釋氏要覽 2.13

2.13

The Sabdavidyā states: Pannamei or pandan in Chinese means paying homage [vandana]. ○ The Bodhisattvabhūmi states: Placing the five wheels on the ground. ○ The Dīrghāgama states: The two elbows, two knees, and top of the head are called the five wheels. "Wheel" carries the sense of turning round. They are also called the five limbs. Whenever prostrating in homage, one must first align the feet and straighten the body, join the palms, bow the head, and lift the robes with the hands (the robes are the kāṣāya; the Wubai wen states: prostrating without lifting the three robes incurs many offenses). First touch the right knee to the ground, next lower the left knee, place the two elbows on the ground, extend the two palms past the forehead, holding them up toward the empty space to show the respect of receiving the feet. With the head on the ground for a good while, a single prostration is then complete. If one presses the middle fingers and thumbs together, or supports the face with the palms, or presses against the ground, none of these accords with proper protocol. ○ The Dazhidu lun states: Homage has three grades: first, merely reciting "namo" with the mouth is homage of the lowest grade; second, bending the knees to the ground while the top of the head does not touch the ground is homage of the middle grade; third, touching the five wheels to the ground is homage of the highest grade. It also states: The lowest is bowing; the middle is kneeling; the highest is placing the head and face on the ground.