How to Perform Full-length Prostrations

(1) Put the palms of your hands together with the thumbs aligned and tucked into the center of your palms. Your folded thumbs represent offering a wish-fulfilling jewel to the buddhas.

Note: Having visualized the thirty-five buddhas in the space before you, imagine that you emanate countless bodies, each of which has many heads with many tongues. As you prostrate, imagine that all the emanated bodies, visualized surrounding you, do the same.

(2) Place your folded hands upon the crown of your head. This creates the cause to obtain the crown protuberance (ushnisha) of a buddha.

Note: Simultaneously recite the phrase of prostration to the corresponding tathagata while imagining that each of the emanated tongues also does the same. Continue to repeat that same phrase of prostration until the prostration is complete.

(3) Touch your folded hands to your forehead (optional). This purifies negative actions committed by the body and creates the cause to obtain the treasure hair of a buddha.

Note: If you prefer to do prostrations without touching your hands to your forehead, visualize that touching your crown purifies negative actions committed by the body.

(4) Touch your folded hands to your neck. This purifies negative actions committed by speech and creates the cause to obtain the melodious speech of a buddha with its sixty-four qualities.

(5) Touch your folded hands to your heart. This purifies negative actions committed by mind and creates the cause to obtain the qualities of a buddhas mind, such as the twenty-one divisions of uncontaminated exalted wisdom.

Note: While touching your hands to the forehead (or crown), neck, and heart visualize that white light and nectar radiate from the corresponding place of the body of the buddha to whom you are prostrating and enter, respectively, into your own forehead, neck, and heart, completely purifying all your negativities of body, speech, and mind. If you find this visualization difficult, merely visualize that white light and nectar radiate from the heart of the buddha to whom you are prostrating, enter into your body through your forehead, and purify all your negativities of body, speech, and mind. Visualize that all your negativities leave your body through your lower orifices in the form of filthy dirt, snakes, scorpions, and so forth. These fall into the gaping mouth of the Lord of Death, who is visualized seven levels under the ground below your feet. The Lord of Death becomes extremely blissful and satisfied.

(6) Bend forward and place your hands flat on the ground with your fingers very slightly apart.

(7) Lower your knees and stretch your body out full-length on the ground with your arms extended forward.

Note: It is said that the amount of negative actions purified by a single prostration is in proportion to the number of atoms of earth covered by the extended body; therefore, also visualize that your body is extremely huge and covers an enormous amount of earth.

(8) Either (a) lift merely your palms up off the ground or (b) bend your elbows and bring your folded hands over the back of your head; then lower your palms once again to the ground.

Note: While doing this, visualize that a replica of the buddha to whom you are prostrating absorbs into you, thereby, blessing you.

(9) To stand up bring your hands back to shoulder level, raise up on your knees, place your hands on the ground close to the level of your knees, raise your knees off the ground, then raise your hands, and stand up straight.

(10) Begin the next prostration by immediately placing your folded hands on the crown of your head.

Note: At the end of the final prostration once again touch your folded hands to the crown, forehead (optional), neck, and heart. Visualize that your body is completely pure and transparent, like clear crystal, and feel convinced that all your negative actions of body, speech, and mind have been completely purified.

(1) Touch your folded hands, with thumbs tucked inside the palms, to your crown, forehead (optional), neck, and heart as above.

(2) Bend forward, place your hands flat upon the ground, lower your knees to the ground, and touch your forehead to the ground.

Note: Five points of the body should always touch the ground—the hands, knees, and head.

(3) When standing up, first the head leaves the ground, then the knees, and finally the hands.

Note: You should come to a straight standing position before beginning the next prostration.

(4) Begin the next prostration by immediately placing your folded hands on the crown of your head.

Note: At the end of the final prostration once again touch your folded hands to the crown, forehead (optional), neck, and heart. Short prostrations are generally performed at the beginning and end of Dharma teachings, during the Restoring and Purifying Ceremony of monks and nuns, etc.

(1) Hold your folded hands, with thumbs tucked inside your palms, at your heart.

Note: The practice of confession to the thirty-five buddhas is usually accompanied by full-length prostrations but can be done with either the short or very simple prostrations when space or health do not permit full-length prostrations.