Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 68-minute teaching, Lama Zopa Rinpoche details the mechanics of prostration practice. He begins with precise postural instruction, explaining how improper hand positioning creates specific animal-rebirth karma. He outlines the eight and ten specific benefits of even a single prostration: perfect form, perfect environment, faith, devotion, courage, wisdom, enlightenment. Drawing on the Lalitavistara Sūtra, he teaches that each atom of the body, when bowed, generates merit equivalent to lifetimes as a universal monarch. For those who have visualized themselves as Chenrezig or other deities, such visualization expands the merit collection exponentially. The teaching progresses methodically from technical form through meditation to cosmological context. For practitioners engaged in preliminary practices.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2005 06 15 2 TWN 2 Śākyamūni ctr 15thjune05.mp3
UUID: 05ba1e42-b1ac-4834-9747-67b048631857
Teacher: Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1
Collection: z Taiwan (Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1)
Date: 2005-06-15
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 68.6 minutes
Words: ~4,043
That one thing to wanted to mention that when you do prostration, since as of some people spread their fingers, This time, maybe that, Sharpa-la may have explained, I’m not sure. I didn’t get to didn’t get to explain the details about prostration. So, however, when you prostrate, you should not spread out your fingers like that. Know? You shouldn’t spread.
Should keep like this. It shouldn’t spread like this. So, if you do like that, it is said in text that it is karma to be born as duck, duck duck, you see, at hand, leg or hand, but anyway, only there’s only there’s only, you see, there’s not four, only one, so only hand or one leg. So the what you call it, hand or leg? Duck.
There’s no four. There’s no four. With four legs, four legs or two two legs or four legs? Four legs. It is four, then two legs and two hands or four legs?
Legs. Four legs. Two legs in the hand. So so there’s no hand. There’s no hand.
No hand. Yeah. Palm. Yeah. When the dog stands like this, when the dog stands like this, You know?
There’s a leg or hand. There’s no leg because they put it on the ground. No leg because they were using it on the ground. What about the monkey? Monkey doesn’t have?
Monkey puts all limbs on the ground. Monkey doesn’t have. Monkey. Does not have? Monkey has hand.
She said, yes. It’s monkey. Yeah. Monkey has a hands. Yeah.
Monkey’s hands. You know? Like we have the monkey’s hands. Their feet, like like we have a little bit like feet. Know it doesn’t doesn’t Oh, yeah.
So it gets karma to be born like those animal. Yeah. This Ta. That. So, if you if you do like so I saw it like this.
Some people do it like this. So, know, we put it like that. Shouldn’t do that. And also, can do it like this, and then like that, or like this. The karma is one to be born as an animal that has what do you call it?
Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. This what? Whoop.
Whoop. Whoop. Whoop. Hoop. Hoop.
Hoop. Hoop. Yeah. Get a bonus. Hoop.
You know? This. Not that. So this so you should you should know that. I I don’t see the I don’t you don’t do this, but but I think some people don’t this.
Sure. Keep respect. Keep respect. So the how I think I guess, I’m not sure, but my guess is why it’s becoming a karma is because it’s disrespectful, you know, from a powerful holy object. So, that’s why I think that’s how becoming karma.
So and then you when you do prostration, so here I think here for us, you don’t do that mistake. When you prostrate, you stand up straight, then you Otherwise, while you’re keeping down, when you keep them down, you do like this. Then, know, if you don’t stand up, you do it is said that you get born you get born as animals with a back that is round. I guess, maybe pigs have sort of round, and the animals will have back that kind of round. That you get born as those animals.
You know, camel camels are big like that. Some part like that. Anyway, so like that so you just you extend up straight and then you look like that. You don’t do this. Know?
In Chinese? In Praise to in Chinese language translates. The Secret Life of the Lord, Lama Tsongkhapa, or any other Secret Life Store. If any place, Lamatong Haba, is in Chinese, what is in Chinese available? We have one secret story as well.
About Lama Tsongkhapa. Yeah. If we will find If you haven’t received teachings on the prostration, then in recent times that I give explanation, you know, meditation that goes with the prostration. Maybe we have notes, recent, that explanation on the prostration. Recent times.
Once. Oh, there are quite many places. Maybe also the last time Chenrezig retreat. Do remember? Last time Chenrezig retreat here.
We’re not here. But if somebody has made notes, then you can get the notes. Yeah. But maybe the reason to one might be with some extra, maybe. Yeah.
Maybe And maybe some party. The the just just to mention that the essence the meditation during the motivation during the prostration is that so from this retreat, you knew the motivation and so, let’s say, how how to strong the remembrance of impermanence and death, then the strong bodhicitta, you know, that one. Reflecting on the lower realms, awareness of the hell realm, awareness of impermanence relative to the held realm, self-reflecting that kind of thing, then the strong bodhicitta, need for that. When you put hands like this here, then you think, I’m prostrating towards all the ten direction Guru Buddha Dharma Sangha. Then, when you arrive here, think, I am prostrating towards all the ten direction statues, the scriptures, Guru.
Think that it’s the Guru’s mudra. Here, I am prostrating towards all the you see, Guru Buddha Dharma Sangha, ten direction Guru Buddha Dharma Sangha. Then here, I am prostrating to all the ten direction statues and the scriptures and the guru. So each time yeah, so one statue of Buddha, one picture of Buddha, when you put the palms together, you get you collect, you achieve eight benefits.
The next one is perfect body. Yeah. There’s a perfect body. Perfect body. Then perfect sense organs in beautiful beautiful body, you know, color that beautiful color.
It’s perfect body. And then next one is perfect surrounding people. To have perfect perfect surrounding people. So within the family or within the office, whatever you say, there was people around, there’s some people who who who’s not against you, whose wish wish whose wishes are harmonize your wishes. So so they are all supportive to you, you see.
That That is where you are able to practice Dharma, able to benefit others, able to live in the morality. That’s a very important foundation. Without morality, you cannot perfect perfect meditation, the or samadhi, and without that, you can’t achieve great insight. Without the three higher trainings, you cannot achieve the exalted path of wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. Without that, you can’t cease the defilements, the disturbing obscurations, and as well as subtle obscuration.
So, that means you can’t achieve liberation from saṃsāra, and in other words, no enlightenment. So, morality is the foundation. Then, also, the next one, faith. So, it could create karma, create cause to be able to live the morality. Third,
Then fourth, being able to have devotion. So, without devotion, then without devotion to Buddha Dharma Sangha, without faith in the karma Without faith and karma, you can’t practice can’t unable to practice you’re unable to one won’t be able to practice Dharma. One doesn’t practice Dharma without faith karma, so that’s karma and refuge, so the devotion, they are very important. Without devotion, then nothing no there’s no cause to receive blessing, and then then no without blessing, without receiving blessing, there’s no cause to achieve realizations or path of enlightenment, liberation, enlightenment, so that then brave heart. Brave heart, to do things for to do things for others, to lead or, you see, to lead other sentient beings, to work for many people, you see, to do things among people, the background, courage, you see.
The rising path, path of meditation, no more learning, the wisdom that the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. So, by achieving the right by achieving the path of seeing, the path of the Hīnayāna, the right path, then you are able to remove the intellectually acquired delusions, defilements, all of the wrong concepts, all labeled. Then by achieving the path of meditation, you’re able to remove the simultaneously-born disturbing obscurations. Then by removing even the seed of delusion, they’re to achieve the then able to achieve the state of liberation. So that impossible then impossible to experience something again.
So then last one, the number eight is enlightenment. So just the minute when you put a palm the minute when you put a palm to a statue of Buddha, see, stupa, or scripture. The minute you put a palm, you achieve these eight very important benefits. Also, also ten, you get you get ten benefits of that. You get born in the the life of the king, in the king’s family.
You get born in the king’s family. Then And then the extensive form, the same, the perfect form, perfect body. Perfect surround the extensive surrounding people, extensive surrounding people. Then extensive offering. Either you receive or you’re able to make I’m not sure.
You receive extensive offering? That can be one. Able to make able to make offering to others. And then extensive, extensive service. That means I think maybe receiving, I think.
Extensive offering, extensive service. Then extensive wealth. Mhmm. Then extensive devotion, remembrance, extensive memory, extensive wisdom, and the realization, Extensive listening to dharma. Yeah.
But there’s supposed to be ten ten benefits. You know, the minute we put palms together, you know, starting with the scripture with the. See? And this, you get ten ten benefits immediately. And then The general benefits of prostration: the ten perfect body, which is a perfect perfect form.
It’s a perfect form. And then just I mentioned before, perfect sense organs and beautiful color and shape, and the gold color. The next one, third one, beautiful beautiful beautiful shape. So I think maybe first one means perfect, you know, their sense of organs, remember that.
The third one, beautiful shape form. And then very and then very very sweet voice, the throat. Then I was able to put so some cut off say, you know, this thing came in Melvin. So you have a very, very sweet voice. Like you see, anybody who, you know, when people hear, there’s so much want to hear the word.
So, you know, never get satisfaction, you see, when someone want to hear. You know, so happy to hear, you see, the the person’s voice. Example, the many millions of people who are attracted so many millions of people in this world who are attracted to those famous singers, the voice, you see. But the because the ultimate is Buddhist holy speech, the ultimate. See, never get bored.
Even the form, a sentient being will never get satisfied. They always want to see, you know, incredible, pleasures, you know, peace and happiness. So same with the speech. That my mother guru’s incarnation, she was eighty, eighty-one, nine, I’m sure, from there. The incarnation when he the incarnation was four years old when he came to Kopan.
So we did the enthronement, you see, inaugurated at Kopan. Then that time that time, you see, no matter whatever he says, it’s it’s it’s unbelievable to hear the voice. So sweet, so nice to hear, you know. Doesn’t matter whatever he says. After I hear the after I hear the first, I want to listen to the next.
And waiting waiting to hear, wanting to hear the next. You know, wanting to the next voice. You know? Want to hear the next voice. You know?
That kind of kind of a say. Kind of a say. Kind of what say. Say. Like difficulty.
Like difficulty is to worry. Not saying something. You feel difficulty, but he’s not saying something. Because you only hear so much the voice. So something very sweet, you know.
I think like that. So like those you see, many billions of people in this world attracted to those famous singers’ voice, you know, enchanted or, see, like that. So Then able to able to able to communicate, able to speak. So, next one. I think the word that you say, you know, I think other people don’t keep their mind, keeping their mind, you know.
But they pay attention. They pay attention to your words. They’re not not careless, your words. They I think they they pay attention to your words. I think this is what it means.
I keep it keep it in mind, you see. Pay they pay attention. They yeah. They kind of it’s it’s it’s important, I think. Then, so there’s no shy, you see, to, you know, to say, to do things in the public, see, to really do things for others, you know, for and for many people, you know, shy.
So I think that just means you are with people. So you have you also always surround people, I think. So the so by the leader or group or have a say, or, you know, the virtuous teacher, and then, you know, the sangha or could be like that, being in the group. Then, the devas, human beings are happy. People are happy with you.
Devas, even the devas, the human beings, they’re they’re happy with you. Then, you accompany with the bodhisattvas and buddhas. And then you have wealth, I think. Wealth. So the I’m gonna be achieving I am achieving the exalted path.
I would the last is the enlightenment. For the last part, the very last very last minute it happened, but between that I didn’t remember there’s a world, and maybe the exalted part, I don’t remember. So there are ten benefits and general benefits of prostration are explained in the Sūtra, the ten benefits. Okay. So just from one prostration to the holy objects, Mhmm.
Even statues, stupa or scripture, however, the to the holy field. So by the one person, you get the ten benefits. So that so it’s so the it’s unbelievable. It’s it’s incredible. Unbelievable.
Just just having put palms together to a statue, a picture of Buddha. Know? You see? You get one statue, one picture of Buddha. As I put like this, put it on there, you get eight or ten benefits.
Those important benefits, you see. That’s unbelievable. You know? So normally, used to say, in one picture in one picture, in one picture, sometimes there are many thousand Buddhas there. In one small in one small picture, there’s many, many small many many hundred thousand Buddhas, you know, pictures.
So so the the minute when you put the BAM together to towards all of them, if this small picture with so many inside, cross stitch, you see, with the two palm together towards all of them. So it is one thousand, there, even though no matter how no matter how much more it is, you collect one thousand times the eight benefits, one thousand times the ten benefits, the extensive benefit. Just simply by putting the problem. Then, though, in the temple, in the temple, like in Tibet or the Hyderabad, you know, I mean, the Nepal, it was all it in the in the some temples, some Chinese temple, there’s so many there’s so many the the small tsa-tsas with these statues of Buddha or Amitābha or whatever, you know, on the on the wall full. Or in the Tibetan temple, there’s so many paintings.
You see, the so it is one billion, one billion drawings, paintings of Buddha there. So if you so you see, if you turn like this, you put your palm like this, you put your palm like this, you go around like this, know, think I’m prostrating. Mind you, you think. You know, I’m prostrating for all of them, you see. All these palms put that, so you you go like this, you know, turn.
When I think I’m prostrating for all this, you see it. So, within that, that two to three seconds, recollect it, it is one billion spending drawing of a Buddha, you know, you created these eight benefits, ten benefits like that, one billion times. So so it’s so it’s just amazing, unbelievable. Yeah. So karma, what you say, good karma, you collect those eight important benefits, you see, one billion times.
So then, similar when we go to the prayer book, you know, the monasteries of the prayer book that has many Buddhist pictures. On each page, there are many Buddha in the pictures of that. So each as you turn the page, each one see, how many picture Buddha there is, you put each time when you do like this, you will come together like this in a project. Then, you see, after you finish the book, then, you know, you how much merit you collect, the equivalent merit like that. In a thousand thousand seven, so many.
You see, but the time when you finish a book, you’ll unbelievable. It’s I don’t know. Thousands and thousands of these, the merit accumulates. So there are many call so many thousand thousand calls are not going to say. They live with some time.
Happen in future life. And then like that. Then happening, this life just come part way. So this the what is explained sūtra, the number of sum of the number of benefits. So these are benefits.
What I’ve seen so far, the benefits described in Sūtra teachings, the Lama teachings, the benefits that I’ve seen, the prostration, even putting palm together, so that Then, besides what I mentioned the other day, Lalitavistara Sūtra, that if there’s one atom in your body, it creates karma. When you prostrate, there’s one atom in your body, then you create karma, to be born as a wheel-turning king for one thousand lifetimes. So to be born as wheel-turning king. Why did Buddha use the example of wheel-turning king?. Why? Because to be born as a wheel-turning king one lifetime, you have to collect.
You have to You have to collect inconceivable merit, unbelievable merit, to be born as a one time will turn king. Therefore, to give you an idea, it doesn’t mean by the way of prostration, then the common result is only you get it upon. Wheel-turning king is not saying that, but it’s giving you an idea of how much material you cracked. To give you an idea, Wheel-turning king is used as an example. So, it is one atom when you do prostration, one atom, your body covers, then you create karma.
merit is to be born as wheel-turning king one time in a lifetime. So, then you say, when you do prostration from here, from here down to the bottom of the earth, you see how many atoms the body covers. As I mentioned earlier, even your toes, without talking about the whole body, just the how many atoms that it covers from here to the bottom? There’s an uncountable number of atoms. That’s mind blowing.
Even just that, your small toe, how many atoms it covers from here to the bottom of the earth? You create a number of atoms, you merit to be born as wheel-turning king, thousands of times, as many atoms. You are small toe covers from here down the bottom of earth. Now, you think of the rest of the body, then of course can’t imagine how many atoms it covers. Then, that many times, you are born as a wheel-turning king.
So therefore, I often say that in places like that, say in the house, wherever, ideally, if you do prostrations on the bed, especially in the hospitals over there, the family bed. A family bed is very big, you can lie stretched out anywhere. Very well suited. So more merit, more atoms than doing it on the floor, you see. Especially when we do preliminary practice, many prostrations, many atoms covered, then it’s good to do it at very high altitudes.
Higher, you see, so more so you cover more atom, you know, for more merit, you see, if you do it on a high mountain, like the top of Mount Everest. Then, some joke put it, higher the mountains, you can have more minutes, or higher the building, a very top building like that, where the buildings, many stories. So, that’s more many exclusive, many atoms to cover. The other thing is when you start to lay down. So, you start to lay down, then you think, I’m prostrating towards all the ten direction Guru Buddha Dharma Sangha, ten direction statues, to the scriptures, to the guru.
Who’s a guru? So with this meditation, when you start to let down, after you touch your forehead on the ground, then you think, you visualize your ordinary body. If you haven’t any great initiation, then you visualize your ordinary body, like a ridge of mountains, you know, very, very long. So, cover the whole four directions, the corners, towards the altar, whether it’s visualized or the altar is there, There are many statues, or there are many pictures with the Buddha’s, you know, that gurus or Buddha’s, you know, I mean, whole objects, you see, so many.
Even there’s no altar, but it’s just visualized to see, made it feel, you know. So this is all the time, like here, you see, ordinary bodies, like a ridge of mountains laid down from four directions, corners, which is the impression of the whole of just here. So, we’re getting on that getting on that. So, this way then this way then, how many body you have visualized that covers earth, how many bodies you have visualized. Then you get the same benefit.
That many actual actual bodies, you see, have done prostration. You get take coverings, there are many number of actions. So, you get the same benefit as as as as you manifested, you know, that many actual body, and the prostration is the same. You visualize. That’s what is said in the text.
So, this is so this is amazing. Your visualization, the visualized body, there’s no resistance, mountains or buildings or anything, you can do that. And the actual body, if you can manifest, can’t there are many resistance. But the visualized body, you can do that to cover the whole ground. So such an easy way to collect an unbelievable it’s mind blowing, unbelievable merit.
But if you have received an initiation, like Chenrezig, then you visualize yourself as Chenrezig, Thousand-Armed. So, it’s easy to cover the earth. Easy to visualize very large, cover earth base. This so when you do like this, you see, prostrating to all the ten direction Buddha Dharma Sangha. So, you prostrate to the Gurus, and then you see, here, you create numberless cause, there is a numberless Buddha Dharma Sangha.
So, when you prostrate, numberless cause of enlightenment, numberless cause of enlightenment, liberation, something happening, which is always quite incredible. Let’s see, when you do that, then you see, even that, that’s the one time merit. Then here, when you prostrate to all those, all the ten direction statues, the scriptures, the Guru, then three times the numberless cause of enlightenment, numberless cause of happiness, merit is collected. Then when you do here, same thing. I I said, Then you have.
Then you have. Here. Yeah. So that. So same.
So before you actually project, just project from this kind of amazing, already unimaginable, so many times, noble is cause of enlightenment, liberation, happiness, future life, causes, you see. So that then when you prostrate to all the statues, the scriptures, the gurus. Let’s just start later. Then you put your body on the ground. So, here, again here you see, you the ten benefits ten benefits is created.
Ten benefits you created. Number of times, not just one, of times, many times. Number of times, the ten benefits they explain, like that, see, number of times, not one. Number of times, like that, many times. Numbers of times, you see, cause for one to liberate, happiness.
Next, the next, the next one, so, So, this is how to make the prostration, even one prostration, you see, collect the most extensive merit. How to make one even one prostration collect the most extensive merit like that. So many times, numberless merit. Like that. Even putting palms together, you know, even that, even that, prostrations, you see, created so many times numberless merit.