The Bodhisattva Precepts (Skt. bodhisattva-à Âëla or bodhisattva-saá¹ÂvÃÂra, , ; ) are a set of ethical trainings (à Âëla) used in MahÃÂyÃÂna Buddhism to advance a practitioner along the path to becoming a bodhisattva. These sets of "restrains" (Sanskrit: saá¹ÂvÃÂra) are the main ethical code in MahÃÂyÃÂna Buddhism and as thus also sometimes called "MahÃÂyÃÂna precepts" (Ch: 大ä¹ÂæÂÂ).
Traditionally, Buddhist monks and nuns observed the basic moral code in Buddhism, the monastic prÃÂtimoká¹£a or five precepts for laypersons, but in the MahÃÂyÃÂna tradition, Buddhist monastics and laypersons commonly observe the Bodhisattva Precepts as well. The Bodhisattva Precepts are associated with the bodhisattva vow to save all beings and with bodhicitta.
Early Buddhism made use of basic moral codes called PrÃÂtimoká¹£a. They included sets of precepts which were expected to be taken by laypersons, like the five precepts, and longer sets of rules for monastics (the Vinaya). With the emergence of MahÃÂyÃÂna traditions, alternative moral codes were established, found in texts such as the Bodhisattvabhà «mi, Candragomin's Bodhisattvasamvaraviá¹Âà Âaka, and the BrahmajÃÂla Sà «tra.
Unlike prÃÂtimoká¹£a precepts, bodhisattva precepts could be undertaken by both monastics and laypeople, regardless of gender. Furthermore, bodhisattva precepts were considered to be valid in this life and in all future lifetimes until Buddhahood, whereas other sets of precepts were considered to lapse at death. Formal ceremonies for conferring bodhisattva precepts, along with confession rituals modeled on uposadha practices, are detailed in various MahÃÂyÃÂna texts. These rites and models influenced later forms of Buddhism in China and Tibet.
Bodhisattva precepts cover a wide range of behavior. Some focus on interpersonal relations, encouraging compassion and altruism, while others address broader responsibilities, such as the prohibition against destroying cities. Interestingly, the bodhisattva precepts sometimes supersede the prÃÂtimoká¹£a precepts; for example, certain secondary infractions suggest that actions typically deemed unethicalâÂÂsuch as killing or lyingâÂÂcould be justified if they lead to greater benefit. Notably, rejecting MahÃÂyÃÂna as the BuddhaâÂÂs word (buddhavacana) is a significant infraction, reflecting historical debates over the authenticity of MahÃÂyÃÂna sà «tras.
A common schema for MahÃÂyÃÂna precepts is the three categories referred to as the "three sets of pure precepts" (trividhÃÂni à ÂëlÃÂni, Chin. ä¸ÂèÂÂÃ¥ÂÂæ sanju jingjie, or à Âëlatrayam, "three types of morality"). This category is already found in an early form in the Avataá¹Âsaka Sà «tra. It is also found in the Commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra (Ch: Shidi jinglun Ã¥ÂÂå°ç¶Âè«Â), attributed to Vasubandhu.
The most important source for the three kinds of precepts is the Bodhisattvabhà «mi, which explains these as:
The first category aligns with the disciplinary rules of early Buddhism (HënayÃÂna), while the second and third reflect distinctly MahÃÂyÃÂna ethical principles.
Aside from these, the Bodhisattvabhà «mi also includes another set of specific precepts for monastic bodhisattvas. The earliest translation of this text (in Chinese, Taisho no. 30) has four main precepts and forty-two minor ones. The four main precepts are:
East Asian Buddhism makes use of different sets of bodhisattva precepts found in various Mahayana sutras.
Two of the most common sets of precepts are:
The BrahmajÃÂla Sà «tra, translated by KumÃÂrajëva (c. 400 CE), has a list of ten major and forty-eight minor Bodhisattva precepts. The Bodhisattva Precepts may be often called the "Brahma Net Precepts" (), particularly in Buddhist scholarship, although other sets of bodhisattva precepts may be found in other texts as well. These precepts are often taken by monastics in East Asian Buddhism.
Typically, in East Asian MahÃÂyÃÂna traditions, only the ten major precepts are considered the bodhisattva precepts. According to the sutra, the ten major bodhisattva precepts are in summary:
Breaking any of these precepts is described as a major offense in the sutra. A fuller description is as follows: The forty eight minor precepts include refraining from numerous negative acts such as: eating meat, drinking alcohol, not respecting teachers, failing to make offerings or attending Dharma teachings, abandoning the Mahayana, keeping weapons, trading slaves, arson, promoting non-Mahayana teachings, divisive speech, wrong livelihood, selling weapons, persecuting Dharma followers, etc.
These bodhisattva precepts are particularly important in Japanese Buddhism, as many Japanese monastics do not follow the full Vinaya, but do follow a monastic code based on the bodhisattva precepts. Thus, Japanese schools like Tendai and Zen follow these precepts and their main ethical code. In the Sà Âtà  school of Zen, the founder Dà Âgen also wrote on these precepts in his Busso shà Âden bosatsukai kyà Âju kaimon. However, he taught and transmitted only the ten major precepts of the BrahmÃÂ's Net Sà «tra and not the forty eight minor ones. He combined these ten with the three refuges and the three pure precepts into what is today called the sixteen precepts.
The Sutra of the Ethics of a Lay Follower (UpÃÂsakÃÂà Âëla sà «tra, Chinese: Youposai wu jie weiyi jing åªå©Âå¡ÂäºÂæ å¨ÂÃ¥ÂÂç¶Â, Taisho no. 1488) contains six major and twenty eight minor bodhisattva precepts specifically for Buddhist lay disciples (upÃÂsakas). In Chinese Buddhism, this is often done in a ceremony at a Buddhist temple and sometimes a retreat lasting multiple days is required for orientation.
The six major lay bodhisattva precepts in this sutra are the five precepts plus an extra precept which focuses on not "speaking of the faults of bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, or upasikas." Furthermore, the fifth precept (not taking any intoxicants like alcohol etc) has been modified to "not selling intoxicants". Minor precepts include things like making offerings to parents and teachers, looking after the sick, and greeting monastics and elder lay disciples.
In VajrayÃÂna, the bodhisattva vows became the second of three sets of precepts, preceded by the prÃÂtimoká¹£a vows and followed by tantric commitments (samaya). Tibetan literature, particularly the Sdom gsum texts, extensively explores the interrelationship and compatibility of these three sets of vows.
In Tibetan Buddhism there are two lineages of bodhisattva precepts, one from Asanga's tradition and another from Shantideva. Asanga (circa 300 CE) delineated 18 major vows and forty-six minor vows in the "Bodhisattvabhumi" section of the YogÃÂcÃÂrabhà «mi à ÂÃÂstra. According to Alexander Berzin, the bodhisattva vows transmitted by the 10th-century Indian master Atisha "derives from the Sutra of Akashagarbha (Nam-mkha'i snying-po mdo, Skt. Akashagarbhasutra), as cited in à Âiká¹£ÃÂsamuccaya (âÂÂTraining AnthologyâÂÂ, Tib. bSlabs-btus), compiled in India by à ÂÃÂntideva in the 8th century" including 18 primary and 48 secondary downfalls.
These Bodhisattva vows are still used in all four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The eighteen major vows (as actions to be abandoned) which are shared by both traditions are as follows:
According to Atià Âa, the PrÃÂtimoká¹£a vows are the basis for the Bodhisattva vows. Without keeping one of the different sets of PrÃÂtimoká¹£a vows (in one of the existing Vinaya schools), there can be no Bodhisattva vow.
The Chinese Chan monk, Yin Shun, wrote of the Bodhisattva Precepts, "To cultivate bodhi mind means to accept the bodhisattva precepts and practice the ten good deeds."
In practice, the acceptance of and ordination of the Bodhisattva Precepts varies greatly depending on the school of Mahayana Buddhism. In East Asian Buddhism, a fully ordained monk or nun ordains under the traditional prÃÂtimoká¹£a precepts first according to the vinaya of the Dharmaguptaka. In the Chinese tradition, this is called the Four Part Vinaya (). Then as a supplement, the same disciple would undertake the Bodhisattva Precepts as well.
Monks and nuns are not considered "ordained" by the Bodhisattva Precepts, but rather by the "Four Part Vinaya", while the Bodhisattva Precepts served to strengthen the Mahayana ideals. Similarly, the Bodhisattva Precepts are given to lay disciples to strengthen their devotion to Buddhism as well. Such disciples often take the basic Five Precepts and then the Bodhisattva precepts as a supplement.
In Buddhism in Japan, the "Four-Part Vinaya" was deemphasized with the rise of Saichà  and the Tendai sect and a new monastic community was set up exclusively using the Brahmajala Sutras Bodhisattva Precepts. All Vinaya ordinations at the time were given at Tà Âdai-ji in Nara and Saichà  had wanted to both undermine the power of the Nara Buddhist community and to establish a "purely Mahayana lineage", and made a request to the Emperor to Later Buddhist sects, which was granted 7 days after his death in 822.
Later Buddhist sects in Japan, including the Sà Âtà  school of Zen, Jà Âdo-shà « and Shingon Buddhism, adopted a similar approach to their monastic communities and exclusive use of the Bodhisattva Precepts. By this time in Japan, the Vinaya lineage had all but died out and Japan's remote location made it difficult to reestablish though limited efforts by Jà Âkei and the Shingon Risshu revived it for a time. This was further enforced during the Meiji period, when the of 1872 decriminalized clerical marriage and meat-eating.