Jukai Ceremony at ZMM with Shugen Roshi – April 2026

This episode captures the Jukai ceremony at Zen Mountain Monastery, led by Shugen Roshi on April 12, 2026, marking the formal reception of the 16 Bodhisattva precepts by three new practitioners. The ceremony unfolds with deep reverence, beginning with the invocation of the Three Treasures—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—and the recitation of the Gatha of Atonement, emphasizing personal responsibility for past actions. Shugen Roshi offers a profound teaching on the nature of the precepts, framing them not as rigid rules but as living practices rooted in compassion, selflessness, and awareness. He explains the three pure precepts—refraining from evil, practicing good, and actualizing good for others—and elaborates on the 10 great precepts, each grounded in ethical clarity and mindful action. The ceremony culminates in the formal transmission of the precepts, the bestowal of Dharma names—Kyosei, Yugen, and Kyonen—and a powerful affirmation of the practitioners’ entry into the unbroken lineage of awakening. The talk concludes with a call to live these vows with courage, clarity, and ongoing commitment, emphasizing that the precepts are not burdens but liberating guides for a life of integrity and interconnectedness.