The Profound Significance of Prostrations: Teachings from Practitioner Su

The Sacred Act of Surrender

Dharma Jewel – Music File

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Prostrations. With your entire body cast upon the ground, you are performing prostrations to the pure, true self within your heart. With the most sincere faith and vows, you bow to the Buddha’s awakening. In this state of devotion, you are free from attachment, free from confusion, and free from delusion.

Every diligent prostration is a step toward a clearer and more luminous state of awakening. Guided by the tether of each recitation of the Buddha-name, you are bringing your true self into a state of greater clarity and perfection. In the space between the bow and the rise, you come to understand the rising and falling of life and death. In the space between the bow and the rise, you awaken to the rise and fall of existence throughout the ages.

The Rhythm of Life and Death

Prostrations are the beginning of repentance; they are the original heart of reverence. With a respectful heart, you bow to the past events of your lives. Though you may see only one Buddha before you, and hear only one Buddha-name as your guide, in truth, this one is a representation of the immeasurable. Prostrations can dissolve karma and repent sins, because throughout your lives, you are bowing to all Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time.

Namo Amituofo is the Universal Buddha, the representative of all the Dharma and all the holy ones. The meaning of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way is that all Buddha-nature is awakened, pure, and radiant. To pursue supreme, perfect enlightenment, you must put in the work during your prostrations. A single prostration can be a magnificent merit that is immeasurable and boundless. A single prostration can also be merely a stretching exercise amidst the dust.

Dissolving Karma and Awakening Wisdom

When your heart and actions are in harmony with the Buddha, you are moving in the direction of purity, clarity, and awakening, rather than the dark paths of the three lower realms. My child, you must know the significance of prostrations and the reality of prostrations. In this space between the bow and the rise, you are immersing yourself in the teachings of the Truth. It is not to bow to your own state. It is not to bow to your own posture. It is not to bow for your own benefit. It is not to bow to all the connections of this physical body.

Prostrations are the key to attaining Buddhahood, because in this practice, you understand how to remember the Buddha. Which Buddha are you remembering? The Buddha of the past, present, and future—the Buddha within your own true self. Once you understand this, you can perform clear prostrations and truly coexist with the Buddha. The Buddha is you, and you are the Buddha. Attain Buddhahood through prostrations; attain Buddhahood through Buddha recitation.

The Path to Eternal Wisdom

The manifestation of the Buddha is here to help you, my children, rediscover your identity as a Buddha. We should all pull together on this lifeline of salvation. Whose life are we saving? We are saving the life of the Buddhas within the sentient beings in the Dharma realm. This wisdom-life requires you to open your Wisdom (Prajna) during the moments of prostration.

Using the human world as the most precious crown, you bow to the feet of the Buddha. In truth, this is an attitude of respect—respecting the heart of every Buddha. Now, the Buddha wishes to strengthen one more conviction: the heart that respects your own Buddha-nature. Through prostrations, you should better understand confidence in your true self. All sentient beings in the Dharma realm can hear the light and attain Buddhahood in the space between the bow and the rise. The bow and the rise are the beginning of the Buddha-nature. To bow is to be the Buddha. To rise is to be the Buddha.