釋門歸敬儀 2.24

2.24

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.