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【編按】萬佛聖城第七次三壇大戒共計傳七十六人：比丘戒十一人（二人增益受戒）、比丘尼四十五人（五人增益受戒），沙彌戒五人、沙彌尼戒十五人，都是城內常住。上宣下化老和尚為得戒阿闍梨，明暘大和尚為羯磨阿闍梨，明哲大和尚為教授阿闍梨，另有七位尊證師及引禮師十八人。
第七次三壇大戒記實
三個多月來的嚴格受訓，奠定新生命的開始，受了具足大戒，不再是孩子，而是長成頂天立地延續佛教命脈的大人。自今以後「弘法為家務，利生為事業」是每一位受了菩薩戒的比丘、比丘尼一生所奉行的宗旨，而「受戒守戒」、「了生脫死、修行證果」則是自我期許的目標。
「弟子某某，盡形壽皈依佛，盡形壽皈依法，盡形壽皈依僧。我今隨佛出家，上宣下化為和尚，如來至真等正覺，是我世尊慈湣故… 」是傳授二壇具足戒的重點三次羯磨而乞納戒體，在最緊要的時刻，必須符合稱自己名，稱和尚名，教乞乞戒，不眠醉瞋恚，非無心受的五個條件。一句「我今隨佛出家，上宣下化為和尚」是一種苦海無邊，回頭是岸的慶喜，是如闇遇明，火中求蓮的喜悅，是戒法難遇，善知識難逢的感恩。
今年五月下旬上人觀察因緣，決定在九月初水陸空法會之後傳三壇大戒。消息傳來沙彌、沙彌尼、及新出家者欣喜不已。受戒條件是要背完五十三小咒、沙彌律儀、四分比丘（比丘尼）戒、梵網經菩薩戒。對許多不解中文者，這實在不是容易的事，但大家都全力以赴。特別珍惜這回受戒的機緣。因上人說：「出家人不受具足戒，就等於在家人一樣…今年以後欲出家者，必須先受過三年的磨練，然後才落髮，而後再經過兩年的禮佛、拜懺、誦經才可以受戒，這一次是特別方便中的方便…」。
戒期開始後，除了大眾的共修功課，戒子們每天有四小時的拜願徹底洗心懺悔。念念「南無本師釋迦牟尼佛！」耳聽、口言、心念。用耐心、慈心、悲心、堅心對治內在的業障煩惱、無明習氣和外在的一切境界。戒子們分秒必爭隨時隨地積極背誦，甚至於上洗手間都在默習，真是實踐古人所謂「讀書三上：路上、枕上、廁上。」「貧者因書而富。」世間學問尚且如此，佛親自制定的戒律更是度脫生死的寶筏！透過不斷禮懺以洗心革面，記憶戒條以戒香薰修，日久功深，潛移默化中戒子們，變化氣質，威儀莊嚴，走路、說話、動作都為如法出家人。懺摩、學戒的力量，使人煥然一新。
上人要僧眾隨其所修，參加水陸法會，或誦經、或拜懺、或念佛。所以每個戒子無不希望在水陸法會之前背完戒，以便心無旁騖地參加受戒前的佛事。就在八月底開始打水陸時，百分之八十以上的同學把全部戒文都背會了，其餘的人至少也背了五十三小咒、沙彌律儀和菩薩戒。戒的力量令道心愈堅。
水陸法會過後，接著一週緊湊的講解傳戒儀軌、用心排演，戒子們一一認真練習，由沙彌戒初壇、比丘（尼）戒二壇、菩薩戒三壇，次第如法圓滿。清朝順治皇帝〈讚僧詩〉說：「黃金白玉非為貴，唯有袈裟披最難。」祝福四海所有戒子都能堅持淨戒，成為人天眼目、法門龍象。
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Note: During the Seventh Transmission of the Three Platforms of Precepts at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas seventy-six people received the precepts: eleven received Bhikshu Precepts (two were receiving the precepts for the second time); forty-five received the Bhikshuni Precepts (five were receiving the precepts for the second time); five received the Shramanera Precepts; fifteen received the Shramanerika Precepts--all were long-term residents at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. The Venerable Master Hsuan, Preceptor Hua was the Precept-Transmitting Master; The Great Master Ming, Acharya Yang was the Karmadana Acharya; and The Great Master Ming, Acharya Je was the Teaching-Transmitting Acharya. There were also seven Certifiers and eighteen Precentors.
Recorded during the Seventh Transmission of the Three Platforms of Magnificent Precepts
The past three months' training is the foundation for a new life. Those who receive the complete precepts are no longer children. They are adults who stand tall under the sky and firm on the ground and who will be responsible for perpetuating the Buddha's teachings. From now on "propagating the Dharma is our family business; benefiting beings is our profession" shall be the motto of each Bhikshu and Bhikshuni who holds the Bodhisattva precepts. "Receiving and guarding the precepts, ending birth and death, cultivating, and certifying to the fruition" shall be the goals which we all wish to attain.
"We disciples to the ends of our lives take refuge with the Buddha, take refuge with the Dharma and take refuge with the Sangha. We now follow the Buddha to leave the home-life under the Venerable Master Hsuan, Preceptor Hua, and in accord with the Thus Come One's true and proper enlightenment. This is able to happen due to the kindness of our World Honored One." This is the essence of the Second Platform which is repeated three times. After the third Karmavachana of seeking the Precepts thus, one receives the precept-substance. At that most crucial moment, one must fulfill five conditions: One must say one's own name; one must say the name of one's Precept Transmitter; one must seek the precepts in the way,one is instructed; one must be free of sleep and anger; and one must not fail to have the resolve to receive the precepts. In the one sentence: "I now follow the Buddha to leave the home-life under the Venerable Master Hsuan, Preceptor Hua" is the joy and celebration of having turned from the boundless sea of suffering toward the shore. It is the delight of finding a lamp in the darkness; the bliss of discovering a lotus in the fire. It is that gratitude at finding the Dharma which is so difficult to meet; the joy of encountering a Good and Wise Advisor who is so hard to find.
This year in May the Venerable Master looked into the conditions and decided that after the Water, Land and Air Repentance in September, there should be a Transmission of the Complete Precepts. Once the news spread, the Shramaneras, Shramanerikas, and those who were newly left-home were happy and excited beyond measure. The requirements in order to be able to receive the precepts included memorizing the 53 mantras, the Shramanera Vinaya, the Four Divisions of Bhikshu or Bhikshuni Precepts, and the Brahma Net Version of the Bodhisattva Precepts. For those who did not know Chinese, these were tough requirements, but everyone accepted the assignments and went to work. Everyone recognized the opportunity to receive the precepts as being an invaluable one. Especially since the Venerable Master had announced: "Left-home people who do not receive the complete precepts are no different from lay people ... After this year, those who wish to receive the complete precepts must first train for three full years before they are allowed to have their heads shaved. Then they must go through two more years of bowing to the Buddha, bowing in repentance, and reciting sutras from memory before they will be accepted to receive the precepts. This year's transmission is especially expedient among the most expedient ones..."
After the precept platform commenced, besides the regularly scheduled ceremonies and classes that everyone attended, the preceptees further bowed before the Buddhas four hours a day doing repentances to thoroughly cleanse their minds. In every thought was the praise "Homage to our Original Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha!" Their ears heard it, their mouths chanted it, their minds revered it. They used patience, kindness, compassion, and determination to counteract their internal karmic obstacles, afflictions, ignorance, and habits and to confront every external situation and state. At all times and in all places the preceptees could be found diligently memorizing their texts--even to the point that they would be silently reviewing their memorization while in the washroom. They made full use of every moment and put the old saying into practice: "In studying there are three requisites: (1) on the road, (2) on the pillow and (3) on the toilet." It's also said that "Learning makes the poor rich." Since learning worldly knowledge is like that, how much the more are the precepts established by the Buddha himself a precious raft for crossing the sea of birth and death. Passing through ceaseless repentance for cleansing the mind; memorizing each precept and infusing their fragrance into daily cultivation; and deepening skill, day by day, the preceptees went through silent, imperceptible changes--changing their habits, altering their personalities, and developing adorned and awesome deportment until the way they walked, the way they talked, their every movement revealed left-home people who conducted themselves in accord with the Dharma. The power of repentance, the strength of studying the precepts causes people to change and become new!
The Venerable Master wanted the left-home people to join in the Water, Land, and Air Repentance according to the Dharma doors / they liked to cultivate: whether reciting Sutras, bowing repentances, or reciting the Buddha's name. Thus all the preceptees hoped to finish their memorization of the precepts prior to the start of the Water, Land, and Air Repentance, so that they could join wholeheartedly in the cultivation of that Buddhist event prior to receiving the precepts. Thus, by the time the Water, Land and Air Repentance began at the end of August, eighty percent of the preceptees already had their precepts memorized. The others at least knew the fifty-three mantras, the Shramanera Vinaya and the Bodhisattva Precepts by heart. The power of the precepts causes our intent for the Way to become ever more firm.
After the Water, Land, and Air Repentance was over the explanation of the Precept Transmission Ceremony and the practice took place in the tight space of one week. The preceptees practiced diligently and so the First Platform of the Shramanera Precepts, the Second Platform of Bhikshu, Bhikshuni Precepts and the Third Platform of Bodhisattva Precepts were all carried out perfectly in accord with Dharma. Qing Dynasty Emperor Shun Jr (in his Verse in Praise of the Sangha) said: "Gold and jade cannot be considered valuable / When compared to the difficulty of being able to don the kashaya (precept sash)." May all those preceptees in the entire world firmly uphold the pure precepts and act as guides for humans and gods and as outstanding individuals within Buddhism.
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