四明尊者教行錄 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

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Compiled by the monk Zongxiao of Shizhi, Siming.

National Preceptor to the two dynasties of Chen and Sui, Tiantai Zhizhe awakened to the āvarta-dhāraṇī of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, inherited the dharmatā school, and with unimpeded eloquence analysed and differentiated the buddhayāna of the three times, establishing the doctrinal teaching and contemplation of a single tradition. People down to the present day continue to receive it. In addition, there are various ritual procedures for repentances, imperial edicts from the two courts, stele inscriptions for monastery foundations, and the like, which his disciple Dhyāna Master Zhang'an compiled into a work entitled the Guoqing bailu. Having received the special favour of Emperor Renzong, it was granted entry into the great Tripiṭaka to circulate alongside the Buddhist scriptures and teachings, so that by this point almost nothing was left preserved uncirculated. However, while the converting influence of our ancestral lineage covered sixty prefectures, flourishing during the Sui and Tang and waning during the Five Dynasties, the Dharma does not remain blocked forever: great beings opportunely appear. During the Tianfu era of the Later Jin dynasty, Dharma Master Tong (whose taboo name was Yitong) came from Goryeo and travelled south to study under

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Luoxi (namely Dharma Master Xiji of the Luoxi Cloister on Mount Tiantai), where he completely mastered the Way of the Tiantai tradition. He was preparing to cross the sea once more when the Commander-in-Chief Lord Qian firmly detained him (Qian's taboo name was Weizhi, son of the Prince of Wuyue, and at that time administrator of Mingzhou). Thereupon he broadly propagated the teaching at Baoyun in Mingzhou (Baoyun was originally a residence that Gu Chenghui, Transport Commissioner of Fuzhou, donated to establish a monastery to accommodate the Master). His seat of teaching opened wide, and having obtained two divine-footed disciples, the school was revived: one was Master Fazhi (whose taboo name was Zhili), and the other was Master Ciyun (whose taboo name was Zunshi). Fazhi presided over the Yanqing bodhimaṇḍa, bringing about the mid-course revival of this teaching, and was called at that time the Venerable Siming. Ciyun established the teaching seat at Gṛdhrakūṭa, standing firm in both understanding and practice, known to the world as the Repentance Master of Tianzhu. Ciyun was born in the second year of Qiande and died at the beginning of Mingdao, spanning a period of one hundred and twenty years. His fifth-generation disciple, Master (Huiguan), collected his posthumous writings and compiled the Jinyuan sanji, which circulates in the world. Fazhi was born in the first year of Jianlong and died in the sixth year of Tiansheng, one hundred and seventy-five years ago from the present. The commentaries and subcommentaries he composed exceed three hundred thousand words, venerated by scholars in common. There are also treatises on doctrinal portals, question-and-answer clarifications of objections, and exchanges of letters with eminent scholars and revered monks, though scattered leaves and broken manuscripts remain lost in circulation. Alas! For forty years the Master devoted his whole mind to expounding the repentances and upholding the lineage, his sides never touching the mat; how could the brushwork he produced in response to occasions be calculated in number? Even if inscribed on stone and wood or written on bamboo and silk, it would amount to scarcely one in ten million. I, Zongxiao, an inept late-born student, have presumptuously entered this doctrinal academy. Having privately perused the Master's bequeathed words, although only fragments of text and isolated characters, all are the Dharma of the Śākya clan; how could I allow them to be lost in oblivion? Thereupon I searched eagerly, obtaining barely more than a hundred pieces, and classified them into seven fascicles, entitling them Record of the Teaching and Practice of the Venerable Siming. Siming is the place of his birth, attainment of the Way, and turning of the wheel of the Dharma; the world cherished his character and thus universally called him by this name. Within the gates of the Tiantai school, none fails to establish practice based on the teaching and reveal the teaching through practice, hoping that the two paths of teaching and practice will merge into a single rut of cultivation. The Master once exhorted the assembly, saying: 'Whether I go out or stay put, speak or remain silent, I never fail to take the principles of doctrinal teaching and contemplation as my nourishment, my staff, and my armrest.' Now in compiling this record, using 'Teaching and Practice' in its title likewise expresses the Venerable One's aspiration. Great indeed! Now that this text is complete, my wish is that it may stand side by side with the Guoqing bailu and the Tianzhu Jinyuan [sanji] like the three legs of a tripod, handed down to future generations so that together we may look to the ancestral Way. Where it is incomplete, let later worthy persons supplement it as they see and hear; that would truly be the utmost in excellence. Reverently prefaced by the monk Zongxiao on the day after the full moon of the twelfth month in the renxu year, the second year of the Jiatai era [1202 CE].

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Chronological Biography of the Venerable One

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Emperor Taizu of the Great Song dynasty first ascended the precious throne, changing the seventh year of the Xiande era of the Zhou dynasty to the first year of Jianlong, the gengshen year. In the first month of this year, Taizu received the abdication of Emperor Gong of Zhou. Examining the stupa inscription composed by Hu Fang and the True Record compiled by the disciple Zequan, the Master lived to sixty-nine and manifested extinction in the wuchen year, the sixth year of the Tiansheng era. If one relies on the Record of Conduct written by Duke Zhao Qingxian, it says that he returned to stillness in the fifth year of Tiansheng, which is mistaken. Now calculating backwards through the sexagenary cycle, the Master was indeed born in the gengshen year; is this not a case of a true person responding to the times and a sage being born at an opportune moment? The Master's taboo name was (Zhili) and his courtesy name was Yueyan; Emperor Zhenzong specially conferred upon him the master's title of Great Master Fazhi, and he was known at the time as the Venerable Siming. His secular surname was Jin, being a distant descendant of Jin Midi of the Former Han (The Hanshu says: 'Jin Midi was a son of King Xiutu of the Xiongnu. When the foreign state was destroyed, he was taken captive by Emperor Wu of Han, yet he was deeply reverent, loyal, and filial. For seven generations his descendants were attendants inside the palace; because King Xiutu made golden statues to sacrifice to Heaven, he was granted the surname Jin'), and his later generations were people of Yin. His father's taboo name was Jing, and his mother was of the Li clan. Initially, having no heir, they prayed sincerely to the Buddha. One night she suddenly dreamed of an Indian monk presenting a child, saying: 'This is Rāhula.' When he was born, he was accordingly named after him.

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Second year, xinyou. Third year, renxu. First year of Qiande, guihai. Second year, jiazi. Third year, yichou.

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Fourth year, bingyin. At that time he was seven years old. The stupa inscription says: 'When the Master was seven years old, he suffered the loss of his mother; remarking that parental toil is not easily repaid, he wailed and wept without cease. From this he grew weary of the secular world and was eager to leave home. His father marvelled at this and thus did not thwart his resolve.' He then first placed himself under the monk (Hongxuan) of Taiping Xingguo Monastery as a disciple. In Tianzhu's preface to the Master's Zhiyao chao, it says: 'When the Master was a boy receiving the sūtras, he was already able to ponder their meaning; his natural talent was exceptionally revealed—is he not indeed of the superior nature born with knowledge?'

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Fifth year, dingmao. Sixth year, wuchen. In this year the era was changed to the first year of Kaibao. Second year, yisi. Third year, gengwu. Fourth year, xinwei. Fifth year, renshen. Sixth year, guiyou.

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Seventh year, jiaxu. At that time he was fifteen years old. The stupa inscription says: 'At the age of fifteen, the Master received the full precepts and dedicated himself to exploring the Vinaya texts.'

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Eighth year, yihai.

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Ninth year, bingzi. In this year Emperor Taizong ascended the throne and changed the era to the first year of Taiping Xingguo.

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Second year, dingchou. Third year, wuyin.

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Fourth year, jimao. At that time he was twenty years old. The Record of Conduct says: 'At twenty, he went to Dharma Master Tong of Baoyun in his home commandery to receive the Tiantai practices and contemplations. On the third day after his arrival, the head monk said to him: "You must uphold the Fajie cidi." The Master said: "What is meant by the dharma-realm?" The head monk said: "It is the great, all-inclusive phenomenal marks that are perfectly interfused and unimpeded." The Master said: "If they are already perfectly interfused and unimpeded, how can there be a sequence?" The head monk had no reply. After staying one month, the Master gave an exposition of the Hṛdaya Sūtra on his own; people were astonished to hear it and spread the word in amazement.'

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Fifth year, gengchen. The True Record says: 'The Master had been at Baoyun for barely two years. His father happened to dream that he knelt before Tong, and Tong held a vase of water and poured it into his mouth; from then on, once received, he immediately comprehended the perfect and sudden purports.'

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Sixth year, xinxi. At that time he was twenty-two years old. The Record of Conduct says: 'The Master had resided at Baoyun for just three years, yet he regularly lectured on Master Tong's behalf. Entering into the text and bringing out the meaning, he further elucidated what he had learned.'

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Seventh year, renwu. Eighth year, sigui. First year of Yongxi, jiashen. Second year, yiyou. Third year, bingxu. Fourth year, dinghai.

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First year of Duangong, wuzi. The Master had studied at Baoyun for ten years when his lecturer passed into stillness. The Stone Stupa Inscription says: 'Master Tong lived to sixty-two and passed away in the first year of Duangong; (Zhili and Zunshi) were the most eminent of his students.'

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Second year, jichou. Third year, gengyin. In this year the era was changed to the first year of Chunhua.

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Second year, dingmao [error for xinmao]. The Master was thirty-two years old and was chosen to be abbot. The True Record says: 'In the xinmao year of Chunhua, he accepted an invitation to Qianfu Monastery, remaining there for four years.' In his preceptive vows for the Bao'en Cloister, he says: 'When I lived at Baoyun, I met with [my master's] parinirvāṇa. I first moved to a small cloister on the western side of Qianfu Monastery (Qianfu Monastery was renamed Chengtian Monastery, and is now Nengren Monastery; the small cloister on the western side is the present Fahua Cloister), where there were sleeping quarters but no shrine, and the disciples who came to stay were more than ten, leaving no room for more. Observing also that it was closely adjacent to the marketplace and truly unsuitable for long-term stay, I thereupon moved to the southeast corner of this city.' The preface to the Zhiyao chao says: 'When the Master presided over the teaching seat at Qianfu, disciples joyfully followed him like numerous streams converging into the ocean.'

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Third year, renchen. Fourth year, guisi. Fifth year, jiawu. First year of Zhidao, yiwei.

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Second year, bingshen. An official dispatch states: 'In the seventh month of the second year of Zhidao, the monks Julang and Xiantong, masters of the inner cloister, donated the Bao'en Cloister to (Zhili) to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions, transmitting and expounding the Tiantai teachings of Zhizhe.' The preceptive vows say: 'In the autumn of the bingshen year the cloister was taken over in its old state; over ten years it underwent gradual repairs, and in the jiyou year it was completed. Lord Shi engraved a stone inscription to record it, and down to the renzi year, seventeen years in all, it has provided peace to incoming students.'

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Third year, dingyou. The Record of the Bao'en Cloister says: 'Previously, this cloister was constructed long ago and had become increasingly dilapidated. In the third year of Zhidao, together with the monk Yiwen of Yuhang, concerted efforts were made to manage it. It happened that the monk Jueyuan of Danqiu brought forth the resolve to exert his strength, and after three years the project was finished. Beholding its timber and stonework, splendid and majestic, with gold and jade colours brilliantly shimmering: putting the Buddha hall first and the monks' hall second made clear their proper order; placing the canon depository on the right and the abbot's quarters on the left made things convenient for affairs.'

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Emperor Zhenzong ascended the throne and changed the era to the first year of Xianping, wuxu.

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Second year, jihai. At that time he was forty years old. The True Record says: 'From the second year of Xianping onwards, the Master dedicated himself exclusively to lecturing and repentances, constantly sitting without lying down, never stepping outside, and declining all visits.'

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Third year, gengzi. In this year there was a great drought; the Master and the Repentance Master of Tianzhu prayed for rain and received an efficacious response. The Record of Conduct says: 'In a year of great drought, the Master and Zunshi jointly practiced the Brightness Repentance to pray for rain, agreeing that if it did not rain within three days, they would burn an arm as an offering to the Buddha. Before the Buddhist service was finished, soaking rain had already fallen heavily.' Ciyun's Record of Conduct says: 'In the third year of Xianping, there was a great drought in Siming; the Master entered the repentance ritual to pray for rain, agreeing that if it did not rain within three days, he would burn himself. Exactly as pledged, an answer was granted. The prefect Su Wei marvelled at this and inscribed a stone to record the event.'

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Fourth year, xinchou. Fifth year, renyin.

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Sixth year, guimao. In this year, a Japanese National Preceptor sent monks to pose difficulties. The original preface says: 'In the guimao year, the sixth year of Xianping, the Japanese monks Jakushō and others presented twenty-seven queries regarding discrepancies within the Tiantai doctrinal teachings raised by Dhyāna Master Genshin of Mount Tiantai in their country; Siming (Zhili), relying on the teachings, briefly replied, answering question by question in writing.'

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First year of Jingde, jiachen. At that time he was forty-five years old. He composed the Shibu'ermen zhiyao chao; the preface records the date, saying: 'Prefaced on the ninth day of the first month, the jiachen year, the first year of Jingde.'

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Second year, yisi.

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Third year, bingwu. In this year, the Master submitted the Letter on Ten Meanings to Lord Zhao of Qiantang. The preface says: 'In the [...] month of the bingwu year, the third year of Jingde, Siming (Zhili) respectfully, with a mind devoted to the Dharma, inquires into doctrinal meanings with Venerable Zhao of Zheyang.'

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Fourth year, dingwei. In this year he submitted the Letter of Two Hundred Questions on the Contemplation of Mind to Lord Zhao. The preface says: 'In the fourth year of Jingde, the bhikṣu (Zhili) of Siming respectfully, with a mind devoted to the Dharma, inquires into doctrinal meanings with Lecturer Zhao of Zheyang.'

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First year of Dazhong Xiangfu, wushen.

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Second year, jiyou. At that time he was fifty years old, and the construction of Bao'en Cloister was completed. The preceptive vows say: 'The cloister was completed in the jiyou year, and Lord Shi recorded it.' At the end of the record, it states: 'Daiwen, administrative vice-prefect [...], met with the successful completion of this cloister and thereupon took up his brush to record it. Erected on the sixth day of the fourth month in the jiyou year, the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu.'

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Third year [of Dazhong xiangfu], gengxu: In this year, respectfully complying with an imperial decree, the name plaque of Bao'en was changed to Yanqing Cloister. According to the Siming tujing: 'Bao'en Cloister was built in the second year of Guangshun of the [Later] Zhou; in the third year of Dazhong xiangfu of the August Dynasty, it was renamed Yanqing Cloister; in the fourteenth year of Shaoxing, the cloister was elevated to a monastery.' The official notice from the commissioner's office states: 'In the seventh month of the third year of Dazhong xiangfu, the resident monk (Zhili) submitted a petition through the commissioner's prefecture requesting to forward a memorial to the celestial hearing that it forever be made an abbotship of the ten directions, constantly expounding the doctrinal teachings of Tiantai. In the tenth month of that year, in accordance with a directive from the Central Secretariat, the imperial decree was received granting approval.'

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Fourth year, xinhai: In this year, the Master submitted another petition via the prefecture requesting to be issued an official commissioner's notice fully recording the above-mentioned items and the imperial decree to be engraved on stone forever as verifiable proof. The official notice states: 'Subsequently, in the third month of the fourth year of Dazhong xiangfu, (Zhili) submitted a petition via the prefecture requesting to copy in full the imperial decree and the earlier and later official notices and engrave them upon a stone inscription, that it forever remain an abbotship for the transmission of the teaching from the ten directions. On the seventeenth day of the seventh month of this year, the notice was issued and the stone was erected.'

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Fifth year, renzi: In this year, the Master together with Master Yiwen composed the 'Precept Pledge for Abbots Transmitting the Teaching from the Ten Directions', erecting a stone to admonish forever against unjust and unwarranted occupation. This text is truly the foundation for all subsequent generations of ten-direction abbots of this monastery.

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Sixth year, guichou: On the fifteenth day of the second month of this year, the Society for Reciting the Buddha's Name and Bestowing Precepts was established for the first time. The Master personally composed an exhortation text in the tenth month of the fifth year of Xiangfu, which has guided and transformed people up to the present day. This assembly has continued uninterrupted for a total of one hundred and ninety years down to the present; how many persons have received its transformative influence from past to present cannot be known!

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Seventh year, jiayin: At this time he composed the Guanjing rongxin jie (Resolution of Mind's Interfusion according to the Visualization Sūtra). The colophon at the end of the preface reads: 'Prefaced on the Double Ninth day, in the seventh year of Dazhong xiangfu, jiayin.' In this year, the Master also composed the Jiaomen zawen (Miscellaneous Questions on the Doctrinal School) in seven chapters, which his disciple Ziren answered.

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Eighth year, yimao.

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Ninth year, bingchen: At this time he was fifty-seven years of age. The Shilu states: 'When the Master was fifty-seven years old, he made a vow to cultivate the Lotus Repentance. Upon completing three years of repentance, he would burn his body as an offering to the wondrous sūtra and vow to be born in the Pure Land.'

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First year of Tianxi, dingsi: The stupa epitaph states: 'At the beginning of the change of reign era to Tianxi, when the Master had reached the age of sixty, he said to his disciples: "To forfeit the body for half a verse, to cast oneself into fire for a single line—such was the mind of the sages for the sake of the Dharma. If I cannot abandon life and limb to startle and arouse the indolent, what is the use of mere talk?" Thereupon he gathered ten monks to cultivate the Lotus Repentance for three years, vowing to burn themselves together upon its completion. At that time, the Hanlin Academician Yang Yi and the Commandant of the Imperial Son-in-law Li Zunxu were both literary giants and richly meritorious ministers of the imperial court. Whenever they heard of the Master's thorough awakening, they always looked up to him with boundless admiration and deference. In that year, an imperial decree conferred a purple saṅghāṭī, both of which resulted from the discussions and recommendations of these two gentlemen. Furthermore, having heard of his intention to abandon his body, Duke Yang sent a letter firmly requesting him to remain in the world, exchanging letters several times, even specially enjoining the prefectural commander to protect him; due to this, the vowed act could not be carried out. He also composed the Xiaofu sanyong zhang (Chapter on the Three Functions of Subduing and Quelling) and issued the Jiangwei sanshi wen (Thirty Questions from the Crimson Curtain), which his disciple (Renyue) answered, all recorded in this year.'

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Second year, wuwu; Third year, jiwei.

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Fourth year, gengshen: The Shilu states: 'In the fourth year of Tianxi, the imperial son-in-law Li Zunxu recorded his conduct and facts and memorialized them to the throne; the Master was specially conferred the master's title of Fazhi. In this year, twenty-three eminent figures holding monastic offices in the capital each composed a poem recording and presenting it to the Master. Auxiliary Academician Chao Shuozhi composed a preface and had it engraved on stone. The title of the later poem by Zelin reads: "Written on the full moon day of the last month of autumn, gengshen."'

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Fifth year, xinyou: At this time he was sixty-two years of age. In this year, the imperial court issued an edict commanding him to cultivate the repentance ritual. The Xingye ji states: 'Emperor Zhenzong learned of the Master's renown and dispatched a palace dignitary to his dwelling to command him to cultivate the Lotus Repentance ritual, conferring generous gifts upon him. The palace dignitary was Yu Yuanqing. Because the venerable Yu wished to understand the essential purpose of the repentance ritual, the Master composed the Xiu chan yaozhi (Essential Purport of Cultivating Repentance) for him, and people to this day benefit from its bounty. He also composed the Biexing xuanshu ji (Subcommentary on the Mystical Commentary on the Separate Circulation [of the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra]), with the preface bearing the title: "First day of the eighth month of the fifth year of Tianxi." He also composed the Guanjing miaozong chao (Subcommentary on the Wondrous Purport of the Visualization Sūtra), with the preface bearing the title: "Prefaced with brush put to paper on the Double Ninth day of the fifth year of Tianxi."'

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First year of Qianxing, renxu.

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Second year, guihai: In this year, Emperor Renzong ascended the throne and changed the reign title to the first year of Tiansheng. In this year, the Master composed the Guangming shiyi ji (Record of Gleanings on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra). The record states: 'Prefaced on the full moon day of the fourth month of the first year of Tiansheng.' The Master also wrote a colophon on the 'Dream of the Fish' for Tun-tian [Official] Pan. Furthermore, he issued the Wenwei shiwen (Test Questions from the Inquiring Curtain) in forty-two sections to examine his students. He also answered the ten questions on the Buddha Dharma posed by Chan Master Tai.

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Second year, jiazi.

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Third year, yichou: At the beginning of Emperor Zhenzong's Tianxi era, there was an edict to establish life-release ponds throughout the empire. Wishing to extend the imperial transformative influence, the Master gathered the multitude to perform acts of releasing life on every Buddha's birthday; thereupon he erected the Life-Release Stele. Bureau Director Liu Yun composed the text, and Prefect and Hall Drafter Zeng Hui erected the stone. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the third year of Tiansheng, monk (Renyue) of Zhaoxi calligraphed it. One night in this year, the Master suddenly dreamed of a chancellor entering the cloister, and the very next day the son of Prefect Zeng arrived. Later this indeed verified the dream, for it was Duke Xuanjing of the Lu State; on this account, Lady Huang of the Chu State donated permanent property to provide for the assembly. In this year, he also submitted a letter to Prefect Zeng requesting to memorialize that the land of the rear garden permanently remain with the saṅghārāma.

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Fourth year, bingyin: In this year, the Master had a transmission address conferred upon his disciple (Wencan); the stone engraving is still extant.

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Fifth year, dingmao: The Master composed the Guangming wenju ji (Commentary on the Words and Phrases of the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra) in six fascicles in this year. It is inscribed: 'Recorded on the third day of the [...] month of the fifth year of Tiansheng.' However, as the Master was nearing his return to stillness, he could not finish the entire work for this commentary. Later, his disciple, Dharma Master Guangzhi (Shangxian), continued the commentary for the chapter 'Praising the Buddha', only then making it a complete text.

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Sixth year, wuchen: In this year, the Master manifested extinction at the age of sixty-nine. According to the Shilu and other sources, at the hour of xu on the fifth day of the first month of the sixth year of Tiansheng, the Master sat upright in full-lotus posture, summoned the assembly, and upon finishing expounding the Dharma, chanted the name of Amitābha Buddha abruptly several hundred times, passing away peacefully. His body was displayed in an open casket for twice seven days; his nails and hair both continued to grow, and his complexion was as though he were alive. After another seven days, he was transferred outside the South Gate. As cremation was about to take place, an extraordinary and rich fragrance was first smelled, and when the fire died down, his tongue was found intact and undamaged, along with five-colored relics beyond count (the relics are still stored in a lapis lazuli bottle and enshrined in the Great Compassion Pavilion). Five years later, on the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month of the second year of Mingdao, his sacred bones were enshrined and a stupa was erected to the left of the Chongfa Cloister.

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I, (Zongxiao), respectfully read the Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Three Dynasties, where the standards of the ten categories for selecting Buddhas by the western sages have exhausted all criteria for selecting talent. Yet our patriarch Fazhi served his duties by means of the Way; broadly surveying his writings, he vastly expounded and revived the great teaching, with doctrinal understanding taking the foremost place, while building temples, making statues, and cultivating merit came second. The preservation of his tongue and relics after extinction were clear and distinct, with supernatural wonders in abundance. At the time he was about to abandon his body, although he was stopped by the earnest pleas of Duke Yang Wen, how could a momentary, firm impediment separate him from his Way? Furthermore, he once burned three of his fingers as an offering to the Buddha; this was likewise an offshoot of abandoning the body. How great! Among the ten categories of eminent monks of antiquity, the Master combined four in himself alone; how could he be spoken of in the same breath as those who merely serve the Buddha in vain for a hundred years?

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(The old edition took the six prefaces—to the Zhiyao [chao], Biexing xuanji, Miaozong chao, Shiyi ji, Guangming ju ji, and Dabei xingfa—and appended them here. Since these are already seen circulating in the world with their respective texts, they are omitted here accordingly.)

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Ritual for Bestowing the Bodhisattva Precepts / Exhortation for Establishing the Society for Reciting the Buddha's Name

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Transmission Address to Dharma Master Jiao (appended) / Transmission Address to Dharma Master Can

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Life-Release Text / Record of the Dream of the Fish (composed by Tun-tian [Official] Pan)

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Colophon to the Record of the Dream of the Fish

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Stele Inscription for the Imperial Life-Release Pond (there was formerly a stone engraving)

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Ritual for the Bodhisattva Precepts (Twelve Sections)

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First: Requesting the Master to Transmit the Dharma; / Second: Guiding and Exhorting Faith; / Third: Inviting the Sages to Bear Witness; / Fourth: Bestowing the Three Refuges; / Fifth: Summoning and Inviting the Sacred Masters; / Sixth: Petitioning the Buddha to Request the Precepts; / Seventh: Repenting Sins and Transgressions; / Eighth: Inquiring into Absence of Impediments; / Ninth: Bestowing the Precepts by Karmavācanā; / Tenth: Briefly Explaining the Precept Characteristics; / Eleventh: Giving Rise to Vast Vows; / Twelfth: Summary Dedication of Merit.

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First: Requesting the Master to Transmit the Dharma

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Now, those who wish to receive these Bodhisattva Precepts must first invite a master to guide and open their understanding, so that they give rise to a mind of loving-kindness and compassion toward all circumstances. Were it not for this person, the precepts would have no means to arise. Now, on behalf of the present assembly, we respectfully invite [so-and-so] to serve as the master bestowing the Great Vehicle Bodhisattva Precepts. Each of you must single-mindedly follow me in presenting the request. When coming to the placeholder 'so-and-so', you should state your own name.

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"May the Venerable One single-mindedly be mindful of me. I, [so-and-so], now before the Venerable One, beg to be bestowed all pure Bodhisattva Precepts. We pray only that, not begrudging toil or fatigue, you will compassionately hear and accept us."

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Second: Guiding and Exhorting Faith

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Pure assembly gathered together at present: since you have jointly extended your request seeking the precepts, you must first arouse faith. If faith is established, the three trainings will be spontaneously replete, and the Buddhist fruition of the three bodies and four wisdoms, complete and eternal, can definitely be anticipated without any further doubt or hesitation. First, have deep faith that all sentient beings possess the buddha-nature. Second, you must believe that by diligently cultivating superior practices you will realize bodhi. Third, have firm faith that all will ascend to the Buddhist fruition of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Thus the sūtra states: 'Let the minds of the assembly have firm faith: you are ones who will become buddhas, and I am a buddha already become. If one constantly maintains such faith, the categories of precepts are already fully complete.' The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: 'Faith is the source of the Way and the mother of merit, nurturing all good roots, cutting through the net of doubts to emerge from the river of craving, and disclosing the unexcelled path of nirvāṇa.' Hence know that if you arouse faith, you will definitely internalize and obtain the precepts. Precepts are the vanguard of myriad practices and the foundation of the six perfections; just as in building a house one first solidifies its foundation, if there is no foundation and one fruitlessly frames it in empty space, it will never be accomplished. Precepts are the provisions for the Great Path, the raft for crossing the ocean; without precepts, the great sea of birth and death cannot be crossed. To adorn the Dharmakāya, take precepts as the necklace of jewels; to extinguish burning afflictions, take precepts as refreshing coolness. The Precept Sūtra states: 'Precepts are like the bright sun and moon, and also like jewel-strung necklaces; the multitude of bodhisattvas [as numerous as] dust motes through these attained true awakening.' Good people, you must believe that the pure bodhisattva precepts received are the root by which all buddhas of the ten directions and three periods accomplished the Way, and the model for the cultivation of all great bodhisattvas. A verse in the Precept Sūtra states: 'Like all the buddhas of the past, as well as those of the future, all the World-Honoured Ones of the present, jointly revere the precepts.' The Satyaka-nirgrantha Sūtra states: 'The Tathāgata's body of merit takes receiving the precepts as its root, and holding the precepts as its beginning.' It also states: 'If one does not hold the precepts, one cannot even obtain the body of a mangy jackal, much less the merit-body of the Dharma.' The Candrapradīpa-samādhi Sūtra states: 'Though one possesses physical strength and extensive learning, if one lacks pure precepts, one is like a beast; though dwelling in lowliness with little hearing or seeing, one who can uphold pure precepts is called a superior person.' The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: 'Precepts are the root of unexcelled bodhi; one should completely uphold the pure precepts. If one can firmly maintain the pure precepts, this is praised by the Tathāgatas.' The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: 'Wishing to see the buddha-nature and realize great nirvāṇa, one must with a profound mind cultivate and maintain the pure precepts.' The Brahmajāla Sūtra states: 'When sentient beings receive the buddha-precepts, they immediately enter the rank of the buddhas; if they do not receive these precepts, they are persons of heterodoxies and wrong views, beasts and blocks of wood—equal and without difference.' Hence know that for one who does not receive the bodhisattva precepts, even if one studies the Buddha's Dharma and practices diligently and bitterly for thousands of myriads of kalpas, one is merely called a sentient being; wishing to escape birth and death, wishing to break karmic hindrances, wishing to accomplish bodhi, wishing to realize the Buddhist fruition, there is ultimately no principle by which it can be obtained. For this reason, when kings in the Western Heavens ascend the throne and the hundred officials assume office, all first receive these bodhisattva precepts, because they wish to benefit the people of their realm. Good sirs, it is better to receive them and then violate them than not to receive them at all. Even if one violates them after receiving them, one is still a disciple of the Buddha; if one does not receive them, one is called a non-Buddhist. Therefore a sūtra states: 'Though the campaka flower withers, it still surpasses all other flowers; monks who break the precepts still surpass all non-Buddhists.' As for the great assembly present, all disciples of the Buddha, immeasurable sentient beings in the six paths suffer the torments of the three evil destinies and do not hear the Buddha's Dharma; even if they gain human rebirth, they may dwell in the borderlands, or encounter times of chaos, or be deluded by sounds and forms, or receive the retribution of foolishness, or cling to wrong views. The Buddha's Dharma is difficult to encounter; who would willingly believe and follow it? Today let us jointly celebrate that we recognize good and evil, know that there is a Dharma of precepts to receive, and know that there is a Pure Land to be born in—this may truly be called hard to meet in myriads of kalpas, encountered once in a thousand lifetimes! The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra states: 'The Buddha's Dharma is hard to meet, and the time is also hard to encounter; with deep past blessings, one is born to meet the Buddha's Dharma.' You all must reflect: impermanence is swift, birth and death are difficult to anticipate. Once life ends, the consciousness is without a master; wishing then to receive the Buddha's precepts, there will be no way to obtain them. Each of you should be vigorous and strive to seek them. Cast aside worldly conditions, observe the fasts, uphold the precepts, and be mindful of the Buddha; when the work is accomplished and the matter completed, you will surely transcend to the Pure Land of Peaceful Nurturance, each attaining longevity and receiving superior and wonderful bliss. However, there are many kinds of precepts: the five precepts and eight precepts are named 'nigh-dwelling liberation'; if one receives these precepts, one only obtains proximate retributions among humans and devas. The two hundred and fifty precepts of the Small Vehicle are called 'precepts of individual liberation'; if one receives these precepts, by upholding each single item one individually attains liberation. Yet, though one escapes the river of craving in birth and death, one only advances to the Small Vehicle arhat fruit, unable to realize the permanently abiding buddha-nature and broadly transform sentient beings. Now these three clusters of pure precepts of the bodhisattva, if one receives them, one's retribution will be the complete Buddhist fruition: boundless marks and characteristics, the three clarities and five eyes, the ten powers and fearlessnesses—not a single merit will fail to be complete. Right in this very body, in a single thought-moment up to the attainment of buddhahood, one is fully endowed with eight kinds of extraordinary merits. First is the extraordinary approach to the bodhimaṇḍa. You should know that one who receives the bodhisattva precepts is like the great roc bird lifting its wings to fly high, capable of reaching over a hundred and nine thousand li. When a bodhisattva arouses the mind to receive these great precepts, one can transcend the six destinies and the paths of the two vehicles, proceeding directly to unexcelled bodhi and sitting in the bodhimaṇḍa. Second is the extraordinary arousing of the mind. If a person in a single thought arousing the mind of great compassion and wisdom receives the bodhisattva precepts, this surpasses the realm of the two vehicles. Just as of old there was a novice walking in attendance upon an arhat: suddenly he aroused the bodhimind and sought to receive the bodhisattva precepts; that arhat in turn gave rise to respect, carried his robes and bowl for him, and yielded the road for him to walk. Third is the extraordinary field of merit. Supposing there were someone who made offerings to great arhats filling Jambudvīpa, it would not equal making offerings to one who has aroused the mind to receive the bodhisattva precepts, because the operation of that person's mind is vast. Fourth is the extraordinary efficacy. For one who receives the Small Vehicle precepts, it is like a firefly, capable only of illuminating oneself; for one who receives the bodhisattva precepts, it is like the midday sun, shining everywhere upon all things. Fifth is the extraordinary eradication of offenses. Let none of you doubt, fearing that you cannot firmly maintain the precepts and thus dare not receive them. A sūtra states: 'Violating them after receiving the precepts still surpasses non-Buddhists.' Those who do not receive the precepts hold non-Buddhist wrong views, sinking eternally into evil destinies without a time of emergence. A person who breaks the precepts, through the majestic power of the precepts, even if falling into the evil destinies, will suffer light offenses: if falling into hell, one will be a king in hell; if falling among animals, one will be a king among animals; if falling into the ranks of hungry ghosts, one will be a king among ghosts and spirits; if in the human realm, one will be a king among humans; if born in the heavens, one will be a king among devas—in every place of birth, one does not lose the royal rank. A sūtra states: 'One who violates is called a bodhisattva, because there are precepts to break. One who does not violate is called a non-Buddhist, because there are no precepts to break.' Sixth is the extraordinary gestation in the womb. When a person who has received the precepts is in the womb, they are constantly protected together by devas, dragons, and good spirits. Seventh is the extraordinary spiritual penetrations. A person who has received the precepts, through the power of maintaining the precepts, can churn the long river into ghee, transform the great earth into gold, transcend a thousand lifetimes in a single thought, and deliver countless multitudes within a single day. Eighth is the extraordinary karmic retribution. A person who has received the precepts is himself a bodhisattva, destined to be born in the ocean of the Lotus Treasury, receive the dharmatā-body, and once attaining the true and eternal, never retrogress. As extensively cited from the sūtras above to open the gate of practice for all disciples of the Buddha: may each person present on this seat today internalize and obtain the pure Dharma of the precepts, to serve forever as a ferry and a bridge, as the cause for seeing the Buddha, and as the karma for the Pure Land.

1.66

Third: Inviting the Sages as Witnesses

1.67

Assembly present, since I have now expounded the Dharma and guided you, you must harbour joyful reverence. Below, we shall further welcome and invite the assembly of sages to descend upon the bodhimaṇḍa, to bear witness, protect, and be mindful [of us]. Each of you must single-mindedly maintain focus and follow my voice in reverently inviting (first address):

1.68

On such a year of the sexagenary cycle, such a month, and such a day, in the Southern Continent of Jambudvīpa, in the Great Song dynasty, such a prefecture, county, and place, there are now many men and women, each arousing sincere devotion, jointly receiving the pure precepts, inviting and welcoming the Three Jewels and all the sages and worthies, praying that you bestow protection and hoping for your empathetic descent.

1.69

With single mind we reverently invite: throughout the bounds of empty space, in worlds numerous as dust motes, all the buddhas in their true and response bodies, all the Dharmas of the Way in both Great and Small Vehicles, and all the sages and worthies of the three vehicles and their companions. We only pray that, hearing this reverent invitation, you descend upon the bodhimaṇḍa and bear witness to our receiving the precepts.

1.70

With single mind we reverently invite: the devas who protect the Dharma, the Great Eloquent One of Merits, Brahmā, Śakra, the Four Kings, the eight classes of dragons and spirits, the celestial spirits and earthly deities, the palaces of the sun, moon, and stars, the Jiang, He, Huai, and Ji rivers, the famous mountains and great streams, the allocations of prefectures and cities, the intelligent deities of the soil and grain, and the upright divine officials who protect the fasts and precepts. We only pray that, hearing this reverent invitation, you descend upon the bodhimaṇḍa, firmly guard, and bestow protection.

1.71

With single mind we reverently invite: in the Dharma realms of the ten directions, among the six destinies and four modes of birth, all sentient beings of the three realms and nine classes; those present receiving the precepts and all people of the bodhimaṇḍa, their residential tutelary shrines and natal stars, their birth parents and ancestral relatives of past generations. We only pray that, relying on the power of the Three Jewels, you all come to the bodhimaṇḍa to share together in the goodness of the precepts.

1.72

Fourth: Bestowing the Three Refuges

1.73

Having summoned and invited the Three Jewels and the myriad spirits above to descend upon the bodhimaṇḍa and jointly assist in the goodness of the precepts: you should know that these precepts make no distinction between men and women; ordinary persons and sages assemble universally, the unseen and the manifest share alike; even animals, if they only understand the Dharma master's words, are all able to receive them. Unlike the Small Vehicle which lasts only for the duration of one's physical life, these bodhisattva precepts, once received today, extend straight until buddhahood without ever being lost. Below, we shall further turn the assembly away from the heterodox and toward the correct, conferring the Dharma of taking the three refuges. You should know that the Three Jewels are the field of reverence for all sentient beings; if one can with utmost sincerity revere and turn toward them, one can generate all good dharmas and merits. However, there are many kinds of Three Jewels: first, the Three Jewels of worldly maintenance; second, the Three Jewels of distinct characteristics; third, the Three Jewels of one identical essence. As for worldly maintenance: clay shrines, sculpted images, and paintings are the Buddha Jewel; yellow scrolls and red rollers are the Dharma Jewel; shaving the hair and dyeing the robes are the Saṅgha Jewel. As for distinct characteristics: cultivating, realizing, and matching the wonderful awakening fruition-virtue in the Dharma, reward, and manifest response bodies is called the Buddha Jewel; the spoken eighty-four thousand Dharma stores and the twelve divisions of scriptures are called the Dharma Jewel; the sages and worthies of the three vehicles from equal awakening on down are called the Saṅgha Jewel. As for the one identical essence: from the buddhas above down to wriggling insects below, none lacks these Three Jewels. What is called the wonderful substance of true reality is three while being one, named the secret treasury; like earthly treasures and rarities, they are all generally called 'jewels'. The inherent awakened nature possessed by all of you right now is the Buddha Jewel; this nature's unstained purity is the Dharma Jewel; this nature's gentle harmony without dispute is the Saṅgha Jewel. Now I urge you all not to disparage yourselves: every person inherently possesses this principle; each and every one can attain buddhahood. Because the Tathāgata cultivated and realized these Three Jewels of one identical essence, he was able to exercise great spiritual penetrations and perform various buddha-works. These Three Jewels are within your own bodies, like water congealed into ice. To discard ice to seek water is impossible; if you wish to melt the ice, you should skilfully apply expedient means. If you intend to advance toward the Buddhist fruition, it cannot be accomplished without cultivation. Now that you have awakened to and recognized this substance, directly turn toward this jewel to take refuge.

1.74

I, disciple [Name], resolve from this day forward until the end of future time, to take refuge in the Buddha, the most honoured among two-legged beings; to take refuge in the Dharma, the most honoured among things free from desire; to take refuge in the Saṅgha, the most honoured among assemblies (said three times).

1.75

Although refuge has been taken as above, if it is not concluded, the Dharma is not complete. In principle, it must be concluded three times.

1.76

I, disciple [Name], have taken refuge in the Buddha; I have taken refuge in the Dharma; I have taken refuge in the Saṅgha (said three times).

1.77

"From this day forward, I acknowledge the Buddha as my master and will never again take refuge in demonic and non-Buddhist ways. May the Three Jewels have pity and take me in, out of their compassionate mercy" (spoken three times).

1.78

Fifth: Invoking and Requesting the Sacred Masters

1.79

Above, you have already received the three refuges. I am merely the one transmitting the precepts; now, on behalf of the assembly present here, I shall respectfully invoke Śākyamuni the World-Honoured One and the other five sacred masters to descend to the bodhimaṇḍa. Before the buddhas and bodhisattvas, you must plead for mercy and repent, and be questioned concerning the hindrances, before you are fit to uphold the Dharma. Properly speaking, the ritual of requesting the masters should be declared by yourselves; but assuming you are not yet able, I shall now instruct you. You must be sincere of heart and by no means treat this lightly:

1.80

"I, disciple [so-and-so], single-mindedly and respectfully invite Śākyamuni Tathāgata to be my preceptor from whom I receive the precepts. Relying upon the preceptor, I am able to receive the bodhisattva precepts, out of his compassionate mercy."

1.81

"I, disciple [so-and-so], single-mindedly and respectfully invite Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva to be my karmācārya. Relying upon the karmācārya, I am able to receive the bodhisattva precepts, out of his compassionate mercy."

1.82

"I, disciple [so-and-so], single-mindedly and respectfully invite Maitreya Bodhisattva to be my instructing ācārya. Relying upon the instructing ācārya, I am able to receive the bodhisattva precepts, out of his compassionate mercy."

1.83

"I, disciple [so-and-so], single-mindedly and respectfully invite all the buddhas of the ten directions to be my venerable witnessing masters. Relying upon the venerable witnessing masters, I am able to receive the bodhisattva precepts, out of their compassionate mercy."

1.84

"I, disciple [so-and-so], single-mindedly and respectfully invite all the great bodhisattvas to be my fellow study companions. Relying upon the fellow study companions, I am able to receive the bodhisattva precepts, out of their compassionate mercy."

1.85

Sixth: Announcing to the Buddhas and Begging for the Precepts

1.86

The five sacred masters invited above possess great compassion, the knowledge of others' minds, and the eye of the Way; pitying sentient beings, they pull out suffering and bestow happiness, and will certainly descend to the bodhimaṇḍa. Now, on behalf of all of you, I shall announce to the Buddha and beg for the precepts. Each of you must face the Buddha with utmost sincerity, join your palms, and listen attentively to the announcement (stepping down from the seat to announce to the Buddha):

1.87

"I respectfully announce to the five sacred masters, all the buddhas throughout the ten directions, exhausting empty space and pervading the dharmadhātu, and the saṅgha of bodhisattvas of the great stages: these disciples from such-and-such a country, prefecture, and county in this Sahā world implore me to reverently announce to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and beg to receive the three clusters of pure precepts. These disciples have already genuinely generated the bodhicitta and can give rise to deep faith, vowing to study and practice these pure precepts. May the buddhas and great bodhisattvas pity them and bestow the three clusters of pure precepts" (having announced this three times, returning to the original seat).

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四明尊者教行錄 — Classical Chinese