The Benefits of Prostrations
1. You develop a healthy body.
2. You change your attitudes in a positive way towards all sentient creatures.
3. You obtain the benefits of a potential first contact with your Buddha Nature.
4. You increment a natural and positive relationship with others.
5. You clear the way for increasing your natural capabilities.
6. You prepare the mind for unimpeded reception of the Dharma.
7. You create confidence in the Dharma, your Buddhahood, and in the brotherhood of all those upon the path.
8. You increase memorization capabilities.
9. You increase natural wisdom.
10. You increase the quality of Concentration and Contemplation in meditations.
11. You assist the purification of destructive karma (incorrect habits and attitudes).
There are three classes of prostrations:
1. physical- prostrations of the body only
2. verbal - prostrations while reciting a mantra or orations
3. mental – generating confidence in the refuge of the Dharma
PHYSICAL PROSTRATION
Join your hands, palm to palm, high above your head as far as you can reach and lightly touch the crown of your head (to touch symbolically the protuberance which represents your internal state of being a Buddha). Understand that this state is a natural state of purity, the essence of a Buddha.
Each time that you reach your hands above your head you contemplate the idea and repeat each time. “May all beings be purified of their negative deeds and defiled attitudes”.
Now let's examine that bringing together of your hands. Actually this bringing together of the hands can represent many things: among them the union of person and path or the union of method and resulting wisdom. What we recommend, however, is allow the right hand to represent your stained mind and your left hand your pure mind. When you bring them together don’t think intellectually of this union, but meld your apparent self into both of these minds, which appeared separate.
When you bring them down to touch the crown then meld those two minds with the essence of your Buddhahood. Really project yourself into this and don’t just go through the motions.
Next, touch the front of your forehead (to symbolically obtain the physical state of a Buddha).
This physical state is all that is external. You therefore mould the two minds with the essence and project them into your own body, thus purifying your body. Let it really happen. Let go of the thinking mind. Let go of the idea that you are a person doing prostrations.
Follow this action by touching your throat (to put yourself in contact with the words of Buddha).
Words are an expression of your clear mind, your essence, and your body. Really capture internally the concept that words actually express your state. Allow yourself to be a Buddha in all words. Remember too that words include the words that you use in thinking. Therefore accept the purification of your thoughts.
Now, finally touch your heart (which represents the mind of a Buddha) which you will develop. Let all that has gone before be a part of this Buddha mind in growth.
If you feel that it is beneficial then you may repeat the following oration at each point, but do not sacrifice the spiritual contact of these actions for the oration. The oration must support the spiritual act.
"May all beings dissolve all their negative deeds and residuals of these deeds.
May the stained mind meld with the pure mind
May we reach the essence of a Buddha
May negative actions and body defilements be dissolved
May all the negative actions of speech and impure thought be dissolved
May all impediments of the mind be purified."
When this initial ceremony is completed then begin your physical prostration.
Note:
There are more advanced prostrations performed with secret mantras you actually start by touching the Heart, in which the position of fingers and hands symbolize esoteric points of understanding. Anyone working within those practices may use that system to enhance mantra chanting.
Lets move into the actual prostration stage.
Move your hands apart and as you do so resolve sincerely to work for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Now moving downwards place your two hands upon the ground knowing that the ten fingers represent the ten levels of the Bodhisattva path, and resolve to move diligently upon that path.
As you kneel you arrive at a most important point with great significance for your personal growth. Project yourself into the mind and body of Avalokiteshvara and imagine that you have gone down into the living HELL of this world. Listen to the cries and sense as the bodhisttva may have done. Sincerely project all your creative energy, willing all sentient creatures to raise themselves out of this hell of suffering, letting go of confusion, greed, and hostility.
As you bend forward stretching out your arms resolve to work using the four types of noble activities……………….
Now stretching all your muscles sense that all the energy channels of your body are being freed from any blockage.
Placing now your forehead upon the groud project the accumulated force into the wish to reach your awakening. Be sure not to use physical or mental force in this action. You must allow the force to simply apply itself. It is not easy, so do not fall into the mental trap here.
As you now stretch your spinal cord backward, channel all your energy into the central canal of the body, energizing yourself.
Now, rising, feel the “rising out” of samsara of all sentient beings.
Remember that you perform all these actions and energy operations only with the first prostration, keeping, however, the ambience with you with every subsequent prostration. If you lose that contact repeat the whole process once more.
With each subsequent prostration if you do not use orations promise to liberate all sentient creatures.
When you finish the prostrations then repeat the following:
“With the power liberated by these prostrations, may we have good health and correct prosperity in this life. May we rapidly attain awakening so that we can better help all sentient creatures, and when we meet death may we have a clear vision of the PURE LAND."
VERBAL PROSTRATIONS WITH THE TRIPLE JEWEL MANTRA
If you recite the Mantra of the Triple Jewel (refuge), with complete understanding and without reservation, while you are actually making the prostrations, then the internalization of the main mantra will be incremented considerably. We therefore recommend this practice.
It is important to remember, however, that a refuge, in the Buddhist sense, is not a place where one can escape. It is a place where one can reside.
"Om Namo Sakyamuni"
I pay Homage to the unimpeachable Buddha Mind.
It is unimpeachable because it is free of two obstructions:
1. Mental disturbances and the seeds of those disturbances.
2. The residual impressions of these disturbances which obstruct understanding.
"Namo Sushriye"
I pay Homage to the noble and glorious Dharma
It is within the Dharma which is your natural state of being that you actually take refuge. Supported by the Buddha Mind.
"Namo Utama Shriye Soha"
I pay Homage to the glorious Brotherhood
To understand that you are not alone upon this path you also take refuge within the Dharma with all other sentient creatures who are with you upon the path.
VERBAL PROSTRATIONS WITH ORATION
In order to cultivate further the quality of your prostrations it is useful outside of the Great Mantra development practices to perform prostrations accompanied by the following oration.
The Oration of Supreme and Excellent Actions
How many beings, valiant as lions, are there in all worlds in the ten directions, and how many in the three times, the past, present, and future?
Before them, without exception, I prostrate with body, word, and mind.
(Before the unknown Victors over Mara which have ever existed I prostrate.)
By the power of these orations of noble actions, all the Victors appear in my mind with clarity. Bowing with as many bodies as there are atoms in the world, before them I prostrate.
(As if possessing an infinite number of bodies I prostrate before them.)
Over every particle exist as many Buddhas as atoms, surrounded by his sons. In that way I perceive the Victors who reside in the kingdoms of space.
(I perceive the Victors and those who follow in the path as ever-present.)
With inexhaustible oceans of praise and the sound of infinite voices I proclaim the quality of all victors and exalt those who have passed to this joyful state.