Hsi Lai Temple Five Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts Ceremony — “Taking the Precepts as the Teacher, Opening the Door to Practice”
Reported by Sherry, The Life News Agency, Los Angeles, USA.
From July 17th to 19th, Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple held the “Five Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts Ordination Ceremony.” A total of 179 preceptees from 19 temples across North and South America participated. Ages ranged from 8 to 81, including 8 children and youth under age 20 and 22 non-Chinese-speaking participants. The entire ceremony was conducted bilingually in Chinese and English, maintaining a solemn and dignified atmosphere in accordance with traditional procedures.
The Precept Altar Acarya respectfully invited Most Venerable Hsin Bau, the Precept Master, with Venerable Hui Kai, Vice Abbot of Fo Guang Shan, serving as the Karma Acarya, and Venerable Hui Dong, Abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, as the Teaching Master. Together, they conferred the pure essence of the precepts upon the participants, thus opening the door to their spiritual cultivation.
The official ordination ceremony was held on July 19 at the Main Shrine. As drums and bells rang, the preceptees respectfully welcomed the Three Masters. The precept altar was filled with a solemn and sacred atmosphere. Following traditional rituals, the preceptees invited the sacred presence, prostrated in repentance, received the Four Unshakable Faiths, underwent three rounds of karmic procedures, and formally received the Five Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts. As the “Verse of the Robe” was chanted — “Excellent is the robe of liberation, the robe of reverence and repentance…” — the preceptees donned the wan robes, symbolizing their commitment to transcend worldly attachments and embody the Bodhisattva spirit.
Venerable Hsin Bau repeatedly asked: “Can you uphold these precepts for life? Will you follow and practice them accordingly?” The preceptees resoundingly replied, “Yes, I can uphold them!” “Yes, I will follow and practice!” They vowed to receive the precepts with pure body and mind, to cut off evil and cultivate good, to take the precepts as their teacher, and to walk the Bodhisattva path.
On the night before the ordination, Venerable Hui Kai, the Karma Acarya, led the repentance ceremony in the Main Shrine. All preceptees bowed in repentance to purify body and mind, vowing to eliminate karmic obstacles accumulated since beginningless time and plant the seeds of Bodhi in preparation to receive the pure precept essence.
Before leaving the shrine, Venerable Hui Dong presented the precepts ordination certificates, reminding the preceptees: “Receiving the precepts is not the end, but the beginning of practice.” He encouraged them to take the Bodhi mind as the foundation of their precepts, to shoulder the Bodhisattva spirit, and to apply the Three Acts of Goodness in their daily lives — benefiting both self and others for the welfare of all beings.
During the first two days, preceptees attended classes and precept lectures to understand the meaning and practice of taking precepts. Venerable Hsin Bau personally taught the Bodhisattva Precepts, explaining that they are rooted in developing Bodhi mind and walking the Bodhisattva path, elaborating on the six major and twenty-eight minor precepts, and encouraging all to base their practice on the Three Acts of Goodness, a teaching promoted by Fo Guang Shan’s founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun.
Venerable Hui Dong explained the Five Precepts, emphasizing that precepts are the foundation of spiritual practice, the manifestation of faith, and a key guide for Buddhists to protect body, speech, and mind and to cultivate wholesome character. The English-speaking group received teachings from Venerable Jue Fan, who helped them understand the essence of the Five Precepts.
Venerable Hui Kai gave a talk titled “Practicing the Bodhisattva Path of Humanistic Buddhism”, elaborating on Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Humanistic Buddhism philosophy, stating that practice must be based on Bodhi mind and the Bodhisattva path, and implemented in daily life for the benefit of others.
Venerable Miao You taught the Five Precepts to those taking them specifically, explaining their definitions and significance; while Venerable Miao Zang delivered the same content in English. Venerable Jue Miao lectured on “Teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun”, emphasizing that the essence of practice lies in training the mind and helping participants develop right understanding and views. The English session was led by Venerable Man Guang.
On the first day, Venerable Hui Ren, the Opening Master, explained the process of the ordination ceremony and temple etiquette, encouraging preceptees to use the three days to cultivate body and mind through disciplined routines and ceremonial training, and to break habitual tendencies, becoming authentic followers of the Buddha. He also gave a talk on “Understanding the Permanent Ordination Platform”, introducing Humanistic Buddhism, the history of Fo Guang Shan, and Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Dharma propagation, encouraging everyone to cherish the platform and contribute to preserving the Dharma.
During the three-day ordination, Venerable Hui Xuan served as the disciplinary master, constantly reminding participants to follow the rules in the shrine hall, dining hall, and precept platform. 13 monastics from various North American temples tirelessly served as ceremony guides, instructing on etiquette and ritual practice, and attending to the preceptees’ needs — putting the precepts into action through detailed care.
Volunteers from the Buddha’s Light Youth, various Fo Guang associations, and many others formed support teams covering administration, education, logistics, dining, dishwashing, and more, all working together to create a supportive and worry-free environment for the preceptees to cultivate, leading to a successful and solemn completion of the ceremony.
Captions (Photos 01–10, by Chih Cheng, Zhang):
