[Buddha-l] Earliest Buddhist Customs and Liturgy

[jkirk]

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
=======================
 Good points, Joy. I am just reading a classic novel of south India,
translated of course, _Samskara_, and I noted that one fallen-away brahmin
guy is visiting the top brahmin in the agrahara, to complain about
something. At first he covers his mouth with his shoulder cloth when
appearing before the top acharya, leading the ever-moral acharya to hope
that said petitioner is turning his act around. He is then disappointed to
see that the attitude hasn't changed because the interlocutor suddenly
removes the cloth and begins his usual heretical rants.  
This bit suggests that covering the mouth before a superior was a
traditional Indian etiquette that got transferred to Tibet. In my experience
a version of it it still lives today, where women cover their mouth if
laughing or even smiling. The women in this novel, however, are
ball-breakers (as it were), only the beautiful concubine observes proper
decorum. The brahmin wives and old widows don't bother. It's a kind of story
I've not read recently and I'm enjoying it. Late Prof. Ramanujan did the
translation, so it's a good one.
There is re: S. Asia a potentially rich study of interactional rituals that
I hope somebody does. 
Is this what your book's about, Franz? 
Joanna

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