法苑珠林 89.63

89.63

The second clarifies the method of receiving by mental contemplation: if there is no person of virtuous conduct before whom one can receive them, this practitioner should maintain proper deportment, go before an image of the Buddha, bow to the Buddha, kneel upright on both knees, and say: "I, so-and-so, address all the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions and the assembly of all bodhisattvas who have entered the great bhūmis: I now, before the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, receive all the bodhisattva precepts—namely, the precepts of moral restraint, the precepts of gathering virtuous qualities, and the precepts of benefiting sentient beings. These precepts are the precepts upon which all bodhisattvas of the past, future, and present dwell; all bodhisattvas of the past have already trained in them, all bodhisattvas of the future will train in them, and all bodhisattvas of the present are now training in them." (Said three times.) The Fanwang jing states: If one receives them from a master, there is no need for an auspicious sign, because the successive transmission of the precept masters possesses efficacy. If one takes the vow by oneself before an image of the Buddha, one must pray for and obtain an auspicious sign before one can obtain the precepts, because not receiving them from a master, one lacks efficacy by oneself. One must definitely pray for the empowerment of the sages. If in meditative concentration, or in a dream, or while awake, one resonates and obtains an auspicious sign that accords with the sacred teachings, only then is it obtained. If one receives the precepts in this way, one simply utters the solemn vow from one's own mouth, and the procedure and formula for receiving are entirely the same as receiving the Dharma from a master.