關中創立戒壇圖經

Because I was ignorant, from an early age I entered the schools to study the doctrines deeply and consulted wise and enlightened elders. I inquired into the Way from those who had completely set aside Confucian writings, and revered the virtue of those who had inherited and attained the Way. Therefore, I did not study under any one fixed teacher, but traveled a thousand miles as though crossing a span; taking the teachings alone as my task, I journeyed throughout the regions of the passes and the Yellow River like a little boat. I also traveled throughout the lands of Wei and Jin, extensively examining many things newly heard; wandering through the regions of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, the conditions for this work arose from what I saw and learned along the way.

Thus, only when I reached the age of thirty did I compile the essentials of the Vinaya observances, the procedures for conducting matters^[1], diagrams, and records to open the minds of contemporary students; I composed commentaries and excerpted texts to awaken understanding in those with discernment. Whether annotating or explaining, I cited the ancient sutras and treatises; whether criticizing or praising, my aim was to bring the undertaking to completion.

I explained fully according to what I had seen, and as the work gradually spread, its contents gradually became known. As for the text of the precepts and the ordination platform, these had not yet been presented extensively. Although I discussed them as occasions arose, none of what I said was erroneous.

People today give free rein to their minds and intentions, committing base deeds morning and evening; once they tread this path, they may fall into countless pits. Therefore, I must quickly set this down in writing to eliminate errors and prevent transgressions.

In the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾, south of the capital, I established and propagated this Dharma.

The ordination platform is established for the sake of the precepts. The precepts are the foundation of the practices of all the noble ones and the lifeblood of the Three Jewels. Through them, the World-Honored One gave rise to compassion.

Through them, ordinary beings attain quiescence. Therefore, the text states: “How may it be known that the Buddha-Dharma can abide for a long time? In the central lands, there must be a full assembly of ten bhiksus; in frontier regions, there must be a full assembly of five bhiksus.

When ordination is conferred in accordance with the Dharma, this is called the long abiding of the True Dharma.” Thus it should be known that the essential nature and dignified deportment of a bhiksu cannot exist without the precepts. The Way must be transmitted by people, yet without the precepts it cannot be established. The precepts are accomplished through a formal act, and that act must arise in dependence upon a place.

That place is precisely the ordination platform. In ascending and descending it, the causal mind shines forth; the ground itself constitutes supreme goodness, and through proclamation and conclusion the function of the rite is made complete. Is this not the use of an extraordinary rite to move an extraordinary resolve?

Therefore, only by clearly understanding and discussing the comprehensive nature of the ordination platform can the “place” be established. Through examining the importance of the ordination platform, one sees that it is truly difficult to set standards for conducting the rite. Thus the treatises state: “The directional markers^[2] do not clearly delineate the boundary; during the proclamation, some remain confused about the conditions immediately before them.

When the assembly gathers, some do not know the common boundary and the separate boundaries; when harmony is ascertained, they still do not know whether the act is valid or invalid. Without a boundary, the rite is wholly contrary to the Buddha’s Vinaya. Although ordination is received, it is not attained, because there is no boundary.” From this it may be known that building a house in empty space merely wastes one’s effort; if a boundary is established without a platform, the supreme resolve does not arise.

I have now searched through all the scriptures and texts and gathered what I have heard, opening the foremost gate of the gift of Dharma and relying upon the ancient standards by which the Dharma abides. If the principles are not distinguished, students will not understand their basis. Therefore, I provisionally establish the following sections so that those of intelligence and wisdom may know that these Vinaya observances were not recklessly invented.

1. Establishing the boundary and instructions for constructing the platform

The foundation of the platform was originally established by the Buddha alone. Those from the ten directions assembled together, and the platform was clearly described. In ancient times, the Tathagata King of Radiant Light was the first to discuss its construction. Thus its construction derives from the noble ones and was not devised by human calculation; it must therefore be treated with the utmost reverence.

2. Establishing the name and designation

Upon examining all the Vinaya texts and treatises, one finds that most call it the “ordination platform.” Yet because worldly people at that time confused a platform with an ordinary ritual ground and could not distinguish between them, I have cited various texts to clarify the distinction, presenting both name and actuality together. How could this merely be adherence to an ingrained convention that is difficult to change?

3. Form, levels, and appearance

Since it is called a “platform,” its foundation must rise above the ground. Its form resembles Mount Sumeru, and its appearance resembles the Buddha’s seat. Four rows of steps surround its three tiers, and sacred relics are enshrined to protect it, causing the Dharma to flourish and abide for a long time.

4. Height, depth, breadth, and narrowness

The prescribed height and depth must be based upon the Buddha’s cubit. Its breadth and narrowness depend upon circumstances, and there is likewise no fixed limit to its overall size. All these dimensions are to be determined after discussion and deliberation among knowledgeable persons.

5. Inside and outside the great boundary

Upon examining all the Vinaya texts, one finds that both the inside and outside depend upon circumstances. Examining the matter now according to its meaning, the exterior has a distinct significance.

6. Whether the boundary is established before or afterward

According to the practice of the ancients, the great boundary had to be established first. Yet upon carefully examining the extant scriptures and texts, one finds that they say to construct the platform first and establish the boundary afterward.

7. Whether the Sangha assembles from near or far

In establishing the platform, the foundation must first be built; the procedures for assembling the Sangha have likewise long been established as rules. Yet because later students mostly follow their own inclinations and treat their undertaking lightly, they must resolutely rely upon the Buddha’s teaching and assemble the Sangha in strict accordance with the Dharma.

8. Whether the karman is valid or invalid

The Sanskrit term is karman, translated in China as “formal act.” This means that one must distinguish whether it is valid or invalid and clearly understand the proper time and conditions. The Sangha is an assembly harmonious and free from discord. In discussing the “matter,” each of the four boundaries is included.

9. Procedures for receiving the precepts

The method of receiving the precepts has been transmitted continuously from ancient times to the present. If the platform has no stepped tiers, all proper order will be lost when ascending it. Therefore, the Buddha established a model so that proper procedures would govern the relationship between teachers and disciples; circumambulating, kneeling, and standing proceed in due order like the movements of a mechanism.

10. The duration of its efficacy

Once the Sangha has established the boundary, its efficacy endures for sixty thousand years. Even when the Three Jewels have disappeared and a thousand sages have passed, the platform still remains; it is therefore called the Vajra Bodhimanda. If not for the Buddha, no one could understand such a name and meaning. Ordinary beings can only reverently comply and must not treat it lightly.

11. Praising its merit and virtue

The exalted merit and virtue of the ordination platform are followed by all the noble ones. It establishes unsurpassed roots of goodness and immediately severs base entanglements…. All these arise from this ground, and therefore it is honored. How, then, could its lofty merit not be extolled and its noble virtue praised?

1. The first establishment of the boundary and instructions for constructing the ordination platform.

The Separate Record states: “At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in Jeta Grove. At that time, for the purpose of establishing the boundary and conferring ordination, the bhiksu Louzhi requested the Buddha’s permission to construct platforms. The Tathagata consented and permitted three platforms to be established: the platform east of the gate of the Buddha’s compound was called ‘the platform where the Buddha established the boundary for bhiksus.’ The platform west of the gate of the Buddha’s compound was called ‘the platform where the Buddha established the boundary for bhiksunis.’ The platform south of the eastern gate of the outer compound was ‘the platform where the Sangha conferred ordination upon bhiksus.’

“On the first day the platforms were established, Buddhas throughout the ten directions assembled. At that time, there were eighty billion Buddhas, all bearing the name Sakyamuni. The Buddhas throughout the ten directions likewise bore this name.”

At that time, the Great Brahma Heavenly King established an ordination platform on the eastern side within the Buddha monastery. Mara King Papiyan established an ordination platform on the western side within the Buddha monastery. After these two platforms had been completed, all the Buddhas ascended and sat upon them, jointly discussing the establishment of boundaries and the various characteristics of observance and transgression, their gravity and lightness, and so forth.

They also discussed how admitting bhiksunis to ordination would cause the true Dharma to perish. Yet in the end, all the Buddhas declared: “In ancient times there were four assemblies; how could there be none today?” Although at first the duration of the true Dharma was reduced by half, if the eight gurudharmas^[3] could be practiced, the true Dharma would remain for one thousand years. Therefore, only the Buddhas were permitted to ascend these two platforms and jointly deliberate upon the works of the Buddhas.

At the platform where members of the Sangha receive ordination, although the Buddha is not counted among the members of the Sangha, when a noble one was ordained, the Buddha would also come to this platform. Because He participated only temporarily in conducting the proceedings, the Buddha was not counted toward the quorum of the Sangha when the karma procedures were performed.

2. Establishing the name and designation of the ordination platform.

The “ritual ground” and the “platform” frequently mentioned in the Vinaya treatises are two different things. The countries of the Western Regions^[4] each have their own definitions. In China, however, these procedures had never previously been practiced, so this confusion is hardly surprising. I shall now clarify their names and actual meanings, while also presenting certain differing opinions.

The Biographies of Eminent Monks records: “During the Yuanjia era (424–445) of Emperor Wen of the Liu Song dynasty, the holy monk Gunavarman traveled throughout Jiankang teaching and transforming beings. He established an ordination platform in the garden before Nanlin Monastery so that people might ascend the platform and receive ordination. After he passed away, his body was placed upon that platform and cremated.” There are also other accounts, as cited below:

For example, Vimalaksa, who revised the translation of the Ten Recitations Vinaya,^[5] replied to Dharma Master Huiguan concerning matters in the Five Hundred Questions,^[6] saying: “Upon the platform, the Sangha master confers ordination upon the recipient.” Other texts explain this fully, so there is no need to reproduce them here. We therefore know that the designation “platform” has existed since long ago. Yet because people today do not understand this, they confuse the two indiscriminately, saying only that a ritual ground is level whereas a platform is elevated, without distinguishing the differences between them. This is truly an error!

A separate biography records: “After the Buddha entered nirvana, the Venerable Kasyapa wished to compile the sutras. He therefore ascended the ordination platform and instructed the younger Maudgalyayana to sound the bell, summoning the ten billion ordinary and noble members of the Sangha from the four directions. When the Sangha had assembled upon the platform, the Venerable Kasyapa performed a motion followed by three proclamations to censure the offenses of the Venerable Pindola and the Venerable Ananda.

He then asked the Venerable Ananda to don the Buddha’s sanghati and invited him to ascend the high seat. Ananda first recited the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching. It was as though the Buddha Himself were admonishing them, causing all the great bodhisattvas, arhats, and the eight classes of devas, nagas, and other beings to weep in sorrow.

The Venerable Kasyapa then rose, donned his coarse-cloth sanghati, and carried his nisidana before the Venerable Ananda. He spread out the nisidana, bowed his head at Ananda’s feet, and circumambulated him three times clockwise. At that time, the Great Brahma Heavenly King held a great jeweled parasol over the Venerable Ananda; the lord of the Trayastrimsa Heaven placed a table made of the seven treasures before the Venerable Ananda; and Mara King Papiyan presented the Venerable Ananda with a fly whisk made of the seven treasures.

Mara King and Sakra then attended on either side; the Four Heavenly Kings stood in attendance at the four legs of the high seat; and thirty-two messengers knelt with one knee raised^[7] behind the Venerable Kasyapa.

“After bowing his head at Ananda’s feet, the Venerable Kasyapa rose and approached to inquire about his daily activities, exactly as he had done while the World-Honored One was still present, without any difference. The Venerable Kasyapa then posed three thousand eight hundred questions concerning matters that remained doubtful, and the Venerable Ananda answered them all.”

Here, only the matter of the ordination platform is presented; the other matters are not discussed. Concerning the ordination platform, the Venerable Kasyapa asked:

– You attended the Tathagata for twenty years. How many cubits high, low, broad, and narrow did the Tathagata teach that an ordination platform should be? Should relics be enshrined upon it? What materials should be used to construct its four sides? How many steps should there be on each of its four sides? What images should be fashioned around the platform on all four sides? If a country has no stone, may the platform be built of earth and sand?

The Venerable Ananda’s replies correspond to the diagrams in this volume (see the appendix).

The ordination platform at Jetavana was the first ordination platform. To its north stood a bell tower four hundred chi^[8] high. At its summit hung a golden bell weighing one hundred thousand jin,^[9] adorned with incomparable magnificence. Below it were images of nine coiled dragons, from whose mouths flowed water possessing eight qualities.

When a person about to receive ordination approached the platform, the dragons would immediately spray water upon the crown of that person’s head,^[10] resembling the ceremony in which a wheel-turning monarch ascends a platform to receive the royal office. Thus, one who first receives ordination is like the Buddha, the Dharma King, receiving the rank of Dharma King. Moreover, the light of mani jewels shone upon those receiving ordination, making them cool and refreshed. This also symbolized the jewel of precepts possessed by those who received the pure precepts.

When a noble one received ordination, all the bodhisattvas struck the bell. Its sound shook the entire trichiliocosm; all who heard it attained realization, and punishments in the lower realms ceased. When an ordinary person received ordination, the bhiksu Mati was instructed to strike the bell. Its sound resounded throughout a small chiliocosm. That bhiksu possessed strength equal to that of one hundred thousand people.

The bell tower was shaped like Mount Sumeru. In the great pool beneath the tower were nine dragons with their heads raised high and their bodies coiled. Dragon heads made of pure gold were affixed to all the beams, pillars, and other structures.

The roof was tiled with precious crystal. Whenever a person receiving ordination ascended the platform, the dragons would immediately move; fragrant rain issued from their mouths, and fragrant clouds covered the entire platform. The inner walls of the pool were built of white jade, and its bottom was spread with silver sand.

The water was crystal clear and tasted as sweet as milk and honey. If those who upheld the precepts became ill and drank this water, all their illnesses were cured. If those who broke the precepts drank it, it was like swallowing molten iron.

When the Buddha was about to enter nirvana, the water in the pool naturally dried up, and the roof tiles flew away. Later, when the Venerable Kasyapa convened the compilation and the Venerable Ananda gave his replies, the tiles reappeared and the pool was again filled with white water resembling milk, though it lacked the taste of milk. This symbolized that, after the Buddha’s passing, the true Dharma would also perish, gradually losing the flavor of the Buddhadharma.

As the Nirvana Sutra states: “It is like adding water to milk.” From this, the meaning may be understood.

When the compilation and the questioning and answering had concluded, and the Sangha entered the royal city, the great bell and the jeweled tower both flew up to Tusita Heaven; the jade pool and silver sand were taken away by the naga king; and the water again dried up. Today, no trace remains at that site. Many people do not know the original circumstances or the location where the platform was established, and so they must be explained fully here.

The designation “platform” had already been established while the Buddha was still in the world. The sutras, Vinayas, and treatises transmitted to China all describe how the compilation was conducted at two locations in the royal city. Although the accounts differ, with certain additions and omissions, this does not detract from the fact that the Venerable Ananda ascended the seat as the great master who compiled the teachings. Even so, what has been preserved today consists only of the Venerable Kasyapa’s questions and the account of Ananda ascending the seat in the likeness of the Buddha, causing all the bhiksus to wonder whether the Venerable Ananda was the Buddha. But when they heard the Venerable Ananda say, “Thus have I personally heard,” all their doubts were dispelled.

According to what has been transmitted down to the present day, even those who have attained penetrating understanding are no longer to be found in this land; those who establish the marks of the Dharma do not even understand them themselves. How much more so with the matters presented today: if there are those who do not believe them, that is only to be expected.

After the Buddha entered nirvana, during the periods of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, the procedures for compilation took many different forms. Here, five instances are provisionally cited: the first involved five hundred people; the second, one thousand people; the third was conducted by the great assembly; the fourth by King Ashoka; and the fifth involved seven hundred people…. There were other instances as well, but they are not mentioned here.

All the compilations described above belonged to the Lesser Vehicle. From the standpoint of the Great Vehicle, however, Venerable Ananda and Venerable Kasyapa compiled the entire Tripitaka at Rajagriha, while Bodhisattva Manjusri and the great bodhisattvas made an abridged compilation at Mount Cakravada, as stated in the sutras of China.

3. Characteristics, levels, and form.

The characteristics are revealed according to the designation, but in principle the characteristics differ. A “ground” is a place that has been swept clean and leveled, without mounds or depressions. Just as people in the world clear and prepare a certain place to make it level, that is precisely what is meant by a “ground.” A performance ground and a battlefield may likewise be understood in this way.

As for the characteristics of an altar, it is formed by excavating the earth and raising a platform, like the sacrificial altars outside the four sides of a city. Upon examining various altars, I have found square altars to be very numerous. Circular altars alone have their foundations divided into nine sections, with steps established at each section. The reason for establishing these nine sections has already been explained in the Separate Account.

Here it is said that the first ordination altar was fashioned by devas. What the devas created was exceedingly exquisite, surpassing all human calculation. In truth, however, that altar was constructed according to the Buddha’s instructions and could not be fathomed by ordinary beings. Therefore, its characteristics were unlike those of altars in the human world.

The Separate Account records: “The ordination altar rose from the ground in three tiers, symbolizing the three emptinesses,^[11] which are the first gateway for entering the Buddha-Dharma. To destroy the delusion of ordinary beings, nothing but ‘emptiness’ can accomplish it. The ‘three emptinesses’ are the sphere in which those who have attained the Way freely roam, while the precepts themselves are the foundation of all wholesome qualities; therefore, the altar was limited to three tiers.

“In ancient times, Buddha Radiant King prescribed an altar five Buddha-cubits high, symbolizing the fivefold Dharma-body. Tathagata Sakyamuni reduced it to two and a half cubits, added another two inches, and divided it into three tiers. Later, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, added a section shaped like an upturned bowl atop the altar to cover the relics. Great Brahma King then placed a priceless jewel upon the upturned-bowl structure as an offering to the relics. Thus, there were five tiers in all, symbolizing the fivefold Dharma-body.^[12]

“When the Buddha was still in the world and the ordination altar was first established in the Jeta Grove, Great Brahma King offered a jewel as large as a five-sheng vessel. Those of great merit and virtue saw the jewel emit light illuminating eight hundred yojanas.^[13] To those of meager merit and virtue, the jewel appeared pitch-black, like a heap of ink.

“Throughout the Tathagata’s lifetime of teaching and transformation, that jewel remained upon the ordination altar. When the Buddha entered nirvana, the jewel also disappeared. When Venerable Mahakasyapa convened the compilation, the jewel reappeared. When Venerable Ananda passed into extinction, it vanished once again. Great Brahma King then placed a luminous pearl there in its stead as an offering to the relics. The jewel was set upon a precious lotus, beneath which was an image of nine dragons supporting the lotus.

“Afterward, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, offered two more pearls to the relics. These two pearls were placed upon golden lotuses; the lotuses were set upon golden pillars, and the golden pillars upon the bodies of lions. After the compilation was completed, both jewels of the Brahma King disappeared. The two pearls of Sakra are now enshrined in the Garden of Delight in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as offerings to the Prajnaparamita.

“Nowadays, at places where altars are established but no jewels are available as offerings, two lamps may be lit according to the means at hand. These two lamps may be made of stone or wood. They are ordinarily placed before the altar and must stand higher than its uppermost tier, so that their light shines far and illuminates everything above and below.

The surface of the altar must be paved with stone. Whenever people receive the precepts, a high seat is placed separately at the southwestern corner for the bhiksus to ascend. Yet the bhiksus encountered many obstructions when ascending.

Thereupon, to the west of the western stairway on the southern face of the ordination altar, Great Brahma King manifested a silver lotus with an iron stalk and a silver dragon. The lotus possessed a mechanism by which it opened and closed automatically; its petals extended successively to the balustrade and were level with the high seat, enabling those ascending to proceed without obstruction. Although the Jeta Grove has fallen into ruin and the traces of that ordination altar have also vanished, people of the present and future generations take it as their standard when establishing ordination altars.”

In the ninth month of the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾, Venerable Sakyamitra, who had completed ninety-nine rains retreats and resided at the Mahabodhi Monastery in Central India, came to Mount Wutai to pay homage to Bodhisattva Manjusri. Because the emperor revered him, he dispatched an envoy to escort him. On his return, when he reached the southern outskirts of the capital, he saw this ordination altar. He was overjoyed and said, “The monasteries of India all have ordination altars as well.”

The master then related how a stone ordination altar had been constructed in the kingdom of Udyana. It thereby became known that although East and West were far apart, the tradition of establishing ordination altars had been continuously transmitted. The characteristics of that altar were described as follows: The two lower tiers were built of stone in the likeness of Mount Sumeru, king of mountains, with short projecting eaves both above and below.

Shrines were installed on all four faces of the altar, and images of divine kings were enshrined within them. Stone balustrades were built upon the platforms of both tiers. Beneath the balustrade posts, images of lions and divine kings were arranged alternately.

At the four corners of these two tiers stood stone pillars higher than the altar. Images of the Four Heavenly Kings^[14] were placed outside the pillars. Because these four images stood exposed in the open air, they were all carved from stone to ensure lasting durability.

Upon the balustrades at the four corners were stone images of golden-winged birds holding dragons in their beaks, symbolizing that bhiksus who have received the precepts must constantly contemplate delusive afflictions and karma in order to restrain and eliminate them. Images of deities were arranged all around the ordination altar, symbolizing steadfast and enduring protection.

These were all members of the retinue protecting the Great Sage, symbolizing the propagation of the Way and the arising of goodness. Everything is clearly set forth in the diagrams and records; even the form, dignified bearing, and designation of each kind are fully presented. Thus, in terms of “meaning,” these things are difficult to conceal; in terms of “phenomena,” their designations must be clearly stated and their characteristics revealed, so that those who behold them may give rise to the aspiration and understand that both invisible and visible beings provide protection.

According to the preface to the three-fascicle Record of Spirits and Ghosts, compiled by Master Shi Baochang^[15] under imperial decree from Emperor Gaozu of the Liang dynasty, it is briefly recorded: “From the time the Tathagata appeared in the world and the supreme teaching spread far and wide, all devas, dragons, ghosts, and spirits turned toward it. Thus, they diligently serve the Three Jewels and protect the fourfold assembly.”

All ghosts and spirits have places upon which they depend; therefore, the deities dwelling upon the earth are called Firm and Steadfast. Even the deities of monasteries, stupas, mountains, forests, rivers, seas, winds, and clouds, as stated in the Dirgha Agama, all guard according to their respective dwelling places.^[16]

Here, the names of the deities who protect the Buddha’s stupas are first presented, as extracted from the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Consecration Sutra, the Peacock King Sutra, the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, the Mahasamnipata Sutra, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, and so forth. Because the passages are lengthy, only a general account is given here. There is the deity Vajrapani, translated in China as Vajra.

There are the deities Balihan, translated in China as Strongmen. There are also the deity Firm Radiant Splendor, the deity Sunlight Splendor, the deity Sumeru Flower, the deity Pure Cloud Sound, the deity Asura King—who merely bears the name Asura and is not of the asura class—the deity Victorious Radiance, the deity Tree Sound, the deity Lion King, the deity Mellow Light Treasury, and the deity Jeweled Topknot Flower Light.

The twelve Vajras, Strongmen, and divine kings just named are all drawn from the Samyukta Agama Sutra. The Vajra deities hold vajra clubs from which flames blaze fiercely. The sutras and Vinaya also state: “Eight Vajra deities stand arrayed in attendance on the four sides”...

Another record states: “Five hundred Vajra deities constantly accompany and attend upon the Buddha.” The Avatamsaka Sutra records: “Vajra deities and Strongmen as numerous as motes of dust long ago made vows to attend upon the Tathagata and safeguard the teaching bequeathed by the Buddha.”

Now, if one investigates its form on the basis of the passage above, it cannot be called merely an ordination platform; it is precisely a Buddha stupa, because relics are enshrined within it. Since the sacred bones are placed therein, how could it not be a stupa? Those who, failing to understand the designation, obstinately cling to it are not worth discussing.

Let us now set forth the matter once again and examine it. As for the word “stupa,” according to Chinese lexicographical works,^[17] “ta” is a noun denoting an object and was originally not an Indian term. According to the Sanskrit text, a place where the Buddha’s bones are reverently enshrined is called a stupa; when the term entered China, its latter syllable was omitted, leaving only the single character “ta.” Thus, the sutras sometimes transcribe it as toupo, sudupo, and so forth.

It is translated in China as “square grave,” which is precisely a tomb. The ancients used the character for tomb (墓) rather than that for burial mound (墳), because the latter means to heap additional earth on top. As recorded in the Vinaya: “The Tathagata knew that relics of Kasyapa Buddha lay beneath the ground, and therefore took earth and heaped it over them.” This describes the form of a stupa.

Now, because the ordination platform enshrines relics of the Buddha, its foundation tiers are distinct, while images of deities are arranged on its four sides for protection, with their names displayed. This is certainly so. As stated above, twelve deities constantly protect the Buddha’s stupas.

1. The lower tier: The base of the lower tier rests upon the ground. The platform has five stairways, with two deities arranged upon each stairway, making ten deities in all. The lower tier serves as the foundation of the ordination platform. Because the foundation is as firm as vajra, ten Vajra deities are arranged upon the stairways.

– At the four corners of the lower tier are enshrined four great deities: the Vajra Strongman, Kumbhira, and Sanci. All four protect the Buddha’s stupas; therefore, they stand towering at the four corners to guard the foundation. The deity at the southeastern corner is named Vajrapani, who commands the great military lord Panciphana; the deity at the southwestern corner is named Balihan, who commands the great military lord Pancalagadha; the divine king at the northwestern corner is named Kumbhira, who commands the great military lord Badagiri; and the divine general at the northeastern corner is named Sanci, who commands the great military lord Hemavata.

The four sides of the lower tier are arranged as follows. The southern side has two stairways. First, the eastern stairway has two deities: the deity to the east is named Firm Radiant Splendor, and the deity to the west is named Sunlight Splendor.

Second, the western stairway has two deities: the deity to the east is named Sumeru Flower, and the deity to the west is named Pure Cloud Sound. The eastern side has one stairway, upon which two deities are arranged: the deity to the south is named Asura King, and the deity to the north is named Victorious Radiance. The western side has one stairway, upon which two deities are arranged: the deity to the south is named Tree Sound, and the deity to the north is named Lion King.

The northern side has one stairway, upon which two deities are arranged: the deity to the west is named Mellow Light Treasury, and the deity to the east is named Jeweled Topknot Flower Light.

2. The second tier.

At the four corners of the second tier are the Four Heavenly Kings, who protect the Buddha-Dharma and sentient beings. Thus, they do not merely protect the platform and stupa but also protect sentient beings outside them. Their images must therefore be made and arranged according to the appropriate directions.

The Consecration Sutra records: “After the Buddha entered parinirvana, five deities—the ghost deity Wuluo, the Mother of Ghost Children and her five hundred ghost children, Mahesvara, Manibhadra, and Surigandha—constantly guarded the tomb-stupa, preventing the wicked and perverse from disturbing or destroying it. If the stupa is damaged, one should know that this is an omen that the True Dharma is about to perish; this is why they were charged to act in this way.”

At the northeastern corner is the Heavenly King Dhrtarastra, who commands the gandharvas and pisacas and dwells to the east of the continent Purvavideha. The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom records: “Each of the Four Heavenly Kings has a lifespan of nine million years; each has ninety-one sons, all of whom protect the Buddha-Dharma.” This Heavenly King commands four military-lord deities. This is extracted from the Consecration Sutra, and the passages below are presented in the same manner.

On the foundation of the second tier of the ordination platform, the eastern side has two stairways, each with two deities enshrined upon it. The southern stairway has two deities: the deity to the south is named Dika, and the deity to the north is named Sunettara. The northern stairway has two deities: the deity to the south is named Punnaka, and the deity to the north is named Kapila.

The Heavenly King at the southeastern corner is named Virudhaka. He commands the kumbhandas and pretas and dwells on the continent Jambudvipa. The four military-lord deities commanded by this Heavenly King are separately enshrined upon the two southern stairways, with two deities upon each.

Of these, the eastern stairway has two deities: the deity to the east is named Sangha, and the deity to the west is named Upasangha. The western stairway has two deities: the deity to the east is named Sankhira, and the deity to the west is named Candala.

The Heavenly King at the southwestern corner is named Virupaksa. He commands the nagas and putalas and dwells on the western continent Aparagodaniya. The four military-lord deities under his command are separately enshrined upon the two western stairways, with two deities upon each. Of these, the southern stairway has two deities: the deity to the south is named Hari, and the deity to the north is named Harikesa. The northern stairway has two deities: the deity to the south is named Balabhu, and the deity to the north is named Pingala.

The heavenly king at the northwestern corner is named Vaisravana. He commands the hosts of yakshas and rakshasas and dwells in Northern Uttarakuru. This heavenly king repeatedly comes to Jambudvipa, bearing in the palm of his hand a Buddha stupa containing relics of an ancient Buddha.

While the Buddha was still in the world, he instructed this king to carry the Buddha stupa throughout all places to safeguard the Buddha-Dharma and ensure that it would long endure. The Buddha also commanded this heavenly king, endowed with awe-inspiring virtue and power, to lead four divine military lords. These four deities are stationed on the two sides of the northern stairway, with two on each side.

Of these, the western side has two deities: the first is named Đà-la-na, and the second A-la-nan-đà. The eastern side has two: the first is named Uất-dữu-già-ba-la, and the second Biệt-tha-na.

The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish records: “Those ghosts and spirits are all called yakshas. Their bodies are blue or black, their eyes red as blood, their fangs jut upward, their hair stands on end, and their mouths emit fire.” Although the sutra speaks in this way, and the treatise also describes their appearances, their meaning must be understood differently; they cannot be represented by only a single form.

On the second tier of the ordination platform, at the heads of the seven stairways on its four sides, there are two deities at each location. Thus, there are sixteen deities altogether. All these deities have names, as stated in the Consecration Sutra. The deities commanded by the Four Heavenly Kings are allocated and arranged according to their names, retaining the number given above, but the remaining hosts are beyond calculation!

The sutras speak extensively of the deities in the shrines beneath the projecting eaves between the two tiers. Here, according to the Peacock King Sutra, seven astral deities are assigned to protect each direction.

Very few shrines are carved into the upper tier of the ordination platform, only enough for the seven astral deities assigned there to be seated within them. Yet the twenty-eight astral deities differ in their manifestations and concealments, waxing and waning. They frequently come into the world, radiate light, and bring great benefit.

The seven astral deities in the east are: Cơ-lật-để-kha, Lỗ-hỉ-ni, Mê-lê-già-thi-la, A-đà-la, Bất-nại-na-bà-tu, Phất-sa, and A-sa-li-sa. The seven astral deities in the south are named: Ha-khả, Vũ-phả, Cầu-ni, Ha-sa-đa, Chất-đa-la, Sa-để, and Tì-thích-kha. The seven astral deities in the west are named: A-nậu-la-tha, Chiết-sa-tha, Mâu-lam, Phất-bà-sa-tha, Uất-đa-la-sa-tha, A-tì-chỉ, and Sa-la-ba-na. The seven astral deities in the north are named: Đà-nhĩ-tha, Xá-đa-tì-sa, Phất-bà-bạt-đà-la, Uất-đa-la-bạt-đà-la, Li-bà-để, A-tuy-ni, and Bà-la-ni.

The twenty-eight deities named above are apportioned equally among the seven shrines and arranged according to their titles and stations. Shrines are also carved into the lower tier, where images are placed according to the directions; their number is likewise very great. When the images are assigned, their arrangement will be determined according to the Upasena Dharani Sutra and the Consecration Sutra. The deities have many names and also dwell according to the directions. When the sutras are followed, their names will be set forth according to whether the shrines are many or few. Fearing excessive length, they are not listed here.

The third and uppermost tier is only two inches^[18] high, symbolizing the two truths. This signifies that when the Buddhas teach the Dharma, they always rely upon these two truths. It also signifies that those who leave the household life and receive the precepts must understand the two truths as their refuge and destination. Why is this so? When the two karmic activities of body and speech arise, they must depend upon characteristics. Characteristics are the existent phenomena of the world. The purpose of mental cultivation^[19] is fundamentally to become free from characteristics. This foundation is the refuge of the path of liberation. Therefore, two inches is the precise prescribed measure.

Images of lions are installed at the four corners of the platform’s upper tier. A socket is made in the back of each lion image. Before the ceremony is performed, the solemn ritual adornments must be arranged, and the poles of the canopy inserted into the sockets in the lions’ backs. The canopy may be adorned as elaborately as circumstances permit. The upper tier of the platform is square, each side measuring seven feet, symbolizing the seven factors of awakening. Those of the Three Vehicles who enter the path do not go beyond the thirty-seven factors of awakening. Among these thirty-seven factors, the seven factors of awakening belong to contemplation and the discernment of the path and possess the highest efficacy; therefore, they are placed at the top.

Within a radius of one zhang^[20] around the platform, flowers and medicinal herbs of the four seasons should be planted. Beyond this area, eight additional rows of flowers and other kinds of trees should be planted. The Samantapasadika states: “The ordination platform is very small, accommodating only twenty-one persons.” This applies to the procedure for formally raising an offense. Thus, it likewise makes no distinction between the “platform” and the “ground.”

4. The Height, Depth, Breadth, and Narrowness of the Ordination Platform

The Separate Account records: “When the ordination platform was established for bhikshus to receive full ordination, the Tathagata Shakyamuni first summoned the Buddhas of the ten directions. At that time, the Buddha Sumeru Lamp Radiant King possessed the tallest body. That Buddha’s body was five zhang in height, so the Buddhas wished to establish a three-tiered ordination platform, each tier five Buddha cubits high, symbolizing the fivefold Dharma-body.

The Tathagata Shakyamuni said: ‘The capacities for seeing and hearing among beings in the Saha world are all inferior. If five Buddha cubits are adopted as the prescribed measure, I fear that beings will grow indolent and have no means of completing it. Therefore, all the Buddhas agreed to establish the ordination platform according to two and a half cubits of the Buddha Kashyapa, so that its completion would be easier.’”

The reason the Buddha’s cubit was adopted as the unit of measure is that the elbow bones of all Buddhas are made of vajra and therefore do not burn during cremation. Because their relics are firm and enduring, they are transmitted everywhere to teach and transform beings. For this reason, the dimensions of the ordination platform were fixed according to the Buddha’s cubit. This was also intended to cause bhikshus to keep the precepts as firmly as vajra, never allowing them to be destroyed. The ordination platform is likewise such that, even through the destruction of an eon, it continues to endure forever.

One cubit of the Tathagata Shakyamuni equals two cubits of an ordinary person. An ordinary person’s cubit is one foot and five inches long according to the Tang system of measurement. Thus, one Buddha cubit equals three Tang feet. Two and a half Buddha cubits equal five Tang feet and five inches. If the cubit of the Buddha Kashyapa is adopted as the measure, it is even longer than the cubit of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

The stone ordination platform now found in eastern India measures two hundred paces across and approximately one zhang high. Thus, the dimensions of ordination platforms have changed with the times and are not fixed. Taking the sixteen-foot body of the Buddha Shakyamuni as the standard, the lower tier of the ordination platform rises one Buddha cubit from the ground, which is equal to three Tang feet. This means that the measurement is taken up to the seating ledge beneath the projecting eaves; the other places are measured in the same manner.

Although there are three projecting eaves above and four below, it is precisely the presence of so many projecting eaves that creates beauty. Furthermore, since the platform is built in an open place and broadly sheltered by these eaves, wind and rain cannot drive into it. Owing to this, the images of the divine kings within the shrines remain firm and intact even after a long time. Is this not like the eaves now constructed on monasteries? Yet the projection must not exceed one cubit, lest it crack. These eaves also signify that when bhikshus ascend the platform to receive the precepts, they bind the mind in single-pointed concentration without distraction.

The second tier of the ordination platform is one and a half of the Buddha’s cubits high, equivalent to four chi and five cun in Tang-dynasty measure. This is equal to the dimensions of the platform upon which a wheel-turning sage-king first ascends to receive consecration. The third tier of the ordination platform is one of the Buddha’s finger-widths high. A finger-width of the Buddha measures two cun, equivalent to four cun of an ordinary person.

Today, more than one thousand li east of the country of Udyana in northern India, after crossing a suspension bridge, one reaches the ancient capital of Udyana. The land there is level and abounds in many renowned varieties of fruit trees. This was the orchard of a wheel-turning king of old. Within that orchard stands a very large stone ordination platform.

Three hundred years after the Buddha entered nirvana, the great arhat Uruzhina, possessed of immense awe-inspiring virtue, built a great monastery on the rocky mountainside north of the orchard. The monastery was more than fifty li in circumference, and the monks’ residential quarters extended across fifteen li. He invited the Venerable Maitreya to direct the construction and supervise the craftsmen.

Over the course of three hundred years, through his great spiritual power, he prolonged his life while living among ordinary people. That five-storied vihara was constructed entirely of stone. The uppermost story rose more than three hundred chi high, and in its center stood a sandalwood image of the Buddha, whose features were likewise exactly so.

Even on the lowest story, a red-copper image was enshrined.

At present, the upper four stories have all been sealed, for they are not auspicious places for ordinary beings. Yet the stone resembles vaidurya, transparent throughout from within to without, so that all who pass by can clearly see the interior. Only the lowest story remains in use today, and fruit trees and flowering plants are planted in rows all around it.

East of this vihara is a stone platform measuring more than two hundred paces in both length and breadth. The stone balustrade surrounding it is carved with an exquisite artistry exceedingly difficult to describe. The foundation tier is about one zhang high, and upon it are carved various extraordinary forms in graceful postures.

In the center of the upper tier of the platform are enshrined relics of the Buddha, with a dome above shaped like an inverted cooking pot, as previously described.

On the day of receiving the precepts, the Sangha assembles as described above, and a high seat is erected. First, the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching is recited, and all the bhiksus who hear it shed tears. After the precepts have been received, the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching is recited again. This practice has been maintained to the present day. Monks from the Western Regions often appear there. In his Records of the Western Regions, Master Xuanzang briefly described the great sandalwood image of the Buddha, but did not clearly explain how that image came to be. As for his account of the ordination platform, much remains omitted. Could it be that the Master did not reach that place, but merely recorded what he had heard? If so, it is nothing strange.

According to the present reckoning, the Jeta Grove contained a total of sixty-four compounds, linked by broad avenues and smaller paths. Of these, twenty-six compounds lay to the south.

The major compounds to the left and right of the three gates were as follows:

– To the right of the western gate were six compounds: 1. The Compound for Trainees of the Three Fruits Studying the Four Noble Truths; 2. The Compound for Trainees Studying the Twentyfold Chain of Causes and Conditions; 3. The Compound for Those of the Three Vehicles from Other Regions Entering the Noble Path; 4. The Compound for Worldly People of the Four Continents Who Hold the View of a Self; 5. The Compound for Non-Buddhist Practitioners Wishing to Enter the Monastic Life; 6. The Compound for Ordinary Dhyana Masters Practicing the Ten Totalities.

– To the left of the eastern gate were seven compounds: 1. The Compound of the Great Brahma Heaven King; 2. The Compound of the Karmadana and Administrators; 3. The Compound of the Great Dragon Kings; 4. The Compound of Devout Lay Elders; 5. The Compound of Manjusri; 6. The Sangha Storehouse Compound; 7. The Sangha Ordination Platform Compound.

– To the right of the central gate were seven compounds: 1. The Compound for Pratyekabuddhas Contemplating the Four Noble Truths; 2. The Compound for Pratyekabuddhas Contemplating the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination; 3. The Compound for Bodhisattvas Contemplating the Four Noble Truths; 4. The Compound for Bodhisattvas Contemplating the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination; 5. The Compound for Those Beyond Training Who Inquire into the Dharma; 6. The Compound for Trainees Who Inquire into the Dharma; 7. The Buddha’s Incense Storehouse Compound.

– To the left of the central gate were six compounds: 1. The Compound for Lay Bodhisattvas from Other Regions; 2. The Compound for Bhiksu Bodhisattvas from Other Regions; 3. The Compound Where Nuns Request Instruction; 4. The Compound for Instructing Bhiksunis; 5. The Compound of Buddhas from Other Regions; 6. The Compound of the Immortals.

Around the Buddha’s compound were nineteen compounds. North of the smaller paths beyond the main avenue, five gates opened. Among them, two smaller paths curved around and led southward.

– To the left of the eastern gate of the central compound were seven compounds: 1. The Compound of Vinaya Masters; 2. The Ordination Platform Compound; 3. The Compound of the Treatise Masters; 4. The Sutra Compound; 5. The Compound Where the Buddha Practiced Walking Meditation; 6. The Compound Where the Buddha Washed His Robes; 7. The Compound of the Buddha’s Robes.

– North of the central compound were six compounds: 1. The Veda Compound; 2. The Compound of the Diverse Scripts of the World; 3. The Compound of the World’s Writings on Yin and Yang; 4. The Compound of the World’s Medical Prescriptions; 5. The Compound of the Sangha’s Pure Servants; 6. The Compound of the Children of the World.

– West of the central compound were six compounds: 1. The Compound of Impermanence; 2. The Compound for Sick Noble Ones; 3. The Compound Where the Buddha Attended the Sick; 4. The Compound Where the Four Heavenly Kings Offered Food to the Buddha; 5. The Bathhouse Compound; 6. The Latrine Compound.

– Within the central Buddha compound were nineteen places: 1. East of the gate of the Buddha compound was the place where the Buddha established the ordination boundary for bhiksus; 2. West of the Buddha compound was the place where the Buddha established the ordination boundary for bhiksunis; 3. The area before the Buddha Hall; 4. The three-storied tower east of the hall; 5. The three-storied tower west of the hall; 6. The seven-storied stupa; 7. East of the stupa was the bell tower; 8. West of the stupa was the scripture tower; 9. Behind the stupa was the great hall where the Buddha taught the Dharma; 10. East of the hall was a five-storied tower; 11. West of the hall was a five-storied tower; 12. A three-storied tower; 13. Nine golden cauldrons; 14. A square lotus pond; 15. A three-storied pavilion; 16. East of the pavilion was a five-storied tower; 17. West of the pavilion was a five-storied tower; 18. East of the pavilion was the Buddha’s storehouse; 19. West of the pavilion was the Buddha’s storehouse (see the appendix at the end of the book).

I maintain that what is heard and known in the world follows only oral transmission, while the records found in the sutras and treatises are so extensive that they cannot all be set forth. How, then, could there be no written sources, no oral transmissions, and no preservation of these practices? If that were so, one would merely squander an entire lifetime—what benefit would there be for the Way?

Therefore, I have constantly investigated, examined, and compared the texts to ensure their full correspondence, and then practiced accordingly, without contradiction. Although acupuncture may be employed as treatment, when an intractable illness has persisted for a long time, words and time are spent in vain, and in the end the illness still cannot be cured. For this reason, I have presented the matter in diagrams to broaden what may be seen and heard, and have also indicated its grand features, resembling those still preserved in separate editions.

Here I present only an abbreviated account to supplement the essential points, in the hope that readers may understand the important meaning of the ordination platform.

The site of the ordination platform should accord with the great boundary of the resident Sangha. It should not be fixed according to any single direction, nor invariably placed in the east or west. Nevertheless, the eastern side is most often chosen as the site of the ordination platform, for it is the place of beginning, whence one returns to the Buddha-Dharma.

The western side is made the Compound of Impermanence, for it is the place where, at life’s end, one passes into the heavenly realm. These forms are established according to the majority of cases; other circumstances should be handled as appropriate. Thus, the lowest tier of the first platform measures two zhang, nine chi, and eight cun across; the middle tier measures two zhang and three chi across; and the upper tier is a square measuring seven chi on each side.

The work Diagram of Jetavana, which I compiled in two fascicles, upper and lower, was distilled from what I had heard, gathering together material from the sutras and Vinaya texts, discussing it, and comparing it with biographical records and a great many accounts of events. Of the five great monasteries, however, Jetavana Monastery was the place where the Buddha resided the longest. During his lifetime of teaching, he spent twenty-five years propagating the Dharma there. Therefore, the four baskets and five schools all record the location as Sravasti. The events of his lifetime of teaching were exceedingly numerous and have been recorded in the Separate Diagram; here they are presented only in outline.

As for the teachings, if the evidence concerning the construction of Jetavana Monastery and its original establishment were gathered together, there would be a great deal worthy of collection. According to the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, Jetavana Monastery was first built so that the Buddha and the great assembly could reside on a tract of land eighty qing^[21] in area, its surface paved with gold. The Venerable Sariputra used his supernormal powers to subdue the six non-Buddhist teachers and, together with Sudatta, stretched measuring cords and surveyed the ground for construction of the monastery; there were occasions of joy and sorrow… as is commonly recounted in the sutras.

The sutra further records: “From the time of Vipasyin Buddha until the time of Kasyapa Buddha, he had repeatedly built monasteries, as ceaselessly as ants multiply. Birth and death endure for a long time; merit alone is of paramount importance. Here, the Buddha’s dwelling was coated with sandalwood powder. There were one thousand two hundred individual rooms, as well as one hundred twenty places where the gandhi^[22] was struck….” This is fully presented in the principal text.

The Record of Sacred Sites states: “Surrounding Jetavana Grove were eighteen monasteries, all inhabited by members of the Sangha.” The Separate Diagram states: “Jetavana Monastery had a crossroads connecting it with the outer precinct. The monastery had two gates, one facing south and one facing east.” It also states: “The monastery had five gates.” It further states: “Construction was completed in seven days, with three hundred large rooms and more than sixty compounds.”

According to the account given by Dharma Master Lingyu of the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) in his work Temple Proclamation, these compounds are presented with great precision in the Sutra of the Diagram of Jetavana.

The Separate Account states: “As soon as Jetavana Monastery was completed, three ordination platforms were established. Although it is now deserted and in ruins, one cannot deny that platforms existed there from the beginning.” Since then, one thousand seven hundred years have passed, during which it has been repaired and rebuilt twenty times in all. It is therefore unsurprising that the platform’s present form differs from its original appearance. Moreover, the form of the first platform has already been briefly recorded above.

Here the origins of the establishment of ordination platforms in China are presented. The Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Liang states: “In the seventh year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³⁰⁾, during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Liu Song dynasty, the monk Gunavarman of Kashmir came to China. Gunavarman was translated in the Liang dynasty as ‘Armor of Merit.’ The Master traveled from the Southern Sea to the capital, Luoyang.

Emperor Wen received him with great honor, frequently questioned him about the principles of the Way, revered him as a Tripitaka Master, and invited him to translate scriptures on the precepts. The Master often visited Nanlin Monastery. Seeing that its bamboo grove was green and luxuriant, he conceived the wish to spend the remainder of his life there.

In the garden before the monastery, he established an ordination platform, enabling those receiving the precepts to ascend the platform and be ordained. At that time, someone who wondered whether the Master had attained the Way secretly scattered flowers beneath the seats of the Sangha. Only the flowers beneath Gunavarman’s seat grew still fresher.

Foreknowing the day of his death, he sat upright, joined his palms, and passed away. A posthumous inscription appeared upon his hand, revealing only that he had attained the fruit of a once-returner. The assembly carried his body onto the ordination platform for cremation, and everyone saw a creature resembling a dragon rise like a stream of smoke straight into the sky.

“In the eleventh year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³⁴⁾, there was Sanghavarman, whom the people of that time called the Tripitaka Dharma Master. He and the Tripitaka Master Gunavarman both came to the capital, Luoyang, established an ordination platform at Nanlin Monastery, and conferred the full precepts anew upon monks and nuns. At that time, fifty bhiksus from Jetavana Monastery, including Huizhao and others, and three hundred twenty-three bhiksunis from Yingfu Monastery, including Huiguo and others, all received the precepts anew from the Master.

“At that time, Dharma Master Huiyi, being forthright by nature, did not accept this elaborate procedure and therefore asked the Tripitaka Master:

“‘When the great Dharma was transmitted eastward, there was more than one person who propagated the Way. The former worthies and eminent sages all maintained enduring standards. How could you alone alter them? How, then, can this accord with the wishes of the assembly?’

“The Tripitaka Master replied:

“‘Although the five schools differ, their common principle is that all renounce the worldly life together. Fundamentally, this is done to propagate the teaching, and the Dharma assuredly ought to be transmitted. How can it be said to run contrary to the wishes of the assembly?’

“The Dharma Master asked:

“‘The precepts are not material form that can be seen! Therefore, should those who have just received the precepts anew retain their former order of seniority, or should their seniority begin from the new ordination? How are they to advance or be set back? This alone is sufficient to give rise to doubt!’

“The Tripitaka Master replied:

“‘There are two cases, and they cannot be treated as one. If a person has not yet completed five years and the requisite number of months is also incomplete, seniority begins from the new ordination. If the preceding years have already been completed, those years may be counted toward the rank acquired through ordination. The only concern is that during the former ordination one’s mind may have been of middling or inferior quality. In accordance with principle, one wishes to improve it and therefore receives the precepts anew. Thus, seniority should be determined according to the former ordination age.’

“The Dharma Master asked:

“‘When one personally vows not to take life, the actions of body and speech are already complete. What, then, remains incomplete that would require receiving the precepts anew?’

“The Tripitaka Master replied:

“‘The precepts have nine grades, and the lower grades are causes for the higher grades. Moreover, among those seeking the precepts, some possess superior resolve and others inferior resolve; therefore, the conditions upon which they rely also differ. What obstruction could there be in receiving ordination at another platform and then resolving to receive the precepts anew? Furthermore, there are distinctions between the five precepts and the ten precepts, and sentient beings also differ from one another. Even the moral discipline of the Path and the moral discipline arising from meditative concentration both guard against faults of body and speech. They are unlike mental karma, which is one and not two, and so forth….’

“The Dharma Master asked:

“‘In former days, while the Tripitaka Master Gunavarman was still alive, the uposatha and other Sangha affairs were regularly conducted within the monastery. Yet when it came to receiving the precepts, why was it necessary to go beyond the village? All of these are wholesome dharmas; why should they differ?’

“The Tripitaka Master replied:

“‘The regulations of the various Vinaya schools include both permissions and restrictions, but the Dharma of receiving the precepts is especially important and is unlike other matters. If it is performed according to another procedure, not only will the ordination fail to be established, but one will also commit a minor offense requiring repentance. To cause the Buddha-seed to flourish and to be worthy of consuming the offerings of faithful donors^[23], the precepts must be taken as the foundation. Therefore, if the precepts are not established, one is not a renunciant. This becomes a source of afflictions that obstruct the Way and leads to the extinction of the great Dharma. Hence it is said that this Dharma differs from other dharmas.’

“Thereupon, Huiyi became joyful and said nothing further. He immediately instructed his disciples, including Huiji and others, to proceed to the bank at Taizhou and receive the precepts aboard a boat, and so forth….”

Now, upon examining the records in the Separate Biographies, we find that the ordination platforms in the countries south of China were not limited to the single platform in the capital of the Song dynasty described above. Master Facai, who lived during the Eastern Jin and was a fellow student of Master Dao’an, was endowed with keen intelligence and first established an ordination platform at Waguan Monastery in the capital, Luoyang.

Master Zhi Daolin of the Eastern Jin established one platform at Shicheng and another in Bazhou. Master Zhi Facun of the Eastern Jin established a platform at his hermitage in Xiefu, Ruoye. Master Zhu Daotai established a platform on Mount Dongting.

Master Zhu Daosheng established a platform at Tiger Hill in Wuzhong. Master Zhiyan of the Song dynasty established a platform at Shang Dinglin Monastery. Master Huiguan of the Song dynasty established a platform at Shiliang Monastery.

Master Sengfu of the Qi dynasty established a platform at Wuhu. Master Fachao of the Liang dynasty established a platform at Nanjian. Master Sengyou established platforms at four monasteries: Shang Yunju, Qixia, Guishan, and Aijing.

The foundations at Siteng Monastery and Changsha Monastery in Jingzhou, as well as the site of the pond presently situated before Daming Monastery, were all ordination platforms.

Judging from the facts, from Youzhou southward, throughout the Jiang-Huai region, there were altogether more than three hundred ordination platforms. In regions such as Shandong, Hebei, Guannei, and Jiannan, nothing of this kind had ever previously been heard of, nor was it recorded in scriptures or biographies. Therefore, the Buddhadharma in the Jiangbiao region has endured for five or six hundred years without ever falling into decline, and this was due to the ordination platforms. Since the precepts are the source of the Buddhadharma, when the root is firm, it cannot topple. Thus, because ordination platforms were not established on the two sides of the Yellow River in the Central Plains, the Buddhadharma was destroyed there three times. This is indeed true!

Spiritual brilliance arose in the region between the Yangtze and Han Rivers. The mountains and rivers there are so beautiful that those who behold them forget to return; this is precisely what the land itself produces. People are influenced by their external surroundings; therefore, when their surroundings are excellent, their inner wisdom is also keen. As for eminent scholars and discerning ministers, having clearly examined Buddhism and found it truly worthy of refuge, they were certain that it contained no corrupt or ruinous doctrine. It may thus be said that the waters of the Yangtze and Han continue to surge onward without cease. Although the records of the southern lands were heard and transmitted from earlier generations, their accounts and events may still be seen to this day!

After the Jin dynasty crossed southward, the region between the two rivers^[24] was divided into sixteen kingdoms. They used military force to invade and seize one another’s territories, and the three destructions of the Buddhadharma were all perpetrated by descendants of the Xunyu tribe^[25]. They were not originally descendants of a nation possessing literary culture and institutions, and so they wantonly carried out destruction, with such consequences. I have raised the matter of establishing ordination platforms because I regard it as an important sign of the abiding of the Dharma; other matters have therefore been presented only in brief.

The Shan-jian Vinaya states: “No dwelling may be built upon an ordination platform. If a king should build a dwelling there, bhikshus who possess a sense of shame must dismantle it. The dismantled materials are to be handed over to bhikshus residing at the monastery, and they should be placed only in the Buddha hall or beneath the trees.”

Accordingly, it is clear that this is a place where the Dharma abides, not a residence for the Sangha—the two are separate places.

5. Inside and outside the great boundary of the ordination platform.

The Mahasanghika Vinaya states: “At first, the designated boundary was established outside the great boundary. However, because faults subsequently arose, the designated boundary was moved inside the great boundary.”

The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya says that the ordination platform lies within the great boundary. The text states: “Whenever a matter arose within the great assembly that required a karma procedure by only four bhikshus, five bhikshus, ten bhikshus, or twelve bhikshus, gathering the entire assembly caused great weariness. The Buddha therefore instructed that a designated boundary be established.”

If the designated boundary had been established outside the great boundary, where it would naturally have encountered no obstruction, what need would there have been to involve the great assembly? Thus, it is known that establishing the designated boundary inside the great boundary is correct. Nevertheless, the three boundary markers must be clearly specified so as to resolve every doubt completely.

If one merely points indiscriminately to mountains, rocks, forests, trees, enclosing walls, and hillsides without ever having ascertained their positions, and then casually calls them east or west, even the person making the proclamation will remain confused—how then could anyone else understand? Moreover, relying upon such a proclamation, despite the many ambiguities in the actual circumstances, people still insist on copying and explaining it as though it were clear, intending to use it when circumstances arise.

All such bad practices are errors inherited from the past. It is hoped that this revision and expansion will bring those practices to an end. If there is no reform, and this life remains as it is while future generations are no different, from where could there be any escape?

Once the designated boundary has been established in accordance with the Dharma, there are four places in which the Sangha may assemble. Each conforms to the Sangha’s proper procedures, and none obstructs another: 1. An assembly inside the designated boundary; 2. An assembly in the open areas surrounding and outside the designated boundary; 3. An assembly inside the great boundary, in accordance with the Sangha’s customary procedure; 4. An assembly outside the great boundary.

Of the four places of assembly stated above, two are boundaries established through a formal procedure, and two are natural boundaries. Because the stipulated boundary markers are clear, procedures may be performed according to the locality, and all will be validly accomplished. Since it has already been understood that there are four kinds of designated boundaries with clearly defined limits, there are therefore four places of assembly, none of which overlaps another. Although the explanation is somewhat intricate and cumbersome, the actual procedure is very simple. This is truly a matter deserving careful admonition.

6. The procedure for establishing the ordination-platform boundary first or afterward.

We now see that commentators all rely upon old commentaries and say: “First establish the great boundary, and only afterward establish the designated boundary.” They then hastily claim: “I follow the text of the Vinaya; hence there is an establishment performed first and another performed afterward.” Such people truly do not understand the sequence of the teaching.

An examination of the Vinaya text shows that, at the beginning, no one in the great assembly knew the limits of the great boundary. Therefore, they initially relied upon the natural boundary and only later relied upon the great boundary. Subsequently, because the assembly had to be gathered repeatedly for Dharma procedures, causing the Sangha great weariness, the Buddha permitted the establishment of a designated boundary.

Thus, it should be understood that the circumstances arose in a certain chronological order; one should not say that the procedures for establishing the boundaries themselves must be performed first or afterward! Why cling indiscriminately to the Vinaya text and thereby groundlessly give rise to five faults? The Buddha’s instructions are clear, and distinctions should therefore be made according to their meaning.

Here it is said that the great boundary is established first and the designated boundary is demarcated afterward; but according to what procedure could it be divided into two boundaries? Although the use of an open area had previously been permitted, in the end it was still merely a tract of land without procedurally prescribed limits. The Buddha therefore instituted the designated boundary. First, a boundary procedure is used to enclose that open area, and finally the great boundary is established around it on the outside. Thus, each procedure remains distinct, and there is no fault of overlapping.

The Mahishasaka Vinaya states: “The designated boundary must be established first, and the great boundary established afterward.” If the great boundary has already been established first, it must be relinquished before the designated boundary is established; afterward, the boundary markers are proclaimed and the great boundary is established. The passages concerning what is established first and what is established afterward in the Vinaya-matrika Treatise and the Shan-jian Treatise agree with the text of the Mahishasaka Vinaya. Yet even now, some people still establish the great boundary first. Because they do not carefully examine the texts of the various Vinaya schools and instead trust conjectural assertions, such people fail to comprehend the matter fully.

The Scripture of Five Hundred Questions records: “First establish the great boundary, and only afterward establish the boundary precinct, as Vinaya Master Vimalākṣa said^[26]: ‘If one receives ordination within it, it is feared that one will not obtain the precepts. If this was not known beforehand, it is as though the rule had not yet been instituted. If, by means of this passage, one can enter the boundary precinct, that too is a fortunate circumstance.’” Whether these words are praise or criticism, whether they indicate success or failure, is difficult to determine; “fortunate” means encountering an especially rare blessing.

If the boundary precinct is established first, the effort of receiving ordination will not be wasted, and there will no longer be any doubt as to whether the precepts were obtained.

Upon carefully examining the formal procedure, there must be three complete boundary marks: first, the outer marks of the boundary precinct; second, the inner marks of the great boundary; and third, the outer marks of the great boundary. These three sets of marks must all rely upon the Dharma of karman to delineate the boundaries. All corners of the great boundary and the boundary precinct must be determined; their limits must be marked; and the markers, signs, and actual boundary lines of the boundary precinct and the great boundary must be clearly defined.

A marker is not necessarily inside or outside the boundary precinct. The position of a sign is determined according to the marker, while the actual boundary line necessarily lies within the sign. One must investigate and verify these matters carefully, first clearly understanding their configuration and only afterward proceeding to establish the boundaries.

Although the wording is complicated and cumbersome, it actually sets forth matters that have not yet been clarified. Thus, the Scripture of Five Hundred Questions records: “If rain falls while an ordination is in progress and the boundary precinct is moved indoors, one must first dissolve the great boundary, then reestablish the boundary precinct, and afterward establish the great boundary; only then is it permissible.”

7. Whether the Sangha is assembled far from or near the ordination platform.

The boundary precinct is the foundation of all other boundaries! First, the Sangha must be assembled within the natural boundary. If anyone in the Sangha fails to attend, the establishment of the boundary will not be accomplished.

Therefore, the person performing the formal procedure must first clearly understand that a careful investigation must be made within every natural boundary. If the matter requires the Sangha to assemble, consent by proxy may not be accepted. Although this is an ordinary matter, when the occasion arises, most people do not know how to carry it out, yet they still refuse to assemble, thereby forming a separate assembly.

The establishment of the boundary is fundamentally invalid, yet they falsely claim that a boundary exists. If, throughout the future, ordinations are conducted within it, the lifelong cultivation of oneself and others will merely be wasted. How could this affect only the present life?

In future lives, one will also incur the karmic retribution of receiving full ordination where no valid boundary precinct exists. Is this not so?

Now, whatever is to be done must be based upon the boundary markers. Whether the boundary precinct is large or small depends upon the boundary; however, because the boundary precinct is usually smaller than the natural boundary, the Sangha is assembled according to the natural boundary. Once the Sangha has assembled, the outer marks are proclaimed three times, and then the boundary precinct is established by a motion followed by one resolution.

Next, when establishing the great boundary, five or six bhikṣus are led to an open place outside the boundary precinct but within the actual confines of the great boundary, and the Sangha is assembled according to the markers and signs of that boundary. The inner and outer marks of the great boundary are then proclaimed three times, and with a motion followed by one resolution, the establishment of the boundary is completed. On the following day, first dissolve the great boundary, then dissolve the boundary precinct, and reestablish them as before.

Whether the Sangha is assembled far from or near the ordination platform is prescribed above. Yet this matter must be examined with utmost care, because once the boundaries have been definitively established, they need not be dissolved even into the future. Therefore, when the Sangha conducts proceedings today, it is unnecessary to perform the procedure of dissolving and reestablishing them.

This practice is still observed in India at present. However, when the boundary was first established, evil spirits were surrounded and could not leave it, causing them extreme distress. Therefore, the Buddha taught that the boundary should be dissolved to allow those evil spirits to depart, and only then reestablished.

When a boundary is established in accordance with the Dharma, benevolent deities gather there. Thus, the Vinaya says: “Within the boundary are shrines and temples of spirits and deities.”

The Five-Part Vinaya records: “The boundary is established so as to include the entire settlement in order to protect its inhabitants from harassment by nonhuman beings.” This is indeed correct!

8. Whether the karman is valid or invalid.

The signs of success or failure and their efficacy depend upon the people involved. Since some people are wise and others ignorant, proceedings may likewise succeed or fail. Therefore, a cautious person does not presume that he is correct. Although he may clearly understand the characteristics of the boundary, lest he encounter obstacles in applying them or become confused and forgetful, the Vinaya texts summarize the situations in which transgressions occur while also providing allowances for such omissions.

Whether establishing or maintaining a boundary, one must clearly explain what is correct and what is incorrect. If there is any doubt or error, the boundary must be relinquished and the procedure performed anew. Is this not the very utmost of reverence and caution?

Most practitioners today act carelessly and treat the matter lightly. They do not examine the extent of the great boundary, nor do they clearly understand the similarities and differences among members of the Sangha. They deceive the Buddha-Dharma and falsely claim to be outstanding persons.

They recite the text without knowing the rules; though they see with their own eyes, they cannot distinguish right from wrong. Concealing their falsehood, harboring deluded minds, they act arbitrarily. Here only a few cases will be presented briefly to clarify what is correct and what is incorrect:

– From the circumstances of assembling the Sangha, one can determine whether the Sangha is genuine or spurious. For a single person, there are more than fifty criteria by which to examine and determine eligibility. Anyone who does not qualify is unworthy of being called a member of the Sangha and is not a suitable monastic to participate in the formal procedure! The methods of examination are recorded in the Vinaya Commentary.

– Regarding the threefold proclamation, the limits of the markers and signs must be carefully examined and their measurements made clear. Those who should enter must be admitted according to the rules governing the required quorum and separation from the assembly; those who are outside do not belong to either of these two categories. Today, people commonly establish both boundaries without assembling the Sangha outside the boundary marks. They merely lead five or six bhikṣus to the place where the marks of the boundary precinct are to be established and then establish it. Or, while inside the boundary precinct, they proclaim together the three sets of marks belonging to the two boundaries and then perform a single karman for both boundaries. Or some, while inside the boundary precinct, proclaim together the marks of both boundaries and then establish each boundary separately. Or, while inside the great boundary but without entering the boundary precinct, they proclaim the marks of the boundary precinct from afar and then establish it. The Five-Part Vinaya records: “If the directional marks^[27] are not proclaimed, the establishment of the boundary is invalid.”

To stand apart from the boundary and merely proclaim nominal markers and signs is entirely contrary to the Dharma. If the proclamation is unclear and the boundary lines are not understood, it is likewise regarded as no proclamation at all, and the establishment does not produce a valid boundary. By analogy, it can be understood that all such cases are distinguished as correct or incorrect according to the boundary lines. Both the great boundary and the boundary precinct, however, must be validly established. If, through unavoidable circumstances, the great boundary is not validly established, how could one use a boundary precinct with no valid boundary lines to confer ordination?

Moreover, even if the great boundary is validly established but the boundary precinct is not, that place ultimately remains one without proper rules; how then could a formal act of the Dharma be conducted there? Therefore, when performing the formal procedure with utmost sincerity and earnestness, one must first establish the boundary precinct in exact accordance with the Dharma. One must not perform the procedure in confusion and vaguely presume it to accord with the Dharma. A bhikṣu said: “Would one who understands the Dharma fail to consider this matter?” To retain the name while discarding the reality, to speak in a needlessly elaborate manner, and yet remain confused in most actual situations—this old monk must repeat the matter again and again, for it is certainly necessary!

– To conduct the proceeding is precisely to establish the boundaries. Boundaries differ in being large or small, while the land is divided into distinct inner and outer areas. Therefore, one must first understand these matters clearly and only afterward establish the boundaries in accordance with the Dharma.

– The principal formal act is the karman procedure. It is not enough for a single bhiksu to recite it; the entire assembly must understand it completely. If anyone does not understand, that person cannot be counted toward the quorum, nor may that person belong to a separate assembly. If anyone is ignorant and does not understand the causes and conditions of harmony and mutual assent, how could that person know the general and particular characteristics? Therefore, that person cannot be counted toward the quorum or included in the assembly. Consequently, no fault is committed by not gathering such people. Whether a karman procedure is accomplished or not must be determined according to the four conditions—the Sangha, the boundary, the matter, and the procedure—as fully explained above. Those who uphold the Vinaya must study these matters. If they do not clearly understand these four conditions, they are unworthy to ascend the ordination platform.

The Ten Recitations Vinaya states: “One who performs the karman procedure must be able to distinguish the motion, the first proclamation of the karman, the second proclamation of the karman, and the third proclamation of the karman. Those listening while the karman procedure is being performed must not turn their attention to other matters or think of anything else. From thought-moment to thought-moment, they must remain mindful and clearly contemplate that motion and that karman procedure.” Thus, even while the Buddha was in the world and personally upheld the rules, some people still practiced the five unlawful acts. Could it be that they had neither studied nor understood? It was because, when confronted with the matter, their minds became confused by circumstances and they forgot!

9. The regulations for receiving the precepts

An extraordinary form is established to reveal an extraordinary Dharma. This Dharma is precisely the precepts. The precepts are the foundation of the path that transcends the world; they are certainly not a foundation for entering worldly life. The Vinaya states: “The training in the precepts was established for the purpose of completely eliminating the three poisons.” The extraordinary form of the ordination platform was established because it acts upon the worldly mind.

If the rites of the platform are not now carried out and the precepts are received merely according to circumstances, the mind will remain vague, understanding at one moment and confused the next. How, then, could the disciplinary restraint of the Dharma realm arise? Certainly, one would attain only empty, indeterminate merit.

Therefore, the treatise states: “A person about to receive the precepts must first rely upon a wise person. The wise person will then help that candidate for ordination give rise, in relation to the myriad objects, to a mind of loving-kindness and protection, thereby engendering the precepts.” This is no longer done today. Thus, after the Sangha has assembled and the Dharma rite is formally conducted, they merely say: “If you arouse the highest grade of aspiration, you will attain the highest grade of precepts.” The novice originally knows nothing of this, and the instructing masters have never discussed it.

Hearing these words is like thunder crashing in the sky and rain pouring upon the earth. Therefore, after extensively examining the various teachings, I established these regulations. They did not originate from the ordination master’s personal ideas; all were transmitted and taught by the sages.

Students of later generations now seldom read the sutras and records. They cling only to what they commonly see and hear, and so regard this practice as strange. Yet what is truly strange about it? It is merely something their ears have never heard, their eyes have never seen, and their feet have never reached. If their ears had heard it, their eyes had seen it, and their feet had reached it, they would know that it is simply a comprehensive gathering of ordinary practices from daily life, discussed in greater depth and breadth!

– The manner in which the ten masters ascend the platform to confer the precepts: In recent times, these proceedings have had no regulations upon which to rely. They have merely been devised and applied according to the individual, and thus are unworthy of serving as standards. Here I extract and present the transmitted accounts concerning events in the realm of the living and the netherworld, the ascent and descent of the ordination platform, and the arousing of reverence and aspiration. Even in worldly ceremonies, every detail is carefully inquired into; how, then, could we fail to be circumspect here?

I have seen proceedings in utter disorder, with people coming and going without proper order. Only the two precept masters displayed the dignified bearing of virtuous ones, while the venerable witnesses behaved in an unseemly manner. The function of the venerable witnesses is to attest to the conferral of the precepts, whereas the three masters are of one accord.

Each of the three masters has a distinct role in the proceedings, but validation of the accomplishment depends upon all ten masters; only then is the first precept obtained. Yet some of these witnesses sit silently in rows, like the sea flowing in silence; some gaze upward, pretending to observe the assembly’s dignified conduct; some direct their attention somewhere far away, pretending to understand every karman procedure.

When a candidate makes a single request or three requests, and the requests are proclaimed, they do not even know whether there were three or one. When a single motion and three proclamations contain errors, they give no correction at all, but lower their heads and silently let them pass. Though they know what is right and wrong, they remain silent, sitting upright merely to signify harmony.

Whether the assembly is united or divided, they invariably say, “The assembly is harmonious.” The governance of the assembly in such cases truly rests entirely with the three masters. If anyone recognizes anything unlawful or contrary to principle, that person must examine, question, and point it out. One must not rashly declare that the candidate is a fit vessel for the Dharma, nor refrain from distinguishing right and wrong for fear of disturbing that person’s mind!

It is only necessary for the seven witnesses to be discerning; there is no need to trouble them merely to express sympathetic joy. Therefore, in civilized regions, only ten bhiksus need ascend the platform when the precepts are conferred; the others merely provide assistance. Thus, when the proceedings are conducted, some bhiksus with no function sit idly and unrestrainedly on the lower level.

This will be explained again at the beginning of the chapter on ritual procedures.

If the newly ordained candidate is not obstructed, the candidate’s spirit will be refreshed and clear, and the formal procedure will be effective. If the minds of the seven witnesses are obscured, their understanding and intentions will be obstructed. Therefore, based on these two considerations, they must not be dismissed hastily.

1. The manner in which the ten masters ascend the platform

The instructing acarya must carry the incense burner and lead the way, ascending from the eastern stairway on the southern side of the lower level to the upper level. He then proceeds from the east, turns northward, and circumambulates the platform once. At that time, the senior monk stands on the western side directly before the Buddha and bows three times. The ten masters stand upright, fully maintaining dignified conduct and single-mindedly contemplating and inviting the present Buddhas of the ten directions, together with the great bodhisattvas and the assembly of sravaka Sangha members, to gather at the ordination platform, while the eight classes of devas, nagas, and others fill the whole of space.

When the Buddha was in the world, the conferral of the precepts was often conducted upon a platform. Although that conferral of the precepts did not belong to a Sangha karman procedure, the “Come, bhiksu” precept Dharma was nevertheless equivalent to full ordination. After the Buddha entered nirvana, when members of the holy Sangha conferred the precepts, they enshrined many Buddha images, modeling the ceremony upon the ritual observed while the Buddha was in the world. This also provided the Sangha’s procedure with an object of reliance, for it could not be performed without the Buddha. Thus, many Buddha images were arranged; they were not established as mere empty formalities.

2. Proceeding westward and ascending to the second level

A high seat is placed on the southern side, followed by three empty seats. The first seat commemorates the bhiksu-bodhisattva Đậu-điền-tà; the second commemorates the bhiksu-bodhisattva Lâu Chí; and the third commemorates the bhiksu-bodhisattva Mã-lan-tà. These three bhiksu-bodhisattvas were the first to request that the Buddha establish an ordination platform, define the boundary, and confer the precepts. Because they rendered meritorious service to the precepts, three empty seats are set out to commemorate and invite them.

After the ten masters have directed their minds in contemplation, the instructing master carries the incense burner and leads the assembly westward. Following the western stairway, they ascend in succession to the top of the platform. They then turn eastward and afterward northward, circumambulate the Buddha once, and approach the three empty seats. They bow before each seat and then sit down in order.

First, appoint a bhikshu to sit upon a high seat and recite the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching. At that time, the gandī should be struck, abundant precious incense burned, and praises of virtue sung. All the Sangha members who have assembled, regardless of whether their ordination seniority is greater or lesser, must come to hear the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching.

When the Sangha members on the upper and lower tiers have taken their seats in proper order, the karmanadana shall lead those about to receive the precepts to stand below the eastern stairway on the southern side, facing west. The instructing master responsible for teaching deportment shall descend from the foot of the eastern stairway on the southern side, lead them up by the western stairway, and, upon reaching the upper surface of the lower tier, turn east, then turn north, and proceed out toward the west.

The precept candidates shall then form a line to the north of the eastern side, bow three times to the Buddha, and kneel with palms joined until they have heard the entire sutra. The karmanadana shall again lead them to the eastern stairway on the southern side, descend below, and have them stand in formation outside the ordination platform. If anyone has not yet clearly mastered the deportment of turning right and left, lowering and raising the head, a karmanadana versed in the Dharma shall be appointed to instruct them thoroughly and then lead them onward slowly and solemnly.

When the time comes to examine the impediments, the karmanadana shall lead all those receiving the precepts into the ordination platform. A seat should be arranged to the south of the eastern stairway for the examination of the impediments. Those receiving full ordination shall approach the seat, hold their robes and bowls, and stand at the eastern stairway facing north.

The instructing master shall descend from the eastern stairway on the southern side, fully displaying dignified deportment and inspiring delight in all who behold him. Thus the Vinaya speaks of maintaining dignified deportment without departing from the prescribed forms, just as the bhikshu Aśvajit subdued the heterodox through his dignified deportment. Therefore, one should know that the method of using dignified deportment to bring sentient beings into proper order has existed since ancient times.

Upon reaching the place of examination and arranging the seat, the instructing master shall take the robes and bowl of the person receiving the precepts, tell him to remove his shoes and sandals, and have him enter the seating area. First, the niṣīdana shall be brought out for him to formally receive and uphold, after which he shall be told to sit upon it. Next, the antarvāsa shall be taken up; after he has formally received and upheld it, he shall be told to put it on.

Then the uttarāsaṅga shall be taken up; after he has formally received and upheld it, he shall be told to put it on over the first robe. Finally, the saṅghāṭī shall be taken up and formally received and upheld, and he shall likewise be told to place it upon his body. The instructing master shall then teach those receiving the precepts: “The names of these three robes exist only within the Buddha-Dharma; none of the ninety-six heterodox schools possesses them.

How, then, could they not be precious? Thus it is said that the niṣīdana sitting cloth is like the foundation of a stupa. Now, by receiving the precepts, you are laying the foundation for the fivefold Dharma body, for the fivefold Dharma body is brought to fulfillment through the precepts.

If you sit without a sitting cloth, the fivefold qualities of samadhi and wisdom will have no place from which to arise. Therefore, the sitting cloth is said to resemble the foundation of a stupa. The three robes, moreover, eliminate the three poisons.

Of these, the five-panel robe, also called the lower robe, has the power to eliminate bodily greed. The seven-panel robe, also called the middle robe, has the power to eliminate verbal anger. The great robe, also called the upper robe, has the power to eliminate mental delusion.”

These matters should be explained fully, with instruction given as appropriate to the occasion. The examination of the impediments is thereby completed. All the schools conduct the formal reception of the robes before the examination of the impediments, yet nowadays it is performed after ordination. There is no textual authority for this practice, and it is therefore unworthy of adoption.

Following the customary deportment, the instructing master shall ascend by the eastern stairway of the lower tier and, upon reaching its upper surface, turn west. After ascending the entire western stairway on the southern side of the second tier, he shall turn east, approach the Buddha image, and bow three times. Having bowed to the Buddha, he shall turn east again, circle toward the north, and stand before the karman master at a distance of one arm’s length.

After making the formal announcement and summoning the precept candidates, he shall go to the western stairway on the southern side and call them in. When those receiving the precepts hear the master’s summons, they shall advance, and the instructing master shall lead them to bow before the seats of the three senior bhikshu-bodhisattvas. Next, after they have all bowed to the assembly of ten masters, the master responsible for deportment shall tell them to kneel before the karman master and instruct them to request the precepts.

Only after the master of deportment has taken his seat shall the karman master make the single formal motion in accordance with the Dharma. When the examination of the impediments has been completed and the karman procedure by which the Sangha confers ordination has concluded, those receiving the precepts shall be told to kneel before the ten masters. Once all those receiving the precepts have assembled, they shall go together before the Buddha, face north, kneel, and listen once more to the Sutra of the Bequeathed Teaching, after which they shall rise.

The instructing master shall then rise holding an incense burner and stand at the northern stairway on the western side, leading and inviting the ten masters to descend the stairs. Upon reaching the lower tier, they shall proceed southward, circle toward the east, face north, bow three times before the Buddha image, and stand upright.

When the ten masters see the newly ordained approaching, they shall descend by the eastern stairway of the lower tier, put on their shoes, and proceed out toward the south. They should walk abreast between the Flower Grove, with the newly ordained following behind. Upon reaching the area midway between the ordination platform and the Flower Grove, they shall have those receiving the precepts walk in front, while the ten masters follow behind. The instructing master shall then lead the ten masters out of the ordination platform, into the great boundary, and back to their customary resting place.

These forms of deportment constitute the practice of the noble ones, but they have long since been lost. Those attached to what they ordinarily see and hear persist in regarding them as newly devised rites. May everyone understand this clearly.

I began constructing the ordination platform on the eighth day of the second month and continued until the beginning of the summer retreat in the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾, still allowing those whose names were registered to receive full ordination in accordance with the Dharma. At that time, a total of twenty-seven people came from various regions to request ordination, including Yongzhou, Luozhou, Guozhou, Puzhou, Jinzhou, Beizhou, Danzhou, Fangzhou, Longzhou, Lizhou, Jingzhou, Taizhou, and Bingzhou.

People from those prefectures all received full ordination upon this ordination platform. I have therefore mentioned them briefly so that it may be known that this was not an improper circumstance. Fellow practitioners of the same Dharma and wandering monks who heard that I was establishing the ordination platform responded with great enthusiasm. I shall provisionally record their names to inspire faith in later generations.

The eminent Chan Master Sangha of Yunju Monastery on Mount Zhongnan.

The eminent Vinaya Master Zhenyi of Ximing Monastery in the capital.

The eminent Vinaya Master Hengshan of Hongfa Monastery in the capital.

The eminent Vinaya Master Wuxuan of Yunji Monastery on Mount Zhongnan.

The eminent Dharma Master Bochen of Ximing Monastery in the capital.

The eminent Vinaya Master Hongdu of Ci’en Monastery in the capital.

Vinaya Master Daocheng of Yaotai Monastery at Zhaoling.

Vinaya Master Zhishan of Longchi Monastery on Mount Zhongnan.

Vinaya Master Zhiren, a native of Silla, of Guangming Monastery in the capital.

The śramaṇa and Chan Master Fazang of the Western Sacred Peak in Huazhou.

Chan Master Huiren of Anbao in Jingzhou.

Chan Master Daowu of Shanji Monastery in Jingzhou.

Chan Master Huizhuang of Baiyan Monastery on Mount Tiantai in Taizhou.

Vinaya Master Huiquan of Baoshan Monastery on Mount Xian in Huaizhou.

Chan Master Huilian of Shengjue Monastery in Jingzhou.

Chan Master Huiyan of Kaisheng Monastery in Jingzhou.

Dharma Master Huệ Tưởng of Trắc Dĩ Monastery in Kinh Prefecture.

Dharma Master Huyền Trách of Vô Lượng Monastery in Kinh Prefecture.

Dharma Master Thủ Tiết of Thiên Cung Monastery in Lạc Prefecture.

Dharma Master, śramaṇa Đàm Tưởng, of Tấn Prefecture.

Vinaya Master, śramaṇa Danh Khác, of the Eastern Marchmount.

Chan Master Hành Thao of Không Quán Monastery in the imperial capital.

Chan Master, śramaṇa Pháp Độ, of Mạch Tích Nham in Tần Prefecture.

Vinaya Master Nghĩa Phương of Hưng Quốc Monastery in Quắc Prefecture.

Vinaya Master Đức Hành of Trường Sa Monastery in Kinh Prefecture.

Vinaya Master Hoài Tố of Hoằng Tế Monastery in Kinh Prefecture.

Besides those named above, there were many others who cannot all be listed here. As for the śramaṇas of Đại Thúy Vi Monastery and other monasteries on Mount Chung Nam, as well as those dwelling in seclusion on lofty mountains and abiding in the wilderness, and those seeking teachers and inquiring into the Way—whether arriving hurriedly or at leisure—they all put their robes in order, approached the high platform to observe the procedures, and turned about to view them from every side. Those filled with reverence stood on the open ground outside the boundary, joyfully rejoicing with accordant minds, upright and with palms joined. Those who delighted in that dignified deportment numbered in the hundreds.

When the proceedings were completed, the karmadāna led those receiving the precepts into the refectory, seated them in rows, and provided them with food. Women of pure faith and village elders filled the entire compound. They all joined their palms and joyfully rejoiced, standing quietly and offering praise. This too was a fortunate occasion, recalling the pure realm of a thousand ages past.

10. Efficacy Near and Far.

Regarding the ground on which a boundary has been established, within its limits it may extend downward as far as the edge of the vajra wheel^[28]. Even throughout the kalpa of destruction, it will never be destroyed. As the treatises state, when the Buddha-Dharma is about to perish, this established boundary will disappear. Yet some masters of the treatises also say: “If a boundary previously established has not disappeared, a boundary established afterward cannot be formed.” This is the correct meaning.

According to traditions current today, throughout the lands of Tianzhu and India there are traces left by holy beings that, although they have endured many kalpas, remain to this day. Thus, there are the evidence of one who sacrificed his body for eight characters^[29], the testimony of the maiden who shed her blood, the marks of suffering from breaking bones and extracting marrow, and the vestiges of spreading one’s hair to cover the mud, which indeed remain distinctly arranged; when excavated, the traces are found to be just as they were of old. From this ancient evidence, one may know that an established boundary does not disappear.

The masters of India explain the characteristics of established boundaries in two ways. First, they hold that the sacred marks of established boundaries are all the work of deities. Being burned by the fire of a cosmic calamity or swept away by water pertains only to the mundane world, and the mundane cannot destroy the principles of the Way.

Therefore, the Dharma of the Way abides forever, and consequently the marks of established boundaries have never ceased or disappeared from the past to the present. One treatise master said: “These are manifested traces of the Buddha, benefiting beings everywhere, and in the end they will never be destroyed.” Thus, when the three calamities arise, the great earth disintegrates into emptiness and water, so its traces are difficult to find.

Afterward, when the world is formed again, all former places reappear as they were before. Therefore, there is truly nothing strange in sacred traces remaining intact just as at the beginning! The two realms of Form and Desire likewise become empty, yet after their formation they are both established anew as before.

The karmic power of sentient beings is inconceivable; the enduring transformative influence of the Buddha is likewise inconceivable. How then could one use the thoughts of ordinary beings to judge the contemplation of holy ones? Therefore, an established boundary remains firm and certainly suffers no damage.

Question: According to what has been presented, all four Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa left traces behind. Yet, according to the regular procedure for establishing monasteries and defining the Sangha’s boundaries, would not a boundary newly established today overlap a boundary established in the past? If they overlap, the establishment of the boundary cannot be accomplished and the formal act fails! How is this to be explained?

Answer: Each Buddha’s dispensation has its own Sangha. How could disciples of the Buddha Năng Nhân be disciples of the Buddha Ẩm Quang? Since each follows and studies under his own teacher, they cannot be called a separate assembly. Thus, the Sangha within a single dispensation of Śākyamuni, the World-Honored One, must possess the six harmonies. If their views are not harmonious, neither assembly has the requisite number. Each community has its own sphere within which it establishes boundaries, and their rules and what they see and hear differ. Therefore, one should know that the Sangha boundary of a former Buddha does not obstruct the proceedings conducted under a later Buddha.

The Vinaya commentary states that there are five ways in which boundaries may be established so as to overlap, yet none obstructs another. Nevertheless, later Buddhas establish their foundations upon the old foundations of former Buddhas. For example, the land of Jetavana in the kingdom of Śrāvastī was a place where, throughout ninety-one kalpas, Buddhas regularly came to teach and transform beings. Venerable Śāriputra saw an ants’ nest there and gave rise to compassion. From such matters this may be understood. There are also many other examples, but they are omitted for fear of making the text overly prolix.

11. Praise and Discussion of the Merits.

11.1. Text on Clearing the Ground and Constructing the Ordination Precinct

On the eighth day of the second month in the second year of the Qianfeng era of the Tang dynasty ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾, the śramaṇa Śākyaputra Đạo Tuyên of Tây Minh Monastery in the imperial capital, together with śramaṇas from prefectures throughout the realm, studied and examined the Vinaya regulations, deliberated upon essential matters, and decided to select Tuân Thiện Hamlet in Thanh Quan Village, south of the Lễ and Phúc Rivers in the southern outskirts of the capital—a place with many practitioners who upheld the Vinaya—for the establishment of an ordination platform.

Fundamentally, the three gates of morality, concentration, and wisdom are the excellent expedient means of all holy beings; restraining conduct and giving rise to goodness are the means by which the Buddhas of the three times rescue beings from suffering. Therefore, one should know that morality is the root of entering the Way and the foundation for transcending the mundane. Relying upon it, the Sovereignly Awakened One expounded provisional teachings, and through it the True Dharma abides for a long time. Thus, the four reliances^[30], guiding all under heaven, must follow morality to open a passage through the darkened springs; and the five vehicles, all operating together, likewise depend upon morality to spread the net of transformation.

Since the teaching was transmitted eastward, seven hundred years have passed, yet the names and actual meanings of the terms “ordination precinct” and “ordination platform” have often been confused. According to the Vinayas and treatises, the terms “precinct” and “platform” are frequently used side by side, but each accords fully with particular circumstances and is called either a “precinct” or a “platform” according to the matter at hand.

During the Jin dynasty, there was the Nam Lâm ordination platform at Dương Liễn. The holy adept Đức Khải was the first to construct it. Yet in China at that time, it was wholly unknown whether this was genuine or spurious. Some regarded the great boundary as the ordination precinct and the level plot of ground as the platform. This was because the teaching had been extinguished three times and only later flourished again, though it still remained restricted. It may also have been because the masters acted arbitrarily and conducted their deliberations without relying upon the scriptural teachings.

In general, the establishment of an ordination platform is solely for the propagation of the Vinaya. Because it pertains to the disciplinary precepts, it comprehensively embraces both emptiness and existence. In terms of sentient beings, it pervades the great trichiliocosm; in terms of Dharma, it encompasses the six stages.

The skandhas, ayatanas, dhatus, and spheres are all conditions for the precepts; both the highest sages and the lowliest ordinary beings depend upon the protection of the precepts. Therefore, whether it is a minor boundary or a great boundary, each establishes the successive course of conduct and karma; whether vows are present or absent, each reveals the gradual or sudden nature of the causal mind. The sutras expound the bodhisattva’s aggregate of precepts, which cannot arise without the motion and three proclamations; the Vinaya elucidates the proper precepts of the sravakas, through which the ten-member Sangha^[31] enables one to attain the fruit.

If one wishes to perform a karman proceeding, one must necessarily rely upon a platform and a precinct. Thus, because they are named after the Dharma of the precepts and called the ordination precinct or ordination platform, both are entirely the foundation of pure conduct. As soon as the great boundary is established, the Sangha and the Dharma are established together.

As for the performance of formal acts, however, the ordination precinct is used more frequently. Thus, the continued existence of the Sangha and the continued existence of the Dharma each have their causes.

The precinct of the ordination platform now being established entirely follows the essential purport of the teachings. Three boundary markers are erected to divide the area into two boundaries, and an open strip of ground is enclosed to eliminate every possible doubt and error. First, the minor boundary is established as the basis of the precinct and platform.

Next, the Sangha is assembled within the natural boundary so that they may understand the distinct meanings of common and separate boundaries. The outer markers of the ordination precinct are announced three times, after which the boundary is determined and established through a motion and one proclamation. Accordingly, the terraces are laid out neatly and adorned with dignity, so that the steps of ascent and descent may be clearly known; the four directions are fixed at the four corners, so that the slanting or direct cast of the sun’s shadow may be discerned.

Next, the great boundary is established. The Sangha must leave the ordination precinct and, following its markers, assemble in full; the markers are announced separately and the boundary is established separately. Thereby, the activities of the Sangha of the four directions bear not the slightest trace of contradiction, and the radiant virtue of the six harmonies manifests its function.

Once the formal act has been accomplished, it will not be lost for seventy thousand years; when the virtuous Sangha abides in freedom and mastery, it will not perish even amid the transformations of the three calamities. Therefore, it is said that an ordination precinct is not established in vain. If it is properly established, the Buddhadharma will endure forever; if it is ruined, the True Dharma will perish.

These words are not false; all the more, one must be careful! Therefore, it should be understood that receiving the precepts depends upon the ordination precinct and the great boundary. The precepts flourish by relying upon that ground. The two conditions of upholding and transgressing also depend upon it for restoration to purity. Thus, the sutra records: “If these precepts did not exist, wholesome qualities would not arise.”

The precepts are indeed the foundation of samadhi and wisdom, and the excellent medicine that cures afflictions and karma. In recent times, most of those who conduct such rites have treated this matter lightly; consequently, they do not construct the foundation of a platform but confer the precepts at their convenience. Some improperly establish a minor boundary even though there is no calamitous circumstance; some arbitrarily perform the rite within a Buddha hall, causing the entire Sangha to turn their backs upon the image; some sit in a circle on open ground; and some, within villages, ignorant of the rule concerning a separate assembly, merely recite the text and nominally establish a boundary. Such practices are exceedingly confused and are not worthy of being set forth.

Thus, the Biographies of Eminent Monks records: “From ancient times until the present, when members of the Sangha in China wished to receive the precepts, they all went to Yangdu, anchored a boat upon the river, established a separate boundary, and then received the precepts. Someone asked the reason, and they replied: ‘It is extremely difficult to know the similarities and differences among the original procedures for establishing boundaries. Therefore, when a boundary is established aboard a boat, its markers are clear and there are no calamitous circumstances. How, then, could such Dharma procedures as the recitation of the precepts fail to be accomplished?’”

If one wishes to preserve the True Dharma firmly, propagate and safeguard the standards of the sages, and completely sever afflictions, then without the precepts liberation is impossible, and without the ground of the precepts, karma has nowhere to depend. If one merely shaves one’s head and dons the kasaya while the sacred Dharma is absent from one’s heart, one only wastes an entire lifetime; after death, one will sink in samsara for myriad kalpas. Would this not implicate both oneself and others and make one a disciple of Sakyamuni in vain? Therefore, “Those pure monks exert themselves with such diligence and hardship, while this person bound to birth and death remains so utterly complacent!” The admonitions of Master Dao’an are truly inconceivable!

Some people, upon hearing of the establishment of boundaries, are astonished and voice reproach. I tell them: “I dare not introduce anything unusual. This is simply a Dharma taught fully throughout the sutras, but people do not practice it.”

I respectfully reflect that the explanations of the pure teaching take the Dharma as their foundation. The texts present the seal of the four teachings, while the final instructions further describe the function of the Tripitaka. To accord with them is the starting point for propagating the Three Jewels; to oppose them is the final trace of the destruction of the four kinds of Sangha.

The text states: “Even the smallest ordination precinct must accommodate twenty-one bhiksus”; this describes the breadth of the platform. “It must extend to the place that can be reached by fully stretching out an arm”; this means that the interior of the platform must be unobstructed. “An open space must be left between them”; this means that the two boundaries must not adjoin one another.

“After establishing the ordination precinct, the great boundary is made to surround it”; this describes the proper sequence of the procedures. “Only the Buddha hall is to be reverently established”; this describes that upon which the Jewel of the Sangha relies. “If members of the resident Sangha have matters that cause shame, they must be excluded”; this means that when a Sangha possessing a sense of shame reveres and safeguards the precepts, accomplishment of the path and its practice becomes easy.

The text states that venerable masters approach the platform; that is, the Sangha upon the platform does not follow the ordinary procedures of the precinct on the ground below, for that platform has only the abiding boundary of the precepts. Today many members of the Sangha reside there, so these true teachings must certainly be clearly understood. If these meanings are difficult to accept, one should use the textual passages to elucidate them, depict their form clearly, concentrate the mind with care, compare and study them morning and evening, respectfully follow the final instructions, and cite the evidence fully and distinctly, so that henceforth no one will ever again fall into confusion.

11.2. Inscription at the Ordination Platform of Jingye Monastery, Qingguan Village, Chang’an District, Yong Prefecture, during the Great Tang Dynasty

The establishment of ordination platforms dates back to ancient times. It first began at Jetavana and gradually spread southward to the regions of the Huai River and the sea. The ordination platform manifests the dignified deportment and standards of the Buddha’s lifetime of teaching and wafts the benevolent wind throughout the universe. For samadhi and wisdom to have a support, if not the precepts, what could serve as their foundation? For conduct and karma to have a support, only the disciplinary precepts can bear their weight. Because the merit of these precepts is vast, ordinary ground cannot preserve them for long. Because their function is inherently lofty, how could commonplace affairs bring them to completion?

Therefore, a separate ordination precinct was established within the Sangha monastery. Within that precinct, a raised foundation was constructed and terraces were designed. The terraces are evenly divided on all four sides; the platform and stupa rise high in majestic dignity.

It is a place protected by divine beings, a site revered by ordinary beings and sages alike, where the Sangha assembles to perform formal acts. Thus, even after passing through the three calamities of water, fire, and wind, it will not be destroyed; every ascent and descent, every undertaking and performance, reverberates through a thousand ages. Accordingly, the far-reaching spread of the teaching truly depends upon the merit of the precepts; the complete eradication of afflictions depends entirely upon the power of the platform and precinct.

When all these achievements are gathered together, are they not magnificent? If no stele were erected and no inscription engraved, how could the road to the farther shore be opened? I shall now summarize the conditions and compose this inscription:

The gate of darkness was not yet opened;

To propagate this wondrous path,

Had it not been for the Able and Benevolent One,

Who could have spread it far and wide?

How could it be transmitted everywhere?

Only through the power of the precepts;

The Three Sages flourished,

The four modes of birth reverently look up.

Darkness immediately closes in;

Weariness has not yet ceased.

Prolonged forevermore—

Whence shall the standards come?

Formerly, in Prince Jeta’s Grove^[32],

The World-Honored One instructed

That the ordination platform be constructed,

Revealing this excellent undertaking.

The Yellow River^[33] has run dry;

The Jade Gate^[34] shines on high.

The Way was transmitted to Huai and Hai;

The Southern Grove then flourished.

The Zhou erected the Numinous Terrace^[35];

The Han demolished the Mingtang^[36].

Following the former emperors,

Successive kings continued their works.

The standards of the ordination platform

Rely solely upon royal law,

Causing the root of the teaching to flourish,

Forever without end.

There was one who possessed penetrating understanding,

An outstanding monk,

Whose virtue surpassed the heroic

And whose wisdom encompassed the eminent.

A model for the Qi and Liang,

His integrity inspired monastics and laity alike.

Dharma platforms were erected everywhere,

And sacred images established in every place.

He was called Wenguo;

He leveled mountains and filled seas.

People doubted this tradition;

When the man died, the Dharma perished.

In the Central Plain, all traces were lost;

The Dharma was extinguished three times.

Buddhist monasteries lay desolate,

And companions in the Dharma grieved.

Carefully examining the fault,

I knew that the platform had no foundation.

Thus, following the ancient standards,

I clearly set forth the method,

So that it might be preserved for a thousand autumns

And this text might endure!

11.3. Inscription on the Buddha’s Relics at the Ordination Platform of Jingye Monastery, Qingguan Village, south of the Li River and Fu River, north of the Southern Mountains

On the first day of the fourth month in the Dingmao year, the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾ of the Great Tang, the śramaṇa Daoxuan of Ximing Monastery in the imperial capital, together with śramaṇas who had assembled from many regions before the Jingye bodhimaṇḍa, deliberated upon the Dharma and the Vinaya.

Reverently reflecting, the teachings of the Three Sages take the precepts as foremost; all beings of the four modes of birth revere them and ceaselessly follow and practice them. Therefore, to assist the true Dharma in enduring for sixty thousand years, the essential work of teaching and transformation lies in the disciplinary rules; though time passes through the three calamities, the foundation must begin with samadhi and wisdom.

Thus, we ventured to inherit the undertaking of old, construct the ordination platform, and inter the relics to safeguard this blessed ground. We pray that the Compassionate Sovereign Enlightened One will illuminate and witness this endeavor, causing the great work to encompass the entire cosmos without end; may this glorious legacy remain, its lofty merit truly extending deliverance ever farther and wider. As the preface cannot adequately express this, I have composed a brief inscription:

Sovereign indeed is Perfect Enlightenment,

Teaching and transforming the three realms.

The precepts are the excellent Dharma,

Fully encompassing the myriad virtues.

Ice is colder than water;

Deep blue is darker than indigo.

If not perfected through these,

What standard could ever suffice?

Companions in the Dharma from every region

Assembled like clouds at the appointed time,

Constructing the blessed platform,

Resembling a mountain throne.

The guardianship of the precepts forms its steps;

Beings seen and unseen alike ascend.

For all generations to come,

Let this be taken as the standard.

I respectfully recount its causes and conditions,

That they may be transmitted everywhere.

This was composed by the śramaṇa Wuxing of Dengjie Monastery in Jingzhou. While teaching in Qinchuan, he encountered this flourishing Dharma assembly and therefore praised and recorded it.

11.3. On the first day of the fourth month in the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾ of the Great Tang, the śramaṇa Wuxing of Zhugong in Jingnan praised the relics upon the ordination platform

We set foot upon Mount Jing and sought the road to the Qin Range. Receiving the disciplinary rules from monks of eminent virtue, we heard what we had never heard before; receiving the pure precepts at the numinous platform, our virtue increased and our evils diminished. Therefore, the Compassionate Sovereign Enlightened One taught: “The teachings are propagated by human beings.” The noble manner established at Jeta’s Grove was inwardly accorded with in our hearts, and auspicious signs appeared in response.

Fortunate were we to encounter this venerable Dharma assembly and to inter the sacred bones within the blessed platform. The profound net had only just acquired its guiding cord, yet we thought ourselves no longer far removed from the holy one Deqi. Unable to restrain the joy in our hearts, our hands and feet began to dance.

Revering its majestic radiance, we ventured to recount the Great Way in song:

Enlightened wisdom, perfect and luminous,

Responds to beings and manifests numinous power.

Without extinction, extinction is shown;

Without birth, birth is manifested.

He proclaimed the Dharma to deliver beings,

Opening the threefold training.

The platform ground is majestic and solemn;

The virtue of the precepts gathers its fragrance.

The Yellow River dimmed its reflection;

The Crane Grove stilled its spirit.

The Able and Benevolent One entered extinction;

Prabhūtaratna manifested his body.

Radiance shone forth,

And auspicious signs appeared in response.

The two forms still remained,

Equally filling eight hu of measure.

Thereafter, King Aśoka

Gave rise to faith through these.

He divided and safeguarded them,

Enshrining them in sacred stupas.

The sacred stupas displayed wonders;

Foundations were laid in the land of Zhen.

Fufeng shone with radiance;

Huai and Hai gleamed brilliantly.

Coming from the heights of Jing,

We sought the tracks of Taiyi.

This rare and wondrous influence

Has been transmitted down to the present.

The platform resembles the contours of a mountain;

Ascending and descending proceed in order.

Safeguarded by relics,

Utmost sincerity is precious.

May this be transmitted far and wide;

May it be remembered and revered.

Its luminous model shines clearly;

The river of the mind is free of waves.

May it endure until the Stone Eon is exhausted,

And the bright pearl within the wondrous marks is beheld.

11.5. Standards for Ordination Platforms in Guanzhong and Fufeng of the Central Plain during the Great Tang

I selected the eighth day of the second month in the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾ to establish the ordination platform. Śramaṇas who heard of it came from distant regions, and more than twenty assembled. At the beginning of the summer retreat, everyone gathered again and began to receive full ordination. Most of them had come from distant regions, while fellow students from monasteries in the capital came only to observe the establishment of the platform and the conferral of the precepts.

For the benefit of the Dharma, I eagerly wished to put this into practice, but feared that errors might occur. Therefore, I had to ensure harmony and joy among those above and below, taking successful completion as foremost. Master Zhenyi of Ximing Monastery was a renowned Vinaya master in the imperial capital at that time. He possessed abundant resources and had a forceful temperament. What concerned him most was that turning back toward the east and circumambulating to the left would not accord with worldly practices.

I reassured him:

– Vinaya Master, do not see one turning back toward the east and circumambulating to the left and then consider it contrary to the Dharma! These are merely ordinary principles of the celestial order about which many people are confused, while customary practice makes few distinctions. Please understand this matter thoroughly and do not fear that it is erroneous.

He then said to me:

– I do not dare to doubt this matter. Previously, I saw that when practicing the Way, Chan Master Gong, a monk of eminent virtue at Dazhuangyan Monastery, always turned toward the east and then proceeded northward; this was circumambulation to the right. At that time, he said to me: “Have you not seen that all city gates in the human world are entered through the eastern gate and exited through the western gate, or that it is said one exits on the left and enters on the right?…”

Those who specialize in conducting ceremonial observances examined the prevailing standards of the time. Seeing that the other methods were impure, they did not adopt them. In my seventieth year, my feet ache and my knees are weary, yet I hope that those who seek the Dharma will come without shrinking from the long roads. This autumn, the climate is cool and refreshing, and the traveler’s resolve has arisen once more. Having made arrangements for the work of this entire lifetime, I shall surely be at ease when I enter extinction. Thus, I exerted myself to compile this as an offering for the day my life ends. Speaking of this, I swallow my tears alone—how sorrowful indeed!

On the fourteenth day of the second month in the second year of the Qianfeng era ⁽⁶⁶⁷⁾, on the occasion of establishing the great boundary of the pure ground at Qingguan, I composed the Proclamation on the Pure Kitchen.

The Way of our patriarch is like Xihe^[37]; rising higher than Yuyi^[38], what could it fail to illuminate! I was fortunate from an early age to find teachers from whom to inquire about the Way and to investigate its profound principles. At that time, however, the imperial court imposed restrictions upon monks and Daoist priests, making the transmission of the Way extremely difficult; thus, I still had to endure my ignorance while residing at Kaiyuan Monastery and Zhaoqing Monastery.

It happened that Master Zhengwu Yizhi was rebuilding the ordination platform, and so I took part in reviewing its regulations. When the platform was nearly completed, I recalled the Illustrated Scripture on the Ordination Platform compiled by our patriarch and annotated by Master Zhenwu. Although it had once been block-printed, the blocks and copies had all been destroyed in the ravages of war.

Fearing that this teaching might disappear, I solicited material contributions from donors everywhere, followed the old edition, collated and corrected it, and had new blocks carved for circulation. In undertaking this work, I hope that this scripture will shine brilliantly forever and never be lost, enabling future generations to understand the importance and nobility of the regulations governing the ordination platform.

The first day of the twelfth month, in the twenty-second year of the Shaoxing era (1152) of the Song dynasty.

Recorded by Bhikshu Weiding, abbot of Jingde Cloister at Wolong.

Notes:

^[1] Conducting the proceedings 行事: performing the rites of a Dharma assembly according to prescribed rules. In addition, a person charged with a particular duty is also called a “proceedings officer.”

^[2] Square boundary 方相: a boundary for the formal establishment of a sacred precinct that is square in shape, one of the five forms of boundary markers.

^[3] Eight rules of respect 八敬戒 (S: Aṭṭha Garu-Dhammā): eight rules by which bhikshunis must show reverence and respect to bhikshus. Four years after the Buddha attained enlightenment, his maternal aunt Mahāprajāpatī, together with five hundred women, requested permission to renounce the household life. The Buddha did not consent, chiefly because if women were admitted to the monastic life, the true Dharma, which would otherwise remain in the world for one thousand years, would be shortened by five hundred years.

^[4] The countries of the Western Regions 西天諸國: the countries west of China, most commonly referring to India.

^[5] The Sarvāstivāda Vinaya in Ten Recitations 十誦律: an extensive Vinaya in sixty-one fascicles, jointly translated by Puṇyatāra and Kumārajīva during the Later Qin dynasty of the Yao clan in China; it is included in volume 23 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

^[6] Five Hundred Questions 五百問: namely, the Scripture Spoken by the Buddha on the Five Hundred Matters of Minor and Major Importance in the Precepts, as Questioned by Maudgalyāyana.

^[7] Alternate kneeling 互跪: an Indian kneeling posture.

^[8] Chi 尺: an ancient Chinese unit of length, equivalent to 0.33 meters.

^[9] Jin 斤: an ancient Chinese unit of weight, equal to sixteen liang.

^[10] Abhiṣeka 灌頂 (S: Abhiṣecana): an ancient Indian ceremony in which water was poured over the head. When a king ascended the throne or a crown prince was installed, the royal preceptor poured water from the four great seas over the crown of his head as a blessing.

^[11] Three kinds of emptiness 三空: three kinds of “emptiness” established in relation to the attachments of sentient beings, comprising the emptiness of self, the emptiness of dharmas, and the emptiness of both.

^[12] The first tier was one cubit high; the second was two and a half cubits high (this is suspected to be an error for one and a half, since only two and a half cubits remained); and the third was two cun high. Thus, the platform originally had three sections. Śakra subsequently added another layer shaped like an inverted pot, making four layers. Then Brahmā covered it with a precious jewel, making five layers. In this way, all five sections were complete.

^[13] Yojana 由旬 (S: Yojana): an ancient Indian unit of length. The Sanskrit word Yojana means “yoking” and derives from the root “yuj,” referring to the distance an ox can travel under the yoke in one day.

^[14] Four Heavenly Kings 四天王: the four heavenly kings, who serve as Śakra’s outer generals: Dhṛtarāṣṭra guards the east, Virūpākṣa guards the west, Virūḍhaka guards the south, and Vaiśravaṇa guards the north. Halfway up Mount Sumeru is a mountain called Yugandhara. It has four peaks, upon each of which dwells one of the four heavenly kings. Each protects one continent; hence, they are called the Four Heavenly Kings Who Protect the World. Their dwelling place is called the Heaven of the Four Kings.

^[15] Śramaṇa Baochang 釋寶唱: an eminent Chinese monk who lived during the Liang dynasty. His family name was Cen, and he was from Wu Commandery (Wu County, Jiangsu Province). While still young, he entered Jianshu Monastery, renounced the household life under Master Sengyou, and thoroughly studied the sutras and Vinaya. Later, he resided at Zhuangyan Monastery, where he read many scriptures and gained a profound understanding of their principles.

^[16] This description concerns one side of the diagram of the ordination platform. On the other three sides, only the profiles and backs of the deities can be faintly seen, making them difficult to depict. In the illustrated scripture, the figures are arranged according to their directions, some clearly visible and others concealed, some standing and others seated. If anyone builds such a platform in the future, it should be arranged according to the scripture.

^[17] Character dictionaries 字書: books that take individual characters as their basic units and explain the forms, pronunciations, and meanings of Chinese characters, such as the Shuowen Jiezi, Yupian, and others.

^[18] Cun 寸: one Chinese cun is equivalent to 0.033 meters.

^[19] Mental activity 心行 (S: Citta-carya): the operations, activities, or changing states of the mind, such as joy, sorrow, love, and hatred.

^[20] Zhang 丈: an ancient Chinese unit of length or height, equivalent to ten Chinese chi.

^[21] Qing 頃: a unit of area equal to one hundred Chinese mu.

^[22] Ghaṇṭā 犍稚 (S: Ghaṇṭā): an instrument struck to announce the time in a monastery.

^[23] Offerings of the faithful 信施: material goods offered to the Three Jewels by persons of faith, or the donated goods themselves.

^[24] The Two Rivers 兩河: the Nairañjanā River and the Ajitavatī River.

^[25] Xunyu 獯鬻: an ancient people of northern China. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, they were called the Xunyu; during the Zhou dynasty, the Xianyun; and during the Qin and Han dynasties, the Xiongnu.

^[26] The sentence “As Vinaya Master Vimalākṣa said...” is probably erroneous, because this is a scripture spoken by the Buddha; how could the Buddha have quoted Vinaya Master Vimalākṣa? Vimalākṣa was Kumārajīva’s teacher, a native of Kashmir who came to China during the Wei-Jin period.

^[27] Square boundary 方相: a boundary for the formal establishment of a sacred precinct that is square in shape, one of the five forms of boundary markers.

^[28] Edge of the vajra wheel 金剛之輪: the golden-wheel layer at the base of the earth strata. According to fascicle 11 of the Abhidharmakośa, the physical world consists of three layers: the wind wheel is the lowest layer, with an extremely broad surface and a thickness of sixteen lakṣas; above it is the water wheel, only eight lakṣas thick; its uppermost portion solidifies into gold and is called the golden wheel. Above the golden wheel lies the earth stratum, comprising nine mountains, eight seas, four continents, and so forth. The outermost limit of the golden wheel is called the edge of the golden wheel.

^[29] The eight-character sacrifice of the body 八字捨身: the Nirvana Sutra recounts an episode from a former life of Śākyamuni Buddha, when he was still cultivating the bodhisattva practice. In one lifetime, while practicing austerities in the Snow Mountains, Śakra transformed himself into a rākṣasa to test the bodhisattva. At that time, the rākṣasa recited the first two lines of a verse to the bodhisattva and then stopped.

Wishing to hear the entire verse, the bodhisattva offered his body and life in exchange for its latter half. The latter half consisted of eight Chinese characters: “When arising and cessation have ceased, quiescent cessation is bliss.” The complete verse reads: “All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. They are subject to arising and cessation.

When arising and cessation have ceased, quiescent cessation is bliss.”

^[30] Four reliances 四依: four practices upon which practitioners rely. These four practices are conditions for entering the Path and the basis of reliance for those of superior faculties and keen capacities; hence they are called the Four Reliant Practices. Because these Four Reliant Practices have the power to give rise to the Noble Path and are the seeds of the Noble Path, they are called the Four Noble Lineages. They are: 1. Wearing rag-robes; 2. Regularly going on almsround; 3. Sitting beneath a tree; 4. Using fermented urine as medicine.

^[31] Tenfold Sangha 十僧: a Sangha assembly consisting of ten bhikshus. This is a mandatory requirement at a bhikshu ordination platform.

^[32] Jeta Grove 給園: that is, Anathapindika’s Grove.

^[33] Golden River 金河: that is, the Ajitavati River in Kushinagara, India.

^[34] Jade Gate 玉門: refers to the place where the king resides.

^[35] Numinous Terrace 靈臺: the name of a terrace that King Wen of Zhou ordered to be built.

^[36] Hall of Light 明堂: the place where emperors of ancient times proclaimed righteous teachings. It was used for such events as court assemblies, sacrificial rites, the bestowal of rewards, the selection of worthy persons, the care of the elderly, instruction, and so forth.

^[37] Xi and He 羲和: the Xi and He clans. Legend relates that Emperor Yao once commanded the two pairs of brothers Xi Zhong and Xi Shu, and He Zhong and He Shu, to dwell separately in the four directions, observe celestial phenomena, and establish the calendar. The term may also refer to the sun.

^[38] Yuyi 隅夷: in ancient legend, this was the place where the sun rose. Later, it mostly referred to countries in the east, such as Korea, Japan, and so forth.