勅修百丈清規 3.39

3.39

古之開堂朝命下。或差官敦請。或部使者。或郡縣遣幣禮請就某寺。或本寺官給錢料設齋開堂。各官自有請疏及茶湯等榜。見諸名公文集。近來開堂多是各寺自備。至時入院侍者分付行者。鋪設法座。報眾掛上堂牌。具寫官員諸山名目。預呈住持於座左設位。鋪卓袱爐燭。排列疏帖。預先和會維那宣公文。首座宣山門疏。以次頭首。或諸山江湖名勝宣其餘疏。及預請諸山一人白椎。座前對面排官員位。侍者覆方丈鳴鼓眾集。侍者同專使。入請住持。出鐃鈸幡花挑燈迎引。至法堂位前立。如受請時未拈衣。當舉法語。披衣畢。專使進前插香行禮。初展云（即日伏蒙和尚先據法筵。下情不勝感激之至）再展敘寒溫畢。觸禮三拜。住持答一拜。先呈公文舉法語畢。接付維那宣白。次山門諸山江湖疏。一一遞上有法語分送宣讀。若見任官請開堂有疏。親自捧遞有法語宣畢。指法座有法語。登座拈香祝聖。次拈帝師省院臺憲郡縣文武官僚香。侍者逐一度香。惟法嗣香住持懷中拈出。自插爐中。斂衣趺坐。侍者燒香下座問訊。兩序出班問訊畢。侍者再登座燒香問訊。禮與旦望上堂同。諸山住持送入院者亦出問訊。住持當令侍者請官員坐。諸山上首出白椎鳴。椎一下云（法筵龍象眾。當觀第一義）住持垂語問答提綱。敘謝官員諸山云（此日開堂。端為祝聖。不敢多詞敘陳）專使兩序勤舊略提過。詳在小參時敘陳。結座白椎人復鳴椎一下白云（諦觀法王法。法王法如是）下座先受官員作賀畢。知事接送客位。客頭行者即進爐燭。一字排列座前。專使插香兩展三禮畢。堂司行者喝云（諸山人事）次喝云（西堂人事）展禮喝云（知事人事）兩展三禮。又喝云（首座大眾人事）勤舊蒙堂前資諸寮齊插香。同大眾兩展三禮畢。莊庫菴塔法眷鄉人。暫到展賀畢據座。侍者小師插香大展三拜。次執局行者插香禮拜。次參頭領眾行者。插香禮拜。次直廳轎番莊甲作頭老郎人僕參拜畢。住持即往客位。致謝官員諸山。次第巡寮。諸寮當陳香几爐燭坐位。各具威儀。於寮外伺住持至。寮主先於門前下首立。迎入請趺坐插香。住持答香。略敘寒溫致謝送出。蒙堂前資眾寮皆列門外下首。同迎同送。

In ancient times, when an imperial decree to open the hall came down, an official was either dispatched to urge and invite, or an envoy from a ministry, or a commandery or prefecture sent gifts and ceremonially invited [the master] to a certain monastery; or the monastery itself was given funds by officials to provide a meal and open the hall. Each official had his own invitation missive and notices for tea, soup, and so forth, as seen in the collected writings of famous personages. In recent times, opening the hall is mostly provided by each monastery itself. When the time comes, the attendant for entering the monastery instructs the postulants to set up the dharma seat, and notifies the assembly by hanging the board for ascending the hall, fully writing the names and titles of officials and those of other mountains. He presents it beforehand to the abbot. To the left of the seat, a place is arranged, with a table cloth, incense burner, and candles spread out, and the missives and placards lined up. He confers in advance with the karmadāna to proclaim the official documents, with the head seat to proclaim the monastery's missive, and with the lower-ranking prefects or prominent guests from other mountains and the broader monastic community to proclaim the remaining missives, and invites in advance one person from another mountain to strike the mallet. Before the seat, facing it, the places for the officials are arranged. The attendant notifies the abbot's quarters. The drum is struck, and the assembly gathers. The attendant, together with the special envoy, enters to invite the abbot out, escorted and led by cymbals, banners, flowers, and carrying lanterns. He stands before his place in the dharma hall. If he did not take up his robe when he accepted the invitation, he should now speak dharma words. After donning the robe, the special envoy steps forward, inserts incense, and performs the ritual. In the first opening [of the mat], he says: 'Today, we are humbly blessed that the upādhyāya has already taken possession of the dharma seat; our humble sentiments cannot bear our supreme gratitude.' In the second opening, after inquiring after his health, he makes three prostrations touching the mat. The abbot returns one prostration. [The envoy] first presents the official documents, and after [the abbot] has spoken dharma words, they are handed to the karmadāna to proclaim aloud. Next, the missives of the monastery, other mountains, and the broader monastic community are handed up one by one with dharma words, and distributed to be proclaimed and read. If an incumbent official who requested the opening of the hall has a missive, he personally presents it, and after dharma words are spoken, it is proclaimed. [The abbot] points to the dharma seat with dharma words, ascends the seat, and offers incense to felicitate the emperor. Next, he offers incense for the Imperial Preceptor, the Secretarial Council, the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs, the Censorate, and the civil and military officials of the commanderies and prefectures. The attendant hands him the incense sticks one by one. Only the incense for his Dharma transmission does the abbot take out from his bosom and insert into the burner himself. He gathers his robes and sits cross-legged. The attendant burns incense, descends from the seat, and greets with folded hands. When the two ranks have stepped out from their rows and greeted with folded hands, the attendant ascends the seat again, burns incense, and greets with folded hands, the ritual being the same as for ascending the hall on the new moon and full moon. The abbots of other mountains who escorted him into the monastery also step forward and greet with folded hands. The abbot should have the attendant invite the officials to be seated. The senior person from another mountain steps forward to strike the mallet; striking the mallet once, he says: 'Assembly of dragons and elephants at the dharma banquet, contemplate the foremost truth!' The abbot delivers his discourse, engages in questions and answers, summarizes the essential teachings, and expresses thanks to the officials and those from other mountains, saying: 'Today's opening of the hall is solely for felicitating the emperor; I dare not use many words to discourse at length.' The special envoy, the two ranks, and the retired officers are briefly mentioned; a detailed discourse is reserved for the small convocation. Concluding the session, the person who strikes the mallet strikes it once again and proclaims: 'Clearly contemplate the Dharma of the Dharma King; the Dharma of the Dharma King is like this!' Descending from the seat, [the abbot] first receives the congratulations of the officials. The administrators receive and escort them to the guest quarters. The guest prefect postulant immediately brings forward the incense burner and candles, lining them up in a row before the seat. The special envoy inserts incense, makes two open-mat prostrations, and three bows. The hall office postulant calls out: 'Greetings from other mountains!' Next he calls out: 'Greetings from the west hall!' After open-mat rituals, he calls out: 'Greetings from the administrators!' with two open-mat prostrations and three bows. He calls out again: 'Greetings from the head seat and the great assembly!' The retired officers, the infirmary hall, former officers, and the various dormitories insert incense together, and together with the assembly make two open-mat prostrations and three bows. When those from the manors, storehouse, hermitages, and stupas, Dharma relatives, fellow provincials, and temporary visitors have completed their open-mat congratulations, [the abbot] takes his seat. The attendants and disciple novices insert incense and make three prostrations with fully spread mat. Next, the office postulants insert incense and bow. Next, the chief postulant leads the assembly of postulants to insert incense and bow. Next, the hall attendants, sedan-chair bearers, manor heads, foremen, veteran workers, and servants pay their respects. When finished, the abbot immediately goes to the guest quarters to express thanks to the officials and those from other mountains. Subsequently, he makes the rounds of the dormitories. The various dormitories should arrange incense tables, burners, candles, and seating, each maintaining proper decorum, waiting outside the dormitory for the abbot to arrive. The dormitory host first stands at the lower position before the door, welcomes him in, invites him to sit cross-legged, and inserts incense. The abbot returns the incense, briefly inquires after his health, expresses thanks, and is escorted out. The infirmary hall, former officers, and communal dormitory all line up at the lower position outside the doors, welcoming and escorting him together.