Purification with Contrition

People often come to me with questions that could range from personal health, career, children, real estate, etc. Yet, my assignment to them is often contrition rituals. Among all, the Water Repentance is the regular homework I give out. I’d also ask those with serious issues to recite the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance. 

The Water Repentance originated from the story of an imperial Dharma Master named Wu Da in the Tang dynasty. His greediness and arrogance triggered his negative karma. As a result of his contrition, the Water Repentance was composed. The story behind the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance was about Queen Chi, a jealous wife of Emperor Liang. After she passed away, she took rebirth as a giant snake. She appeared in the emperor’s dream asking for help. Emperor Liang gathered great masters to compile all the repentance texts from sutras. This compilation is the famous Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance in history. Those with greedy tendencies should recite the Water Repentance more. Aggressive people could read Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance more often. “Contrition” is to eliminate our habitual tendencies. It is to get rid of old habits, old and negative consciousness that have been stacking up for far too long. That way, our minds can become clean and pure. Know that we have lots of karmic memories. Surely, good memories are pleasant while the bad ones are unpleasant. What do we do with unpleasant memories?

It is like when we get into a fight with another person, we’d apologize afterward.  Along with apologies, the knot inside gets untie. We’d open up and become happy again. Without apologizing, the knot would only tighten. It’d become a blockage in our minds. Therefore, we should contrite and clean away the defiled karmic memories regularly. Through contrition, these defilements can be purified. Our minds would open up and felicity can flow in. Without contrition, we’d be like a clogged pipe that prevents felicity from flowing through. 

Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) Centers hold the Water Repentance or the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance occasionally. Everyone is welcome to join. We can transform the negative karmic memories in life through contrition. By purifying the defilements, felicity would naturally come in.