Bowing

Bowing is a very serious practice. You should be prepared to bow, even in your last moment. Even though it is impossible to get rid of our self-centered desires, we have to do it. Our true nature wants us to.

By bowing we are giving up ourselves.

When you are just yourself, you bow too yourself in its true sense, and you are one with everything.

Sen no Rikyu, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony, committed hari-kiri (ritual suicide by disembowelment) in 1591 at the order of his lord, Hideyoshi.

Bowing helps to eliminate our self-centered ideas.

There is no end to this practice.

Each bow expresses one of the four Buddhist vows.

These vows are:

• "Although sentient beings are innumerable, we vow to save them."
• "Although our evil desires are limitless, we vow to be rid of them."
• "Although the teaching is limitless, we vow to learn it all."
• "Although Buddhism is unattainable, we vow to attain it."

We can say either that we make progress little by little, or that we do not even expect to make progress.