勅修百丈清規 4.15

4.15

職掌經藏兼通義學。凡看經者初入經堂。先白堂主同到藏司相看。送歸按位對觸禮一拜。此古規也。今各僧看經多就眾寮。而藏殿無設几案者。然充其名當盡其職。函帙目錄常加點對缺者補完。蒸潤者焙拭。殘斷者粘綴。若大眾披閱則藏主置簿。照堂司所排經單列名。逐函交付。看畢照簿交收入藏。庶無散失。推原吾宗既曰教外別傳。猶命僧專司其藏者何也。以佛之所言所行為教律。而僧有不遵佛之言行乎。特吾之所證所得不溺於文字。而超乎言行之表。以見夫自性之妙焉。又祖之意。欲吾徒遍探諸部與外之百氏。期以折衝外侮應變無窮。所謂不即不離者是也。後以眾多列東西藏。

He is in charge of the scriptural canon and is also well versed in doctrinal study. Whenever sutra-readers first enter the sutra hall, they first inform the hall host and go together to the sutra library to meet him, who escorts them back to their assigned seats where they make a prostration touching the mat facing each other; this is the ancient rule. Nowadays, monks mostly read sutras in the communal dormitory, and the sutra hall has no desks set out. Nevertheless, filling the post, one must fulfill its duties: constantly check and collate the cases and catalogues, making up what is missing; dry and wipe what is damp; paste and mend what is torn or damaged. If the assembly reads through them, the librarian sets up a register, following the sutra roster arranged by the hall office to list names, handing them over case by case. When reading is finished, they are checked against the register and returned to the canon, so that none are scattered or lost. Tracing back the origins: since our school is called ‘a special transmission outside the teachings,’ why is a monk still appointed to specifically oversee the library? Because the Buddha's words and deeds constitute the teachings and vinaya; could monks fail to follow the Buddha's words and deeds? It is only that what we realize and attain is not drowned in words, but transcends the outward manifestation of words and deeds, in order to behold the marvel of our own nature. Furthermore, the ancestors' intention was for our followers to thoroughly investigate all collections and the hundred outside philosophical schools, expecting thereby to ward off external insults and adapt to boundless changes; this is what is meant by ‘neither clinging nor separating.’ Later, because the assembly was large, eastern and western libraries were established.