Confession prayer is one of the Seven Branch Practices. It is a prayer to express the tremendous remorse we feel after realizing the faults we have committed, having succumbed to the three poisons – desire, hatred and ignorance. This is done by applying the four powers:
(i) Power of Reliance – Taking refuge in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
(ii) Power of Remorse – Deeply regretting the wrongdoings
(iii) Power of Remedy - Doing purification practices such as Vajrasattva and Nyungney practices
(iv) Power of Commitment – Vowing to never engage in such wrongdoings again
The Confession Prayer with regard to the 14 Root Downfalls of Vajrayana is a powerful prayer to purify the negative karma that we could have accumulated due to both intended and unintended mistakes we may have made that breaks the vows of a Vajrayana practitioner.
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