Washing Our Dirty Sheets

So we have a great big bucket of karma and the question is what do we do about it? The two basic options are alter it so that it becomes good karma that brings about desirable results - like a sojourn within a heavenly realm or best of all, a precious human rebirth, or get rid of it all together - karma free which is the equivalent of being a buddha. Let’s go through these options.

As always, different Buddhist traditions have slightly different approaches to this but the basic principle remains: we are to weaken or entirely exhaust our karma so that suffering is avoided in the future and the conditions for awakening are created.

Confession

As a one time Catholic I love the sanity and common sense of this along with an absence of lingering shame. We recognise and acknowledge what we have done, feel real remorse (but not turn this into damaging guilt) and then resolve not to do it again. Traditionally in a monastery this is done before a teacher or other Sangha members but in front of our own conscience is just as good. I say it out loud.

The Four Opponent Powers

These very conveniently all begin with R.

1. Regret - yes I have been unskilful and have caused harm.

2. Reliance - and I mend this by reconnecting with my refuge with the Three Jewels and/or my bodhisattva vows.

3. Remedy - various acts that create good karma such as acts of generosity, releasing animals bound for slaughter or reciting specific mantras designed for this job.

4. Resolve - as above, making a strong intention to do ones best not to repeat the unskilful action. This could take the form of reinvigorating our commitment to the five lay precepts not to kill, steal, sexually harm, to speak well and not become intoxicated. It could also be making a better go at being a bodhisattva.

Various forms of meditation

These, really more or less, are found in Tibetan Buddhism and are all designed to lessen or remove the emotional and cognitive obscurations to recognising and resting in awakened awareness - buddha-nature.

1. The famous 100,000 full length prostrations while reciting our refuge - considered highly purifying!

2. Reciting various mantras - the most famous is Vajrasattva - the short form being OM VAJRA SATTVA HUNG.

3. And of course, the dedication of all the goodness, ‘merit’, that is created when we do wholesome and skilful actions - such as meditating.

4. And perhaps the most important of all - meditations that given insight into the nature of how things really are. The most profound of all being the ‘doing nothing’ meditation.

This last warrants some unpacking. karma is not a debt to be repaid. It can be altered or even removed altogether. The above remedies more or less are about altering what is unwholesome into what is wholesome except the last which has the potential to remove karmic imprints, the seeds of karma, for ever. Mahayana Buddhism - which is the form we practice - emphasises that the combination of compassion and wisdom are the greatest means to purify and finally exhaust karma. Here wisdom specifically means seeing the nature of how things really are which again in our tradition is empty, cognisant and limitlessly compassionate. When resting in the awakened mind during a doing nothing meditation this may be occasionally glimpsed. During these - admittedly initially fleeting - moments intentionality can no longer exists and with this karma can no longer be created. You can really see why this insight is considered so very valuable.

NW. 7 July 2026

The image is of Vajrasattva embracing his consort. They are an embodiment of awakened mind.