Worship is an act of religiousdevotion usually directed towards a deity. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader.
The word is derived from the Old English weorþscipe, meaning worship, honour shown to an object, which has been etymologised as "worthiness or worth-ship"—to give, at its simplest, worth to something.
Worship in various religions
Worship in Buddhism may take innumerable forms given the doctrine of skillful means. Worship is evident in Buddhism in such forms as: guru yoga, mandala, thanka, yantra yoga, the discipline of the fighting monks of Shaolin, panchamrita, mantra recitation, tea ceremony, ganacakra, amongst others. Buddhist Devotion is an important part of the practice of most Buddhists. According to a spokesman of the Sasana Council of Burma, devotion to Buddhist spiritual practices inspires devotion to the Triple Gem. Most Buddhists use ritual in pursuit of their spiritual aspirations. In Buddhism, puja (Sanskrit & Pali: pūjā) are expressions of "honour, worship and devotional attention." Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting. These devotional acts are generally performed daily at home (either in the morning or evening or both) as well as during communal festivals and Uposatha days at a temple.
Body worship is any practice of physically revering a part of another person's body, and is usually done as a submissive act in the context of BDSM. Typical kinds of body worship include worship of muscles, the penis, the vagina, or the buttocks. Body worship is popular among people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Usually accompanied by prostration, re-enforcing a sense of inferiority, a "sub" generally licks, kisses and sucks their dominant's body part, and is not allowed to touch it in a more conventional way. The aspect of erotic humiliation is perhaps appreciated by bearing in mind the commonplace phrase "kiss my ass".
Worshiping a body can also be done because the worshiper is in awe of the body part and wishes to praise that beauty. Although encouragement may be provided, verbally or by spanking, body worship is typically received more or less passively, the worshiped party aloof. Facesitting and smothering are forms of body worship which differ chiefly because of their aggressive approach.