凡沙門、居士，女尼亦在內，以下例此。見佛像時，無論塑像畫像，皆應整衣禮拜，最少亦須問訊即作揖或合掌。若在佛殿經堂見佛像，則必須禮拜。拜時當默念偈云：「天上天下無如佛，十方世界亦無比，世間所有我盡見，一切無有如佛者。唵・嚩 （音襪）日（音只）囉（音納）・斛。（三遍。凡偈文祇念一遍，凡咒語須念三遍。以下例此。) Any monastic or layperson, upon seeing the image of a Buddha—be it be a sculpture or a drawing—should tidy up their attire and make obeisance. At the least, one should join one’s palms together and make a half bow. Upon seeing a Buddha image in a Buddha Hall or in a Lecture Hall, one should pay respect.
When bowing, one should silently recite:
In the heavens above, in all that is below. / Nothing compares with the Buddha. / Throughout the worlds of the ten directions he is matchless. / Of all that I have seen in the world. /There is nothing at all that compares to the Buddha.
Followed by the mantra: Nan, wa zhi ra, hong (3x = recite three times. Per convention, verse is to be recited once, and mantra thrice)
凡入佛殿經堂，不得攜帶器物，除佛經像及供佛物。入內不得東西顧視，必於禮拜後，始可抬頭瞻仰。默念偈云：「若得見佛，當願眾生，得無礙眼，見一切佛。」又須默讚云：「法王無上尊，三界無倫匹。天人之導師，四生之慈父。我今暫皈依，能滅三祇業。稱揚若讚歎，億劫莫能盡。」 When entering a Buddha Hall or a Lecture Hall, one should not carry any items along, except for Buddha images, sutras, or items to be offered to the Buddha. Having entered, one should not look around here and there. Only after one has made obeisance to the Buddha can one raise one’s head to look or gaze at the Buddha in admiration, while silently reciting the following verse:
When seeing the Buddha / I vow that all living beings / Shall obtain the unobstructed eyes / And see all Buddhas.
One should also recite the verse in praise of the Buddha:
Supreme is the Dharma King / Peerless in the three realms / A guiding teacher for humans and gods /A kind father for beings of the four births / In him I now take refuge—if even for just an instant / I can eliminate karmic offenses for three asamkheya eons / Whether by praise or extolling / Never can I finish speaking of his merit and virtue.
凡在殿堂經行，必右繞，不得左旋（左右以殿為主）。，三匝或七匝，皆須平視直行念佛。不得談世諦語言，即言佛法，亦勿高聲。不得笑，不得坐，不得涕唾，不得倚壁靠桌。若咳嗽，須以袖掩口。凡禮拜，必須從容，五體投地，精勤作觀，不得急落急起。教列七種禮，不可不知. When circumambulating, walk clockwise rather than counterclockwise three or seven times [per convention]. Hold the gaze at eye level. Walk in a single file and recite the Buddha’s name. Do not engage in chatting or gossiping about worldly matters. Should situation demand that one speaks Buddhadharma, one should still keep voice low. Do not mindlessly laugh or sit down. One should not spit, blow one’s nose, or wipe snot inside the Buddha Hall. Do not lean against a table or the wall. When coughing, one should cover one’s mouth with the upper sleeve (one should cough into one’s elbow).
When making obeisance, one should do so in a dignified manner; with head and all four limbs touching the ground, one should sincerely contemplate the image of the Buddha. When bowing, one should not get up quickly or throw oneself down. The Dharma teachings list seven ways of obeisance that one should know. They are:
(七種者：一、我慢禮：謂依位次，無恭敬心，心馳外境，五體不具，如擣碓然。二、唱和禮：謂心無靜想，見人則身輕急禮，人去則身惰心疲，蓋心散而口和也。三、身心恭敬禮：謂聞唱佛名，便念佛想，身心恭敬，精無厭怠。四、發智清淨禮：謂達佛境界，隨心現量。禮一佛，則禮一切佛；禮一拜，則禮法界，蓋諸佛法身融通故。五、遍入法界禮：謂自觀身心等法，從本以來，不離法界，佛我平等，今禮一佛，即禮法界諸佛。六、正觀禮：謂禮自佛，不緣想他佛，以一切眾生，各有平等佛性故。七、實相平等禮：謂上六種，有禮有觀，自他兩異，惟此一禮，無自他分別，凡聖一如，體用不二。故文殊菩薩云：「能禮所禮性空寂云云。」此七種前三名事禮，後四名理禮，學者常依後五種，不依前二。）凡拜佛、拜塔、拜經、拜大沙門，皆須如此，下不重宣。
- Arrogant bowing: Although following the crowd in good standing, one shows a lack of respect and reverence at heart, letting one’s mind run wildly and engaging in things outside. One makes half-hearted obeisance, such as just going through the motions, or bowing with head or the four limbs not touching the ground.
- Perfunctory bowing: One has a restless mind. Upon seeing others, one exerts, one exerts great effort in one’s bowing. As soon as others have left, one slacks off, quickly getting tired in mind and lazy in body. One merely goes through the motions of chanting and bowing with a scattered mind.
- Bowing with reverence both in body and mind: Upon hearing the Buddha’s name, one becomes mindful of the Buddha and is respectful in both body and mind, without ever becoming tired or lax.
- Pure bowing that sparks wisdom: One resonates with the Buddha’s states, which unfold within and in accord with the capacity of one’s mind. By bowing to one Buddha, one bows to all Buddhas. With one single bow, one bows to the entire Dharma Realm. This is because the Buddhas’ Dharma-body permeates and interfuses with the entire Dharma Realm.
- Bowing that pervades the Dharma Realm. One contemplates thus: fundamentally, all dharmas, including this body and mind, have never been apart from the Dharma Realm. Buddhas and I are the same and equal. Thus, bowing to one Buddha is bowing to all Buddhas throughout the Dharma Realm.
- Bowing with proper contemplation: When bowing, one does not contemplate any other Buddha but one’s own Buddha nature, because all living beings are equally endowed with this Buddha-nature.
- Bowing in accordance with ultimate reality: The aforementioned six kinds of bowing still involve the actual bowing and contemplation within the mind; there is a clear distinction between the notions of self and others. Only this seventh bowing is devoid of such a discrimination between self and others. Sages and the ordinary are just one and the same, and do not have any duality in essence and function. Therefore, Manjushri Bodhisattva said, “The worshipper and the worshipped are both empty and tranquil….”
Among the seven types of bowing, the first three are bowing merely in form, while the remaining four involve the mind actively contemplating the metaphysical. Practitioners should rely on and adopt the last five types — not the first two — of bowing into their practice; the occasion for doing so includes bowing to any Buddha image, stupa, sutra, or sramanera (monastic). In the following texts, these principles will not be mentioned again.
若於各處，遇見有佛像、佛經、或一佛字，在不潔淨處，急宜兩手捧持，安於淨處。若見他人對佛經像有不恭敬者，宜於二人共坐時，細細以正義勸之。凡佛像，不得安於臥室內；若安臥室內，則須常坐不臥，縱臥亦不得久臥。更不得並置溺器於臥室內，蓋像在即如佛在也，安得不敬? Whenever one encounters a Buddha image, a sutra, an object or a piece of paper inscribed with the word “Buddha” that was put in a defiled place, one should quickly pick it up with both hands and place it somewhere clean. When seeing someone behaving disrespectfully towards Buddha images or sutras, one should wait for an appropriate occasion to sit down alone with that person and gently explain and advise about proper conduct. Buddha images should not be placed in a bedroom. If one does put a Buddha image in one’s bedroom, then one should remain sitting rather than lying down when in the room; if one has to lie down, it should not be for long, much less should one place a chamber pot inside the room. Because wherever there is a Buddha image, there is a Buddha, therefore, how could we possibly be disrespectful?
常見世人，於佛經義，則極其深慕讚歎，而於經像，則多視若尋常，以為佛法不在經像。殊不知敬佛經像，原為成就自己品行、德行。若於經像不敬，則其佛法妙理，又奚從來哉？是故無論何人，皆應敬佛經像也。（沙門中之不敬經像者，俟下文〈居庵章〉中再及。） Usually we see that worldly people show great respect for and are awe-inspired by the principles of sutras, however, they often have little regard for Buddha images or sutras because they assume that the Buddhadharma is something separate from Buddha images and sutras. They do not realize that by respecting Buddha images and sutras they are developing their own virtuous conduct and character. Unknowingly they disrespect Buddha images and sutras; where do they think these wondrous principles of the Buddhadharma come from? Hence everyone, no matter who it is, should show respect for Buddha images and sutras. (As for monastics who show disrespect for Buddha images and sutras, I will discuss this topic in the later chapters pertaining to the residence of laypeople and monastics.)