Respect for one's teacher and the path.
The teacher and the path have always been inseparable. In ancient times, there was a saying that a teacher is like a father, and a disciple like a son. Once someone becomes your teacher, the relationship is considered to be on par with that of a father and son.
To take someone as your "father," the rites involved cannot be taken lightly. This is why Ying Yue insisted on Liu Ying performing the three prostrations and nine kowtows.
Back in the day when Great Saint Sun became a disciple under Bodhi Ancestor Master, he too carried out the grand ceremony of three prostrations and nine kowtows. Naturally, Liu Ying's apprenticeship today could not omit this etiquette.
"From today onwards, you are my Chief Disciple!"
And so, Liu Ying successfully became a disciple, and Ying Yue gained a Chief Disciple, for whom he was quite pleased.
