pāpa-deśanā (Sanskrit, the revealing of wrongdoing; Pāli, pāpa-desanā.). The practice of confession. In Buddhism, confession is not a sacrament nor an appeal for absolution to a divine power. monks do not act as confessors or have the power to forgive sins. Instead, the confession of wrongdoing is seen as psychologically healthy and an aid to spiritual progress by allowing feelings of shame (hrī) and remorse (apatrāpya) to be acknowledged and discharged. A guilty conscience is viewed as a hindrance to religious progress, and it is believed that owning up to wrongful deeds inhibits their repetition. For monks there is an official occasion for confession at each poṣadha (Pāli, uposatha), when the Prātimokṣa is recited and monks are obliged to declare any infringements of the rules by themselves or others. There is no equivalent ceremony for lay Buddhists.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)