The Core of Buddhism: Why We Bow

I attended the Southern District Buddhist Conference in June that was hosted by Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles. The keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. Mark Unno, professor of religious studies at my alma mater, the University of Oregon.  

Rev. Dr. Unno gave a tremendous keynote message that resonated with everyone who attended.  

One of the highlights of his talk was where he said that “Buddhism is fundamentally a body practice.” I have felt this for many years, but it was the first time that I have heard a Jodo Shinshu minister or professor put it into words like that.  

Rev. Dr. Unno also stated that bowing is the core of Buddhism and is something common to every school of Buddhism.

We take it for granted and don’t think much about when we put our hands together, gassho and then bow in our services. Rev. Dr. Unno led us in a focused, mindful sense of bowing. He stated how the great Zen master Dogen wrote an entire chapter on bowing in his work, the “Shobogenzo.”  He also explained to us how Namuamidabutsu literally means, “I bow to Amida Buddha.” Namu means “to bow, to lower one’s head” in reverence, respect and humility.  

Shin Buddhism is the path of humility. Bowing is the physical activity that brings to our hearts and minds the path of humility. It doesn’t mean that if I bow a thousand times that I will be a humbler person. But bowing by attending services reminds us that Shin Buddhism is the path of humility. When do we ever lower our heads to anyone or anything in our everyday life?  

Those who attend our services know that we bow when we enter the Hondo, also known as the sanctuary, as we pay respect to the place where we listen to and receive the teachings. In martial arts, you bow as you step onto the mat.  

Throughout the service, we gassho and bow numerous times. At the beginning or the end of the service, depending on what your local temple custom is, we stand in front of the incense burner, and after offering a pinch of incense, we put our hands together in gassho and bow. Sometimes it is very sincere and other times, we do it out of habit and routine.  

At some point in our life, that bow might be the most sincere bow in our life. Maybe it is the funeral of your mother, father, husband or wife. You might be standing in front of their casket or in front of their urn with their picture next to it.  

In just a matter of seconds, the entire life of your loved one comes to your heart and mind. Your heart wells up with emotion as you pay your respects. That bow is most sincere. The Nembutsu that comes from your mouth at that time seems to come from the very core of your being. It is a Nembutsu of deep gratitude.  

Over the course of our lifetime of attending services, we bow and we bow and we bow. As we come to receive the teachings, we cannot help but become humble and sincere.  

One of the metaphors of a Shin Buddhist life of humility is the mature head of rice of a rice plant. As the rice plant matures, the head of the plant gets larger, but it begins to bend to the ground. 

It is a beautiful metaphor that shows how as a Shin Buddhist matures in spirituality, as our awareness and understanding of the teachings deepens, that one naturally becomes humble like the mature rice plant.