Thirty-five tathāgatas, often referred to as the Thirty-five buddhas, play a significant role in Buddhist purification practices. Imagine embarking on a journey to clear away old baggage from your mind – the Thirty-five buddhas are like powerful guides and witnesses on this path! From a Buddhist perspective, our experiences, whether they're pleasant or unpleasant, don't just happen out of the blue. They arise because of actions we've taken in the past, actions that can be virtuous or non-virtuous, carried out through our body, speech, or mind. These actions stem from our intentions, and their results, whether good or bad, ripen later, sometimes in this life but often in future lives. The Buddha, in his teachings, placed great emphasis on this law of cause and result, explaining that actions are definite in producing results, their potential increases over time, actions not done won't bring their results, and actions done will definitely produce a result. Just like we clean our clothes when they get dirty, we need a way to cleanse our inner being – our mental continuum – from the stains left by non-virtuous actions of body, speech, and mind. This inner dirt, the impure mind, leads to unpleasant results, so it's really vital to regularly practice purification. One especially powerful method for this is engaging in a purification practice, such as "The Bodhisattva’s Confession of Downfalls," which is often done in conjunction with applying something called the four opponent forces. When we do this practice with these forces, it helps purify not only the non-virtuous actions we've committed in this life but also those from countless beginningless lives in cyclic existence. This makes purification absolutely essential for our spiritual, or mental, development. Among the objects of prostration, the Thirty-five buddhas hold a very special place in this purification practice. The practice explained in the source is specifically taught to show how to confess negativities and downfalls in the presence of these Thirty-five buddhas. **Who are the Thirty-five Tathāgatas?** The source gives us the names of these powerful beings, starting with Shākyamuni Buddha in the center. The list includes names like Tathāgata Thoroughly Destroying With Vajra Essence, Tathāgata Radiant Jewel, Tathāgata Nāga-Lord King, and many others, each with a beautiful and meaningful name. The term "Tathāgata" itself is a Sanskrit epithet for a buddha, meaning "One Gone Thus," indicating that a buddha simultaneously knows all phenomena and their ultimate reality, or emptiness. These Thirty-five buddhas are not just abstract figures; they are seen as real beings who have attained different aspects of enlightenment. For example, they have attained the truth body, enjoyment body, and emanation body, which means they completely know all that exists. They are described as "exalted wisdom," "eyes," "witnesses," and "valid" persons because they directly realize all phenomena, clearly see all our actions (both good and bad), witness them, and can unmistakenly distinguish between right and wrong. Confessing to them is appropriate because they possess these profound qualities and pay attention to everything we do, even minor faults. **The Power of Their Names and Prostrations** One of the key ways we connect with the Thirty-five buddhas in this practice is by prostrating to them and reciting their names. The source explains the incredible benefits of doing this. Simply reciting or remembering the names of these tathāgatas just one time is said to purify negativities accumulated over countless eons. Let's look at some examples of the purifying power associated with reciting their names: - Reciting "I prostrate to Tathāgata Shākyamuni" purifies negativities from ten thousand eons. - Tathāgata Radiant Jewel purifies negativities of twenty thousand eons. - Tathāgata Jewel Moonlight purifies negativities of eight thousand eons. - Meaningful to Behold purifies negativities of one eon. - Jewel Moon purifies the negativities of the five actions of immediate retribution. - Immaculate purifies the negativities of the five secondary actions. - Bestowed With Courage purifies negativities motivated by hatred. - Purity purifies negativities motivated by attachment. - Glorious Sorrowless purifies negativities motivated by ignorance. - Lotus Light Rays purifies all obscurations of mind. - Glorious Wealth purifies all obscurations of misusing the possessions of the sangha. - Glorious Name purifies all obscurations motivated by jealousy. - Most Powerful Victory Banner purifies all obscurations motivated by pride. - Jewel Lotus eliminates the obscurations of having abandoned the Dharma. - Mountain-Lord King eliminates the obscurations of having degenerated our commitments to the guru. The source details various negativities purified by these names, including those driven by the three poisonous minds (attachment, hatred, ignorance) and the ten non-virtuous paths of action (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh words, idle talk, covetousness, malice, and wrong view). It even mentions very heavy negativities like the five actions of immediate retribution (such as killing one's parent or causing blood to flow from a tathāgata) and the five secondary actions of immediate retribution. While some of these might seem impossible to have committed in this life (like causing blood to flow from Shākyamuni Buddha during his lifetime or creating the specific schism initiated by Devadatta), the Great Vehicle teachings suggest they are possible in relation to any tathāgata, and tantra teachings suggest equivalents like abandoning the Dharma or destroying a Buddha statue. Since we don't know what we might have done in past lives, it's crucial to purify them. The source emphasizes that reciting the names purifies many types of negativities, even heavy ones accumulated over eons. Prostrations themselves are a way of showing respect and have specific benefits. Performing physical prostrations, touching five body parts to the ground (legs, arms, head), purifies negativities of the body. When combined with visualizing countless emanated bodies also prostrating and reciting names with countless tongues, a single physical prostration can create immense merit, equivalent to countless prostrations and recitations. This physical act, along with recitation and mental veneration, helps to reduce specific mental afflictions; prostration is the antidote to pride. **Performing the Confession Practice** To engage in this practice effectively, the source provides a visualization. We are encouraged to visualize Shākyamuni Buddha in the center, surrounded by the other thirty-four buddhas, all seated on moon cushions, lotuses, and jeweled thrones. We should imagine they are actually present and, if possible, visualize their specific colors and hand positions as listed in the source. Even a simple visualization of Shākyamuni Buddha and the feeling that the others are present is sufficient if a detailed visualization is difficult. The confession is performed by integrating the four opponent forces. 1. **The Force of the Basis:** This involves going for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha from the depths of your heart, knowing they are aware of all your negativities. It also includes generating the mind of enlightenment – the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Confessing in the presence of the Thirty-five buddhas is part of this force, relying on them as the basis for purification. 2. **The Force of Total Repudiation:** This is about developing deep regret for the negative actions you've committed since beginningless time. Admitting and confessing your karmic obscurations without concealing or hiding them is key here. 3. **The Force of Turning Away from Faults in the Future:** This is the firm resolve or determination to try to refrain from engaging in those negative actions in the future. You decide to stop the negativities you've been doing and not to do those you haven't done. 4. **The Force of Applying All Antidotes:** This involves actively performing a countermeasure to purify negativities. In this practice, prostrating while reciting the names of the Thirty-five tathāgatas is the main antidote applied. Other antidotes include meditating on emptiness, reciting mantras, making offerings, etc., and indeed, any positive action done with the purpose of purifying can be an antidote. By performing the confession practice with all four opponent forces present – refuge, the mind of enlightenment, regret, resolve, and applying the antidote of prostration and recitation – and with faith in the efficacy of the practice, the source assures us we will definitely purify our negativities. The text even suggests that doing this continually, day and night, is necessary because we continually commit negativities. **Signs of Successful Purification** How can you tell if your purification practice is working? The source mentions that signs of purification can occur in dreams. These signs include things like vomiting bad food, drinking pure liquids like yogurt or milk, seeing the sun or moon, traveling in the sky, seeing a blazing fire, defeating a buffalo or someone wearing black, seeing ordained Sangha, climbing a tree spouting milk, mounting an elephant or bull, climbing a mountain or mansion, or listening to the Dharma. Seeing these signs in dreams confirms that your negativities are being successfully purified. **Looking Deeper** The Thirty-five buddhas are profoundly connected to the broader path of spiritual development. Their qualities, such as knowing both ultimate and conventional truths and fulfilling the welfare of self and others, reflect the path to buddhahood. Confessing to them helps clear the obscurations that prevent us from realizing our own buddha nature – the potential present in every sentient being to become a buddha. The practice is deeply linked to the mind of enlightenment, which involves cultivating equanimity, recognizing the kindness of all sentient beings, developing love and compassion, and taking responsibility to free them from suffering. This leads to the powerful practice of exchanging self and others, realizing the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others. Purifying negativities clears the path for these profound realizations. The practice of "The Bodhisattva's Confession of Downfalls" is also known as "The Sutra of the Three Heaps" because it contains three essential parts: the heap of confession, the heap of dedication, and the heap of rejoicing. The confession, utilizing the Thirty-five buddhas and the four opponent forces, makes up the first heap. **Further Ideas and Questions to Explore:** - The source lists specific colors and hand positions (mudras) for many of the Thirty-five buddhas. What is the significance of these colors and mudras in Buddhist iconography and practice? How do they relate to the qualities or activities of each buddha? - The names of the buddhas themselves are rich with meaning (e.g., "Glorious Sorrowless," "Utterly Suppressing"). What do the original Sanskrit or Tibetan names signify, and how does understanding the meaning of the names enhance the practice of recitation? - The practice of purification is said to make our mental continuum "an appropriate vessel for accomplishing the higher paths". What are these "higher paths" in the context of the Buddhist path to enlightenment (e.g., the paths of accumulation, preparation, seeing, meditation, and no more learning)? How does purification relate to gaining realizations? - The source mentions that abandoning the Dharma is said to be the heaviest negative action. What does it mean to "abandon the Dharma," and why is it considered so serious? How does reciting the names of the Thirty-five buddhas, specifically Jewel Lotus Suppresser, purify this? - The efficacy of purification is compared to the moon becoming beautiful when clouds clear. How does this analogy help us understand the concept of inherent buddha nature that is temporarily obscured by negativities and afflictions?