We use confession to purify our negative actions, our defects and downfalls, for if such stains are

not purified they will create a barrier to realization. In order to purify negative actions,
obscurations, and defilements, we need to rely upon four strengths, namely: the strength of the
support, the strength of regret, the strength of the antidote, and the strength of the promise.

The first is the strength of the support. Just as when a criminal appears in a court of law, the
judge is surrounded by all those who represent justice, so too when we visualize Guru Rinpoche
above our head, he is surrounded by a retinue of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and vidyadharas. This is
the object to whom we present our regret and confession.

The second is the strength of regret. If we had not committed any negative actions in the past,
there would be nothing to confess and nothing to repair. So we acknowledge how throughout
our countless lives we have repeatedly committed transgressions against the three vows: the
pratimoksha vows, the bodhisattva vows, and the commitments of the Secret Mantrayana. If
these are not purified, they become like a poison inside us, and are responsible for our
continuing to wander in samsara.

Third is the strength of the antidote, which is the actual practice of purification. With ardent
devotion, we pray to Guru Rinpoche and imagine that boundless rays of light stream out from his
heart center and dissolve into us. This light cleanses us completely, as it washes out and
dissolves all our imperfections and negativities. Finally Guru Rinpoche, with a radiant smile, says
to us: "All of your obscurations are purified."

Lastly there is the strength of the promise, which means to make an unshakable resolution:
"From now on-even if my life is at stake - I shall never again indulge in negative actions."

With these four strengths, all our negative actions can be purified. As it is said: "Negativity does
have one good quality - it can be purified."

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - Guru Yoga - Shambhala Publications