The Hsi-Lai Temple ("Westward" Temple), located in Los Angeles was founded by the monk Hsing Yun of the Fu-kuang-shan Temple in Taiwan. The name expresses the hope that Buddhism will spread in the West.
Preparations began in 1978, and work was completed in 1988. Personal representatives of Presidents Bush and Reagan and of Buddhist groups of both the Mahayana and Theravada sects from over 30 nations attended, as did 2,000 overseas Chinese and many local residents.
Hsi-Lai Temple also held ceremonies extending over one month, among which the most meaningful was the three-step ordination through which converts to Buddhism must pass. Before this, converts are known as sramanera for men and sramanerika for women. After ordination they become bhiksu and bhiksuni--fully fledged monks and nuns--respectively. Candidates must be recommended by a Buddhist teacher and pass through a review of family background and personal living situation to see if they are suited for ordination.
The ordination ceremonies lasted for a week, during which three Buddhist teachers instructed candidates on the rules for dress, eating, behavior, and so on, to be observed in life. In general, there are 250 rules for the bhiksu, and nearly 500 for bhiksuni. After the instruction, if the candidate is found to be qualified, the instructor lights incense and makes chieh-pa (small burn marks) on the frontal part of the skull, and then presents a document--like a certificate of completion of the course--and the candidates officially become monks or nuns.
The biggest difference between Hsi-Lai Temple's ordination and others' is that this was the first time a group of Theravada monks and nuns went to a Mahayana Chinese Buddhist temple to be ordained.
Because the Theravada branch does not recognize the status of bhiksuni, they only ordain bhiksu and not bhiksuni. According to Hsin Yun, Theravada originally also had bhiksuni, but this practice was discontinued almost a thousand years ago.
Many bhiksuni of the Theravada branch, in order to secure their status in Buddhism, overcame many difficulties to enroll for this ordination ceremony. Hsi-Lai Temple, based on its principle of not excluding any sects, then accepted them. Further, Hsi-Lai's large site also attracted Tibetan followers to come to seek ordination. This made the total of persons ordained reach 250, of whom almost half were Westerners. The ceremony was conducted separately in Chinese, English, and Fukienese.
No wonder Hsi-Lai Temple's three-step ordination was hailed by the Buddhist world as a "great historical event of the last thousand years."
[Picture Caption]
Getting the ordination "diploma"--and leaving behind a happy "class portrait."
(Left) Before ordination is the shaving ceremony, conducted by the master.
(Right) The candidates for ordination sincerely ask the master for instructions.
The candidates practice a Buddhist ceremony.
In the three-stage ceremony at the Hsi-Lai Temple, the path of the devot ees officially begins here.
The ordination period is not just a time to learn the injunctions, it is also a time for opening one's heart and personal reflection. Some people even cry!
The master relays the discipline for the "alms bowl."
Getting the ordination "diploma"--and leaving behind a happy "class portrait.".
（Right） The candidates for ordination sincerely ask the master for instructions.
The candidates practice a Buddhist ceremony.
The ordination period is not just a time to learn the injunctions, it is also a time for opening one's heart and personal reflection. Some people even cry!
In the three-stage ceremony at the Hsi-Lai Temple, the path of the devot ees officially begins here.
The master relays the discipline for the "alms bowl.".
