Thanks much. This clasped hand greeting is Hindu in origin since it's an older religion but the Buddhists do it to. To my memory it means "hello, I salute your soul and higher being". With Kerry it's an au courant New Age thing that "hip" Americans do in places like California and Massachusetts.
Hey, I live in California, my wife is Buddhist and I have many Hindu friends so I use this greeting quite often. But I would never - repeat never, use this sort of greeting with a Catholic priest (as Kerry did) even though I have used this greeting probably thousands of times in my life.
A Thai friend told me it literally means "I Pray You..." thank you, or good health, or whatever. He said when he did it to his professors it meant "I pray you don't beat me!" (he was kidding). That makes sense because I put MY hands like that when I'm praying too. In church. Not in greeting.
I'm here, in CA, and I've YET to see someone do something that gay.
Re the picture; it is safe to say Kerry his enjoying his new teeth; and while we have seen his 'yellow band' on his wrist; does anyone know, just 'when' he started wearing it?