禪林寶訓 3.65

3.65

萬菴曰。夫名行尊宿至院。主人陞座。當謙恭敘謝。屈尊就卑增重之語。下座同首座大眾。請陞于座庶聞法要。多見近時。相尚舉古人公案。令對眾批判。喚作驗他。切莫萌此心。先聖為法忘情。同建法化互相詶唱。令法久住。肯容心生滅興此惡念耶。禮以謙為主。宜深思之。

Wan'an said: “When an elder venerable of noted conduct arrives at a monastery, the host ascends the seat and should speak words of humble thanks, bending his high position to accommodate the low, and showing esteem. Stepping down, together with the head seat and the great assembly, he invites [the guest] to ascend the seat so they may hear the essentials of the Dharma. Frequently nowadays, one sees them vie to raise ancient public cases (gong'an) and order [the guest] to critically judge them before the assembly, calling it ‘testing him.’ Never sprout such a thought! The ancient sages forgot personal feelings for the sake of the Dharma, jointly establishing the Dharma transformation and singing and responding to one another to make the Dharma abide for long. Would they willingly harbor production and cessation in their minds to give rise to this evil thought? Ritual takes humility as its primary basis; one should reflect deeply on this.”