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Most of the time, it isn’t enough to just regret something. That tend to end up vague, and although well-intentioned, doesn’t have much power in our lives. But when we clearly state it out loud, then, somehow, it has much more power to affect us. Likewise, clearly stating a positive intention, and then letting that sink down within, has much more power than just vaguely wishing things were different.
I personally don’t see the “why” behind this. I can speculate, but I’d get a bit far out ahead of my own practice and experience, and don’t want to accidently mislead someone. Instead, let me say that I just sense the effect. I put ‘A’ into the machine, and then ‘C’ comes out.” I can only guess what ‘B’ might be, but in a way, I don’t need to know. If I reliably know that if I start with ‘A’, I’ll end up with ‘C’, then that’s enough to go with.
The best analogy I can come up with is sitting at a table with someone else and being thirsty. I can sit there all evening, wishing someone would give me some more water (and likely go thirsty all evening!), or I can just say out loud, “could I have some more water?” Once I do that, the people around me, the energy around me responds.

Repenting of the Ten Evil Actions

I now deeply repent of having killed.
I now deeply repent of having stolen.
I now deeply repent of sexually improper thoughts and behavior.
I now deeply repent of having lied.
I now deeply repent of having spoken manipulating words.

Thoughts are such strange things. Perhaps it’s my own leanings towards the material world, but thoughts seem like almost nothing. Yet, they are so subversive. They put things in motion that will hold us tighter than a vise. All from something no more substantial than smoke.
And if we change a thought around, so much becomes unstuck. Think about the example of “I’m sorry.” We feel so different once we stop rationalizing and just say, “I’m sorry.”
This is also why there’s so much power when we give rise to a positive intention, a positive thought, and entrust it inwardly to our foundation. Now that harmonious energy begins working in the same way. This also applies to finding our own direction, overcoming hardships, and learning what we need to do, as well as any type of investigation or growth.
And, what we can do for ourselves, we can also do for other people. There are some limitations to this because you can’t overrule another person’s own path, and it needs to connect with your foundation. You can, however, give them light and warmth and energy to help find their own way.

When we raise a thought for someone’s well-being, and entrust that to our foundation, that underlying intention never disappears and is never used up. This is different from helping people through material things. This is the unconditional love that Bodhisattvas have for all beings. This mind is the compassion that rises when all beings and myself are one, when the suffering of others is my suffering. This is the power that leads us to the truth.
— Daehaeng Kun Sunim, No River to Cross, page 34

Experience what happens when you recite these verses out loud. 🙂

Homage to the Twelve Buddhas who Dissolve All Karma (conclusion)

The Supreme Buddha
one with everything
who applies the treasure of one mind to all things
without the least discrimination.

Homage to the Twelve Buddhas who Dissolve All Karma (part 4 of 5)

The Buddha who is infused with the fragrance
of limitless and omnipresent mind.

The Buddha who thoroughly knows
all states of existence and nonexistence.

The Supreme Buddha
who takes bright and bright mind as his center,
and so is never entangled by anything.

Homage to the Twelve Buddhas who Dissolve All Karma (part 3 of 5)

The Buddha who venerates the Dharma,
transmitting the truth
of bright and wide one mind.

The Buddha whose bright and joyful mind
touches every place.

Homage to the Twelve Buddhas who Dissolve All Karma (part 2 of 5)

The Buddha endowed with every kind of
fragrant and gentle compassion.

The Buddha who makes decisions
of vast and inconceivable importance.
The Buddha endowed with the virtue and merit
arising from a broad and harmonious mind.

The Buddha of great determination,
who subdues all obstacles,
and destroys mountains of karma.

This is a section of the Thousand Hands Sutra that can people read differently, depending upon their own experience and their good fortune in meeting an awakened teacher. If you haven’t guessed by now, the real Twelve Buddhas are the functioning of our own one mind, our own true nature.
“Dissolving karma” sometimes confuses people, but it’s important to remember that even karma isn’t a fixed and unchanging thing. Roughly speaking, think of it as momentum, where there are things that are pending, things that have manifested, and then the reactions arising afterwards. All along that course, changes we make will affect what happens, and what new directions arise. If we dissolve or untangle something before it manifests, then that changes. If, when something happens, we react gently instead of getting angry or contemptuous, understanding that we had a role what happened, then right there, with those reactions, we change the future results.
Daehaeng Kun Sunim said it’s a lot harder to change something once it’s manifested, but even then, if we are letting go of our frustration, anger, and justifications, we are changing our future. The important point here is that we don’t have to be prisoners to our pasts. Through continuous entrusting to our foundation, we can dissolve old hindrances and set a new course for ourselves. When we let go of things and let our one mind, our foundation, take care of things, it manifests as these twelve Buddhas.

Homage to the Twelve Buddhas who Dissolve All Karma

The Buddha whose deep humility
gives rise to virtue, upright behavior,
and actions grounded in the Dharma.

The Buddha who uses the treasure of one mind
to gently observe and take care of all beings.

All of us here at Hanmaum Seon Center and all of its branches
raise the great intention that water, fire, and wind should
all flow and circulate harmoniously.
We are all sharing this Earth together,
so the sea levels should not rise.
We are all living together as one body,
so there should be no great earthquakes.
As they go about their daily lives,
may all beings be free of accidents.
May all beings be free from poverty.
May every place of practice be protected,
and may its energy continue without end.
May all the work on behalf of helping people
to know about this great one mind,
may all these tasks, both large and small,
be free of hindrances from beginning to end.
May each and every one of us be filled with grace,
and may all of these great intentions become the reality of our lives.
Neither the living nor the dead are separate from each other,
with this in mind,
we raise the intention that all spirits
who have a connection with those of us here today,
whether from this life or past lives,
whether they were our grandparents, parents, brothers or sisters,
nieces, nephews, or even our children,
whether present here today,
or in the next town or the one beyond that,
whether awakened or lost in darkness,
whether currently having a body or not,

whether they are able to live freely,
or are caught up in ignorance,
May they all gather together here, now,
like streams flowing to the ocean
May every kind of suffering spirit,
may every spirit with a connection to Buddhism,
or any other religion,
may every spirit around the world,
through the virtue of their affinity with those here today,
or through the virtue of their ability to be touched by our intentions,
may each and every one of these spirits,
immediately enter one of the heavenly realms,
and there meet Amita Buddha.
May they thus give rise to the desire for enlightenment.
Having thus done so,
may they be reborn in a virtuous realm,
where they are able to practice and awaken.
May all of us as well be reborn in the heavenly realms.
May all of us here,
practitioners at this temple,
as well as those in other places,
understand the meaning of “one mind,”
and so get along harmoniously with each other,
and so keep brightening the light of our inherent nature,
and without delay,
attain true and upright enlightenment.

Let us never forget the kindnesses
and blessings of Buddhas and awakened teachers,
let us never forget the grace that we have received,
and thus always work to help free those beings
still lost in suffering.
Let us always go forward,
in this life and those to come,
following the path of the bodhisattva
and thus attain ultimate enlightenment!
Let it be so!

Sometimes, it takes saying something out loud for it to really sink in.

The Poem of Repentance

All harmful deeds I have committed
All unwise actions arising from greed and desire
All harm done through my body, speech, and thought,
I now repent of this and all other harm I have caused.

Buddha’s one mind holds all the visible and the invisible realms,
and their functioning
in one hand,
and gives infinite compassion to all beings.