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The Vast Praxis tradition uses a different set of recitations in prose to take the vow of aspiring bodhicitta and a set of questions and answers for the engaged bodhicitta vow as passed down from Atiśa. Kongtrul Lodoe Taye presents detailed liturgies and explanations for both traditions in the third volume of his ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' (''Gdams ngag rin po che'i mdzod'').<ref>(Provide links to Kongtruls's texts here and Engle and Jinpa's translation).</ref> | The Vast Praxis tradition uses a different set of recitations in prose to take the vow of aspiring bodhicitta and a set of questions and answers for the engaged bodhicitta vow as passed down from Atiśa. Kongtrul Lodoe Taye presents detailed liturgies and explanations for both traditions in the third volume of his ''Treasury of Precious Instructions'' (''Gdams ngag rin po che'i mdzod'').<ref>(Provide links to Kongtruls's texts here and Engle and Jinpa's translation).</ref> | ||
<h4>The Seven-Limb Prayer</h4> | |||
The actual act of taking the bodhisattva vow is normally preceded by the seven-limb practice, which includes prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting to teach, requesting to live long, and dedication of merits. This standard ritual of worship is said to help the candidate gain the required karmic merit and overcome obstacles so as to become a ready recipient of the bodhisattva vow. The verses from ''The Prayer for Noble Conduct'' (''Bhadracaryāpraṇidhānarāja'') are widely used as a chant for carrying out the seven-limb prayer. | |||
In order to conduct the bodhisattva vow ritual, one should first set up a physical shrine with a clean and beautiful array of offering materials, such as water, flowers, incense, food, etc. and bless them with mantras for offerings. One may also visualize such a shrine and the range of offerings. The buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all enlightened and righteous spiritual beings are then invited to the sacred space to bestow the bodhisattva vow. | |||
<h5>1. Prostration</h5> | |||
The practice of prostration is carried out mentally with or without physical prostration and is often accompanied by chanting verses. A practitioner normally does a simple prostration of devotion to the buddhas and bodhisattvas by bowing down and touching the ground with one’s forehead, palms, and knees. One imagines that one’s negativities of the body, speech, and mind, and the five poisons of ignorance, attachment, aversion, jealousy, and pride are cleansed as one bows down, and the blessings of the enlightened body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities of the Buddha are received when one stands up. | |||
In a more advanced practice of prostration, one can mentally multiply one’s body into countless numbers and make prostrations to buddhas in all directions. The highest form of prostration is said to be the practice of making prostration with no fixed concept or notion of the subject making the prostration, the object to whom the prostration is made, and the actual action of prostration. Everything is seen as an illusory flux with no self-existence, like a dream. | |||
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