Gasshō... hands together in front of the chest, a bowing of the head; expresses greeting, reverence, humbleness; acknowledging the buddha nature, or sacredness, of another. The bow to another is the bow to yourself - there is only one sacredness.
When a pastor, during the weekly worship meeting, the congregation shared a ritual - "Passing the Peace." People began moving about, greeting one another and wishing them peace, some hugging, some shaking hands, all smiling. And, "The peace of Christ be with you." Or, "Peace be with you." That brief rite, of at most two minutes, became to me the part of the gathering I most cherished. Simple, but powerful. After many years since leaving the pastorate and, later, the church, someone could ask about the power of that simple ritual: "Why so powerful, so cherished?" I could speak words but not say. I never could. Who can say things like that? Why look anywhere?
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The painter Yamamoto Daiji was in Japan during the earthquake of 1948. He happened to be in Fukui when the quaking started. He was walking down a street. Telephone poles began falling. Yamamoto was pinned beneath one of them. It had first hit a piece of fire protection equipment; otherwise, he would have been crushed.
Yamamoto could not recall how he extricated himself before running to a nearby river. There he sat on the riverbank for several hours. The aftershocks began to subside, and twilight came. He got up to return home.
Upon getting up, Yamamoto saw the riverbanks thronged with people. The paths were filled with many carts, bicycles, and people carrying baggage, making walking difficult. As he slowly made his way, he saw an aged lady with a topknot done in a tea-whisk style. She was sitting, facing the setting sun, with hands pressed together in gassho.
Roshi Mumon Yamada related what Yamamoto told him about seeing the woman. The instant he saw her, he felt as though he had been struck in the head with an iron club. “This is it!” he thought, realizing he was encountering something he had long forgotten. He said he had never been so profoundly moved.
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The woman said nothing, yet her sitting in gasshō before the crowds inspired a change within Yamamoto. In that silent gesture was a message as powerful, maybe more so, than in all the scriptures and spiritual teacher talks. But, say, "What did the gesture say?" "Why was it so powerful?"
Yamamoto remembered something long forgotten. He could not say what that is. What is it? If you say, you have missed it. If you bow in heartfelt reverence to any being, seen or unseen, even to a grain of sand or speck of dust, you say it, there-and-then. Still, not a single word will have passed out of your mouth.
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The Way of Wisdom is Spirit "descends" into matter. Matter - the stuff of the elements - becomes the conduit. The Intangible manifests through the tangible. We come to discover the things-of-matter we share are means of Grace, they are not merely things we share. What we call "stuff," "things," "words," and "actions" can speak loudly and help us remember. Who matures to realize this? Realizing this, life is never the same again. A bow... a hug... a drink... a smile... laughter... a story... a joke... a game... a sitting beside... sex... a "hello"... exchanging money for groceries... a word of comfort... an asking for help... a kind thought... a "thank you"... an "I love you"... an "I missed you"... forgiveness... a prayer for... a singing along... a dancing with... sharing a meal... Grace! Grace! Grace! Do you see - gassho is everywhere?
The body sails the oceans. The moon reflects off the waters. A shout - ridges and cliffs and peaks return as an echo. To walk... don't look back... straight ahead! straight ahead! Learn to sit alone... and not be alone - from this you're ready to speak.
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(C) brian wilcox, 2026
*Yamada Mumon Roshi. Hakuin's Song of Zazen: Yamada Mumon Roshi on Zen Practice. PP. 77-78. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.
