禪林寶訓 1.36

1.36

When Patriarch Yan moved from Haihui to Dongshan, Fojian of Taiping and Foyan of Longmen went to the mountain summit to pay their respects. The Patriarch gathered the seniors and administrators, prepared refreshments and fruit, and had a night talk. The Patriarch asked Fojian: 'Was there a good harvest in Shuzhou?' He replied: 'It was good.' The Patriarch said: 'Was there a good harvest at Taiping?' He replied: 'It was good.' The Patriarch said: 'How much grain was harvested in total from all the estates?' While Fojian was deliberating and calculating, the Patriarch put on a stern expression and said in a harsh voice: 'You presumptuously act as the master of a monastery; whether affairs are great or small, you must examine them with all your heart. The annual budget of the permanent property of the saṃgha is what the entire assembly depends on; yet you still do not know it! Other minor matters can be seen without speaking of them. When the administrators of the monastery know cause and understand effect, are they like our Dharma grandfather assisting the Dharma patriarch Ciming? Do you not consider that the property of the saṃgha is heavy as a mountain?' Patriarch Yan's responsive wit was ordinarily sharp and prompt, but since Fojian was observing the etiquette of a disciple, his hesitant responses reached such a point. An ancient said: 'Only when the master is strict is the Way that is learned held in esteem.' Therefore, among the descendants of Dongshan's gate, many were worthy, virtuous, and preeminent; truly, the source was deep and the stream flowed long." (From Academician Geng's Letter to Gao'an).