What does it mean when you kowtow to Buddha?

The purpose of worshiping Buddha is to make us feel respectful in front of the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues. We should not only respect the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but also have a respectful heart towards all people and all things. So how many times should you kowtow when you worship Buddha? What does it represent? Come and take a look with us!

What does it mean when you kowtow to Buddha?

When worshipping Buddha, one usually kowtows three times to show respect for the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

1. When you kowtow, you should be solemn and have a pure mind. After you bow down, turn your hands over with your palms facing up and spread them out in a lotus shape, indicating your acceptance or prayer for the nectar of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. After three prostrations, stand up and bow again. Then put your index fingers together and touch your eyebrows once, indicating prostration. The whole worship is complete.

2. Some people always say that sincerity is enough, and the form is not important. If it is not important, why bother to kowtow? When Fa Da went to see Master Huineng, he kowtowed without touching the ground with his head. Master Huineng scolded him and said, "If you don't touch the ground with your head, it's better not to kowtow at all!"

3. The Buddhist scriptures say that one bow to the Buddha can bring immeasurable merits and eliminate countless sins. It means that worshiping Buddha can eliminate sins as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, so don’t take it lightly.

Buddhist Festivals

Birthdays of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (Lunar Calendar)

The first day of the first lunar month: Maitreya Buddha’s birthday

The sixth day of the first lunar month: Birthday of Dingguang Buddha

February 8th: Buddha Shakyamuni becomes a monk

February 15: Buddha Shakyamuni's Nirvana

February 19: Birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva

February 21: Birthday of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

March 16: Birthday of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

April 4th: Manjusri Bodhisattva’s Birthday

April 8th: Birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha

April 15: Buddha's auspicious day - the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha are celebrated together (also known as Vesak Day in Theravada Buddhist countries)

May 13: Birthday of the Bodhisattva Kāla

The third day of the sixth lunar month: Birthday of the guardian Bodhisattva Skanda

June 19th: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva attains enlightenment - releasing animals and chanting Buddha's name on this day are extremely meritorious.

July 13: Birthday of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva

July 24: Nagarjuna’s Birthday

July 30: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s Birthday

August 22: Birthday of Dipankara Buddha

September 19: Guanyin Bodhisattva's Ordination Day

September 30: Birthday of Medicine Buddha

October 5th: Bodhidharma's birthday

The 17th day of the winter month: Amitabha Buddha’s birthday

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month: the day when Sakyamuni attained enlightenment

The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month: Birthday of Avatamsaka Bodhisattva