Focus Our Mind on Making Full Prostrations
Transcript of Focus Our Mind on Making Full Prostrations
Focus Our Mind on Making Full Prostrations
Fa Lian (Beijing)
Making full prostrations and breakthrough
After attending Dizang-qi Retreat, we know that reciting the name and making
prostrations to the 88 Buddhas, who have inconceivable merit, virtue and awesome
spiritual power, can purify every severe transgression. Then why things that are not so
ideal keep occurring in our life? It is because we have created immeasurable and
boundless bad karma since beginningless kalpas ago, some of such karma come into
fruition now. By virtue of making prostration to the 88 Buddhas, the great spiritual
power of the Buddhas and Bodhisatvas can help resolve our karmic obstructions. So
repentance prostration is of vital importance.
I have gained confidence in the Six-Step Cultivation Method after attending Dizang-
qi Retreat, but I suffered so much pain when I was making full prostrations. I once
attended the Fundamental Session of Dizang-qi Retreat in March 2009. After that, I
stuck to making full prostrations 3 times and chanting the Sutra 3 times in daily
practice for some time. At the end of 2009, I went to attend the Intensive Session of
Dizang-qi Retreat and before that I had already benefited from making full
prostrations. Before that, I had received the training for yoga teachers and fully
learned the yoga physical therapy (I suffered lateral curvature and slight cervical and
lumbar ankylosis due to my heavy karmic hindrances). So at the very beginning, I
applied yoga skills in making full prostrations, and I found it easy in this way. Then
by and by I became unsatisfied with my status and began to practice for higher speed
and quantity. My mind and body movements got simplified when the quantity and the
speed grew up. I made full prostrations with clasped hands starting straight from
Sahasrara Chakra. Sometimes I hurried to make the next movement before I barely
stood straight up.
In May, 2010, I went to Datong to attend Intensive Session of Dizang-qi Retreat
again. When summoning up all my strength for a breakthrough in making full
prostrations, I got my period unexpectedly which made me feel uncomfortable.
However, the speed of making full prostrations was proportional to my mental
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strength, so I decided to make every effort toward breakthrough as long as physically
possible. I made full prostrations for 60 times before dinner. After dinner I did it for
twelve times following the eleven-minute audio tape although I was feeling dizzy as if
in dreams. I was really in a state of prostration when making the last six times. But I
felt refreshed the following day. How great the power of the Buddha was! Later a
layman asked me about how I felt, and I told her that I would be afraid of nothing
from then on after this breakthrough. Thanks to the power of the Buddha, I was able
to make full prostrations for 40 times together with fellow practitioners on the sixth
day, even though I was in a state of prostration. Though I was still far from my goal, I
was quite satisfied. When I was leaving Datong, I told myself that I would definitely
get back……
Lay the solid foundation in the difficulties
I have never forgotten my word that I would go back to Datong again afterwards. I
was preparing for another breakthrough. But the condition had changed. It became so
hot, and my physical condition seemed to be beaten badly and my practice was almost
disrupted in July and August. It even took me half an hour to make full prostrations
for once. Like a huge black stone, the heavy karmic hindrances were dragging me
down into the abyss of utter despair.
I was suffering physically and scared at that time. I listened to the lectures of the
Master every day. Tasting my tears and even blood, I kept on with my practice and
did not give up. At that time, I looked at the comments that the Master gave relating
to the reflections made by the fellow practitioner Mu Xin. That comments like a good
medicine for me. I realized that our Master is always waiting for us at the crossroads
where we feel at a loss.
The master told us, “What we should break through is not the quantity but our mental
strength and karmic hindrances. We need not pursue the quantity, be it making full
prostrations for 100, 200 or even 300 times. We should prepare ourselves to practice
in a stable way. We don’t have to push ourselves on the quantity if we have done our
best already.”
I always made full prostrations fast in order to increase the speed and quantity, but it
resulted in failure and I even found it difficult to persevere. So I began to lay the solid
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foundation again. Firstly, I observed the standard movements of making full
prostrations carefully, remembered them and incorporated the suitable yoga ideas in
them. Through adjusting my breathing, I came to enjoy making full prostrations.
Beginning with making full prostrations 3 times, I felt the difference. I would hate to
stop practicing it as I enjoyed it so much. I wanted to keep doing it nonstop.
Therefore, I no longer felt worried about it. For this time, I must lay the foundation
well enough.
My reflections of making full prostration Here I would like to share my reflections of making full prostrations with you, hope it
will help you. Everyone has his or her own situations and habits, my reflection just for
your reference. You can adjust according to your situation.
1. Advantages of making full prostrations
I want to share the advantages of making full prostrations which I learnt from the
internet.
Before that, I’d like to introduce a bit of the theories. The spine of human beings
contains 24 parts, which include 7 parts of cervical vertebra, 12 parts of thoracic
vertebra and 5 parts of lumbar. All of the channels come from the spinal cord. On
each side of the conception vessel and the governor vessel, there are dozens of key
acupuncture points located within a half decimeter on each side. From the point of
view of traditional Chinese medicine, making full prostrations can help to improve
our health by dredging the conception vessel, governor vessel and other channels.
From the perspective of yoga, there is an abstract body living in the physical body of
human beings. This abstract body consists of seven chakras and three channels which
include central channel, left channel and right channel. Central channel is the most
important among the three and it is located right in the middle of the body, from
Moodadhara Chakra in the perineal part to Sahasrara Chakra in the head. Left channel
is also called moon channel. It roots from the left side of Moodadhara Chakra. Left
channel is supposed to be passive and introvert. When left channel is dominant, the
left nasal meatus will draw more air and the spiritual energy will dominate, which will
make people more intelligent and receptive of new things. Right channel is also called
solar channel. It roots from the right side of Moodadhara Chakra. When right channel
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is dominant, the right nasal meatus will draw more air and the physical energy will
dominate, which will make people produce more heat and digest food more easily.
From bottom to top, seven chakras include Mooladhara Chakra, Swadisthan Chakra,
Manipura Chakra, Anahata Chakra, Vishuddhi Chakra, Ajna Chakra and Sahasrara
Chakra. In Indian medicine, physiopsychic problems and subhealthy states will arise
when some chakras are blocked. Modern medicine finds that these chakras are
correspondent to the main nerve plexus on the spine and they are the parts which
control our bodies. Ancient yogis gave specific descriptions of the petal numbers of
every chakra which are also correspondent to the accessory nerve plexus of the main
nerve plexus.
Mooladhara Chakra represented by four lotus petals is corresponding to Pelvic Plexus
(gonad) and it takes care of the excretory system, generative organ and the legs.
Swadisthan Chakra represented by six lotus petals is corresponding to Aortic Plexus
(adrenal gland) and it is in charge of spleen, pancreas, and the lower part of liver and
abdomen. Manipura Chakra represented by ten lotus petals is corresponding to solar
(abdominal cavity) plexus (pancreas), part of liver, spleen, pancreas, kidney and
stomach, and the middle part of uterus and abdomen. Anahata Chakra represented by
twelve lotus petals is corresponding to Cardiac Plexus (thymus). And Anahata Chakra
looks after the heart, breathing system, and the chest. Sixteen lotus petals are used to
stand for Vishuddhi Chakra. Vishuddhi Chakra is corresponding to cervical plexus,
the preocular and other parts of the body, including the thyroid gland, parathyroids,
neck, ears, noses, throat, face, teeth, tongue, mouth, the upper jaw and the lower jaw
and the preocular. Ajna Chakra represented by two lotus petals is also called the third
eye. It is corresponding to pineal gland, hypothalamus, retina, optic plexus and optic
lobe. Sahasrara Chakra is represented by one thousand lotus petals and is
corresponding to pituitary gland. It is where all the energy centers and three channels
unite.
Human diseases are caused by the weakening of the chakras or the unbalanced
function of more than one chakra. Full prostrations can strengthen the chakras and
balance the incretion of the endocrines by contracting and stretching, which will help
people keep fit. The cobra pose and bidalasana in yoga poses play an important role in
the recovery of the spine. These two poses are embraced in the full prostrations. There
are so many advantages in making full prostrations. I just need to practice the spine
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twisting pose only for a few times in addition to full prostrations. At this moment, my
eyes moisten again. I am deeply grateful for the help of the Buddha. It is regrettable
that I used to just pursue the quantity and speed in the past. From now on, I will keep
practicing full prostrations and will not let it go.
Raising the folded palms up over the head is to eliminate the karmic hindrances since
beginning-less time. Raising them to the mouth is to eliminate all of the speech
karma. Raising them to the heart is to eliminate the thinking karma which is the
heaviest and hardest to eliminate. The separating hands mean developing our bodies
in both physical and spiritual forms to perfect the Buddhist cause of serving sentient
beings. The knees’ touching the ground means the will to get rid of cyclic existences
and evil destiny. Putting the ten fingers on the ground is to achieve Ten Realms and
Five Paths gradually. The forehead’s touching the ground stands for the wish to get
the Samantabhadra light. We bend and stretch the four limbs to get the four
achievements. And we unlock the knotted afflictions by contracting and stretching the
muscles and vessels. The contracting and stretching of the spine can lead the gas and
light to the central channel directly. By standing up, we will get out of the cyclic
existences. We make full prostrations not only for cultivating ourselves but also for
saving the masses of mankind. The merit of making full prostrations lies in the health
and happiness of this life, the rebirth in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and the
complete Buddhahood ultimately.
2. My reflections of the body movements of making full prostrations
Let me explain first that there is no single standard for the body movements in making
full prostrations because of the inherited differences. I observed how Tudeng Lama
and Luogongsang Rinpoche did it and read the Magnum Opus Guidance to Dzogchen
Preliminary Practice on the internet. I found that the joint palms can be put in three
ways: forehead——throat——heart, or, head——forehead——lips——heart. The
meanings are also different. Sometimes holding the palms to the forehead means to
eliminate the evil karma of the body; and sometimes it takes the palms to the top of
the head for this meaning. These differences don’t matter and we can make a choice
according to our habits and inherited preferences. I think the key is to master the core.
I am used to adhering to the order that is from the head to the throat then to the heart.
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Breathe in deeply, breathe out slowly and feel the peace of our heartbeat and our body
between our breaths. Breathe slowly and try to find the natural flow of breathing. Stay
away from any fickleness or distracting thoughts and just feel what we feel in our
body. Focus ourselves on the present and on each of our body movements.
Step 1: Stand with the feet together and clasp your hands to the chest (Anahata
Chakra).
My reflections:
Don’t clench the teeth too much which might cause tension. Clasp the hands. Leave
half a fist’s space in the armpits so as to keep the arms and shoulders relaxed. Try to
spread all the toes apart as much as possible and we will feel that the heart is being
opened. Put the weight between the heels and forefeet. The lower legs and upper body
feel linked with the heels (the soles are supposed to increase the area touching the
ground). As a natural result, our weight is on the heels. The body's centre of gravity is
stabilized in this way so that the body posture is held up straight without any
additional efforts. Meanwhile the toes will be relaxed, the muscles in the feet needn’t
use the energy to keep balance and the muscles in the waist needn’t contract. In this
way, no energy will be wasted and there will be no unnecessary pains or fatigue.
We’d better wear loose socks or five-toe socks. I have experimented many times and
found that it is much more tiring to wear skintight socks because they cannot make us
relaxed.
Step 2: Raise your clasped hands over head (Anahata Chakra), then to the throat
(Vishuddhi Chakra), and lastly to the heart (Sahasrara Chakra).
My reflections:
Clasp the hands like a lotus in bud. Don’t close the palms too tight and don’t just
make the fingertips touch each other around the empty palms. Stretch up the arms as
much as we can to strengthen the blood circulation when we raise the arms. The arms
can get more energy this way and it is good for the lymphatic tissue in the oxter. In
addition, raising arms can get through and open many meridians and bring the good
effect. We will feel relaxed after putting them down. I recall that the doctor Wu
Guozhong once explained the meaning of the gesture of submission. Submission
means that we put down everything. By making the body movements with the arms, it
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is meant to work on our tough heart. Many people don’t raise the arms high enough,
then they cannot put down completely, which makes them difficult to achieve the
good effect.
Why should we stand straight and clasp hands in making full prostrations? It is
because clasping hands is to eliminate our karmic hindrances and haughtiness and to
express our worship for the Three Jewels, Superior Teachers and the Buddhas. What
does clasping hands mean? It stands for the lotus and respectfully clasping hands
means worshiping the Three Jewels with lotuses.
Step 3: Lean your body forward with the supporting of hands and get down to the
ground or extend your arms to the ground in front of you and make the whole body
touch the ground, and then, you need to raise the clasped hands over the head and then
stretch them forward.
My reflections:
Spread your toes slightly and stretch your hands forward on the ground. In this way,
the fingers, wrists, ankles and soles can be massaged mildly, and it makes the joints
more flexible, helps to supply blood and strengthens the blood circulation in all
arteries and capillary vessels. Especially those practitioners with arthritis can get great
benefits from this movement. And those practitioners with cold limbs and weak
circulation of the peripheral nerve system can get healthier after keep practicing full
prostrations for some time. It can help you relax when you keep insteps downwards
when the whole body touches the ground. Some practitioners want to know which one
is better, throwing ourselves to the ground directly or doing it after kowtow. My
experience shows that we can use these two methods alternately when making full
prostrations continuously for many times. We can use the former one when the knees
ache and the latter one when the waist has no strength or when we are tired. As for
speed, the former one is faster.
Stretch our arms in front of us on the ground as much as we can and relax our arms
and shoulders (even one second is precious for relaxation when making full
prostrations intensively and continuously. We can adjust the breathing to help relax
ourselves). This movement can make the shoulders less stiff. And secondly, the
abdomen can also benefit. The blood circulation in the abdomen will be improved. It
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stimulates internal organs positively to become healthier, including the stomach and
small and large intestines. Then constipation, flatulence and gastritis will be healed
and the digestion can be improved. The pneuma and energy will work in balance
when the energy center is activated. Manipura Chakra has profound effect and the
pelvic cavity is particularly vital for women. In this pose, the bump between the
abdomen and the mat can strengthen the blood circulation in the pelvic cavity. With
much blood nourishing the pelvic cavity through making full prostrations, the
practitioners’ gynecopathy including dysmenorrheal will recover without one’s
noticing it.
When we are on all fours, it means our forehead, hands and knees touch the ground.
Making full prostrations in this way, it can help us get rid of our afflictions from the
Five Poisons, and receive the Buddha’s blessings for our body, speech, mind, merit
and career. Before making another round of full prostrations, we should stand up with
the back straight before starting the next movements. Disrespect in making full
prostrations will lead to bad retribution, for example, clasping hands in the wrong
way, just bending the body without the knees and forehead touching the ground and
standing with the waist bent. It is said in the Sutra that the person making full
prostrations with a wrongly bent body will be reborn as a pygmy or a hunchback
person. It is fine if we don’t make full prostrations for too many times, but whenever
we do it, we should practice it in accordance with the standard movements, in a
compliant and peaceful state. It is meaningless to save labor by making full
prostrations standing on a stiff hill or supported by something unnecessarily.
Step 4: Support our body with hands and stand up. Then raise the clasped hands to the
Anahata Chakra and start the second movement of prostrations.
My reflections:
In this pose, we’d better keep our knees together (some practitioners don’t do it in this
way. Therefore their strength will be dispersed, making it hard for them to stand up
and they will tend to feel tired instead). Raise our waist, thighs and knees at the same
time when we are on our hands. At this moment, our energy will be gathered at one
point and we can get up easily. We should leverage our waist when standing up. In
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addition to the benefits for the pelvic cavity, our abdominal muscle will be tightened
(the practitioners who want to lose weight will feel happy for this reason).
Furthermore, the kidney can also get countless benefits from this when the waist is
strengthened.
I think that we all feel quite painful and stiff when making the first prostrations each
time. Looking from the yoga perspective, that is because our pneuma and energy have
lost balance and there are too many obstructions against vital energy. When we
continue to practice it for the second time, we will feel a lot better. Because our vital
energy works at a smooth tempo in our bodies when our joints are flexible. In this
way, we gradually activate our vital energy and open up our heart to the Buddha’s
light.
Some practitioners will feel dizzy after making many prostrations because their heads
cannot get enough blood. Here I have an advice. Stand with the toes spread out after
reading the Buddhist verses or making full prostrations for once. So the weight will
land between the heels and the forefeet. Raise the knees, and the leg muscles will be
tightened. As a result, the blood will flow to the head quickly. In serious cases, the
dizziness can be better recovered if the practitioners sit up with their legs crossed.
The Buddha’s blessings will be quite strong if we sit in peace for a while after making
full prostrations every time. Adjust the breath and then recite Amita Buddha’s name.
By doing so, we will receive the Buddha’s blessings and our whole body will be
relaxed gradually to experience the refreshment and freedom. Yoga has the ten-
minute dead body pose to relax the body after each pose. The purpose is to protect the
body and spiritual energy after such practice. Similarly, sitting in peace after full
prostrations can relax the body and protect the energy. We will feel tired and the
physical energy will be dispersed if we start to work or walk as soon as we finish
making prostrations. We will feel relaxed and energetic if we sit quietly for 3 to 5
minutes. I feel it great when I recite Amita Buddha’s name immediately after making
full prostrations. Perhaps, the karmic creditors are willing to leave after we make full
prostrations sincerely. Maybe they are more willing to leave when we recite Amita
Buddha’s name. Nevertheless, our Master has also said that we shouldn’t stop reciting
Amita Buddha’s name, anywhere or anytime.
3. Breathing in making full prostrations
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The air we breathe in stay in our bodies which makes life. We can live without water
or food, but we cannot without air. There are two points on breathing. That is, how
can we breathe in more oxygen and how can we control our breathing and mind?
When we grow older and our afflictions grow heavier, we will forget the way of
abdominal breathing that we did in our babyhood. Most of us use thoracic breathing.
This kind of breathing is very shallow, especially when we are in anger. In that case,
our breathing will quicken up. We are boiling with rage and seem to explode. But if
we can take a deep breath, we can calm down slowly. If we reuse the abdominal
breathing like we did in our babyhood, and keep practicing it for a while every day,
we will get used to it gradually.
How can we get more benefits with the abdominal breathing in making full
prostrations? I finish each of the full prostrations with breathing for three times.
The first breathing: I raise the arms over the head and clasp the hands and I breathe in
the air at the same time. This method has two benefits: 1, The thorax will be open
when the arms are raised so that the lungs will be easier to get full with oxygen; 2,
Breath out the air and relax the arms when the arms fall from Anahata Dhakra to
Vishuddhi Chakra and then to Sahasrara Chakra.
The second breathing: I breathe in the air when kowtowing and falling forward and
breathe out the air when supporting my body with hands. And I breathe out the air
completely as the body gets down. This method has two benefits: 1, Only when we
breathe out all of the carbon dioxide, can we breathe in more oxygen; 2, While the
body gets down and we breathe out the air, we throw our body onto the mat. It is very
important in the whole process of the full prostrations. We should learn to relax
ourselves even when we are making full prostrations. Although such relaxation might
be very short, it is highly beneficial.
The third breathing: When I support my body with my hands to get up, I breathe in
the air completely and raise my body. Standing up and breathing are good for each
other. There are two benefits: 1, It is more healthful to breathe when standing up
because the dust and smell of the mat will not be breathed in; 2, More oxygen will be
breathed in when we try hard to stand up. When we stand up with the supporting of
the hands and breathe in the air, the strength will be passed to the legs, forefeet and
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heels. Then it will be easier to stand up with the heels. (We can think it over to find
the best tips and most suitable way for ourselves.) Then clasp the hands (to Anahata
Chakra.)
Everyone has his or her own situations and habits. We can adjust our breathing
according to our situations. However, we should pay attention to some points: make
sure to breathe in the air when the arms are raised and breathe out when the body falls
down to the ground. Only in this way will we be more relaxed and healthier.
Secondly, breathe out the air when we stand up and it can make us stronger and more
relaxed when we stand up. It will help us a lot if we pay attention to our breathing
especially when we feel tired and have many afflictions during the first prostrations.
By and by we will get used to it and breathe freely afterwards.)
Focus the mind on the present
Lastly, I’d like to share a story. Once when I was studying meditation with the yoga
teacher, I was excited when the teacher invited us to dinner. We swarmed into the
restaurant and created a lot of noise when we kept talking and touching the
dinnerware. The teacher made a gesture to let us quiet down and chant the
thanksgiving verse together. Afterwards, we started eating and talking again just as
before. And our teacher had to signal to us again to keep us quiet. He told us with the
help of the interpreter that having meals is also a sort of meditation and meditation
can be about anything. The yoga poses and all yoga skills are used to make us focus
on the present. When we stretch ourselves, just feel the stretching, the blood
circulation and the running of the energy. When we have meals, just feel the rice we
put into our mouth and enjoy the good taste of the soft rice between our teeth and
tongue, and just feel the color of each dish and appreciate the wonderful foods given
by nature. Just focus our mind on the present, feel the present moment, in this way,
our mind will calm down, and we will not seek from the outside anymore. Then we
can keep sober, feel our heart and feel the energy given by the nature.
My stomach seems to become softer after that meal, not as hard as before when I used
to wolf down the foods. It enables me to think that making full prostrations and
reciting the name of Amita Buddha is also meditation. The body masters itself in the
dynamic and static states. Just focus our mind on making full prostrations and on
reciting the name of Amita Buddha. Just feel the stretching, the blood circulation and
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the energy flow. Just feel the blessings of the Buddha and the endless love given to us
by the Buddha.
September, 2010
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