A prostration (, , zh, c=禮拜, , ) is a gesture used in

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

practice to show reverence to the

Triple Gem In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Its object is typically the Three Jewels (also known as the Triple ...

(comprising the Buddha, his teachings, and the spiritual community) and other objects of veneration. Among Buddhists prostration is believed to be beneficial for practitioners for several reasons, including: *an experience of

giving Giving may refer to: * Gift, the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return * Generosity, the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return * Charity (practice) Charity is the Volunteering, vol ...

or veneration *an act to purify defilements, especially conceit *a preparatory act for

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

*an act that accumulates merit (see

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

) In contemporary Western Buddhism, some teachers use prostrations as a practice unto itself, while other teachers relegate prostrations to customary

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

ritual, ancillary to

Theravada Buddhism

In the

Pali canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...

, laypersons prostrating before the then-living Buddha is mentioned in several suttas. In

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

, as part of daily practice, one typically prostrates before and after

chanting A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of note ...

and

. On these occasions, one typically prostrates three times: once to the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

, once to the

Dhamma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold'' or ''to support' ...

, and once to the

Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

. More generally, one can also prostrate before "any sacred object of veneration." Theravada Buddhists execute a type of prostration that is known as "five-point veneration" (Pali: ''patitthitapanca'') or the "five-limbed prostration" (Pali: ''pañc'anga-vandana'') where the two palms and elbows, two sets of toes and knees, and the forehead are placed on the floor. More specifically: In Myanmar (Burma), prostrations are accompanied by the common Buddhist prayer, known as okāsa. In Thailand, traditionally, each of the three aforementioned prostrations are accompanied by the following

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

verses: In Theravadin countries such as Sri Lanka, when one goes before one's teacher, in order to "open one's mind up to receive instructions," one bows and recites the phrase, "Okāsa ahaṃ bhante vandāmi" ("I pay homage to you venerable sir").

Mahayana Buddhism

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

, both half- and full-prostrations are used. Zen master Robert Aitken writes: Roshi Philip Kapleau writes: Zen master Huang Po, of the 9th century, is said to have done prostrations so intensely that he wore a permanent red mark on his forehead.

Vajrayana Buddhism

In Vajrayana Buddhism, prostrations are often performed before meditation or teachings, but can form a separate practice by itself. Prostrations are seen as a means of purifying one's body, speech and mind of karmic defilements, especially pride. Prostrations are used in tandem with visualization and can be used to express reverence to Guru Rinpoche and others. For example, in the context of offering homage to Guru Rinpoche, prostrations are to be performed as follows: This type of prostration is often done 3, 7, 21, or 108 times. A prostration mala can be used to facilitate counting.Tromge (1995), p. 95. This form of prostration is used with enlightened beings other than Guru Rinpoche as well. Prostrations done in large numbers (like 100,000) can be part of the preliminary practices to the practice of

tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

. Other practices like this can be reciting the Refuge prayer,

mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

offerings, Vajrasattva mantras and other practices called ngöndro.

Notes

Bibliography

*Aitken, Robert (1982). ''Taking the Path of Zen''. NY:North Point Press. . *Aitken, Robert (2002). "Formal Practice: Buddhist or Christian" in ''Buddhist-Christian Studies'' (2002), Vol. 22, pp. 63–76. Available on-line at: http://www.thezensite.com/ZenEssays/Miscellaneous/FormalPractice.htm *Indaratana Maha Thera, Elgiriye (2002). ''Vandana: The Album of Pali Devotional Chanting and Hymns''. Penang, Malaysia:Mahindarama Dhamma Publication. Available on-line at: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/vandana02.pdf. * Kapleau, Phillip (1989a). ''The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice and Enlightenment''. NY: Anchor Books. . *Kapleau, Philip (1989b). ''Zen: Merging of East and West''. NY:Anchor Book. . *Khantipalo, Bhikkhu (1982). ''Lay Buddhist Practice: The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence'' (The Wheel No. 206/207). Kandy, Sri Lanka:Buddhist Publication Society. Also transcribed (1995) and available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel206.html. *Tromge, Jane (1995). ''Ngondro Commentary: Instructions for the Concise Preliminary Practices of the New Treasure of Dudjom / compiled from the teachings of His Eminence Chagdud Tulku''. Junction City, CA:Padma Publishing. .

External links

A Holy Quest in Tibet: Prostrate, and Miles to GoBuddhism: Prostrations (video)Buddhism: Prostrations Part II (video)
by Ven

Thubten Chodron Thubten Chodron ( — De Lin), born Cheryl Greene, is an American Tibetan Buddhist nun, author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, the only Tibetan Buddhist training monastery for Western nuns and monks in the United States. C ...