The practice of the 35 Confessional Buddhas is one of the most long lasting purification practices that has been propagated since the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. The practice itself was derived from the Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps, which in Sanskrit is known as Triskandhadharmasutra. This text was originally spoken by Buddha Shakyamuni himself and was taught within the Ratnakutasutra, an ancient collection of Mahayana Buddhist sutras. In a commentary by Nagarjuna, the origin of the practice can be traced to 35 Bodhisattva students of Buddha Shakyamuni, who were implicated in the death of a beer-seller’s son. Having remorse, they confessed their downfall to the Elder Upali, who was exemplary in upholding his monastic vows and commitments. They pleaded for him to relay their confession to Buddha Shakyamuni and to request a teaching to purify their wrongdoing. Buddha Shakyamuni saw that these 35 Bodhisattva students were actually innocent in the case but for the sake of future practitioners, he taught the Triskandhadharmasutra as a means to purify the downfalls of practitioners. One of the most famous examples of those who practised the 35 Confessional Buddhas is Lama Tsongkhapa. He is well-known to have engaged in a purification retreat during […]