In the triratna Buddhist community (who I practice with) there is a prostrations practice for those going through the ordination process. I'm sure we have taken this practice from another tradition.I'm fairly certain it is Tibetan but can anyone give details of the exact place in the Tibetan practice this comes from and also what is the purpose of this practice. How does it fit into the system of practice and what effects this practice has on the practicioner.

Why isn't prostration considered as a rite or a ritual in the sense of *silabbata paramasa* (one of the fetters that had to be abandoned to become a stream-enterer)? I wonder how this practice can contribute to insight especially when prostration is done mechanically (as practiced around Buddhist pagodas in Birma; Sri Lanka and Thailand)?