Purifying the Physical

Five or six years ago, I read a quote from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, a revered Tibetan teacher who entered paranirvana in 1991, about the value of doing prostrations. I don't recall the exact words, but the quote related how prostrating was an effective method for purifying physical obstructions.

A physical obstruction would be any kind of ailment, from a virus or other infectious organism, to a bodily injury.

I've read a few of Rinpoche's books over the years and have always found him to be a brilliant teacher. Though he's been gone from this realm for almost 20 years, I still consider him to be one of my gurus. I took the quote to heart and immediately began doing prostrations as part of my practice. I would conclude my meditation practice with a short praise to Manjushri, then prostrate 8 or 10 times.

Since starting this practice, the physical injuries have come thick and fast. I was 49 when I began, so age must certainly be a factor in their occurrence. A quick internet search will reveal all of the pleasant surprises that awaits one when one finishes the fifth decade. It's the beginning of the end. It's your body slowly reaching for that white flag, acknowledging the punishing toll of a life spent resisting gravity and the elements. It's the cold shower of our limitations drenching us as we try to blithely continue doing what we've always done.

But I also believe it's a sign the prostrations are working. Some of these aches and pains and anomalies could be latent physical karma purifying earlier than they otherwise would have. This is one of the effects of purification practices such as this. An ailment that may have arisen later in this life, or even in the next, is suddenly forced to the surface in the present, the practice hastening the ripening of the karma. The advantage is getting the suffering out of the way sooner, ideally leading to a future with fewer health issues.

Before I began prostrating, injuries were rare for me. During all my years of running, I only suffered two calf strains. Both times they healed completely. At the age of 52 however, the calf strain occurred again, and this time it stubbornly refused to heal. Despite taking much time off, only a course of physical therapy led to its recovery. As I ramped up to my former pace and distance though, I suffered a hip injury from shoveling snow. Running was again put on hold. It was the second time for this injury, but once more, full healing has been elusive. Now and then I feel a sharp pain right on the hip bone as a reminder that it's still not resolved. I've taken to bike riding as a replacement for running, an alternative way to get my cardio workout. The pain has subsided, but I'm not sure it's truly healed. I'm considering a visit to the orthopedist again to explore some ways to treat this pain. My own research leads me to believe it could be tendonitis.

Asian cultures talk about an "obstacle year", which usually happens around the age of 60. I feel like I'm about halfway through an obstacle decade. Just last month I bruised some ribs in a fall off my bike. I'm almost recovered from it. It's normal to expect some issues as one ages, but I'm really hoping the prostrations can mitigate the severity of anything that arises in the near future. I'm not ready to give up an active lifestyle just yet.