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

1

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

2

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

3

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

4

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.

5

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

6

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

7

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

8

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

9

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

10

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

11

the energy flow. Just feel the blessings of the Buddha and the endless love given to us

by the Buddha.

September, 2010

12