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Gasshō: joined-palms
The gasshō is considered one of the most beautiful of gestures and is the Indian gesture of greeting, farewell, thanks, and reverence. In ancient India, there were 12 forms of the Gasshō. In Jodo Shinshu, the first of the 12 forms is used. It is called the Kenjisushin Gasshō
(steadfast-being-gassho) and is formed by simply placing the palms together at chest level and at a 45° angle. It is the symbol of the multitude of different things being, at the same time, One. Among Buddhists the world over, this Gasshō is used to express hello, goodbye, and thank you. As a gesture of reverence for the Buddha, this Gasshō is performed with a deep bow from the waist and is called raihai.
By the 12th century, this gasshō was adopted by the Christians as a gesture of prayer. It is suggested St. Francis of Assisi saw the gesture in the Holy Land used by people from the East and incorporated it into putting the hands together in the gasshō
manner during Christian prayers.
For a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, it is one of the first things we learn, but also one of the most profound because gasshō
with Nembutsu is the highest expression of gratitude in Jodo Shinshu.
Ken Yamada says “Gasshō is more than a pose. It is symbolic of the Dharma, the truth about life. For instance, we place together our right and left hand, which are opposites. It represents other opposites as well: you and me, light and dark, ignorance and wisdom, life and death. Gasshō
also symbolizes respect, the Buddhist teachings, and the Dharma. It also is an expression of our feelings of gratitude and our inter-connectedness with each other. It symbolizes the realization that our lives are supported by innumerable causes and conditions.
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