Pāpadeśanā

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Key Term	pāpadeśanā
Hover Popup Choices	confession; laying aside evil; disclosure of negative actions; confession of transgressions; confessing misdeeds
In Tibetan Script	སྡིག་པ་བཤགས་པ་
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration	sdig pa bshags pa
Devanagari Sanskrit Script	पापदेशना
Romanized Sanskrit	pāpadeśanā
Romanized Pali	pāpadesanā
Tibetan Phonetic Rendering	dikpa shakpa
Chinese Script	懺悔; 披露罪過
Chinese Pinyin	chànhuǐ; pīlù zuìguò
Japanese Transliteration	sange
Korean Script	chamhoe
English Standard	confession
Alternate Spellings	sdig bshags; disclosure of faults; laying aside evil
Term Type	Noun
Source Language	Sanskrit
NEW: Context Descriptions (Glossary-DefinitionTsadra)	Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, pāpadeśanā (T. sdig pa bshags pa) relates to the mental factors of conscience (hrī) and shame (apatrāpya). It is the process of reversing the mental state of 'concealing faults' (mrakṣa), which is a subsidiary affliction. By disclosing negative actions, the practitioner prevents the 'ripening' of negative karmic seeds. The effectiveness of the practice depends on the strength of the remorse, which acts as a direct antidote to the attachment or aversion that prompted the original act. Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna path, pāpadeśanā is the second of the seven branches of supreme worship (anuttarā-pūjā). It is extensively detailed in the second chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, where it is presented as a profound psychological 'laying aside' of evil. The practice is formalized through the Four Opponent Powers (T. gnyen po stobs bzhi): The Power of Regret (Skt. vighātakabala; T. rnam par sun 'byin pa'i stobs): Feeling deep remorse for past negative actions, recognizing them as harmful like poison. The Power of Reliance (Skt. āśrayabala; T. rten gyi stobs): Taking refuge in the Three Jewels and generating bodhicitta to provide a stable foundation for purification. The Power of Remedy (Skt. pratipakṣabala; T. gnyen po kun tu spyod pa'i stobs): Engaging in virtuous activities—such as reciting sūtras, meditating on emptiness, or visualizing deities—specifically to counteract negative karma. The Power of Resolve (Skt. pratyāpattibala; T. sor chud pa'i stobs): Making a firm determination not to repeat the negative action in the future. Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Tantric practice, the visualization and mantra recitation of Vajrasattva (T. rdo rje sems pa) is considered the supreme method of pāpadeśanā. The practitioner visualizes a stream of purifying nectar (amṛta) descending from the deity to wash away all stains of broken commitments (samaya) and negative deeds. This is often part of the preliminary practices (ngöndro) and is essential for maintaining the purity of the tantric path.
NEW: Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition	The Buddhist practice of 'confession' or 'laying aside evil.' It involves honestly acknowledging past mistakes and negative actions with regret, then committing not to repeat them. This process helps clear the mind of guilt and negative karmic imprints, creating space for positive qualities to grow.
NEW: Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition	A foundational Mahāyāna practice (Skt. pāpadeśanā; T. sdig pa bshags pa) defined as the disclosure and purification of non-virtuous actions (pāpa). It is a psychological and ritual process of acknowledging transgressions with remorse to neutralize their karmic potency. In the Indo-Tibetan tradition, it is most effectively practiced through the 'Four Opponent Powers': regret, reliance, the power of the remedy, and the power of resolve.
NEW: Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki	Pāpadeśanā is a critical stage in the development of a bodhisattva. By honestly 'laying aside evil,' the practitioner purifies the obstacles that prevent the arising of bodhicitta. Without this purification, the mind remains burdened by the 'weight' of past negative deeds, making it difficult to maintain the vast, altruistic aspiration for enlightenment. In the Mahāyāna context, confession is not merely about individual relief but is a means to become a 'pure vessel' for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is often performed with the understanding of the 'emptiness of the three circles'—recognizing that the act, the actor, and the one to whom the confession is made all lack inherent existence.
NEW: Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas	confession; laying aside evil; disclosure of faults; purification of sins; acknowledging transgressions
Definitions
Tshig mdzod Chen mo	མི་དགེ་བའི་ལས་སྦ་གསང་མེད་པར་བཤགས་པ།
Dung dkar Tshig mdzod Chen mo	མི་དགེ་བའི་ལས་སྦ་གསང་མེད་པར་བཤགས་པ།