法苑珠林 89.54

89.54

Second, requesting the master. The Puxian guan jing states that when about to receive the bodhisattva precepts, one first requests the Buddhas and bodhisattvas as masters, requesting thus: 'I, the disciple so-and-so, and all sentient beings throughout the Dharma realm, respectfully invite the Tathāgata Śākyamuni to be our upādhyāya; we respectfully invite Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva to be our ācārya; we respectfully invite Maitreya Bodhisattva to be our instructor; we respectfully invite the Buddhas of the ten directions to be our witnessing masters; we respectfully invite the bodhisattvas of the ten directions to be our companions. Relying now on the profound and wondrous meaning of the Mahāyāna, I take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the Saṃgha.' (Said three times.) Having requested the master, permission is granted next. Therefore, one who wishes to receive the precepts, having fully cultivated deportment and bowed to the precept master, should speak thus: 'I beg from the Venerable One to receive the bodhisattva precepts. May the Venerable One, not shrinking from toil on my behalf, out of pity grant permission.' (Said three times.) The precept master replies, 'Good.' Having granted permission, he immediately teaches the Vaipulya, the Mātṛkā-śāstra, the Pañcavidyā-śāstra, and so forth, causing them to know what is an offence and what is not an offence, what is defiled and what is not defiled, soft, medium, and superior, and the forty-two precepts; these must also be known thoroughly. Afterward, facing the Buddha, they receive them. If one has previously studied the Mahāyāna, they are granted permission and immediately receive them, not being bound by this procedure. This means that after receiving permission from the precept master, after three years, or a hundred days, or one day, in the bodhimaṇḍa with the right shoulder bared, one pays homage to all the Buddhas of the three periods and ten directions, and pays homage to all the bodhisattvas of the great grounds. Having paid homage to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, one recollects the three clusters of merits of those Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and bows to the precept master, kneeling on both knees and bending the body, speaking thus: 'I only pray that the Venerable One will confer upon me the bodhisattva precepts.' (Said three times.) Having spoken thus, one nurtures a pure mind, focusing solely on obtaining the precepts without any other thought.