釋門歸敬儀 2.24

2.24

然中邊行敬，其家不同：此土設敬，遠拜為重；天竺設敬，近形接足拜，乃為至極。故《經》中陳如久不見佛，來禮佛已，以面掩佛足上，斯則頭面禮足之相具也。《善見》云辭佛法，遶佛三匝已，四方作禮而去，合十指爪掌，叉手頂上，却行絕不見佛，更作禮，迴前而去。《智度論》其禮有三：初謂口禮；二、屈膝，頭不至地；三頭至地，是為上禮。若聞諸佛功德，心敬尊重、恭敬、讚歎。知一切眾生中德無過上，故言尊也；敬畏之心，過於父母、師長、君主，利益重故，故云重也；謙遜畏難，故云恭也；推其至德，故云敬也。美其功德為讚；讚之不足，又稱揚之為歎。隨以一事至佛，其功不可盡也。

However, in practicing respect between the Central Land [India] and this peripheral land [China], the customs are different: in offering respect in this land, bowing from afar is considered weighty; in offering respect in India, drawing near the body, receiving the feet, and bowing is the utmost. Therefore, in the sūtras, when Kauṇḍinya had not seen the Buddha for a long time, he came and, after paying homage to the Buddha, covered the Buddha's feet with his face; this is fully possessing the mark of bowing the head and face at the feet. The Samantapāsādikā says that in the rite of taking leave of the Buddha, after circumambulating the Buddha three times, one bows to the four directions and departs, joining the ten finger-claws into palms, clasping the hands above the crown of the head, and walking backward until the Buddha is no longer visible, whereupon one bows once more, turns forward, and departs. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states that there are three kinds of bowing: first, verbal bowing; second, bending the knees without the head touching the ground; third, the head touching the ground, which is the superior bowing. If one hears of the merits of the Buddhas, one's mind respects, values, reveres, and praises them. Knowing that among all sentient beings their virtue has none superior, they are called "honored"; one's mind of awe and reverence exceeds that toward parents, teachers, elders, and rulers, because the benefit is profound, hence they are called "weighty"; being humble and standing in awe of difficulty is called "reverence"; acknowledging their supreme virtue is called "respect." Extolling their merits is "praise"; when praising is not enough, proclaiming them further is "laudation." When one approaches the Buddha through any single act, its merit cannot be exhausted.