禪林寶訓 3.50

3.50

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).