Gassho (Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese 合掌 he zhang ) is the translation of the Sanskrit "Anjali" . It is actually a mudra in Buddhism: The joining of the one's palms - held at the breast level - as a symbol of reverance, salutation or benedication. It is, for example, the traditional mudra across the Buddhist world when one formally takes refuge in the three treasures - the Buddha, the teachings (dharma) and the community (sangha).
In popular Japanese usage, gassho-suru means the joining of the palms - held at chest level - as a sign not really of thanks per se but veneration. When directed at a person it is a recognition - not of the personality - but of the "divinity" (the Buddha-nature) "within".
Gassho,
Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo
Chikai
* Reference to Ryhorikawa
About me
- Kruba Zhihai (智海)
- Singapore
- "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." The Buddha. "..Religion without Science is Blind, Science without religion is crippled." Albert Einstein 1879-1955
Thursday 21 June 2012
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