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Dai Tang 3 - Bac Truyen No3
The song “How Are You Now” is sung again by the teacher with Vietnamese lyrics describing the state of “you”: not sad, not overly happy, always smiling, living in impermanence and ease. Following that are simple words about mindfulness in every small action, such as eating fruit—chewing slowly, eating little—and the image of a drop of milk falling like a queen’s crown, a wondrous symbol of each moment.
Today, we move on to study the precepts in preparation for the ordination ceremony. There are four types of teachers in the ceremony: the guiding teacher, the precept-transmitting teacher (Upadhyaya or preceptor), the Karmadana teacher, and the teaching teacher. The three principal ones are called the Three Teachers:
- The precept-transmitting teacher bestows the precepts.
- The Karmadana teacher performs the ritual to make the ceremony legitimate.
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The teaching teacher guides the aspirant through the ceremony.
In the Vietnamese tradition following the Dharmaguptaka lineage, there are 250 precepts for bhikshus and 348 precepts for bhikshunis (compared to 227 precepts in the Theravāda tradition).
Before receiving the precepts, the aspirant prepares the robe, bowl, and sitting mat, which include three robes:
- The inner robe (An Da Hui),
- The upper robe (Uttarasanga),
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The outer robe (Sanghati).
When changing robes, one must perform the ceremony of relinquishing the old robe and then receive the new robe with a gatha to remind oneself of the aspiration: “How beautiful is the robe of liberation… all my life I vow to wear it.” The alms bowl and water filter are also received with corresponding gathas, reminding one to maintain right understanding and a compassionate heart. The minimum age for a novice nun is 18, after two years she may receive the full precepts at the age of 20.