勅修百丈清規 2.1

2.1

大智壽聖禪寺住持臣僧德煇奉　勅重編

Chapter III

Discharging Religious Indebtedness

I. Preface to the Chapter

Buddha-nature is the fundamental basis of humanity. It is neither possible to know its origin even if one were to shake heaven and earth, nor to know its fulfillment by exhausting myriads of years. Buddhas and sentient beings are equally endowed with this nature. By acquiring insight into this nature, one reaches the summit of wondrous enlightenment; by straying from it, one is washed away by the waves of life and death. From one kalpa to the next, one goes through different births in the sixfold cycle of rebirth in accordance with one’s karmic retribution, and finds no end to this process. The sacred teaching of the Buddha, upon which we rely, is vast and open to anyone to follow for refuge.

We Zen practitioners have reverently inherited the formality of the (Buddha’s) attire and the lineage of his Dharma transmission. What we advocate as his principle of practice are the codes of discipline and morality (vinaya); what we propagate as his word of truth is the body of teachings (śāsana); and what we transmit as his mind of transcendence is the state of meditation (dhyāna). Moreover, our compliance with the so-called Great Origin is to identify ourselves with the totality of the Buddha’s wondrous faculty, alone through which, for the first time, we are called the Buddha’s disciples and transmit the life of his insight. Is it then [merely] worldly convention to conduct services on the memorial days of the patriarchs?

II. The Buddha’s Birthday Commemoration

1. The Ascent to the Dharma Hall

Prior to the day, the practice hall official collects contributions from the practitioners and entrusts the collection to the head administrative official in order to obtain various offerings. He is also obliged to have the word of tribute composed and approved. (The procedure is identical to that of the imperial birthday rite.) When the appointed day comes, the head administrative official respectfully sets up a small pavilion decorated with flowers in the Buddha hall and places in it a statue of the infant Buddha with a tray of scented water, and provides a pair of small dippers and various offerings in front of the pavilion. When everything is ready, the abbot ascends the main rostrum seat [of the Dharma hall], and after offering incense, says:

On the felicitous morning of the Buddha’s birthday, disciple So-and-

so, abbot of Such-and-such Temple in charge of the Buddha’s teach-

ing, reverently offers fragrant incense to express care and devotion for

the sake of the Original Patriarch, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Pre-

ceptor (mahopādhyāya; daheshang). In response to his great com-

passion, I earnestly pray: May all the Buddhas manifest themselves in

this world within every successive moment of our consciousness so

as to rescue all beings of this Dharma world (dharmadhātu).

Next, the abbot sits down cross-legged and says:

On this eighth day of the fourth month, we greet the commemorative

morning of the birth of the Original Patriarch Śākyamuni Tathāgata,

the Great Preceptor. By assembling all the disciples of this temple, and

also by offering incense, flowers, candles, sweet water, and tea, as well

as fruit and delicacies, we hereby express our care and devotion for

him. Disciple So-and-so, abbot of this temple, a remote descendant in

charge of the Buddha’s teaching, has ascended this main rostrum seat

to offer the teaching of [the Buddha’s] vehicle of religious salvation.

With the special merit thereby accrued, we wish, in part, to discharge

our indebtedness to the refuge bestowed upon us by his compassion

and, in part, along with all sentient beings of the Dharma world, to

express our celebration for the event of the Buddha’s birth that was

indeed of rare occurrence.

2. The Celebration of the Buddha’s Birth

Next, after preaching, the abbot addresses the assembly once again:

I respectfully announce that after leaving here we shall proceed to the

Buddha hall with proper attire and dignity and commemorate the day

by bathing the [statue of the infant] Buddha and chanting sutras.

The abbot descends the rostrum seat and leads the practitioners toward the Buddha hall. When the practitioners have taken their respective positions, facing the Buddha image, the abbot burns incense and performs three prostrations with half-opened sitting cloth before the altar. Without folding his sitting cloth, he proceeds to the altar and conducts the offering of sweet hot water and food. His guest reception assistant hands him the offerings, while the incense offering assistant places them on the altar. The abbot returns to his position and again performs three full prostrations, and once again proceeds to the altar to offer incense, a monetary gift, and tea. Once again he returns to his position, performs three prostrations, and stands, folding his sitting cloth.

With a bow, the director of practitioners’ affairs signals the dual order officials to step forward for incense offering, in pairs, while the rest of the practitioners perform three prostrations with opened sitting cloth. In the meantime, the abbot kneels to offer incense at a portable incense burner, while the director begins to read the word of tribute, addressing the Buddha:

The single moon, abiding in the sky, magnanimously imprints its

image into the multiple waves of water,