Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 46-minute session, Ven Wendy Finster guides practitioners through the Prostrations to the 35 Buddhas, a classic purification practice. She begins by anchoring the practice in personal reflection: analyzing positive and negative actions of body, speech, and mind to decide what to cultivate and what to abandon, recognizing negative propensities that persist from previous lifetimes even if not committed in this life. She teaches a simple visualization method using Śākyamūni Buddha, imagining purifying white light and nectar streaming into the body during prostration. The bulk of the session walks through the full liturgy, reciting each of the 35 Buddha names and their corresponding prostrations three times, followed by the Bodhisattva’s Confession of Moral Falls, a rejoicing in merit, and a dedication of all virtue toward enlightenment. Suited for practitioners at any level seeking purification practice.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 Prostrations to the 35 Buddhas no date.mp3
UUID: cba950c7-af83-4797-808b-c9f6b01b2a53
Teacher: Ven Wendy Finster
Collection: Purification (Ven Wendy Finster)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.0 minutes
Words: ~2,216
Let’s spend a short time analyzing the positive and negative karmas of body, speech, and mind. To recognize the positive actions of body, speech, and mind that you’ve engaged in, make a decision to increase and feel very pleased. Increase these more often in the future. Also analyze for the mistakes or the negative karma of body, speech, and mind actions that you’ve engaged in and make a determination either to refrain from or decrease, at least, repeating these again. So then we do the Bodhisattva’s Confession of Moral Falls, and also not only purifying specific karmas, body, speech, and mind that we’ve done recently in this lifetime, but remembering the continuity of lifetimes that even if I’ve not committed some negative karma in this lifetime, for sure in some previous lifetime I’ve done that, and the propensity remains in the mind stream, still needing to be purified. There are many visualizations that can be done, but the simplest one is to visualize Śākyamūni Buddha.
As we make prostration, visualize streaming purifying white light and nectar streams from the visualized form of Śākyamūni Buddha into oneself. As one gets up from the prostration, totally feeling purified, the body being permeated by white light and nectar. I, whose name is, at all times go to the lama, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for refuge. To the founder, the transcendent destroyer, the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the fully enlightened one, the glorious conqueror from the Shakyas, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the great destroyer, destroying with vajra essence, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the jewel radiating light, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the king with power over the Nagas, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the leader of the warriors, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious blissful one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel fire, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moonlight, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, whose pure vision brings accomplishments, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moon, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the stainless one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious giver, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the pure one, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the bestower of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the celestial waters, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the deity of the celestial waters, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious good, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious sandalwood, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the one of unlimited splendor, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious light, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one without sorrow, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the son of the desireless one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious flower, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of the lotus, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious gem, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who is mindful, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one whose name is extremely renowned, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the king holding the banner of victory over the senses, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who subdues all completely, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the victorious one in all battles, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one gone beyond to perfect self control, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who enhances and illuminates completely, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the jewel lotus who subdues all, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the fully enlightened one, the king with the power over Mount Meru, always remaining in the jewel and the lotus, I bow down. I, whose name is, at all times, go to the Lama, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for refuge. To the Founder, the Transcendent Destroyer, the One Gone Beyond, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the Glorious Conqueror from the Shakyas, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the great destroyer, destroying with vajra essence, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel radiating light, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the king with power over the Nagas, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the leader of the warriors, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious blissful one, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the jewel fire, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moonlight, I bow down. To the one gone beyond whose pure vision brings accomplishments, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moon, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the stainless one, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious giver, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the pure one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the bestower of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the celestial waters, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the deity of the celestial waters, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious good, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious sandalwood, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the one of unlimited splendor, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious light, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one without sorrow, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the son of the desireless one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious flower, I bow down. To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of the lotus, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious gem, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who is mindful, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one whose name is extremely renowned, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the king holding the banner of victory over the senses, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who subdues all completely, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the victorious one in all battles, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious one gone beyond to perfect self control, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who enhances and illuminates completely, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel lotus who subdues all, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the fully enlightened one, the king with power over Mount Meru, always remaining in the jewel and the lotus, I bow down. I, whose name is, at all times go to the lama, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha for refuge.
To the founder, the transcendent destroyer, the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the fully enlightened one, the glorious conqueror from the Shakyas, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the great destroyer, destroying with vajra essence, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel radiating light, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the king with power over the Nagas, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the leader of the warriors, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious, blissful one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel fire, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moonlight, I bow down. To the one gone beyond whose pure vision brings accomplishments, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel moon, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the stainless one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious giver, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the pure one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the bestower of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the celestial waters, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the deity of the celestial waters, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious good, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious sandalwood, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the one of unlimited splendor, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious light, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious one without sorrow, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the son of the desireless one, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious flower, I bow down. To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of purity, I bow down. To the one gone beyond who understands reality, enjoying the radiant light of the lotus, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the glorious gem, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who is mindful, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one whose name is extremely renowned, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the king holding the banner of victory over the senses, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who subdues all completely, I bow down.
To the one gone beyond, the victorious one in all battles, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one gone beyond to perfect self control, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the glorious one who enhances and illuminates completely, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the jewel lotus who subdues all, I bow down. To the one gone beyond, the foe destroyer, the fully enlightened one, the king with power over Mount Meru, always remaining in the jewel and the lotus, I bow down.
All you thirty five Buddhas and all the others, those gone beyond, foe destroyers, fully enlightened ones, and transcendent destroyers who are existing, sustaining, and living throughout the ten directions of sentient beings’ worlds. All you Buddhas, please give me your attention. In this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of saṃsāra, I’ve created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at creation of negative karma, such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the sangha, stealing the possessions of the sangha of the ten directions. I’ve caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation. I’ve committed the five extreme negative actions, caused others to create them, and rejoiced at their creation.
I’ve committed the ten non virtuous actions, involved others in them, and rejoiced in their involvement. Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as pretas, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the presence of a Buddha. Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become the compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as negative. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on I’ll refrain from committing these negative actions. Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention.
In this life and throughout beginningless lives in the realms of saṃsāra, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity, such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by keeping pure morality, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings’ minds, whatever root of virtue I have created by generating bodhicitta, and whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendental wisdom. Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to that which is higher than the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest fully accomplished enlightenment. Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication. I confess all my negative karmas separately and rejoice in all merits.
I implore all the Buddhas to grant my request, that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom. To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as an infinite ocean, with folded hands I go for refuge.