Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammâ Sambuddhassa!

Reverence

By Rasika Wijayaratne 

Reverence is a form of self-discipline that subdues the ego when respect is paid to those who are worthy of it. It purifies the mind and lays a strong foundation for further progression along the path. The act of reverence is performed by putting both palms together at the forehead, and can be performed either whilst standing or whilst bowed down and kneeling on the ground.

You can bow down and revere the mother or father before leaving the house and get their blessings, which is a form of a protection you take with you. If your parents are not with you, you can revere the Lord Buddha’s qualities (Bhagava, Arahan, Samma-Sambuddho) before leaving the house.

There are some who get in the car, and before starting the engine touch and revere the steering wheel for protection. It is better to revere the Lord Buddha before leaving the house, or to keep a small statue of Him in the car and revere His qualities, which purifies the mind and brings protection while driving, than to perform this ineffective ritual of revering the steering wheel of the car.

The Venerables of the Sangha (Order) teach us everything we know about the Dhamma (Teaching). We should not hesitate for a second to revere the Venerables who give us this Teaching that brings so much brightness to our lives. When arriving at the temple you can bow down and revere the Lord Buddha’s qualities first, followed by reverence to the Venerables, with the same occurring when leaving the temple.

The Lord Buddha lived revering the Dhamma (Teaching) as he could not see anyone equal or higher than Him in the world, and we too should follow this example. To revere the Dhamma we need to put it into practice everyday by establishing ourselves in the three foundation practices of daily dâna (giving), daily sîla (morality with five or more precepts) and daily bhâvana (meditation), and then build on this foundation with other valid practices to advance to higher levels along the path. To revere the Dhamma this way is to also in turn revere our teacher the Lord Buddha. In fact the Lord Buddha emphasized that anyone who wishes to revere Him should live according to the Dhamma that He taught (Mahâ-Parinibbâna sutta):

“But, Ananda, whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, layman or laywoman, abides by the Dhamma, lives uprightly in the Dhamma, walks in the way of the Dhamma, it is by such a one that the Tathagata (The Buddha) is respected, venerated, esteemed, worshipped, and honoured in the highest degree. Therefore, Ananda, thus should you train yourselves: ‘We shall abide by the Dhamma, live uprightly in the Dhamma, walk in the way of the Dhamma.’”

A small statue or a picture of the Lord Buddha can be kept in the bedroom in a high place like on top of a cupboard, and it can be bowed down to and revered as the first thing that is done before commencing the day and also as the last thing before retiring for the night. What is important to remember is that what is being revered is the memory of the unequalled qualities of the Lord Buddha (Bhagava, Arahan, Samma-Sambuddho), which has a tendency to purify the minds of those who have saddhâ (confidence) in Him.

The Lord Buddha taught us to show reverence to our teachers by standing from our seats when they enter the class room or lecture theatre in the Sigâlôvâda sutta. This occurs as a part of the culture in most countries in Asia that Buddhism has touched, but unfortunately not in western countries. In place of this, just the thought of this fact and that this should occur can be brought to mind as reverence when a teacher or a lecturer enters the room. That thought alone is a valid reverence.

This practice of regular reverence promotes humbleness and attacks the most powerful defilement that we have, conceit (mâna). This in turn makes learning new things, whether it be about life from parents, studies from school and university teachers and Dhamma from Venerables, much more effective as there is not an attitude of “I know everything” or “I know better than you.” So think of revering your parents (or the Lord Buddha if this is not possible) before leaving home tomorrow.

Related Youth Articles

1. Daily Dâna by Rasika Wijayaratne (on generosity)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=dailydana ]

2. Five Precepts by Rasika Wijayaratne (on morality)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=pansil ]

3. Metta Meditation by Rasika Wijayaratne (basic instructions on the meditation on loving-kindness)

[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=mettamed ]

4. Offerings by Rasika Wijayaratne (on making)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=offerings ]

5. Noble Eightfold Path by Rasika Wijayaratne (on ending suffering)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=noblepath ]

Related Suttas

1. DN 31, Sigalovada Sutta, The Discourse to Sigala - The Layperson's Code of Discipline

[ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.nara.html ]

2. DN 16, Maha-parinibbana Sutta, Last Days of the Buddha, Translated from the Pali by Sister Vajira & Francis Story  [ http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html ]