Episode 139 - How To Purify Bad Karma

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a way to purify negative karma! Phew. Buddha taught the Four Powers of Purification. The first power is healthy regret. This type of regret stands in contrast to guilt. Healthy regrets teaches us that we should try to not be angry or unkind to ourselves when we experience regret. Regret makes us naturally desire not to repeat that action and the harm we caused. The second power of purification is applying remedies. In this episode, JoAnn Fox shares a traditional method for applying remedies, reciting the mantra of Vajrasattva, Buddha of Purification (see the mantra below.) The third is the power of promise, in which we promise to try to refrain from that harmful action in the future. Finally, the power of reliance is to ask for help to a higher power; for some this could be praying to Jesus or it could be asking the objects of Buddhist refuge (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) for help. The powers of purification act together or alone. For example, as soon as we regret some harm we have done we start to purify that karma. This practice illuminates Buddhism’s most essential tenet, we can change...Profoundly change. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How to purify negative karma through the 4 powers:</span></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Regret</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Applying Remedies </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Promise </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Reliance </span></li> </ol> <p> </p> <p><strong>The short mantra of Vajrasattva, For purification</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Om Vajra Sattva Hum</span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just as kusa grass cuts the hand </span></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">That wrongly grasps it, </span></em></p> <p><em><span styl