Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on one knee and placed his palms together in veneration and addressed the Buddha. When requesting instructions from our teacher, it is appropriate to rise from our seat. In India, when people wished to show the utmost respect for someone, they would bare their right shoulder and kneel on their right knee. Kneeling on the right knee enables one to rise at anytime to serve the teacher. When palms are placed together as one, they represent concentration and respect.
Separated fingers indicate a scattered mind.
With concentration, one is ready to accept the Buddha's instructions. The Buddha was in the Contemplating Buddha Amitabha Samadhi, a perfect Samadhi. On this day, Buddha Shakyamuni was practicing a very special method. He was about to speak of a way that equally helps all beings to become enlightened. In The Diamond Sutra , Venerable Sari-putra had raised two questions.