四明尊者教行錄 6.30

6.30

Based on the petition submitted by the śramaṇas Zhili and Yiwen, abbots of this cloister transmitting the Tiantai teachings, stating: Formerly, in the seventh month of the second year of Zhidao [996], the former two successive cloister masters, the monks Juming and Xiantong, relinquished this cloister to Zhili and Yiwen to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions, to transmit and expound the doctrinal teachings of Tiantai Zhizhe, and to settle monks to cultivate the Way. From that time forth, they successively managed the cloister's affairs, gathering students to lecture on and practice the Tiantai doctrinal teachings, now spanning sixteen years. Recently, as the halls and lodgings were dilapidated and somewhat impeded the lodging of the assembly, they invited the monk Jueyuan of Jinwencang Cloister on Mount Tiantai to raise donations and rebuild them from scratch. Now that this has been completely accomplished, according to the current administrative registers there are over one hundred and twenty bays of buildings, and they have already received the bestowed imperial plaque that honors and makes prominent the cloister's gate. The monastic assembly consists of some fifty members, lecturing, practicing, burning incense, and cultivating, so as to repay the imperial beneficence above. As this cloister was originally relinquished to Zhili and the others to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions, it was never within the limits of hereditary succession by disciples; it must always have monks of renowned virtue succession after succession to lecture and expound without discontinuation, settling the assembly to burn incense and cultivate. They wish to follow the model of the mountain monasteries of Jiangnan and Hunan circuits to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions. After the demise of Zhili and Yiwen, the monastics residing in the cloister together with the patrons are permitted to select and invite from among the students of this cloister a monk of virtuous conduct who clearly understands Zhizhe's doctrinal vehicle and can gather students from near and far, to succeed to the transmission of the teachings and the abbotship. If this cloister entirely lacks such a person of virtue, they shall invite from other monasteries and other prefectures a monk who genuinely transmits the Tiantai doctrinal teachings and is complete in both understanding and practice, to transmit the teachings and hold the abbotship. Moreover, monks who have been invited to the cloister to listen and study shall regularly be selected and appointed to serve as the chief administrators, in the hope of permanently sheltering monks, burning incense, cultivating, lecturing, expounding, and praying for the emperor's longevity. It is humbly feared that in the future, disciples may not know the background of the original relinquishment of the cloister and grounds and may make illegitimate claims of possession. It is also feared that in the future, monks from this cloister or from outside who are not proficient in the lecturing vocation might merely use the name of transmitting the Tiantai teachings to seek the abbotship through influence and entreaties to those in power; hence they request that such practices be brought to a complete halt. Generation after generation, it is required that only one who has long practiced the doctrinal vehicle of Tiantai Zhizhe, truly possesses disciplined conduct, and has the unanimous approval of the student assembly, shall hold the abbotship of this cloister and continue the lecturing and expounding. It is hoped that there will always be persons of virtue to disseminate the wondrous teachings, so as to support the state's prosperity above and broadly confer blessings on the multitude of people below. Thereupon, in the seventh month of the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu [1010], they submitted a petition through the commissioner's yamen, requesting that the details be recorded and memorialized to the imperial throne, petitioning for an imperial edict granting permission to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions and continually expound the Tiantai doctrinal teachings. The commissioner's yamen endorsed and forwarded the memorial. Furthermore, the disciple monks of this cloister, Licheng, Youxuan, Benci, Benchang, Shangxian, Decai, and others, submitted a petition stating: We humbly observe that our masters Zhili and Yiwen have submitted a petition through the prefecture to establish this cloister permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions to expound the Tiantai doctrinal teachings continuously, which falls outside the scope of succession by disciples. Licheng and the others also wish that this cloister serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions, and that in every generation a monk of virtuous conduct who clearly understands Zhizhe's doctrinal vehicle and can gather students from near and far be invited to transmit the teachings and hold the abbotship, and that monks who have arrived at the cloister to listen and study be regularly selected and appointed to serve as chief administrators. Licheng and the others each share this unanimous wish and harbor no conflicting claims. It is humbly feared that in the future other disciples, unaware of the background of the original relinquishment of the cloister and grounds, may make illegitimate claims of possession. They request that the circumstances be fully set down and forwarded together in a memorial. The commissioner's yamen, having investigated the circumstances, memorialized the throne. In the tenth month of that year, in accordance with a directive from the Secretariat, the imperial decree was received: 'It is ordered that this cloister be directed in accordance with established precedent.' An official directive was subsequently issued by the commissioner to the Monastic Rectory, instructing them to examine carefully the imperial decree within the Secretariat directive, swiftly analyze the established precedent, and submit a joint guarantee document. According to the submission by the Monastic Rectory, an investigation revealed that both Jingde Monastery on Mount Tiantong and Xianju Cloister on Mount Damei in this prefecture are likewise abbotships of the ten directions, adhering to the aforementioned model of the mountain monasteries of Jiangnan and Hunan circuits; and if an investigation should show that Tiantong and Damei are not abbotships of the ten directions, they submit willingly to severe punishment. An official directive was issued by the commissioner down to this cloister, instructing them to implement this in accordance with the imperial decree in the Secretariat directive and the precedent of Tiantong, Damei, and other places as analyzed by the Monastic Rectory. Wishing now to transcribe the imperial decree and the earlier and later directives of the commissioner, and to carve them upon a stone stele to serve permanently as the regulations for transmitting the teachings and holding the abbotship of the ten directions, they have submitted a petition requesting instructions from our subordinate office; the above matters are as set forth before. We now examine that previously, according to the petition by the śramaṇas Zhili and Yiwen, abbots of Yanqing Cloister transmitting the Tiantai teachings, they requested to follow the model of the mountain monasteries of Jiangnan and Hunan circuits and make this cloister permanently an abbotship of the ten directions; and according to the petition submitted by the disciple monks Licheng and the other five, they likewise requested to make this cloister permanently an abbotship of the ten directions, where every generation must always have a monk of virtuous conduct who clearly understands the doctrinal vehicle of Tiantai Zhizhe to succeed to the transmission of the teachings and the abbotship. The prefectural authorities subsequently, on the eleventh day of the eighth month of the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu, prepared a memorial and submitted it, petitioning for an imperial edict. On the eighteenth day of the tenth month of that year, instructions arrived in accordance with the Secretariat directive, conveying the imperial decree: 'It is ordered that this prefecture be directed in accordance with established precedent.' Thereupon, the full text was transcribed and issued to Yanqing Cloister, instructing them to direct matters in strict accordance with the imperial decree within the Secretariat directive. Subsequently, in the third month of the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu [1011], based on another petition submitted to the prefecture by Zhili and the others, stating their fear that other disciples in the future, unaware of the reasons, might presume to follow the precedent of succession by disciples in other cloisters, creating illegitimate claims of possession that would obstruct monks of renowned practice from transmitting the teachings and holding the abbotship; and requesting that the circumstances be memorialized again so that an explicit imperial edict be issued to this cloister to serve permanently as an abbotship of the ten directions and continually expound the Tiantai doctrinal teachings. Because the prefectural authorities had already memorialized the throne and clearly complied with the instructions of the imperial decree, they prepared a directive to the Monastic Rectory instructing them to examine the imperial decree within the Secretariat directive and swiftly analyze the established precedent, submitting a joint guarantee document. Subsequently, according to the submission by the Monastic Rectory: 'An investigation now reveals that both Jingde Monastery on Mount Tiantong and Xianju Cloister on Mount Damei in this prefecture are likewise abbotships of the ten directions, adhering to the aforementioned model of the mountain monasteries of Jiangnan and Hunan circuits; if an investigation should show that Tiantong and Damei are not abbotships of the ten directions, we submit willingly to severe punishment.' On the twenty-fourth day of this month, a directive was issued to this cloister instructing them to examine the imperial decree issued previously together with the precedent of the two places, Tiantong and Damei, as analyzed by the Monastic Rectory, and to proceed with its implementation. Now, according to the petition submitted anew by the śramaṇas Zhili and Yiwen, stating that they wish to transcribe in full the imperial decree and the earlier and later commissioner's directives and carve them upon a stone stele to serve permanently as the regulations for transmitting the teachings and holding the abbotship of the ten directions, and requesting an official directive: It is necessary that an order be issued to Yanqing Cloister, instructing them to examine the instructions of the imperial decree and earlier and later directives of the commissioner, together with the precedent analyzed by the Monastic Rectory, and to proceed with implementation as they deem fit, without anything being overlooked. Directive of the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu [1011].