What gestures of reverence do buddhists use?
Buddhists show their respect and veneration in a variety of ways. Particular gestures vary throughout the world depending upon cultural context and local custom. The symbolic means of reverence most frequently used by Fo Guang Buddhists are: • Palms pressed together at chest level • Greeting and thanking others with the phrase “o mi tofo” which is the Chinese pronunciation for Amitabha Buddha’s name • Waving hello and goodbye with the lotus mudra (thumb and middle finger together to form the lotus bud with other fingers raised as petals and leaves). This is, in effect, a way of giving a lotus to others in recognition of their potential to become a Buddha • Removing shoes and/or hat before entering the shrine • Entering shrines through the side door openings only; the central opening is formally reserved for the Master, monks, and nuns. (Chinese temples are frequently constructed with triple entrances to various halls.) • Bowing to the Buddha and Bodhisattva images, monks, nuns, and oth
