受菩薩戒儀
Ritual for Receiving the Bodhisattva Precepts
南岳沙門釋 惠思 撰
Written by the Monk Huisi of Nanyue
夫受大乘戒法。先教請傳授菩薩戒師一人請引。先咨白。後引云。我某甲等。今從大德。求受菩薩戒。願大德於我不憚勞。慈愍故。三說。請戒師種種為說因緣方便云。欲求戒法者。先發信心。信心若成。三學具足。三身四智佛果菩提決定可期。更無疑慮。故華嚴經云。信為道源功德母。長養一切諸善根。斷除疑網出愛河。開示涅槃無上道。故知若發信門。必納戒法。戒為萬行之先鋒。六度之基址。如造宮室。先固其基。徒架虗空。必不成就。故戒為大道之資粮。戒為苦海之船筏。莊嚴法身。以戒為瓔珞。破除煩惱。以戒為清凉。然有多種。三歸五戒得人身。十善八齋生天報。持十戒具足戒。出煩惱之愛河。得羅漢之聖果。受菩薩戒者。得於佛果。梵網經云。一切有心者。皆應攝佛戒。眾生受佛戒。得入諸佛位。故知凡有心者。咸具佛戒。各各圓滿。無有缺減。
When taking the Mahayana precepts, you should first request a precept master to transmit the Bodhisattva precepts and have one person serve as your guide. First, announce your intention, then the guide says: "We, [state name], now come to the Great Teacher to request the Bodhisattva precepts. We pray that the Great Teacher, out of compassion, will not begrudge the effort involved." This is said three times. The precept master then explains in detail the reasons and methods, saying: "Those who seek the precepts must first develop faith. If faith is established, then the three trainings—ethics, concentration, and wisdom—are complete. The Three Bodies, Four Wisdoms, and the fruit of Buddhahood and enlightenment can definitely be attained, with no doubt. Thus, the Flower Adornment Sutra says: 'Faith is the source of the path and the mother of virtues, nurturing all good roots, cutting through the net of doubt, and leading out of the river of desire, revealing the unsurpassed path of nirvana.' Therefore, we should know that if the gate of faith is opened, the precepts will surely be received. The precepts are the vanguard of all practices and the foundation of the six perfections. It's like building a palace: you must first strengthen the foundation; building empty framework in the air will never succeed. Thus, the precepts are the provisions for the great path, the raft for crossing the sea of suffering. They adorn the Dharma body like a garland, and cool the fires of affliction like clear water. The precepts come in many forms. Taking the Three Refuges and Five Precepts leads to rebirth as a human; observing the ten good deeds and eight precepts leads to heavenly rebirth; keeping the ten precepts and full precepts lets you escape the river of craving and attain the fruition of an Arhat. Receiving the Bodhisattva precepts leads to Buddhahood. The Brahma Net Sutra says: 'All who have a mind should receive the Buddha's precepts. Sentient beings who receive the Buddha's precepts enter the stage of Buddhahood.' Therefore, know that all who have a mind inherently possess the Buddha's precepts, each one complete with no deficiency."
問。既然如是。何須更受。答。以暫亡故。約事重明。即知全心是戒。全戒是心。離心無戒。離戒無心。又云。佛子聽。欲受佛戒者。國王王子。百官宰相。比丘比丘尼。十八梵。六欲天。庶民黃門。婬男婬女。奴婢。八部鬼神。金剛神。畜生乃至變化人。但解法師語。盡受得戒。皆名第一清淨者。以戒德無量。功高萬像。為五乘之軌範。作三寶之舟航。大智度論云。大惡病中。戒為良藥。大怖畏中。戒為守護。大闇冥中。戒為明燈。諸險道中。戒為橋梁。大海水中。戒為船筏。薩遮經云。若不持戒。尚不得野干之身。何況功德之身。月燈三昧經云。雖有色族及多聞。若無戒智如禽獸。雖處卑下少多聞。能持淨戒名勝士。戒之一字是名。梵云尸羅。亦云毗尼波羅提木叉等。此云清凉。滅三業之過愆。得解脫也。今言戒者。能防三惡。能止三惑。故當體得名也。體者。初發圓心。從師請受。身中翹誠。名為作戒。色心為體。三羯磨竟。納法居懷。作體謝往訖。未來名無作戒。唯實相心。以之為體。故瓔珞經云。一切聖凡戒。盡以心為體。心無盡故。戒亦無盡。是知心境契同。能所冥一。諸佛子等。既各有好樂渴仰之心。應當慇勤志心聽受。
Question: If this is so, why must one still receive the precepts? Answer: Because there is a temporary loss of awareness. By clarifying this through practical matters, one comes to know that the whole mind is the precepts, and the whole precepts are the mind. Apart from the mind, there are no precepts; apart from the precepts, there is no mind.
Furthermore, it is said: "Children of the Buddha, listen. Those who wish to receive the Buddha's precepts—whether they be kings, princes, officials, prime ministers, monks, nuns, the eighteen kinds of Brahma beings, beings of the six desire heavens, common people, eunuchs, men of lust, women of lust, slaves, the eight classes of spirits, vajra spirits, animals, or even transformed beings—as long as they understand the teacher’s words, they can all receive the precepts. They are all called the foremost pure ones. This is because the virtue of the precepts is limitless, and their merit surpasses all things. They serve as the standard for the five vehicles and act as the boat and bridge for the Three Jewels."
The *Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra* says: "In the great sickness of evil, the precepts are the good medicine. In the midst of great fear, the precepts are the protection. In the deep darkness, the precepts are the bright lamp. On all dangerous paths, the precepts are the bridge. In the vast ocean, the precepts are the boat and raft."
The *Satyaka Sutra* says: "If one does not uphold the precepts, one cannot even attain the body of a wild fox, let alone a body of merit."
The *Moon-Lamp Samadhi Sutra* says: "Though one may have beauty, noble birth, and vast learning, If lacking precepts and wisdom, they are like beasts. Though one may be lowly and have little learning, If able to uphold pure precepts, they are called a noble one."
The word "precepts" is a name. In Sanskrit, it is *shila*, also known as *vinaya* or *pratimoksha*. Here it means "cool" or "refreshing," extinguishing the faults of the three actions and attaining liberation.
Now, when we speak of precepts, they can prevent the three evils and stop the three delusions. Therefore, this name is given based on the nature of the precepts themselves.
What is their essence? When one first awakens the perfect mind and requests the precepts from a teacher, the sincere reverence in the body is called the "active precepts," with form and mind as its essence. After the three recitations of the ceremony are completed, the dharma is received and held in the mind. The active precepts then subside, and what comes later is called the "inactive precepts." These have only the true mind of ultimate reality as their essence.
Thus, the *Garland Sutra* says: "All precepts of sages and ordinary beings are entirely based on the mind. As the mind is inexhaustible, so the precepts are inexhaustible."
From this, we know that mind and phenomena are one, the perceiver and the perceived merge into one. All children of the Buddha, since you each have joyful and eager hearts, you should listen with sincere and devoted attention.