勅修百丈清規 4.103

4.103

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8. The Abbot’s Serving of Tea

for the Training Officials

by Visiting Their Quarters

After the serving of tea and sweet hot water at his office, the abbot makes

his visit individually to the quarters of the training officials and serves tea.

Composed and calm, with warmth, he inspects whatever is needed in their quarters and requests the treasury officials to supply it.

9. The Serving of Tea on the Occasion

of the Transfer of Duties Between

the Former and New Dual Order Officials

While awaiting the completion of the abbot’s special serving of tea for the new primary seat official, those who have been newly appointed to the dual order offices visit their respective former officials with due dignity, carrying incense in their sleeves. After burning incense and performing prostrations with unopened sitting cloth, the new appointees invite them with the following words:

After the noon meal, in honor of your reverences, tea is served at the

officials’ quarters.

Accordingly, each of the dual order officials instructs the practitioner in charge of tea to extend his invitation to a member of the other order, and in addition two retired officials, one each from the east and west orders, as participants.

(If a west order official extends his invitation to his predecessor, he is obliged to extend his invitation to an administrative official of the east order to the main seat on the same line allocated to his predecessor, and, in addition, to invite a lower-ranking west order official as a participant. If anyone higher in rank is invited, the order of the seating arrangements is disturbed. Again, if an east order official invites his predecessor for tea, he is also obliged to invite a training official to the main seat on the same line allocated to his predecessor, and in addition, invite the treasury official, lower in rank, as a participant.)

In the official quarters, the main guest’s seat must be set on the right side of the back of the room. The seats of the officials on the right and left front of the hall are to be placed respectively by the participants from the two orders. After the noon meal, the wooden sounding blocks located by both quarters are struck. The host official first receives the main guest, followed by the other participants, and then requests them to take their seats. First burning incense for the main guest, then for the participants, the host

official takes his seat, signaling the serving of tea to commence. After the serving of tea is completed, the main guest stands and, receiving incense from the host, burns it, performs a prostration with unopened sitting cloth, and departs.

The next day, the host official instructs the practice hall attendant to invite the former official for the serving of a snack, so as to complete the proceeding of official transfer between the former and new officials. For this occasion, some notable participant superior to the main guest may be invited as a participant. For instance, when the primary seat official of the front hall invites the former primary seat official as his main guest, one of the two other participants may be the west hall official and a retired administrative official of the east order. If the guests represent all officials of the administration, the host of the proceeding should invite the west hall ranking official, the retired administrative officials, and the present training officials as honorable participants.

In the administrative office, curtains must be hung and the main seat should be set at the rear of the hall, while participants should be seated in the right and left sections of the hall. If a training official is invited as participant, he should be seated to the left of the main guest with a space in between, and if he is in the same order as the main guest, their seating order should reflect the difference in their ranks. On the next day, there should be the serving of a snack. The seating arrangement for the serving of simple food is identical with that of the previous day for the serving of tea. The west order official, however, ends the serving of a snack according to the rank of the guest reception official, whereas, the east order official should end it according to the rank of the director of practitioners’ affairs. As to the procedure of ceremonial transfer between the former and new practitioner assistants, the director of practitioners’ affairs must always be invited to participate in the serving of tea as well as servings of simple food. (The seating arrangement and conduct of serving are all identical as before.) In recent times, it has become common to invite unrelated guests and locals for the serving of snacks, but this is not proper conduct.

10. The Serving of Tea on the Occasion of

Leaving and Joining [Each Official] Quarters

When someone joins the retirees’ hall, he must report it to the master of the

practitioners’ quarters and post a signboard indicating the serving of tea. At the left side of the board he should attach a small note that says:

So-and-so invites honorable colleagues for tea to be served after the

noon meal.

After the meal, he prepares incense and candles, and all bow in unison. Requesting the master of quarters to stay at the main seat, the person who serves tea takes his temporary seat at the guest position. He stands, burns incense, bows to every member, returns to take his seat again, and the serving of tea and retrieval of the teabowls are carried out. The master of the quarters stands and expresses thanks before the incense burner.

When someone is appointed a training official and is to leave the retirees’ hall, he is obliged to conduct the propriety of serving tea for the official transfer of duty. The next day, he requests the practitioner in charge of tea to report to the master of the quarters and post the signboard indicating the serving of tea. After the noon meal, striking the small wooden sounding block in the practitioners’ quarters, the practitioner in charge of tea stands to the right of the entrance to the quarters, greets the practitioners, and proceeds to the incense burner to bow. The master of the quarters takes the main seat and