[Buddha-l] Earliest Buddhist Customs and Liturgy

[Joy Vriens]

Joanna wrote,

>(One point that has flummoxed me is what precisely does it mean when the 
>text says that after greeting the Buddha the interlocutor "stood to one 
>side." I wonder what that looked like.....to the left or the right of the 
>Buddha? How far to one side? Behind him?) 

I have wondered about that too and still am. It could partly have been an idea that grew out of early iconography. There was no perspective in graphic representations so if the Buddha was portrayed with disciples, they would be necessarily standing next to him. This is still valid for theater. And even before the existence of graphic representations, the same thing would be true for represenations of the Buddha in memory or imagination.  

Other reasons could be etiquette for showing respect. One was perhaps not to look one's teacher in the eye, but to stare at his feet. One was not to walk over his shadow. In Tibet one was expected to hold one's hand in front of one's mouth when speaking to a teacher and one was expected to immediately aspire the breath coming out of one's own mouth when talking, so it wouldn't touch the objet of devotion. It's quite peculiar to watch. 

Or perhaps it was done for practical reasons of theatrical display like in a school situation. When a teacher invites a student in front of the class and questions him, teacher and student are standing next to each other for the sake of the other students.   

Joy