禪林寶訓 3.50

3.50

妙喜曰。古德住持不親常住。一切悉付知事掌管。近代主者自恃才力有餘。事無大小皆歸方丈。而知事徒有其虛名耳。嗟乎苟以一身之資。固欲把攬一院之事。使小人不蒙蔽。紀綱不紊亂。而合至公之論。不亦難乎（與山堂記）。

Miaoxi said: “Ancient worthies who served as abbots did not personally manage the permanent property of the saṃgha; all of it was entrusted to the directors of affairs to handle. Modern masters rely on their own abundant talent and strength, so that affairs great and small all revert to the abbot's quarters, while the directors of affairs merely hold empty titles. Alas! If, with the resources of a single person, one stubbornly insists on grasping all the affairs of an entire monastery, so that petty people do not conceal the truth, discipline is not disrupted, and it accords with the discourse of utmost fairness—would that not be difficult?” (Record with Shantang).