughout the three world-systems,
And even though you emancipate their respective worlds into the ultimate expanse,
By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body.
Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful.
We seek your forgiveness, O six sages, emanational buddha-bodies!
Most precious male and female gatekeepers, [manifestations of] supreme buddha-mind,
Even though you are our fathers and hold mastery over the three world-systems,
And even though you are our mothers and assimilate [all things] in the ultimate expanse,
By conceiving of our bodies [in a mundane way], we have dishonoured the illusory body.
Thus our commitments have degenerated and we have grown truly remorseful.
We seek your forgiveness, O male and female gatekeepers!
CONFESSION IN THE PRESENCE OF THE WRATHFUL DEITIES
The confession of faults in achieving meditative stability in reality is as follows:
OṂ As we have failed to liberate the egotism of the subject- object dichotomy,
Within the original maṇḍala of natural sameness,
We still have not realised the non-dual truth of the abiding nature.
O non-dual Buddha-body of Reality, we seek forgiveness!7
The confession of faults in achieving the meditative stability which illuminates all that appears is as follows:
You open the portals which unimpededly illuminate the ultimate truth,
And [naturally] arise as the Buddha-body [of Perfect Resource], within an expanse of radiantly clear moonlight,
But we have let the light [emanating from] the seminal points of your ‘generative essence’ be diffused.
O Buddha-body [of Perfect Resource], which illuminates all that appears, we seek forgiveness!8
The confession [of faults in achieving] the meditative stability of the causal basis [entailing the visualisation of] the tiered celestial palace and the seats [of the wrathful deities] is as follows:
From the expanse of space, which is the unborn ultimate truth,
There appears the buddha-body, the medium through which the fruitional attributes [of buddhahood] emerge.
Yet we have not even clearly visualised this powerful celestial palace,
The abode in which the supreme power [of buddha-body] is gradually generated.
In the presence of the blazing celestial palace, we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the five male herukas, the executors of buddha-body
Though you steadfastly [appear] as buddha-bodies, sealed within the nature of supreme bliss,
Holding in your hands the respective implements, emblematic of the six pristine cognitions,
We have not [even] achieved the experience of such [vividly] clear visualisation.
O five blood-drinking herukas, we seek forgiveness!
Confession to their consorts, the five krodheśvarῑ
O supreme mother-consorts, conjoined indivisibly with the [male] buddha-bodies,
We have let the light of your non-dual ‘generative essence’ be diffused,
Into the ‘spacious expanse’, which is the lotus seed of desire.
O five krodheśvarῑ deities, we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the eight mātaraḥ
O wrathful female deities of pristine cognition, born of buddha-mind,
[The natural transformation] of the eight classes of consciousness,
O Gaurῑ and accompanying [Mātaraḥ], ḍākinῑs of pristine cognition,
For whatever ways we have contradicted your buddha-mind,
O eight mātaraḥ [who embody] the classes [of consciousness], we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the eight piśācῑ
O Siṃhamukhῑ and accompanying [piśācῑ],
Though you remain unwavering in a compassionate and quiescent state,
You emanate in blazing awesome forms, [endowed] with fangs and wings,9
To pacify misconceptions and substantialist views.
For whatever ways we have contradicted your buddha-mind,
O eight piśācῑ [who embody] the objects [of consciousness], we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the four female gatekeepers
O four female gatekeepers, at [the portals of] the ornate palatial maṇḍala,
You who summon [with the hook], bind [with the noose], shackle [with the chain] and insulate [with the bell],
O Horse-headed Aṅkuśā and accompanying [female gatekeepers],
For whatever ways we have contradicted your buddha-mind,
O seals of the four gatekeepers, we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the twenty-eight ῑśvarῑ
O Iśvarῑ, you who are accomplished in the rites of ‘liberation’,10
And hold mastery over [the judgement of] virtuous and non-virtuous actions,
O Iśvarῑ, assembly of mothers,
For whatever ways we have contradicted your buddha-mind,
O oceanic expanse of mothers and sisters, we seek forgiveness!
Confession to the awareness holders
[O awareness holders], though you never stray from a state of compassionate equipoise,
Within the maṇḍala of spontaneously present natural expression,
We have not achieved your [pristine] clarity of subtle meditative stability.
O you who maintain the enlightened attributes, we seek your forgiveness!
Confession of one’s beginningless violation of the commitments
Throughout the beginningless succession of
our births,
Until now, when we have assumed these, our present bodies,
We have revolved within the worlds of rebirth, swayed by ignorance,
And however many human births we have taken,
Wherever we have been born, we have engaged in all kinds of negative acts,
Including the five inexpiable crimes and the five approximate crimes —
Actually committing them, or inciting [others] to commit them,
And even rejoicing in committing and inciting them.
Please direct your enlightened compassion towards us!
Grant us purification, and bestow your [spiritual] accomplishments upon us!
Then the confession should be recited to the entire maṇḍala of wrathful deities, and the request for forgiveness made in the following way:
HŪṂ O herukas of pristine cognition, natural purity of the five poisons,
[Resplendent] amidst flames blazing like the fire at the end of an aeon,
United with the five krodhῑśvarῑ, the great mothers of space;
O four inner ḍākinῑs, Gaurῑ and your partners,
O outer yoginῑs, Pukkāsῑ and your partners,
O fanged clusters of devourers, Siṃhamukhῑ and your partners,
O winged [clusters] of the intermediate directions, Gṛdhramukhῑ and your partners,
O twenty-eight ῑśvarῑ, of the blazing courtyard,
O four female gatekeepers, who summon, bind, shackle and insulate11 at the four gates:
We who have not even clearly visualised the bodies of the assembly of wrathful herukas,
We who have failed to recite sufficient heart-mantras,
And failed to stabilise [the actualisation of] the seals,
We who have failed to offer adequate feast- and torma-offerings,
Request the entire assembly of wrathful deities for forgiveness!
Next, the following specific confessional prayers should be made to the maṇḍala of the wrathful deities:
OṂ Should we have broken our pledge, which is dangerous to transgress,
Having earlier taken upon us this supremely secret vow,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the five families of herukas,
We seek your forgiveness, O greatly compassionate ones!
Should we have been obscured by conceptual grasping,
Whilst engaged in the practices of the supreme sexual yoga,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the great mother Krodhῑśvarῑs,
We seek your forgiveness, O [mother] krodheśvarῑs!
Should we have failed to actualise the sacred substances and the seals,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the carnivorous Gaurῑs,
We seek your forgiveness, O eight mātaraḥ, embodiments of the classes [of consciousness]!
Should we have failed to array the offerings of flesh and blood,12 in accordance with the textual descriptions,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the Piśācῑs, Siṃhamukhῑ and her partners,
We seek your forgiveness, O ḍākinῑs, embodiments of the objects [of consciousness]!
Should we have failed to differentiate between the four gates: east, south, west, and north,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the female gatekeepers, the horse-headed Aṅkuśā and her partners,
We seek your forgiveness, O four female gatekeepers of pristine cognition!
Should we have failed to subdue [attachment to] the six realms of cyclic existence,
Having accepted [vows], which are dangerous to transgress,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the seven mothers and four sisters,13
We seek your forgiveness, O eleven ḍākinῑs!
Should we have allowed our resources to become exhausted and the first fruits of the feast-offerings to be spoiled,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the Iśvarῑ who monitor the first fruits [of the feast-offerings],
We seek your forgiveness, O twenty-eight ῑśvarῑ!
Should we have failed to remain unmovingly in the sacred abodes, but instead engaged in [distracted] activities,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the wardens of the sacred abodes,14
We seek your forgiveness, O great wardens of the sacred abodes!
Should we have failed to regard our personal [spiritual teacher] as our parent,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the vajra-master,
We seek your forgiveness, O regal vajra[-master]!
Should we have failed to master meditative stability,
And failed to distinguish [the characteristics of] the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the assistant vajra-master,15
We seek your forgiveness, O lamp of the Buddhist teachings!16
Should we have interrupted [the stabilisation of] the seals through our laziness,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the ritual officiant,
We seek your forgiveness, O master of ritual activities!
Should we have failed to reach the highest criteria when engaged in the practices of sexual yoga,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the female consorts, the embodiments of discriminative awareness,
We seek your forgiveness, O secret mother, consort who embodies awareness!
Should we have lacked the power to maintain meditative stability when engaging in rites of ‘liberation’,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the male ‘liberating’ avengers,
We seek your forgiveness, O [Citipati], master of ‘liberating’ avengers!17
Should we have failed to please the buddha-mind of the wrathful female emanations,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the [gatekeeping] messengers who summon and guide,18
We seek your forgiveness, O [female gatekeepers], who swiftly enact the rites!
Should we have broken the continuous expression of love and affection through our laziness,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of our brothers and sisters, [our companions] on the path to enlightenment,
We seek your forgiveness, O vajra-brothers and sisters!
Should we have allowed our commitments to degenerate out of trivial banter,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of those [protectors] who determine the outer and inner [boundaries of our precepts],
We seek your forgiveness, O you [protectors] who keep vigil over the commitments!
Should we have consumed our resources [accumulated for the feast-offering],
And allowed the first fruits of the residual offering to be spoiled,
For whatever ways we have contradicted the buddha-mind of the subterranean goddesses within the outer retinue,
We seek your forgiveness, O greatly compassionate ones!
Please be patient [with us],
And bestow your pure spiritual accomplishments upon us!
PLAINTIVE CONFESSION OF RAMPANT EGOHOOD19
OṂO great compassionate and transcendent lord Vajrasattva,
Whose supremely exquisite form, immaculate and white,
Is suffused by a pure inner radiance, glowing like a hundred thousand suns and moons,
[Emanating] heroic rays of light, which illuminate the chiliocosm,
You who are known as the guide and teacher of the three levels of existence,
The unique friend to all living beings of the three world-systems,
O lord of loving kindness, deity of compassion, please attend to us!
From beginningless time, without end, I have roamed throughout cyclic existence —
Led astray by the momentum of my mistaken pa
st actions and improper past behaviour,
I have mistaken the path and become lost on the path.
I regret with powerful remorse the negative past actions I have committed, of any kind.
Drawn by the momentum of momentary yet violently resonant past acts,
I have sunk into this ocean of suffering, the sea of cyclic existence.
The fires of blazing hatred have unabatingly seared my mind,
The dense darkness of delusion has blinded my discriminative awareness,
The ocean coasts of desire have drowned my consciousness,
The mountain of fierce pride has entombed me in the lower existences,
The cruel whirlwind of envy has sucked20 me into these turning worlds,
Where, entwined by the tight knot of egocentricity,
I have fallen into the pit of desire, this chasm of blazing fires.
Unbearably brutal misery has poured down on me like heavy rain.
[Damaged] by such extreme and unbearable suffering,
[Seared] by the blazing ferocious fires of my negative past actions,
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Page 16