Practice Weekend: Prostration

Take your practice to the next level

The Buddhist preliminaries are preparatory practices that create a strong foundation for higher teachings, meditations and practices. They are geared towards targeted purification of negative karma and accumulation of merits. These are two of the most important supporting factors for successful spiritual transformation.

If you have already studied the foundations of Buddhism and wish to deepen your practice, there is no better method than to engage in the preliminary practices — such as taking refuge, prostrations, mandala offerings, Vajrasattva or Guru Yoga. Dharma practice is a gradual process of training the mind, and getting rid of delusions and behavioural patterns that limit our potential. Practise and complete one step properly, and it will naturally lead to the next.

However, it can be a challenge to complete even one set of preliminaries (or any extended retreat) when the distractions of life beckon every day. Those of us who have been practising Buddhists for a while may have experienced this. This is where a support system and encouragement from fellow practitioners can be helpful.

“Good companionship is the whole of the spiritual path.”
– Buddha –

This is why we created the Preliminaries Practice Group + Practice Weekend Programme — to help you accumulate 100,000 of each preliminary practice to boost your spiritual transformation.

For the 2023 – 2025 leg of our journey, we’ll be focusing on the Preliminary Practice of Prostrations + 35 Confessional Buddhas and completing the full set of 100,000. Why prostration? It’s a great way to purify aeons of negative karma and counter pride. This gets rid of obstacles and suffering and, at the same time, brings you one step closer to higher practices on your journey towards enlightenment.

Benefits of Prostration

Karma is created by the self-grasping mind — a mental attitude that spiritual transformation seeks to overcome. This karma is what makes us suffer, go through difficult life experiences, take negative rebirths and ultimately keeps us stuck in cyclic existence. That’s why all Buddhist practices involve the purification of karma in one way or another.

Doing prostrations correctly provides all-round purification. It purifies karma related to the body (through the physical act of prostration), karma related to the speech (through recitation i.e. verbal prostration) and karma related to the mind (through visualisation i.e. mental prostration).

“Prostration is one of the best ways for destroying pride, one of the best ways to purify the negative karma associated with the body.”
– Tsem Rinpoche –

The practice of Prostration coupled with recitation of the 35 Confessional Buddhas (Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps) combines two very powerful and targeted purification methods. On the outer level, it purifies karma especially related to the body and physical obstacles. On the inner level, it lowers pride and helps us deal with the ego and self-grasping mind.

Preliminaries Practice Group + Practice Weekend Programme

The Preliminaries Practice Group primarily consists of individual practice at home. But with two additional benefits:

• Online Practice Weekends to help you focus and accumulate prostrations.
• Pastoral guidance + support throughout your entire retreat.

Practice Weekends are fully guided by our senior pastors to facilitate better meditation and progress. This includes learning about the law of karma, how purification works, the correct way to do prostrations, and detailed explanations of the visualisations to increase the effectiveness of your prostration practice.

The first Practice Weekend includes a Kalarupa puja (done-for-you the night before) to clear obstacles for your preliminary, and the very first session will be done together as a group for an incredibly auspicious start!

Who is this programme for?

The Preliminaries Practice Group + Prostration Practice Weekend is for you if:

• You want to START your prostration preliminary now.
• You’re partway through the preliminary and want a BOOST to hit the 100,000 mark.
• You want ACCESS to resources + practice guides so that you can do a prostration preliminary later once you’re ready.
• You want to do a MINI prostration retreat.
• You’ve completed the preliminary but want to contemplate BETTER + DEEPER.
• You want to LEARN more meditations related to the preliminaries.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it for the first Practice Weekend. You can still sign up to be part of the group, as long as you attend one or more of the Online Practice Weekends, which are spread over two years.

Practice Weekend Dates

• 24 – 25 June 2023 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 21 June (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 23 – 24 December 2023 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 20 December (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 23 – 24 March 2024 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 20 March (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 22 – 23 June 2024 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 19 June (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 14 – 15 December 2024 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 11 December (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 22 – 23 March 2025 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 19 March (Wed) 11.59 pm
• 28 – 29 June 2025 (Sat – Sun)
  Registration closes 25 June (Wed) 11.59 pm

• 9.30 am (Sat) – 5.30 pm (Sun)
• Online (Google Meet)

Programme Outline

Suggested Donation

What’s Included?

• Prostration Preliminary prayer text (ebook/pdf)
• Kalarupa obstacle-clearing puja (for the first Practice Weekend only)
• Detailed explanations of the practices
• Guided practice sessions
• Dedicated online support group
• Pastor service + support for two years (limited to Prostration Preliminary queries)
• Commencement and final dedication led by a pastor

As a not-for-profit organisation, we do our best to make our programmes available at a reasonable rate. Your donation also supports the cost of facilities and overheads.

What to Prepare

• Prostration mat — this can be a mat specially designed for prostrations, or a generic yoga mat + cover to provide cushioning and reduce friction.
• Knee pads/additional cushioning for your knees — especially if you are prone to knee problems*
• Hand pads/sliders — to protect your hands and reduce friction*
• Small towel/gym towel (for perspiration)
• Extra changes of clothing (if you perspire a lot)
• Mala
• Mantra/prostration counter
• Serkym set and teapot
• Vajra and bell
• Personal image of H.E. Tsem Rinpoche
• Personal Buddha image
• Damaru*
• Mandala set*
• Rice pot/container and rice*
• Ritual cover (drikap) *
• Ritual mat (driden) *
• A Dharma book (to read during breaks)*
• Notebook and pen
• Water tumbler
• Comfortable clothing that allows you to prostrate freely/sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion
• Pain-relief ointment/gel/patches to relieve sore muscles if needed
• A shawl or sweater in case you feel cold

* OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED

Requirements to join the 2023 – 2025 Preliminary Practice Group

• Watch ‘The Prostration Preliminary’ video (click for details). You’ll get the link to the video when you sign up for any Practice Weekend.
• Completed the Lamrim Level 1 course or be a member of staff for 3 years or more.
• Make a commitment to complete the Prostration Preliminary (100,000 recitations).
• Attend one or more Practice Weekends (see above for dates).
• Observe the Preliminary Practice Protocol throughout the entire duration of your preliminary (click for details).
• Be a Kechara Member
• Have formally taken Refuge

Preliminary Practice Protocol

• Choose a personal Buddha image. This will be the focus of your preliminary practice. It can be a framed picture, statue, tsatsa, etc of any Buddha. If you travel during the preliminary period, you will need to bring this image with you.
• Set up a retreat altar at home. This can be a standalone altar or part of your main altar. The altar should include:
  • Your chosen Buddha image
  • A Dharma text
  • A stupa
  • Two rows of sensory offerings
  • One row of water offerings
  • Other deity images and offerings can be added according to your wish.
• Your altar should be set up BEFORE attending the first Practice Weekend.
• Set up your seat. This should be placed in front of your altar. It includes printing out a swastika and placing kusha grass (or similar) on it. Place this under your seat. DO NOT move your seat for the entire duration of your preliminary. Be mindful not to step over your seat or place items on it.
• Your seat should be set up BEFORE attending the first Practice Weekend.
• Set up your practice table. This should be placed in front of your seat. The table should have enough space to hold your ritual implements, prayer text and other necessary items.
• Your table should be set up BEFORE attending the first Practice Weekend.
• There are no dietary requirements to engage in the Prostration Preliminary. However, you may wish to observe a Buddhist diet, avoiding dairy (milk, butter, cheese, etc) and black foods (meat, fish, eggs, onions and garlic) throughout the duration of the preliminary.
• Continue your practice at home every day. You must complete at least one preliminary session per day without break until you have reached the accumulated total of 100,000 prostrations.
• Abstain from non-virtuous actions throughout the duration of the preliminary.
• You’re encouraged to engage in Dharma activities during your free time in between practice sessions such as reading Dharma books, doing Dharma work, attending Dharma classes, circumambulating and making offerings at holy sites.
• Focus on your preliminary practice. Although there are no lifestyle restrictions, you’re encouraged to minimise social engagements, unnecessary travel, holidays, etc. for the duration of your preliminary. If you need to travel for work or other purposes, we will guide you on the correct protocol. Bear in mind that you must complete one session a day even if you are traveling.

Important Notes for the Practice Weekend

• To enhance your experience, you’re encouraged to minimise the distractions of daily life during the Practice Weekends. This includes using electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
• Cancellation Policy: A partial refund will be issued for cancellations made at least five working days before the practice weekend date. An administration fee of RM30 will be charged. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made less than five days before the start date.
• If sign ups for a particular language do not meet the minimum threshold, the programme in that language will be cancelled. You are welcome to join a different language group; otherwise your registration fee will be refunded.
• The management reserves the right to amend the programme and/or revise prices without prior notice.