In Buddhism, a prostration (Pali: panipāta, Skt.: namas-kara, Ch.: li-pai, Jp.: raihai) is used to show reverence to the Triple Gem and other objects of veneration. A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ... The Triratna or Three Jewels symbol, on a Buddha footprint. ...

In Buddhism, prostrating has multiple and overlapping benefits for practitioners including:

• an experience of giving and/or veneration
• an act to purify defilements
• a preparatory act for meditation
• an act that accumulates merit (see also karma)

In contemporary Western Buddhism, some teachers use prostrations as a practice unto itself,^[1] while other teachers relegate prostrations to customary "rituals" ancillary to meditation.^[2] Dana is a Sanskrit and Pali word meaning generosity or giving. ... In Buddhism, the Pali word kilesa (Sanskrit: kleśa or klesha) is used to mean defilements or corruptions. Three main kinds of kilesa are: lobha: greed, lust (rāga), attachment. ... Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or mental development. // Methods of meditation The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha... Merit is a concept in Buddhism, and particularly in Theravada Buddhism. ... Karma (Sanskrit karman) or Kamma (Pāli) means action or doing; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma. ... Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or mental development. // Methods of meditation The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha...

Theravada Buddhism

In the Pali canon, laypersons prostrating before the then-living Buddha is mentioned in several suttas.^[3] Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Southern Buddhist (Theravada) tradition. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syū-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms...

In Theravada Buddhism, as part of ones daily practice, one typically prostrates before and after chanting and meditation. When prostrating on these occasions, one does it three times: once to the Buddha, once to the Dhamma, and once to the Sangha. More generally, one can also prostrate before "any sacred object of veneration."^[4] Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ... Buddhist chant is chant used in or inspired by Buddhism, including many genres in many cultures: Repetition of the name of Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism. ... Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or mental development. // Methods of meditation The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. ... It has been suggested that bhikkhu be merged into this article or section. ...

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.^[5] More specifically:

"... In the kneeling position, one's hand in añjali [palms together, fingers flat out and pointed upward] are raised to the forehead and then lowered to the floor so that the whole forearm to the elbow is on the ground, the elbow touching the knee. The hands, palm down, are four to six inches apart with just enough room for the forehead to be brought to the ground between them. Feet are still as for the kneeling position and the knees are about a foot apart...."^[6]

In Thailand, traditionally, each of the three aforementioned prostrations are accompanied by the following Pali verses:^[7] Pali may refer to: Pāli, a Middle Indo-Aryan language Pali, Rajasthan, a town and district in Rajasthan, western India Pali, a Hawaiian word, meaning cliffs Nuuanu Pali, a region on the Hawaiian island of Oahu Ballaleshwar Pali, the Ganapati temple of pali and place in Maharastra This is...

Mahayana Buddhism

In Zen Buddhism, both half- and full-prostrations are used. Zen master Robert Aitken writes: A woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, (Japan, 1887) depicting Bodhidharma the founder of Chinese Zen. ... Robert Aitken, His Bible, sometimes referred to as The Bible of the Revolution, was the first known English-language Bible to be printed in America and was is the only Bible to receive Congressional approval. ...

"The Zen student is taught that in raihai [prostration] one throws everything away. Pivoting the forearms on the elbows and raising the hands [palms up] while prostrated is the act of raising the Buddha's feet above one's head."^[8]

Roshi Philip Kapleau writes: Philip Kapleau was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and became a teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Harada-Yasutani tradition, a blending of Soto and Rinzai schools. ...

"The act of unself-conscious prostration before a Buddha is ... possible under the impetus of reverence and gratitude. Such 'horizontalizings of the mast of ego'^[9] cleanse the heart-mind, rendering it flexible and expansive, and open the way to an understanding and appreciation of the exalted mind and manifold virtues of the Buddha and patriarchs. So there arises within us a desire to express our gratitude and show our respect before their personalized forms through appropriate rituals."^[10]

Vajrayana Buddhism

In Vajrayana Buddhism, prostrations are performed as one takes refuge and recites bodhicitta vows. Prostrations are seen as a means of purifying ones body, speech and mind of karmic defilements, especially pride.^[11] Prostrations are used in tandem with visualization and can be used to express reverence to Guru Rinpoche^[12] and others. A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Taking Refuge makes the difference between Buddhists and non-Buddhists. ... In Buddhist thought, bodhicitta (Ch. ... Karma(Sanskrit: from the root , to do, [meaning deed] meaning action, effect, destiny) means (the result of) action, generally taken as a term that comprises the entire cycle of cause and effect. ... Guru Rinpoche, the patron saint of Sikkim. ...

In the context of offering homage to Guru Rinpoche, prostrations are to be performed as follows:

"...Bring your hands together in the 'lotus bud' mudra (the base of the palm and the fingertips together, and thumbs slightly tucked in) and place them on the crown of the head, then to the throat and heart. As you place your hands on your crown, you offer homage to Guru Rinpoche's enlightened body, purify defilements and obscurations incurred through the avenue of your body, and establish the potential to realize nirmanakaya. At your throat, you offer homage to his enlightened speech, and establish the potential to realized sambhogakaya. Bringing your hands to your heart, you offer homage to his enlightened mind, purify your mind's obscurations, and establish the potential to realize dharmakaya.

"The actual prostration is perfomed by dropping the body forward and stretching it full length on the floor, the arms outstretched in front.... Again, with hands in the lotus bud mudra, bend your arms back and touch your hands to the top of your head, a gesture that acknowledges the blessing flowing from Guru Rinpoche. Then stretch your arms out once more and push yourself up.... Bring your hands into the lotus bud mudra for the third time and touch your heart in a gesture of reverence. Then, with a smooth motion, bring your hands to your crown and perform the next prostration...."^[13]

This type of prostration is done 108 times. A prostration mala can be used to facilitate counting.^[14] After this prostration offering, one can move onto mandala offerings.^[15] A statue of Gautama Buddha showing a dharmacakra mudra In Hinduism, a mudra (Sanskrit, literally seal; 印相 inzō in Japanese) is a symbolic gesture made with the hand or fingers. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The Trikaya doctrine (Sanskrit, literally Three bodies or personalities; 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin) is an important Buddhist teaching both on the nature of reality, and what a Buddha is. ... The Malas are a large geographically dispersed caste found in Andhra Pradesh and several other states of India. ... Buddhist mandala Mandala (Sanskrit circle, completion) is of Hindu origin and is also used in most Dharmic religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, to refer to various tangible objects. ...

See also

• Householder (Buddhism)

In canonical Buddhism, householder refers to a particular strata of society whose individuals are typified by having a home life and family. ...

Notes

1. ^ See, for instance, Tromge (1995), pp. 87-96.
2. ^ See, for example, Aitken (1982), pp. 29-31, where he discusses such rituals as having a two-fold purpose: "First, ritual helps to deepen our religious spirit and to extend its vigor to our lives. Second, ritual is an opening for the experience of forgetting the self as the words or the actions become one with you, and there is nothing else." (p. 29).
3. ^ Khantipalo (1982). In addition to making this general statement, Khantipalo quotes an example of lay people prostrating before the Buddha from the Kalama Sutta (AN 3.65).
4. ^ Indaratana (2002), p. v.
5. ^ Indaratana (2002), p. v. Khantipalo (1982).
6. ^ Khantipalo (1982).
7. ^ Ibid.
8. ^ Aitken (2002). See a similar statement in Aitken (1982), p. 30.
9. ^ Here Kapleau is referencing a letter by 14th c. Rinzai Zen master Bassui Tokusho to a layman: "As for the practice of bowing down before the Buddhas, this is merely a way of horizontalizing the mast of ego in order to realize the Buddha-nature" (Kapleau, 1989, pp. 182-183).
10. ^ Kapleau (1989), p. 21.
11. ^ Tromge (1995), p. 87.
12. ^ Ibid., pp. 88-9.
13. ^ Ibid., pp. 94-5.
14. ^ Ibid., p. 95.
15. ^ Ibid., p. 96.

The Kalama Sutta (Sanskrit: Kalama Sutra) is a Buddhist sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya of the Tipitaka. ... The Anguttara Nikaya (Gradual Collection) is the fourth of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka, which is one of the three baskets that compose the Pali Tipitaka. ...

Bibliography

• Aitken, Robert (1982). Taking the Path of Zen. NY:North Point Press. ISBN 0-865470-80-4.

• 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/zen%20essays/FormalPracticeBuddhistorChristian.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 (1989). The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice and Enlightenment. NY: Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-26093-8.

• 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. ISBN 1-881847-06-3.

External links

• "On Doing Bows," from the Golden Wind Zen Center, article with animated graphic and explicit text.

				Buddhism
Terms and concepts		History		Schools and sects		People		By region and country
List of topics		Timeline		Temples		Texts		Culture
				Portal				v ·d ·e ·h