Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance Text


The Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance Text is an important Buddhist text widely used in the repentance practice or ritual of Buddhism, especially in the Mahayana tradition. The repentance practice features the recitation of the holy names of the eighty-eight Buddhas in the text, which are sourced from two Buddhist scriptures: Bhaiṣajyarājabhaiṣajyasamudagatabodhisattvasūtra and Upāliparipṛcchā. The main body of these two scriptures are not included in some versions of the Eighty-eight Buddhas Great Repentance Text.
Recitation of the Buddhist text can help one to clear their karmic obstacles and draw out their inner wisdom.

Background

The first fifty-three Buddhas, from Namo Universal Light Buddha to Namo King Forever Replete In All Dharmas Buddha, are from Bhaiṣajyarājabhaiṣajyasamudagatabodhisattvasūtra. According to the sutra, "If a good man, good woman, or all the other sentient beings get to hear the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, they will not fall into the evil destinies for hundreds, thousands, ten thousands millions of asamkhya kalpas. Any person chants the names of these fifty-three Buddhas will be able to see the Buddhas of the ten directions in every life afterwards. If any person makes prostration to the fifty-three Buddhas piously, offences such as the Four Great Prohibitions, the Five Great Misdeeds, and the defamation of Buddhist scriptures they committed will be eradicated and they can be cleansed. Thanks to the vows of these Buddhas, various serious offences mentioned above will all be completely wiped out in every thought."
The other thirty-five Buddhas, from Shakyamuni Buddha to King Precious Lotus Skillfully Dwelling Beneath the Sala Tree Buddha, are from Upāliparipṛcchā. According to the sutra, "If any Bodhisattva commits Five Avici Offenses, breaks the rules for expulsion from the Sangha, commits the offence of monastic, commits offense against any pagoda or any monk, or commits other similar offences, such Bodhisattva should repent alone before the thirty-five Buddhas the serious offenses whole-heartedly day and night... If the Bodhisattva can recite the name of all the thirty-five Buddhas and always practice the Three Practices day and night, they can be free from offences, worries and regrets and get Samadhi."