Is it possible to counteract the consequences of a moral transgression bypublicly acknowledging it? When he reveals to the Buddha that he haskilled his father, King Ajātasattu is said to “yathādhammaṃpat ikaroti.”This has been interpreted as “making amends,” or as seeking (and re-ceiving) “forgiveness” for his crime. Successfully translating this phraseinto English requires that we reexamine etymology and dictionary defi-nitions, question assumptions made by previous translators, and studythe way that yathādhammaṃpaṭ ikarotiis used in context. We can betterunderstand confession as a practice by locating it within the general In-dian concern for ritual purity—ethicized by the Buddha—and showingthat the early Buddhist doctrine of kamma allows for mitigation, thoughnot eradication, of the consequences of actions under some circums-tances.