Sojong
Sojong (Wyl. gso sbyong; Skt. poṣadha; Pal. uposatha) 'Healing and Purification' — the bimonthly practice of confession observed by members of the monastic community. On sojong days the observance of the eight vows of sojong or the practice of Narak Kong Shak are recommended.
Famous Quote
In Patrul Rinpoche's How to Keep the Eight One-Day Vows of a Layperson (bsnyen gnas yan lag brgyad pa'i sdom pa srung thabs) it says:
- The 'Second Buddha' of Oddiyana[1] said:
- It fully restores all positivity,
- And clears away all negativity without exception,
- In order to replenish virtue and purify harmful deeds,
- The Tathagata has taught the practice of Sojong.
In fact, the quote appears in Kalyanamitra's Extensive Commentary on Questions of the Vinaya ('dul ba dri ba rgya cher 'grel pa).[2]
Notes
- ↑ This is clearly a reference to Guru Padmasambhava and others have attributed this quote to the dge tshul gyi lo dri ba, which is sometimes said to have been composed by Padmasambhava (although it has also been attributed to Sanghabhadra and even Atisha). However, this verse is not to be found in extant versions of that text preserved in the Tengyur. Others have suggested that the quote should properly be attributed to Vasubandhu, who is also known as the 'Second Buddha', but this is clearly not Patrul Rinpoche's intention as his reference to Oddiyana shows.
- ↑ In this text, it appears as: sdig pa mtha' dag yang dag 'dir sbyong ba/ de gso phyir dang sdig pa rnam sbyong phyir/ de bzhin gshegs pas gso sbyong zhes gsungs so//