Upholding the Pure Precepts and Serving All Beings with Loving-kindness

From 13 to 19 November 2025, Ling Jiou Mountain held the Conferral of the Five Precepts of Laity and the Bodhisattva Vow. On the first day, the ceremony was graced by the presence of Master Shengxiong, the Preceptor; Master Weiwu, the Chairman; and Master Dayun, the Instructor. They were greeted with the formal welcome offered by the precept recipients.

Participants demonstrated remarkable dedication. Coming here to receive the five precepts of laity and the Bodhisattva Vow is no small undertaking. The five precepts provide a foundational orientation toward both self-benefit and benefiting others, while the Bodhisattva Precepts serve as a crucial point of connection—with all sentient beings as well as with one’s own parents and teachers. Although the rehearsal and preparation process was demanding, we should feel deeply fortunate to have the opportunity in this lifetime to receive such pure and noble precepts.

To “receive the precepts” means to take on a framework of ethical guidelines and direction that allows us to align our conduct with that of the bodhisattvas. Such alignment teaches us how to act appropriately—not only in terms of filial devotion toward our parents, but also in cultivating loving-kindness toward the sick and vulnerable.

The five precepts of laity are well known: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants. These five constitute the most basic ethical foundation of being a human being; they are the minimum moral qualities one ought to possess. After receiving the five precepts, it is essential that practitioners clearly understand them and put them into practice.

The Bodhisattva Vow extends this further by centering the care and safeguarding of all sentient beings. In addition to the five precepts just mentioned, one additional injunction is included: “not to speak of the faults of the fourfold assembly.” In this sense, the precepts are like our protective amulet—our guardian. With the safeguard of the five precepts, one is assured a favorable rebirth as a human being; and by properly upholding the Bodhisattva Vow, one’s service to all sentient beings will naturally be carried out with dignity and propriety.

It is my hope that everyone receives the precepts wholeheartedly, and that after undertaking the Bodhisattva Vow—comprising the six major and twenty-eight minor precepts—you will uphold them diligently. In doing so, may you offer this merit to your parents and teachers, honoring them with filial devotion. In daily life, may you observe the precepts properly and in accordance with the Dharma.