The Excellent Vase of Nectar is a commentary upon The Sutra of the Three Heaps, first taught by Buddha Shakyamuni as a supreme method to purify negative actions, which would otherwise become a serious obstacle on the path to enlightenment. Also known as the Confession Prayer Before the Thirty-Five Buddhas, or the Bodhisattva's Confession of Downfalls, its practice is widespread in the Mahayana Buddhist world.