COURTESY

Courtesy (pañisanthàra) is being polite, considerate and respectful towards others. When meeting people, the Buddha is described as always greeting them with `polite and amiable talk' (M.I,198) and offering them a seat (M.I,359). The brahmin Soõadaõóa had conversed with the Buddha on several occasions and had found him `pleasantly spoken, urbane, civil, polite and speaking to the point' (D.I,115). Courtesy is not just an aspect of Right Speech and Right Action, it is also an expression of respect and love towards others. See Greetings.