2024 Lay Bodhisattva Precepts Transmission Ceremony at Chung Tai Chan Monastery

2024 Lay Bodhisattva Precepts Transmission Ceremony at Chung Tai Chan Monastery

The sutras declare: “Precepts are like the radiant sun and moon, gleaming as brilliantly as a jeweled necklace. Guided by this luminosity, countless bodhisattvas attain enlightenment.” The bodhisattva precepts are the ethical guidelines for practitioners of the Mahayana path. Following the Buddha’s compassionate vow to liberate all beings, and in response to the sincere requests of practitioners worldwide, Chung Tai Chan Monastery hosted the Lay Bodhisattva Precepts Transmission Ceremony from October 10th to 13th, 2024.

Venerable Master Jianying, the Abbot of Chung Tai Chan Monastery; Venerable Master Jiantao, the Vice Abbot of Monastic Affairs, and Venerable Master Jiandi, the Dean of the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute for Monks, were respectfully invited to serve as the three Celebrant Masters, and fulfill the aspirations of those seeking to receive the Mahayana bodhisattva precepts.

A Global Gathering in Pursuit of Purity

By 6:00 p.m. on October 10th, over 4,000 preceptees from the United States, Italy, Australia, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, along with more than 1,200 lay volunteers, had gathered at the monastery. All embraced this rare opportunity to cultivate merit by receiving and protecting the precepts and attain the supreme bodhi path.

During the ceremony, the devoted participants observed noble silence to calm their minds and let go of distractions. They upheld the Three Refuges, Five Precepts, Eight Precepts, and Bodhisattva Precepts. Through chanting, prostrations, offerings, listening to teachings, and repentance practices, they diligently integrated conduct and understanding to pave the way for awakening.

Taking the Three Refuges and Eight Precepts

At 8:30 a.m. on October 11th, all participants assembled in Perfect Illumination Lecture Hall. Venerable Master Jianying, serving as the Precept Master formally conferred the Three Refuges, Five Precepts, and Eight Precepts.

The precept master meticulously proclaimed the precepts and asked “Will you uphold them?” All the disciples firmly answered, “Yes, I will.” Venerable Master Jianying encouraged all to cultivate and diligently avoid transgression. Under the Abbot’s guidance, the assembly repented sincerely and vowed to uphold the precepts as a foundation for ceasing harm, fostering virtue, and benefiting all beings.

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  • 1-2. Over 4,000 preceptees from the world gathered in Perfect Illumination Lecture Hall, reverently inviting Venerable Master Jianying to be the Precept Master and formally confer the Three Refuges, Five Precepts, and Eight Precepts.
  • 3-5. Preceptees in the halls listened attentively and respectfully to teachings on the precepts.

The Significance of Receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts

In the afternoon, 4,000 participants gathered in various dharma halls to listen to the profound teachings by Venerable Master Jianying. The Abbot explained, “Why do we receive the bodhisattva precepts? We can start planting the seeds of enlightenment only by taking the bodhisattva precepts and moving forward on the path to buddhahood. As a Buddhist saying states, ‘When the virtue of cultivation is accomplished, the intrinsic nature will naturally manifest.’ Our intrinsic nature is inherently pure and virtuous. The bodhisattva precepts provide the best support for realizing and perfecting this innate potential.”

On October 11th and 12th, special precept lectures were scheduled for the participants to enhance their understanding and facilitate proper practice of the precepts. Venerable Master Jiandi, the Dean of the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute for Monks, acted as the precept teacher and expounded the lay bodhisattva precepts, which include six major precepts and twenty-eight minor precepts. During the lectures, simultaneous English translation was provided to ensure that international participants could fully comprehend the content of the precepts and uphold them purely.

The precept teacher reminded the assembly, “Why should we practice the bodhisattva path? Each of us possesses an innate aspiration to grow and elevate ourselves. In Buddhism, the highest state of life is called "buddha," which refers to our awakened mind. Receiving the bodhisattva precepts helps elevate this nature, enabling it to fully manifest. By giving rise to the bodhisattva mind and the bodhi mind, seeking the Buddha Way, and liberating all sentient beings, we advance on the path to buddhahood. This very practice embodies what it means to be a bodhisattva.”

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  •    1. The lectures were scheduled during the ceremony to help preceptees understand the essence of the precepts and practice accordingly.
  • 2-4. Venerable Master Jianying and Dharma masters burned incense cones on the arms of the preceptees as a devoted offering to the buddhas of the ten directions.

A Sacred Incense Offering to the Buddhas

At 6:30 p.m. on October 12th, the congregation—in order to solidify their vow in receiving the boddhisattva precepts—sincerely welcomed the three Celebrant Masters to preside over the incense-offering ceremony. Venerable Master Jianying gave an inspirational address and stated: “For those seeking the bodhisattva precepts, having made the bodhi resolve today, you now offer incense to the buddhas of the ten directions. From this moment of receiving the bodhisattva precepts and offering incense to the buddhas, may you dedicate yourselves to the infinite and boundless pursuit of the Dharma; to benefiting living beings; enduring difficult practices; and fulfilling the bodhisattva path. Through this humble act of offering incense, may you ultimately complete your bodhisattva vows to benefit both self and others.” He further encouraged the preceptees to practice the Bodhisattva Way life after life, to attain supreme enlightenment, and to liberate all sentient beings throughout the Dharma realms.

Later, the preceptees chanted in unison: “Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha.” They then invited the bodhisattva precept teachers and the incense-offering teachers to light the incense cones affixed to their arms as offerings to the buddhas. Through this symbolic act, the preceptees vowed to follow in the footsteps of the buddhas and bodhisattvas by practicing generosity, benefitting all beings, and progressing on the bodhi path.

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  • 1-4. The formal transmission ceremony was held in Perfect Illumination Lecture Hall, where the preceptees sincerely invited the three Celebrant Masters to fulfill their vows to receive the Mahayana Bodhisattva Precepts.

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Formal Transmission of the Lay Bodhisattva Precepts

On October 13th at 9:00 a.m., the formal transmission of the Bodhisattva Precepts took place in Perfect Illumination Lecture Hall. After the purification ceremony had been completed, representatives of the preceptees respectfully welcomed the three Celebrant Masters into the hall. The assembly demonstrated utmost reverence and sincerity, earnestly seeking to receive the bodhisattva precepts.

The bodhisattva precepts master, Venerable Master Jianying first provided guidance on the precepts, leading the assembly to respectfully invite the fundamental teacher Shakyamuni Buddha as their precept master, Manjushri Bodhisattva as their karma master, and Maitreya Bodhisattva as their instruction master. The preceptees also acknowledged buddhas of the ten directions as their witnesses and all bodhisattvas as their companions on the path.

Venerable Master Jianying then taught the Four Imperishable Faiths. From then on, the preceptees were urged to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and Precepts for all future lifetimes and to never forget or lose this resolve.

During the Transmission of the Bodhisattva Precepts, Venerable Master Jianying, respectfully entreated the buddhas and bodhisattvas of boundless worlds in the ten directions to serve as witnesses for the preceptees by conferring upon them the wonderful and virtuous precept-bodies of the three classes of bodhisattva precepts. He then expounded the six major precepts and the twenty-eight minor precepts in order to enable the preceptees to understand and uphold the precept rules—thereby safeguarding the essence of the precepts.

Walking the Bodhisattva Path

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Venerable Master Jianying compassionately conferred precept certificates to the preceptee representatives to affirm their proper acceptance of the bodhisattva precepts. The entire assembly of preceptees sincerely bowed to the bodhisattva precept masters to mark the end of the transmission. The three Celebrant Masters offered their heartfelt blessings and encouragement to inspire the preceptees to cultivate the supreme bodhi mind, and uphold the purest precepts.

By upholding the precepts, one can realize the buddha nature, attain great nirvana, and achieve the meritorious body of the tathagata. During the four-day precept ceremony, all preceptees demonstrated sincere dedication and diligence. They cultivated precepts, meditation, and wisdom, extinguished greed, anger, and ignorance, and wholeheartedly upheld “the three classes of pure bodhisattva precepts.” They vowed to emulate the compassion of buddhas of the ten directions and to practice the bodhisattva path. The preceptees aspired to spread the true Dharma, benefit all sentient beings, and attain supreme enlightenment.

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  • 1-3. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Venerable Master Jianying conferred precept certificates to the preceptee representatives to affirm their proper acceptance of the bodhisattva pure precepts.

The Significance of Receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts

( Dharma Talk by Venerable Master Jianying, the Precept Master)

The fundamental essence of the bodhisattva precepts lies in “the three classes of pure bodhisattva precepts”—the precepts of personal discipline, the precepts of performing wholesome deeds, and the precepts of benefiting sentient beings. Through these three classes of precepts, we cultivate ethical conduct and purify our minds.

First, the precepts of personal discipline guide our body, speech, and mind. They help us understand what we should do and what we must avoid. This forms a strong foundation for clarity, integrity, and moral strength. Second, the precepts of performing wholesome deeds encourage us to engage in virtuous actions, to help ourselves and others, and to guide everyone toward liberation and lasting happiness. Third, the precepts of benefiting sentient beings inspire us to cultivate good joyfully and pure affinities with all. When we understand the different needs of others, we can respond with wisdom and compassion by offering the support they truly need.

The Surangama Sutra states: “To guard and focus the mind is sila. Sila gives rise to samadhi; samadhi gives rise to prajna. These are the three disciplines of perfection.” On a deeper level, the precepts of personal discipline lie in disciplining the mind. To guard and focus the mind is to uphold precepts. This begins with all actions in daily life—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Through these practices, we learn what should and should not be done, and we naturally develop a steady self-mastery. This is like sitting in a car: the outside scenery becomes blurry if the car keeps moving. Only when the car is still can we see the scenery clearly. Similarly, only with stable self-mastery can true, focused awareness develop, and with focused awareness, wisdom gradually unfolds.

Moreover, the precepts of performing wholesome deeds refers to understanding that all phenomena have countless possibilities. All things are impermanent and subject to constant change. Buddhism teaches the principle of “all things arising from conditions are empty in nature” —that all phenomena transform according to changing causes and conditions. Therefore, the application of wholesome deeds must also adapt to these changes. This requires a flexible capacity for adaptation and a skillful application of wisdom in order to enable the effective use of expedient means.

The precepts of benefiting sentient beings emphasizes that to guide sentient beings, we must embody true compassion. The highest form of compassion is expressed in this Buddhist saying: “Great is the kindness that is unconditional; great is the compassion that shows the one essence of all.” The "one essence" refers to the buddha nature inherent in all sentient beings. Every sentient being has the potential to achieve buddhahood, even if they currently resemble beings in hell, hungry ghosts, or animals. If we believe in their innate buddha nature and create wholesome conditions for their cultivation, they can eventually realize buddhahood.

After taking the bodhisattva precepts, one must unwaveringly strive to be a compassionate bodhisattva at every moment: from stable self-mastery arises mindful awareness. Through realizing the truth of impermanence and emptiness, one develops the capacity for flexible adaptability. By fostering positive and Dharma affinities with others, we cultivate the warmth of compassion. Gradually, we are in accord with the pure mind and the bodhi mind.

By constantly abiding in the pure mind of empty nature, we can develop the insight of the middle way reality. "The middle way" means to embrace all forms and at the same time transcend all forms. From this arises true freedom and adaptability. All of this cultivation begins with strict self-discipline and upholding the precepts. When the virtue of cultivation is accomplished, the intrinsic nature will naturally appear.

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  • 1-2. Venerable Master Jianying delivered a teaching on the significance of seeking the precepts.
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