Repentance in Buddhism

The Buddha “What do you think, Rāhula? What is a mirror for?”

Rahula: “For reflection, sir.”

“In the same way, Rāhula, bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions are to be done with repeated reflection.

The Ambalaṭṭhikā Rāhulovāda Sutta (MN 61), translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

I was surprised while writing this post that I had never covered this subject in the blog. This post is meant to be a handy reference.

As you can see in the quote above from the Pali Canon, one of the earlier collections of Buddhist texts (a.k.a. sutras), the Buddha stressed repeated reflection as part of the discipline that comes with the path. There’s no set way to do this, what matters is sincere reflection, and a willingness to compare your actions and words against a benchmark like the Dharma to see if they are in fact “wholesome” or “harmful”.

That said, this process of self-refletion and repentance developed over the centuries into a kind of ritualistic liturgy often used in Mahayana Buddhism. In Japanese Buddhism this is known as sangé (懺悔), and the English translation goes something like this:

All of the misdeeds I have committed in the past,

Arose from my own beginningless greed, hatred and delusion,

And manifested through body, speech and mind.

These [misdeeds] I now repent in full.

alternative translation here (which I also used as a reference here): https://www.sotozen.com/eng/library/glossary/individual.html?key=verse_of_repentance

Different Buddhist sects will recite this slightly differently, but the basic meaning is all the same. As we are beings burdened by our own karma, and past ignorances, this manifests over and over in our actions, speech and thoughts. Another way to explain it is that each of us come into this world according to our own circumstances, some of which are carried from past lives, and these circumstances color our view of the world leading to ignorance, greed, and false assumptions. This is turn leads us to being a dickhead at times.

So, the repentance liturgy above serves two functions: to acknowledge that we suffer from greed, anger, etc., but also that, in the end, we are still responsible for our choices.

Some Buddhists see this as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, and limit negative effects of future karma; others may simply see this as a way to reinforce self-reflection. It doesn’t really matter how you interpret it. It is a method to objectively, almost scientifically, evaluate your conduct and then resolve not to commit such harmful actions again. Rather than flogging yourself, it’s a healthier way to reflect on your own behavior.

And, like rehearsing a play, or practicing baseball swings, people make mistakes often, but bit by bit they get better at it. In the same way, Buddhism helps people improve their way of interacting with the world bit by bit.

Namu Shakamuni Butsu

Namu Amida Butsu

P.S. featured photo taken by me at Alki Beach.