Pardon my asking a stupid question. How did 3 step 1 bow
first come about?
not stupid. i also not sure. in term of 3 step 1 bow, i know old
Master Xu Yun did it toward Wu Dai mountain in a very very long
enduring distant. 虛雲老和尚三步一拜朝五台. perhaps it start there after.
the bowing itself has a
history in Buddhist monastic liturgy as old as the Sangha, or
Buddhist community itself. think other old religion also have. not
solely from Buddha.
bowing get rid of one's arrogance.
Cleansing the
Heart: Buddhist Bowing As Contemplation - Rev. Heng
Sure
Meditation masters
practiced bowing as an active counterpart to seated meditation.
Bowing has many purposes; perhaps its primary psychological
function in the Buddhist context is to dispel arrogance and to
transform the affliction of pride. Master Chengguan (737-839) the
Tang Dynasty exegete, in his commentary to the Flower
Adornment Sutra, explains "bowing in respect to all Buddhas,”
the first of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s Ten Practices and
Vows:
When one
bows in respect to all Buddhas, a feeling of reverence arises in
your heart, and animates your actions and speech. You express this
feeling by bowing to all Buddhas. The practice gets rid of
both obstacles of arrogance and ego. When respect arises,
you deepen your ‘good roots’ of reverence and
faith.
—Avatamsaka Exegesis[vi]
Here Master Chengguan explains a psychological
effect bowing. He places his point of reference inside the mind of
the practitioner as he or she bows to the Buddha. Chengguan says
that body, mouth and mind experience a feeling of respect. The
feeling of respect multiplies the awareness of the sacred presence
around and within the worshipper. The obstacles of arrogance and
ego diminish as bowing reduces affliction and increases good
qualities. The Avatamsaka contemplations used
when “bowing in respect to all Buddhas,” according to Samantabhadra
Bodhisattva, constitute a unique feature of bowing in
Buddhism.
A close examination of the theory and practice of bowing in
Buddhism reveals a highly-esteemed Dharma-door long considered
indispensable to awakening. As we will see below, bowing has a
history in Buddhist monastic liturgy as old as the Sangha, or
Buddhist community itself.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma7/bowing.html
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