Five Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts Ceremony
Eleven members of the English Sub-chapter took part in this ceremony; ten took five precepts, one renewed their vows and one took Bodhisattva precepts. It was a momentous occasion for the English Sub-chapter and Fo Guang Shan Temple (North Island) and an opportunity for members’ to demonstrate their commitment to and practice of Humanistic Buddhism.
This was the first time that the Five Precepts Ceremony had been held at Fo Guang Shan Temple since Venerable Master Hsing Yun had visited the Temple in October 2007 when he presided and the very first time for the Bodhisattva Precepts. To enable this to take place the Sangha had worked extremely hard to prepare the preceptees during the previous weeks as well as the day before the ceremony. We greatly appreciate their care and concern to ensure that everyone was comfortable and well informed to be able to wholeheartedly make this commitment. The English Sub-chapter cherished the convenience given to them to have translation during the classes and ceremony and we thank Venerable Miaoyu for her diligence and guidance throughout the weekend.
I would like to share my experience and reflections of the weekend. At 8.30am on Saturday 14 November all preceptees gathered in the Main Shrine to take part in chanting to invite the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and Heavenly Kings to attend the Ceremony. It also prepared the Preceptees to be mindful of the significance of the vows they were to take the following day. The chanting was followed by a class when Venerable Manwang gave further explanation of the historical reasons for taking the Five Precepts.
The four original precepts; no killing, no stealing, no lying and no sexual misconduct, form the root ie the basic precepts by which we should conduct our lives. The fifth precept, no intoxicants, is additional but very important because it is invariable the cause of breaking the first four. It is important to be aware that the precepts are often more likely to be broken through thought and speech than action. Therefore, it is essential to purify the mind, take time to practice and develop through study and experience, working to become closer to the goal of crating a Bodhi mind. In the process of this, or because of this, it is important to respect others who give good opportunity to overcome or face obstructions, challenges and difficulties, serving and contributing to the benefit or ourselves and others unconditionally. In taking the Five Precepts we accept the law of cause and effect, eliminate bad thoughts and by doing so change our karma.
Venerable Manwang referred to the six roots and how we might transcend and let go to free ourselves. Attachment is one of the roots of suffering. To find a ‘life with wisdom’ we must practice to eliminate greed, hatred and ignorance. To do this we must diligently apply the precepts and apply concentration with wisdom to all that we do. Observing the precepts overcomes greed, concentration eliminates hatred and wisdom will overcome ignorance leading to a life of fulfillment and harmony.
The first precept, no killing prompted discussion within the class, particularly when it was explained that this refers to the intention of killing being viewed as more serious than the action. Therefore, because the mind is so powerful we must control our thoughts and cherish the conditions in the present moment. This includes not wasting time, being late, being mindful to look after possessions and others and to recycle so as not to be wasteful.
All of the meals during the weekend were formal to cultivate mindfulness and appreciation, through the five contemplations, of all the people who had contributed to the preparation and serving of the food; cultivating our Bodhi mind. It
The formal lunch followed by walking meditation prepared the preceptees for the next class given by Venerable J Si who talked about our Fo Guang Shan as our spiritual home, to nourish our spiritual mind. She opened the class by impressing on us that we need to accept and adapt to our environment and live in any present moment. She explained that the monastery, although a place that belongs to everyone, needs organizational structure to serve its members. This is carried out by the Sangha, IBT and BLIA who implement rules and regulations in line with Buddha’s teaching. In other words Fo Guang Shan walks the Bodhisattva path. This is demonstrated through the dedicated work of the Sangha who don’t ask for anything or have expectations in order to better propagate and practice Humanistic Buddhism. They encourage the disciples to find out for them selves through experience and understanding, to be independent and become wealthy from within.
This class was followed by a time to practice putting on our cassocks using correct etiquette and an opportunity to ask further questions. After the medicine meal the preceptees gathered in the Main Shrine for a rehearsal of the ceremony which was followed by the Service of Repentance.
The Service of Repentance was held to purify the mind through contemplation and reflection on actions and thoughts that had caused hurt and disharmony to self and others in the past. During this time preceptees could let go of past indiscretions and vow to begin a new life through the precepts. It was a very powerful experience, particularly during the latter part of the service when we made 100 prostrations to the Great Buddha to demonstrate our respect for his teachings that show us how to follow the middle path to gain liberation and overcome rebirth. This was the culmination of the preparation for taking the Five Precepts.
At 7.30am on Sunday 15 November the Five Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts Ceremony began. It was a very special time to be at the Temple. It was a beautiful new day, welcomed by the bell and drum. There were no members of the public and the preceptees were prepared and mindful. It was a great honor to be present before the Great Buddha to take the next step in our journey as Buddhists and I would like to thank the Sangha for making this possible.