Sunava

How to do the three bows in Buddhism, step by step

· Sunava

The altar of the main hall, with a seated Buddha, candles and an incense burner

In Buddhism, the three bows are made one each to the Buddha, the Dharma (his teaching) and the Sangha (the community of practitioners), together called the Triple Gem. To make one, you join your palms, lower yourself to the floor, touch your forehead down, and rise again. It is one of the most widely shared gestures across Buddhist traditions, though its details vary.

What the three bows mean

A bow is a physical way of setting aside self-importance. It is not worship of a statue. Many teachers describe it as respect for what the image stands for, and for the possibility of awakening in everyone. Bowing three times is common at the start of a visit to a hall, before and after meditation, and when greeting a teacher.

How to do a full bow

This is a common form in Korean and many other Mahayana temples.

  1. Stand with your palms joined at chest height, fingers pointing up. This gesture is called *anjali* in Sanskrit.
  2. Bend your knees and lower them to the floor, keeping your back fairly straight.
  3. Place your hands on the floor in front of you and lower your forehead between them, so that your forehead, both hands and both knees touch the ground.
  4. Pause for one slow breath.
  5. Rise by pushing back with your hands, returning to standing with your palms joined.

Move slowly, and let your breath set the pace. Three bows done carefully are worth more than many done in a hurry.

How it differs between traditions

If you are at a temple, watch what others do and follow them. No one expects a visitor to get it perfect.

If your knees or back hurt

You do not need to get to the floor. A standing bow from the waist with your palms joined is widely accepted, and so is a seated one. Choose what you can do without pain, and speak to a doctor if you have an injury.

About 108 bows

Some practitioners make 108 bows, a number often linked to the 108 afflictions of the mind. It takes around 20 minutes and is real exercise, so build up gradually. A mala is a simple way to keep count.

Where the three bows come from

The number three is not arbitrary. It follows one of the oldest formulas in Buddhism, the going for refuge. In Pali the words are *Buddham saranam gacchami, Dhammam saranam gacchami, Sangham saranam gacchami*: "I go for refuge to the Buddha, I go for refuge to the Dhamma, I go for refuge to the Sangha." The formula is recited three times over, and it is widely used to mark a person's commitment to the path. Bowing three times gives the same three objects a physical form.

The meaning of "refuge" is often misunderstood. In his writing on devotion in Buddhism, the Theravada monk and scholar Nyanaponika Thera argues that devotion is not an appeal to a god to intervene. It is a form of respect that can steady the mind and turn it toward the qualities being honoured. Other schools frame this in their own ways, but in very few of them is a bow simply a request for something.

What to think about during a bow

Nothing is required, and many practitioners simply feel the movement. If you would like something to rest your mind on, these are common approaches:

Whichever you choose, go slowly. It is hard to notice anything during a bow that takes one second.

Mistakes first-timers often make

Nobody at a temple is likely to correct you, but these are the things people most often wonder about afterward.

How many bows, and why the number changes

Three is the usual number for a visitor, but it is not the only one. Across Buddhist cultures, prostrations are often made in counted sets, and sets of 3, 7, 21 and 108 are all well attested. Some serious practitioners take on much larger numbers over months or years, particularly in Korean and Tibetan communities. Korean temple-stay programmes commonly list 108 bows among their activities, so it is something a visitor can try with a teacher nearby.

If you would like to work up to more, here is a gentle way to start:

  1. First week: three slow bows each day.
  2. Second week: seven bows, without rushing.
  3. Third week: twenty-one bows, resting if you need to.
  4. When you feel ready: 108 bows, split across a day if you prefer. A folded blanket under your knees helps.

This is not a fitness plan, and there is no reward for finishing. Stop if you feel pain or dizziness, and speak with a doctor first if you have a condition affecting your heart, joints or blood pressure.

Bowing at home

You do not need an altar or any special object. A clean patch of floor and a moment when no one needs you is plenty. If you have a picture or a small statue that means something to you, you can face it. If not, some people face a window, or nothing in particular.

A short routine could be: stand quietly for three breaths, make three slow bows, and then sit for a minute before getting up. Done in the morning, it can mark the start of the day. Some people add a few minutes of meditation, and Buddhist traditions often pair the two in that order.

Questions people often ask

Do I have to believe in anything to bow? No one at Sunava will ask, and many temples welcome visitors who simply wish to show respect. If bowing to an image conflicts with your own faith, it is fine to stand quietly or join your palms instead. Nobody will take offence.

Is it wrong to bow in socks or bare feet? Neither is a problem. In most halls where people make full bows, shoes have already been removed.

Should I do it in front of monks? In many traditions, lay people bow to monks and nuns as a sign of respect, particularly when formally greeting a teacher. As a casual visitor, joined palms and a small bow from the waist are usually enough.

Is it the same as *wai*, or *gassho*? Those are greetings with joined palms. In Thailand it is called the *wai*, and in Japan *gassho*. A full bow begins from the same gesture and goes on to the floor.

Bowing as a pause in the day

You do not have to wait for a visit to a temple. Many people find that three slow bows work well as a marker between two parts of the day, such as before starting work, after coming home, or before going to bed. It takes under two minutes and needs no equipment. The movement also gets you out of your chair, which meditation does not.

Try to keep it free of goals. You are not trying to feel a particular way, and it does not matter if your mind is elsewhere during the second bow. Just notice that it was, and do the third one a little more slowly. If you would like to add a quiet sound, strike a moktak once before you begin and once when you have finished, and leave it there.

Try it at the altar

In the Sunava main hall, stand before the altar and press Bow three times. Your character makes each bow slowly, and each one is added to the temple's count for the last 24 hours, so you can see you are not bowing alone.

Sources

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