One of the general benefits of prostration is that in the future you will achieve a good rebirth with a perfect body, golden in color like Buddha's holy body, with a beautiful shape and complete sense faculties. Having a beautiful body attracts many sentient beings. It draws sentient beings, hundreds, thousands, hundred thousands, millions of sentient beings. Then, because they like you, if you say something or explain something easy for them to listen to and do, it is very easy to bring them to the Dharma, the path to enlightenment, the unmistaken path to happiness.

You will have a very sweet voice. There are singers whose voices attract many millions of people. By having that quality, you are easily able to benefit others and help sentient beings. Because they listen to you, it is easy for you to bring them to enlightenment.

Some people can't communicate; they have no courage to speak, or their speech has no power so people don't listen to them. But another person can speak on the same subject, and the way that person speaks makes it very easy to listen. They can give help to others because people pay attention.

You won't be shy to do things in public; if you aren't shy, you are able to lead sentient beings. The Tibetan is lha mi ga; it means devas and human beings are happy with you, wherever you are, wherever you go.

You will appear very glorious like His Holiness the Dalai Lama or His Holiness Ling Rinpoche. His Holiness Ling Rinpoche appeared very radiant and glorious, very special among human beings. Even though he had a human body like ours, there was something special, something glorified. Even in the West, there are some good-hearted, warm-hearted people that, even just by looking at them, you see they are very genuine and sincere. Somehow they look different when they are among others; you see something shiny and glorified.

You will always be accompanied by buddhas and bodhisattvas. If you want to always be accompanied by buddhas and bodhisattvas, you must do prostrations! As many as possible!

You will have great wealth and enjoyment. Prostrations create an unbelievable amount of merit. The results of our virtuous actions don't have to be just in future lives; some of the results can be experienced in this life. That is because in this southern continent where we live, whatever karma we create in the early part of our lives is so powerful, it is experienced in the later part of that same life. Whether it is negative karma or good karma, you can experience the result in the later part of this life.

You will gain a higher rebirth as a deva or human. Also, you will achieve the sorrowless state, liberation from samsara. Every time you make prostration, every time you put your palms together to a statue of Buddha, a picture of Buddha - five-limb or full length or whatever, even one hand like this, even if you just bow down in respect - this immediately becomes the cause of enlightenment. So I think this benefit should include enlightenment, not just the lower liberation but also the great liberation, enlightenment. I added that specifically just to make that conclusion. You achieve the state which is the cessation of all mistakes and the completion of all qualities. That is the conclusion. Any type of prostration has this benefit.

If you go through the benefits as explained by the Buddha, you can see they help. Practicing prostrations to the Buddha - not just to the car or your friend or a tree or flower, but making prostration to the Triple Gem: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, statues, stupas, scriptures - takes care of your life. It takes care of so many things in your life, now and in the future, up to enlightenment. It takes care. Each time you see a stupa or a picture of Buddha, a statue of Buddha, or a text, the minute you put your palms together you achieve all this extensive, incredible benefit.

There is so much hope in our lives. Our lives are so full of opportunity. It is so easy to purify, so easy to become free from samsara and achieve enlightenment. Even with just prostration, we can achieve all of this.

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