【Explanation of the Confession to the 35 Buddhas Practice - Notice 4】Auspicious Origination of the Dharma

By Teacher Zhen-Ru, 15/12/2017

With reference to the book “Explanation of the Confession to the 35 Buddhas Practice”, page 82, from L6:

This time, the 35 Buddhas Repentance is mainly about the written explanation by Master Fo Zhi (佛智大师). This written explanation is being translated from Tibetan to Chinese language by the venerables who are currently learning the 5 Great Treaties. You will know who are the venerables who did the translation after the book is being published. The 35 Buddhas repentance originated from “The Great Treasures Collection Sutra Ascertaining the Discipline: Upāli's Questions”. This is written in both the scriptures of the Chinese and Tibetan lineages. In the Chinese lineages, there is the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra that also mentioned this form of practice, which is to repent to the 35 Buddhas.

In the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra, Upāli asked the Buddha, “If people who have undertaken the precepts but transgressed them, how should they repent?“ Therefore, the Buddha told Upāli about the confession to the 35 Buddhas Practice. In the Tibetan Tengyur, a collection of treatises, it contained Nagarjuna Bodhisattva’s teachings on Bodhisattvas repentance, which also explained the 2 causes of the 35 Buddhas repentance. In Tibet, the Tripitaka Sutra is split into Tengyur and Kangyur. Kangyur is teachings by the Buddha (sutra), while Tengyur is referring to commentaries (of the sutras) by the great spiritual masters from India. The teachings by great spiritual masters from Tibet were also recorded in it.

In the Bodhisattvas Repentance by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, it explained the 2 origins of the 35 Buddhas repentance. Firstly, there was a Xi-Zhe Bodhisattva, together with 35 beginner Bodhisattvas, during their time in Rajgir while begging for food, they committed a sin that would lead them to fall into miserable realms. This meant that one has undertaken precepts but transgressed them. Therefore, Upali requested the Buddha to give a discourse on repentance. The Buddha then radiated light, and invited 34 others Buddhas who were watching over the samsara world, together with their relatives, to come to the space before them. Xi-zhe Bodhisattva, together with the other 35 beginner Bodhisattvas were able to arise the sense of remorse, and started making offerings to the 35 Buddhas, that include Shakyamuni Buddha. They took refuge, made huge aspirations, paid respect and repented repeatedly. Take note! There was this “After one round”, which means after 1 round of repentance, all their sins and obscuration were purified. This was written by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva. Isn’t this incredible? Not only all sins and obscuration could be purified, first stage of (the ten) Bodhisattva grounds was attained! The first stage to enlightenment!

You need to know that, for repentance, there was this related verse - “A light is enough to destroy a thousand years of darkness”. This means that when there is light, even if your house has been in darkness for a thousand years, it will light it up immediately. You do not have to wait for a thousand years for the house to light up but it will be lighted up immediately! Therefore, this karma created is unimaginable when you repent to the 35 Buddhas. This is stated in the sutras.

Also, in Nagarjuna Bodhisattva’s commentaries, it was mentioned that these Bodhisattvas did not break the precept, but appeared to have broken the precept so as to illustrate to benefit the sentient beings.

Nagarjuna Bodhisattva’s commentaries also mentioned another cause of the 35 Buddhas, which was about a Brahmin (who was cultivating ethical discipline) from Rajgir, gave discourses that were not in accordance with the Dharma to 35 fishermen. After giving the discourse, he immediately fell into the miserable realms and was reborn as a big fish with 35 heads. Due to Buddha’s compassion for this fish, the Buddha gave a discourse on 35 Buddhas repentance in order to save him.

参考书本位置：《吾愿无悔：三十五佛忏讲记》第 82 页第 6 行起

这次我们《三十五佛忏》主要是讲佛智大师写的释，从藏文翻译成汉文，则是我们凤山寺学五大论的学僧翻的，至于是谁，以后出书你们就知道了。 《三十五佛忏》出自于《大宝积经．优波离请问会》，这个在汉传和藏传的教典中，都是这样写的。在汉地还有一个《观虚空藏菩萨经》中也有提到，说要依照三十五佛而忏悔的这种修行方式。

在《虚空藏经》中，就是优波离尊者向佛陀请问：「如果受了戒再破了戒的人，应该如何忏罪？」如是佛陀为优波离尊者宣说依三十五佛的这种忏悔办法。在藏地《丹珠尔》中收录的论典里边，有龙树菩萨所造的《菩萨堕忏释》，讲到为什么会有《三十五佛忏》的两段因缘。藏地的大藏经分《丹珠尔》和《甘珠尔》，《甘珠尔》是佛说的，《丹珠尔》是祖师说的，而且是印度的论师讲的；藏地的论师写的就是在祖师集里面。

龙树菩萨所造的这个《菩萨堕忏》解释，就说到两段因缘。第一段就是有一戏者菩萨等三十五位初业行者，在王舍城乞食的时候，犯下了堕罪。 "堕罪"就是有了戒律然后犯戒的罪。于是圣者优波离尊者就劝请佛陀宣说忏悔法，世尊就放光，以光明迎请观待我们这个娑婆世界的三十四尊佛还有佛陀的眷属，来到了这个世界，安住在这个国土的虚空中。戏者菩萨等三十五位初业行者，就具足了悔心，对加上我们释迦牟尼佛的三十五尊佛，进行供养、皈依、发心、礼拜、再忏罪。注意喔！ "经过如是一返"，就是一遍的礼拜忏悔，所有的罪障都得到清净。这是龙树菩萨写的，会不会觉得太不可思议了？所有的罪障都得到了清净，并且证得了圣位而住于初地，登地了！

要知道，忏悔，有一句话说"一灯足以灭千年暗"，就是灯点亮的那一刹那，你这个黑屋子黑了一千年，一刹那间就照亮了，不用灯一千年再把它照亮，刹那间就照亮了！所以这也是业力不可思议的一个转换，依照《三十五佛忏》，这是经典上的记载。另外，龙树菩萨的释论当中，也有讲到一点，说这些菩萨是为利乐后世有情而示现了堕罪，并非真实地犯下堕罪。

龙树菩萨的释论当中还提到三十五佛的另外一段因缘，就是在王舍城的戒生婆罗门，对三十五位渔夫宣说邪道——讲的不是正法。讲完之后，他因此就堕落了，堕落成有三十五个头的一条大鱼。而这个《三十五佛忏》，就是佛陀悲悯这个有三十五头的大鱼，为了解救它给它宣说的。